A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Vocabulary Terms

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Vocabulary Terms Betty Smiths first novel,  A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, tells the coming-of-age story of Francie Nolan and her second-generation immigrant parents struggling to provide for their family. Its widely believed Smith herself was the basis for the character of Francie. Heres a vocabulary list from A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Use these terms for reference, study, and discussion. Chapters I-VI: tenement: an apartment building, usually in a low-income area, that is without luxury amenities ragamuffin: a child whose appearance is unkempt and uncivilized cambric: a finely woven white linen interminable: long and dull with little sign of ending (or terminating) premonition: a warning or feeling about something that will happen in the future (usually negative) vestibule: a reception area or foyer, often in a school or church Chapters VII-XIV: fetching: attractive or pretty, beguiling peculiar: unusual or suprising, out of the ordinary bucolic: of or in the countryside, literally a shepherd or cowhand sprig small shoot or twig of a plant, usually decorative or garnish filigree: a delicate ornamentation or detail usually gold or silver, on jewelry banshee: from Irish folklore,  a female spirit whose high-pitched wailing signals an imminent death (on the) dole: unemployed and receiving benefits from the government. Chapters XV-XXIII: prodigious: impressively large, awesome languorous: without energy or liveliness, sluggish gallantly  do something in a brave or heroic way dubious: having doubt or uncertainty, skeptical horde: a large unruly crowd saunter  to walk at a leisurely pace relegate: to demote or assign to a lower category Chapters XXIV-XXIX: gratis: free, without cost contempt:  disrespectful dislike conjecture: opinion based on incomplete information, speculation surreptitious: secretive, sneaky vivacious: animated, lively, happy-go-lucky thwarted: prevented from accomplishing something, disappointed sodden: drenched, thoroughly soaked Chapters XXX-XXXVII:   lulled: calmed, settled down putrid: decaying with a foul odor   debonair: sophisticated, charming lament: to mourn, or feel sad about a loss fastidious: having exacting attention to detail Chapters XXXIII-XLII: contrite: apologetic, feeling sincere regret for a misdeed contorted: twisted or misshapen infinitesimal: so small as to be irrelevant or unmeasurable Chapters XLIII-XLVI:   contemptuously: disrespectfully, disdainfully poignant: creating or evoking a feeling of sadness or empathy genuflect: to kneel and show deference or reverence especially in a house of worship vestment: garment worn by a member of clergy or religious order Chapters XLVII-LIII: vaudeville: variety show with comedic and slapstick performances rhetorically: speaking in a theoretical or speculative manner, not literally mollify: to pacify or appease matriculate: to enroll and pass through a school or course of study munitions: collection of weapons Chapters LV-LVI: prohibition: forbidding, or, period in American history when alcohol was illegal. jauntily: cheerful and arrogant, lively sachet: small perfumed bag This vocabulary list is just one part of our study guide on A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Please see the links below for other helpful resources: Review: A Tree Grows in BrooklynQuotes from A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Positive Reinforcement to Increase Academic Performance

Positive Reinforcement to Increase Academic Performance Reinforcement is the means by which behavior is increased. Also known as consequences, positive reinforcement adds something that will make it more likely the behavior will occur. Negative reinforcement is when something is removed, it is more likely to continue. The Reinforcement Continuum Reinforcement happens all the time. Some reinforcement occurs because the item or activity is naturally reinforcing. At the highest end of reinforcement, reinforcers are social or intrinsic, such as praise or self-esteem. Young children, or children with low cognitive or social functioning, may require primary reinforcers, such as food or preferred items. During the course of instruction primary reinforcers should be paired with secondary reinforcers. Primary Reinforcers: Primary reinforcers are things that reinforce behavior that provide immediate gratification, such as food, water or a preferred activity. Often very young children or children with severe disabilities need primary reinforcers in order to be engaged in an educational program. Food can be a powerful reinforcer, especially preferred food, such as fruit or candy. Often young children with severe disabilities or very low social functioning are started with preferred foods, but they need to be paired with secondary reinforcers, especially praise and social interaction. Physical stimulation, like piggyback rides or airplane rides are primary reinforcers that pair the therapist or teacher with the reinforcer. One of the principal goals of a therapist or teacher is for the therapist or teacher to become a secondary reinforcer for the child. When the therapist becomes a reinforcer for the child, it becomes easier for the child to generalize secondary reinforcers, like praise, across environments. Pairing primary reinforcers with tokens is also a powerful way to replace primary reinforcers with secondary reinforcers. A student earns tokens toward a preferred item, activity or perhaps food as part of their educational or therapy program. The token is also paired with secondary reinforcement, like praise, and moves the child toward appropriate behavior. Secondary Reinforcers:  Secondary reinforcers are learned reinforcers. Awards, praise and other social reinforcers are all learned. If students have not learned the value of secondary reinforcement, such as praise or rewards, they need to be paired with primary reinforcers: a child earns a preferred item by earning stars. Soon the social status and attention that go with stars will transfer to the stars, and other secondary reinforcers like stickers and awards will become effective. Children with autism spectrum disorders lack an understanding of social interaction and do not value praise or other secondary reinforcement because they lack Theory of Mind (ToM), the ability to understand that another human has emotions, thoughts and is motivated by personal self-interest. Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder need to be taught the value of secondary reinforcers by having them paired with preferred items, food, and preferred activities. Intrinsic Reinforcement: The final goal of reinforcement is for students to learn to evaluate themselves and reward themselves with intrinsic reinforcement, the feeling a person gets from a job well done, for successfully completing a task. Still, we need to remember that people do not spend 12 years in college, medical school and residency just for the honor of being addressed as doctor. They are also hoping to earn the big bucks, and rightly so. Still, when intrinsic rewards accompany employment, as in being a special education teacher, they may compensate for some of the lack of status and income. The ability to discover intrinsic reinforcement in many activities that lead to the big bucks does, however, bode well for future success. Socially Valid Reinforcers Socially valid reinforcers refer to reinforcement schedules that are age appropriate. Seeking reinforcers that do not set students apart from typically developing peers in their age group is really part of providing FAPE- a Free, Appropriate Public Education- a legal underpinning of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 1994 (IDEIA.) For students in middle school or high school, putting Super Mario stickers on the backs of their hands is not age appropriate. Of course, students with the most difficult behavior, or those who do not respond to secondary reinforcement need to have reinforcers that can be paired with social reinforcement and faded as more socially acceptable reinforcement can take its place. Socially valid reinforcement can also help students understand what is cool or acceptable to typical peers. Rather than letting middle school aged students watch a Telletubbies video as a reinforcer, how about a National Geographic video about bears? Or perhaps anime cartoons? Identifying High Preference Reinforcers In order for reinforcement to be effective, it has to be something the student or students find reinforcing. Stars on a chart might work for typical 2nd graders, but not for second graders with a severe disability. They certainly wont work for high school students, unless they get to trade them for something they really want. There are several ways to discover reinforcers. Ask Parents: If you teach students who are not communicating, students with severe cognitive disabilities or autism spectrum disorders, you should be sure to interview parents before the students come to you, so you have some of their favorite things. Often offering a favorite toy for a brief period is a strong enough reinforcer to keep a young student on task.An Informal Preference Assessment: Lay a number of things that children of the same age enjoy playing with and watch what a student shows the most interest in. You may seek similar toys. Also, other items that have shown to be of interest, like toys that light up when you squeeze them, or accordion tubes that make noises when you pull them can be shown and modeled to students to see if they gain their attention. These items are available through catalogs that specialize in providing resources for children with disabilities, such as Abilitations.Observation: What does a child choose to use? What activities do they seem to prefer ? I had a child in an early intervention program who had a pet turtle. We had a nicely painted model turtle of vinyl, and he would work for an opportunity to hold the turtle. With older children, you will find they may have a Thomas the Tank Engine lunch bag, or a Cinderella Umbrella that they cherish, and Thomas and Cinderella may be good partners for reinforcement. Ask the Students: Find out what they find the most motivating. One way to do that is through Reinforcement Menus that  offer students things they can choose. When you collect them from a group, you can decide which items seem to be the most popular and arrange to make them available. A choice chart with the choices they have made can be very helpful, or you can create individual choice charts as I have for middle school students on the Autism Spectrum. If you want to control or limit the number of times they can make each choice (especially computer time, when you have limited computers for a large group) you could also make tickets with strips at the bottom to tear off, a little like the postings for used cars at the Laundromat.

Isabella of Portugal (1503 - 1539), Habsburg Queen

Isabella of Portugal (1503 - 1539), Habsburg Queen Isabella of Portugal Facts Known for: regent of Spain during long absences of her husband, Charles V, Holy Roman EmperorTitles: Empress, Holy Roman Empire; Queen of Germany, Spain, Naples, and Sicily; Duchess of Burgundy; princess (Infanta) of PortugalDates: October 24, 1503 - May 1, 1539 Background, Family: Mother: Maria of Castile and Aragon Maternal grandparents: Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon.Maria was the second wife of Manuel IManuels first wife, Isabella, Princess of Asturias, was Marias sister,  the eldest daughter of Isabella I and Ferdinand IIManuels third wife, Eleanor of Austria, was a niece of both Maria and Isabella, Manuels wives Father: Manuel I of Portugal Paternal grandfather: Ferdinand, Duke of ViseuPaternal grandmother: Beatrice of PortugalBeatrice was a sister-in-law and first cousin of Afonso V of Portugal, and mother-in-law and second cousin of John II of PortugalBeatrices sister, also called  Isabella of Portugal, married John II of Castile, and was the mother of Isabella IManuel succeeded his first cousin, John II of Portugal, who was married to Manuels sister, Eleanor of ViseuManuels older brother, Diogo, was stabbed to death by John II Siblings of Isabella of Portugal: Miguel de Paz, Prince of Portugal and AsturiasJohn III of PortugalBeatrice, Duchess of SavoyLouisFerdinandCardinal AfonsoHenryEdwardMaria, Duchess of Viseau Marriage, Children: Husband: Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (married March 11, 1526) Charles was Isabellas first cousinhis father was Philip the Handsome, Duke of Burgundy and Holy Roman Emperorhis mother was Joanna of Castile (known as Juana the Mad), a sister of Isabellas mother, Maria, both daughters of Isabella I and Ferdinand IIIsabellas brother, John III of Portugal, had earlier married Catherine of Austria, sister of Charles V, in 1525 Children: Philip II of Spain (1527 - 1598), who married four times: Maria Manuela of Portugal, Mary I of England, Elizabeth of France, and Anna of AustriaMaria (1528 - 1603), Holy Roman Empress, married to Maximilian II, her first cousinJoan of Austria  (1535 - 1573), who married her double first cousin, John (Joo Manuel) of Portugal; their child was King Sebastian of Portugal, who died without childrenThree children who were stillborn or died in infancy: Ferdinand (1529 - 1530), John (1537 - 1538), and an unnamed son (1539) Isabella of Portugal Biography: Isabella was born the second of the children of Manuel I of Portugal and his second wife, Maria of Castile and Aragon.  She was born in a year of sharp decline in  her grandmother, Isabella I of Castile, who died the next year. Marriage When her father died in 1521, her brother, John III of Portugal, negotiated a marriage with Catherine of Austria, sister of Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor. That marriage took place in 1525, by which time negotiations had arranged for Charles to marry Isabella. They were married on March 10, 1526, at the  Alczar, a Moorish palace. John III and Isabella, brother and sister, were first cousins of the sister and brother they married: they were all grandchildren of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon, whose marriage united Spain. Isabella and Charles may have married for financial and dynastic reasons she brought a large dowry to Spain but letters of the time show that their relationship was more than just a marriage of convenience. Charles V is known for creating a world empire, molding a great Habsburg empire which was rooted in Spain rather than in Germany.  Before his marriage to Isabella, other marriages had been explored for him, including marrying a daughter of Louis XII and a sister, Mary Tudor, of Henry VIII of England, a Hungarian princess.  Mary Tudor married the King of France, but after she was widowed, talks had begun to marry her to Charles V.  When the alliance of Henry VIII and Charles V fell apart, and Charles was still in conflict with France, the marriage with Isabella of Portugal was the logical choice. Isabella has been described as frail and delicate from the time of her marriage. They shared religious piety.   Children and Legacy During Charles absences from Spain in 1529-1532 and 1535-1539, Isabella served as his regent. They had six children, of whom the first, third and fifth survived to adulthood. During one of Charles absences, Isabella died after giving birth to her sixth child, a stillbirth. She was buried at Granada. Charles did not remarry, though that was the usual custom for rulers.  He wore mourning black until his death. He later built a royal tomb, where the remains of Charles V and Isabella of Portugal are together with those of Charles mother, Juana, two of his sisters, two of their children who died in infancy, and a daughter-in-law. Isabella  and Charles son Philip II became ruler of Spain, and in 1580, also became the ruler of Portugal.  This temporarily united the two Iberian countries. A portrait of Empress Isabella by Titian portrays her at her needlework, presumably waiting for the return of her husband. Joan of Austria and Sebastian of Portugal This daughter of Isabella of Portugal was the mother of the ill-fated Sebastian of Portugal and ruled Spain as regent for her brother Philip II. Known for:  Habsburg princess; regent of Spain for her brother,  Philip II Title by marriage:  Princess of PortugalDates:  June 24, 1535 - September 7, 1573Also known as:  Joan of Spain, Joanna, doà ±a Juana, Dona Joana Marriage, Children: husband: Infante John Manuel, Prince of Portugal (married 1552)one child:Sebastian  of Portugal (1554 - 1578) Joan of Austria Biography: Joan was born in Madrid. Her father was King of Aragon and King of Castile, the first to rule the united Spain, as well as Holy Roman Emperor. Joan was therefore also an Infanta of Spain as well as an Archduchess of Austria, part of the powerful Habsburg family. Joan was married in 1552 to John Manuel, Infante of Portugal and expected heir to that throne. He was her double first cousin. The Habsburg family tended to marry cousins; both their parents were also first cousins of each other. Joan and John Manuel shared the same grandmothers, who were sisters: Joanna I and Maria, daughters of Queen Isabella of Castile and King Ferdinand of Aragon. They also shared the same two grandfathers: Philip I of Castile and Manuel I of Portugal. 1554 1554 was a momentous year. John Manuel had always been sickly, surviving four brothers who died before him. On January 2, when Joan was pregnant with her first child, John Manuel died, of consumption or diabetes. He was only 16 years old. On the 20th of that month, Joan gave birth to their son Sebastian. When his paternal grandfather John III died three years later, Sebastian became king. His paternal grandmother, Catherine of Austria, was regent for Sebastian from 1557 to 1562. But Joan left later in 1554 for Spain, without her son. Her brother, Philip II, had married the English Queen Mary I, and Philip joined Mary in England. Joan never saw her son again, though they corresponded. Convent of the Poor Clares In 1557, Joan founded a convent for the Poor Clares, Our Lady of Consolation. She also supported the Jesuits. Joan died in 1578, only 38 years old, and was buried at the convent she had founded, which became known as the Convent of Las Descalzas Reales. Sebastian's Fate Sebastian never married, and died on August 4, 1578, in battle when attempting a crusade against Morocco. He was only 22 years old. Myths of his survival of the battle and imminent return led to him being called The Desired (o Desejado).

10 Varieties of Syntax to Improve Your Writing

10 Varieties of Syntax to Improve Your Writing 10 Varieties of Syntax to Improve Your Writing 10 Varieties of Syntax to Improve Your Writing By Mark Nichol English is a remarkably flexible language in terms of syntax, because a simple statement can be rendered in so many ways. Take, for example, the statement â€Å"I went for a walk,† and consider all the ways you can attach the additional information included in the statement, â€Å"I saw a dinosaur.† Here are just some of the most basic of many variations in syntactical organization: 1. Write the statements as consecutive sentences: â€Å"I went for a walk. I saw a dinosaur.† 2. Add the second statement to the first as a dependent clause: â€Å"I went for a walk and saw a dinosaur.† (The second statement does not stand on its own.) 3. Add the second statement to the first as an independent clause: â€Å"I went for a walk, and I saw a dinosaur.† (The second statement stands on its own, which means it can be separated into two sentences, as in the first example.) 4. Begin the sentence with a dependent marker that turns the initial statement into a modifying phrase that expands on the second statement: â€Å"While I was walking, I saw a dinosaur.† 5. Begin with the second statement and reword the first statement as a modifying phrase that follows it: â€Å"I saw a dinosaur on my walk this morning.† 6. Insert a nonessential phrase, which must be bracketed by commas, one of two ways: Locate the phrase between a pair of independent clauses (but after the coordinating conjunction), each consisting of one of the two statements: â€Å"I went for a walk and, to my surprise, I saw a dinosaur.† (Notice that â€Å"to my surprise,† which can be omitted without altering the sentence’s meaning, modifies the second statement and so must follow and; note, too, that the comma preceding the coordinating conjunction can be omitted.) Or, separate two statements with a nonessential phrase inserted before the coordinating conjunction: â€Å"I went for a walk, following my usual route, and I saw a dinosaur.† (Notice that â€Å"following my usual route,† which also does not alter the sentence’s meaning if it is omitted, modifies the first statement and so must precede and.) 7. Emphasize a nonessential phrase by bracketing it with em dashes to indicate an interruption of thought: â€Å"I went for a walk and no, I was not hallucinating I saw a dinosaur.† (Alternatively, to deemphasize the phrase, or for humorous effect, enclose it in parentheses.) 8. Insert an essential clause one whose absence would alter the meaning the sentence between two statements: â€Å"I went for a walk that followed my usual route and saw a dinosaur.† 9. Attach a variation of the second statement to the first, preceded by a semicolon when the second statement is an independent clause that is nevertheless closely associated with the first one: â€Å"I went for a walk; a dinosaur was grazing along my route.† 10. Separate two statements with a semicolon when the second statement is preceded by an adverb or an adverbial phrase, which requires a subsequent comma: â€Å"I went for a walk; unexpectedly, I saw a dinosaur along the way.† It is this rich variety of word and phrase order and variation in punctuation that makes prose fiction or nonfiction readable. As you review your writing, make sure that you vary sentence structure among these and other constructions to create a pleasant reading experience devoid of lockstep syntax questionable enough for a Dick-and-Jane reading level, and deadly for more sophisticated readers. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Definitely use "the" or "a"Latin Plural Endings48 Writing Prompts for Middle School Kids

The ETCHICAL Consumer Behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

The ETCHICAL Consumer Behavior - Essay Example l exhibitions of business, consumer behaviour is not static and shifts nearly continually; based upon current events, developments and culture, and a greater societal interpretation of what aspects should rank in what way. Rather than providing a purely theoretical discussion into consumer behaviour and motivations with respect to ethical and moral questions, the following analysis will consider three unique aspects of moral/ethical consumer behaviour and how they have impacted/continue to impact upon the way in which marketing and business development takes place within the current era. It is the further hope of this author that such a unit of analysis will be beneficial in seeking to understand and define the way in which ethical and moral considerations can be included within marketing approaches and how firms and business organizations can be reactive to the different needs that will be represented within this brief analysis. Firstly, before delving directly into the issue, it is necessary to understand that ethical and moral interpretations are deeply personal. Whereas it is true that a certain degree of similarity exists throughout society, the more relevant issue at hand has to do with the fact that cultural interpretation defines the way in which moral and ethical situations will be understood. Within such an understanding, the first section of this analysis will briefly engaged in an overview of the way in which culture impacts upon consumer behaviour and the manner through which different cultures will interpret ethical and moral issues and completely divergent ways (Lu et al., 2014). Similarly, the second portion of the analysis will delve directly in to the issues of ethics and morals that had been powerfully represented within a universal setting and impact upon the way in which firms engage with consumers. Naturally, these broad and overarching universal ethics and morals only represent those t hat are able to cross cultural lines and be represented

The final paper for ukrainian Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The final paper for ukrainian - Essay Example Ukraine hoped to would become a member of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and European Union (EU). However, Ukraine has never fulfilled these expectations. From the year 2000 to the Orange revolution that occurred in 2004, the per capita GDP of Ukraine rose as compared to the GDP of its neighboring countries. The GDP rose from 61% to 68% (DeBardeleben and Crina 67). However, Ukraine’s GPD in 2013 declined precipitously. Notably, Ukraine’s economy was in recession in 2013. This recession has been noted to have increased in 2014 where the economy of Ukraine has experienced a 7% to 10% drop. This abrupt crisis is associated with the falling of average income and decline in the real GDP of Ukraine. The crisis is best evident in the collapse of the Ukrainian currency and the reduction of its foreign currency reserve. Notably, if a country’s currency collapses and there is little foreign exchange reserve obtainable, the crisis will escalate swiftly. However, since the beginning of this year, the Ukrainian currency has dropped by 20% in relative to the US dollar. This means that there is rising inflation for all the imported goods, less investment by businesses located in Ukraine, slower economic growth as less consumption spending by the Ukrainians. The collapse of the currency also means that the Ukrainian central bank has to raise the domestic interest rates. The rise in the domestic interest rates will slow the economy as the domestic investment and consumption decline further. The raising of the rates will decipher into slow direct foreign investment into the country. The collapse of Ukrainian currency is worsened by the loss if foreign currency reserve. Notably, foreign exchange is needed for making payments on bonds to the foreign investors

Malnutrition in the Eldery patient Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Malnutrition in the Eldery patient - Essay Example In a controlled study of 92 patients that underwent hip surgery, 27% of the 26 patients who had suffered from postoperative delirium were admitted to a nursing home within 3 months of discharge from hospital compared to 8% of the 66 non-delirious patients. McCusker et al .found no difference for admission rates to long-term care facilities between patients with delirium and a non-delirious control group (odds ratio 1.15; 95% confidence intervals 0.33-4.05). The odds ratio for admission to long-term care, however, increased to 3.18 (95% CI 1.19-8.49) for demented delirious patients. Also, in a study by Edelstein et al ,the 5.1% of 921 patients who became delirious after hip-fracture surgery were less likely to recover to their pre-fracture level of ambulation than non-delirious patients. In patients newly admitted to post-acute care facilities after discharge from hospital, persistent delirium symptoms were prevalent in 23% of patients, being associated with poor functional recovery. Cognitive decline is not only a predisposing factor for delirium, but it has also been shown that delirium independently worsens cognitive function. In both delirious and non-delirious patients who underwent hip surgery, the score on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) decreased significantly during hospital stay. In the delirious group, however, the average MMSE score decreased significantly more (from 23.06 to 20.44 points) than in the non-delirious group (from 26.74 to 25.83 points; P Diagnosis There is no evidence that the clinical picture of delirium in the elderly differs from that in younger patients, although symptoms of delirium may be more persistent and follow a more chronic course. In 193 medical inpatients aged 65 and over with delirium diagnosed at admission or during the first week in hospital, symptoms of delirium persisted up to 12 months after diagnosis, in patients both with and without dementia. Diagnosing delirium in demented patients may be hard due to the overlap in symptoms of delirium and dementia. Recently, malnutrition related syndromes were Dened such as sarcopenia, i.e. loss of muscle mass, and failure to thrive (FTT), i.e. involuntary loss of weight combined with functional decline. Both are also highly prevalent in geriatric patient and similarly caused by multiple risk factors, overlapping with malnutrition [6-8]. Malnutrition is a general term for the medical condition caused by an improper or insufficient ("undernourished") diet. An individual will experience malnutrition if the appropriate amount, kind or quality of nutrients comprising a healthy diet are not consumed for an extended period of time. An extended period of malnutrition will result in starvation. Malnutrition as the

Global Energy Consumption Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Global Energy Consumption - Essay Example As the report stresses  coal is a mineral that is mined either in underground mines or surface mines. Exploration is a process of gathering geological information from a number of different sources including existing data, seismic instrumentation, and geographical observation. Holes are drilled into the selected areas to determine the size and quality of the coal bed. Contributing to today's modern exploration methods are "microelectronics-based technology, such as; personal computers, digital down-hole logging, remote sensing, global-positioning systems, and vastly improved communications".This paper declares that  crude oil is drilled from wells located beneath the surface of the earth by forcing it up when pressure is applied inside the well. In addition, there are oil reserves beneath the oceans and other bodies of water that are tapped by offshore oilrigs. It is transported around the world on ships known as super-tankers, where it is off loaded at refineries typically built along the coast around the world. The quantity of oil, the quality, and the size of the oil field all impact the value of the field. Oil exploration is accomplished by utilizing the geological history of an area in conjunction with radar, sonar, sounding, and data acquisition techniques that look beneath the surface and reveal what may lie below.  Eventually, test wells are drilled to determine the depth of the oil, the quantity, and obtain more precise information on the layout of the field. ... Natural gas is a natural byproduct of fossil fuels and is found associated with oil fields and coal beds. A major problem with natural gas is transportation, which must be done primarily by pipeline. This limits it to inland applications, as trans-oceanic pipelines are impractical. Coal shale is a relatively new source of oil and extraction technologies are still being developed and improved. The process depends on the oil that is embedded in the rock and the sand where oil has accumulated. It is estimated that there is enough oil in the US oil shale reserves to meet our present oil demands for the next 200 years (The Benefits of Oil Shale Production, 2007). However, the process of grinding the shale rock and heating it to separate the material is an expensive process. In addition, moving the oil from the fields to the refineries within the US must be done by truck, and could also become expensive. At today's oil prices, it may be impractical, though with escalating demand and diminishing supplies its economic outlook may improve in the future (The Benefits of Oil Shale Production). In addition, it would free the US from the political concerns encountered when acquiring crude oil. There has recently been some debate within the Senate that would favor offshore oil drilling off the coast of the US. Advocates contend it is a necessary step to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. However, critics maintain that the amount is so limited and the production so far in the future that it will only have a marginal effect on supply or price (Jervis, Welch, & Wolf, 2008). In addition, environmentalists have objected to the lifting of

Appraising (Human Resource management) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Appraising (Human Resource management) - Essay Example ld base the annual performance appraisal on both the performance shown by the employee till this point since the start of the year, and that shown by the employee from this point in the year onward till its end. In other words, the performance shown by the employee for the previous objectives whose duration is from the start till the middle of the year does not go waste. However, since it is a little complicated for the employee to abruptly exercise a radical change in his/her work responsibilities, it is imperative that the meetings between the manager and the employee from this point onwards till the end of the year are made more frequent. This means that if previously, two meetings were arranged, then after the change, there should be four meetings from the middle to the end of the year. This would provide the manager with an opportunity to monitor more closely whether the employee is working to achieve the new assigned goals or

Vancouver-Hollywood North vs the Loss of Canadian Identity Essay Example for Free

Vancouver-Hollywood North vs the Loss of Canadian Identity Essay Introduction: 1 Vancouver is being called â€Å"North Hollywood† because a vast of film producers decide to set up their shooting places at BC, Canada. Vancouver is deserved to be rewarded as this special title because it’s unique beauty of the diverse sceneries and the sophisticated filming technologies. These inputs have already attracted by Hollywood and lead the U.S. film industry entry into making the huge quantity of runaway production era. The 2001 Report concluded that the 1998 Canadian production incentive programs were very successful in attracting production from the U. S.A(StephenM.Katz, 2006, p.1). question has been brought into the public attention and this paper will mainly focus on: why does Canada not encourage their own domestic film industry, but would rather give foreign film industry tax incentives. Additionally, due to the growing number of American movies crushed into the Canadian entertainment market, this paper will also discuss both the positive and negative effects emerged under this issue. The tax incentive given by the Canadian government cannot be denied for one of the reason to turn BC as well known asNorth Hollywood: â€Å" Foreign production companies will see the Production Services Tax Credit jump to 25%, with an unchanged 6% bonus for work done outside the Vancouver area.†(BC Announce 35% Film Incentive Credit, 2008). Actually, not only BC is doing such things but also New Zealand. Newman illustrates The film and television production industry is significant in both New Zealand and British Columbia. Governments in both localities provide substantial support for the industry through government agencies and tax  incentives.(Newman.D,2005,abstract).Currently, BC is directly toward into a service-oriented country by providing the U.S. big financial profits. This strategy seems to become a really effective approach to enlarge their awareness toward the global without promoting their own film industry but rather borrowing their beauty to U.S. Takaki and Shoot explains that some of the U.S. Film associations like SAG (Screen Actors Guide) and FTAC (Television Actions Committee) already had an unpleasant attitude toward the Canadian federal governments tax incentive legislation (Takaki,MillieShoot, FilmTelevision,2001). They are not encourage the U.S. film industry to do the runaway productions in order to persist the U.S. rights and promoting their own movie domestically. Currently, there are a lot of such top-grossing movies include:X men, Silent Hill, Mean girls,etc(Chris Hamilton, 2008) . Apparently, there are both advantages and disadvantages behind the runaway production for both U.S. and Canada. Take the employment issue as instance:the loss of the job opportunities would be one of the serious concern towards the Americas because the film producer would prefer to hire the local employers rather than bring the workers all the way to B.C. This is aiming of saving appropriation expenditure. Many people like Pendarkur M hold the belief of: â€Å"creating employment is more important than fighting for better wages and working conditions†(Pendarkur, 1998). Basically, this idea is fairly straight forward which stand for its way much better to  have a job rather than getting a better wages and working conditions provided by their boss. In this way, the employment is seen as the priority of one country. Nevertheless, we still cannot deny the advantages and disadvantages it brought to BC and U.S. The optimistic effects might probably cause a decrease unemployed rate for the Canadians. In another words, more Canadians would find a job under the help of the U.S. film industry.On the other hand, there would be a high unemployed rate for the Americans. Other than the job opportunities we get, Vancouver is successfully known as North Hollywood currently and it helps to promote Canadians film industry. After that, it widen the opportunities for the TV producer to do the movies and help to  expose the beauty of diverse BC sceneries to the whole world. Eventually, he ended up with the solution that:† This type of thinking has resulted from the weakened position of Canadian and international unions, which has placed them in a struggle for survival and left them unprepared to negotiate with the powerful and expanding entertainment industry†(Pendarkur, 1998). After getting the great job opportunities, BC is actually facing a further serious problem which is the lack of capability to get rid of the domination of U.S. and build their own entertainment industry. The longer period people adopted into something, the harder for them to leave it behind and build a new industry. Actually, there is a far long period when the U.S. Corporation first started dominated some of the Canadian entertainment market. According to Pendarur M: 4 Paramount Famous-Lasky, the leading vertically integrated firm in the United States, dominated the Canadian feature film market through its subsidiary, Fomous Players Canadian Corporation,(Pendakur, M. 1990). The Canadians were influenced and dominated by the U.S. Industry for such a long period already. This situation lead the Canadian get more adopted to U.S. Entertainment world rather than building up their own film industry. This lead to the consideration of the loss of local audiences once the government decide to promote their local film market. Moreover, audience fragmentation is another concerns about why Canadian not encourage making its own movies.If people randomly walk into a cinema, it is obviously to find out the U.S. movies took over a great percentage of movie products on the Canadian cinema. Also, it gets a fairly good feedback among the audiences which makes the Canadian cinema become prosperous. In order to let it remain the same situation and let it survive, the Canadian film industry realize to spend more time and attract more foreign powerful film-making countries is significant rather than creating their own domestic film. Through David Skinners research., he claimed that:these definitions are all based on a concern that the dominant corporate media do not adequately represent the interests of all members of society(David, 2010, p.221). These definitions on the above quote are actually stand for the idea of  Ã¢â‚¬Å"alternative media† . The dominant corporate media cannot be fully satisfied by one hundred percent of the audiences because different people from the various social status have their own interests. To be  more specific, even though the Canadian government invest expenditure to promote the real Canadian movie,the audience fragmentation still exists. To consider this issue in a further financial perspectives, it better and easier to support the U.S. runaway productions in order to keep the Canadian cinema industry alive and have a large number of audiences really buy the tickets. Moreover, a more serious situation would happen derived from the previous sequences. The dominant corporate might only provide the pastime for those of them who have the ability to access media. Nevertheless, the rest of them might remain the same living style as what they were before because they dont have the capability to access them like some remote areas. The new technologys exist give people a new sight to understand the world. The powerful invention of these new media going to influence how we think and how we behave. After that, it causes the huge gaps between the one who can get into the cinema and who are not capable to use that. Its hard for a whole nation to unite together and figure out what their real interests are. The Canadian government provide the tax incentives undoubtedly created benefits for both of them financially but seems ignore the further concern of creating a â€Å"real Canada† consists of it’s real identity. What kind of movie we watch has a direct impact to shape Canadian itself. Specifically, someone who makes the film affect what kind of messages they get. It impacts the Canadian identity in several various aspects. Particularly, there is not  doubt that Canada and U.S. overlap a lot of similarities like the languages. However, there is one significant factor cannot be denied on this context which is the â€Å"unique identity†. The Canadians do have its own unique identity including the enthusiasm to the national hockey, the still existing of First Nation’s unsophisticated lifestyle and other factors make Canada become a unique nation and really help the Canadians to define who they are. Along with the tendency of growing proportion U.S. film start to shoot  movies in Canada, the Canada seems have less time to promote their own film. Some of the U.S. identities are being shown during the films and this is going to directly injected into Canadians mind. Consequently, they would not be able to have a strong nationality traits. In conclusion, this paper mainly explored the reasons for the Canadian government intentionally turn Vancouver into north Hollywood instead of investing the film producer to shoot the real domestic movie with real local identity in it. Also, this paper looked at the profits and drawbacks from both U.S. film associations perspective and Canadian governments point of view. Next, it emphasis the significant role of one countrys entertainment industry. The film industry has no longer simplly provide an entertainment way for people to have a pastime but it become a nations symbol and reflected the countrys real identity. The elements being made during the scenes potentially injected into audiences mind and they behave toward the invisible messages being created by the film. As time passes, it definitely  going to influence how Canadian behave and how they communicate between each other. This paper concluded that the creation of one countrys identity is far more significant compared with governments financial concern. References David, Skinner. (2010) â€Å"Minding the Growing Gaps: alternative media in Canada† In Leslie R.S(ed.) Mediascapes. Nelson College Indigenous Press. Famous Movies Filmed in Canada | Cinemaroll. (n.d.). Cinemaroll | film making, from the viewers perspective. Retrieved March 24, 2011, from http://cinemaroll.com/cinemarolling/famous-movies-filmed-in-canada/ Newman, D. (2005). Regions And Runways: Film Assistance In New Zealand British Columbia, 1990-2005. Media International Australia Incorporating Culture Policy, (117), 11-30. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Pendakur, M. M., Sussman, G. G., Lent, J. A. (1998). Hollywood north: film and TV production in Canada. In , Global Productions: Labor in the Making of the Information Society (pp. 213-238). Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Pendakur, M. (1990). Canadian Dreams American Control: The Political Economy of the Canadian Film Industry. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. 9 Stephen M. K. (2006). The Global Success of Production Tax Incentives and the Migration of Feature Film Production From The U.S. to the World Year 2005 Production Report[Adobe Digital Editions version]. Takaki, MillieShoot,( 12/14/2001). Dispute Heats Up Over Runaway Tariff Proposal. Film Television Literature Index with Full Text (Vol. 42, Issue 50) Vancouver Film. Net: BC Announces 35% Film Incentive Credit. (n.d.). Vancouver Film. Net. Retrieved March 24, 2011, from http://www.vancouverfilm.net/2008/01/bc-plans-35-film-tax-credit.html

Development of Organizational Architecture

Development of Organizational Architecture Venter and Louw (2006, pg 394) describes organizational architecture is an integrated strategic response, which draws together key dimensions of the organization (such as organizational structure, leadership, organizational culture, policies and strategies and the to guide strategic formulation, alignment and implementation. This report will seek to critically discuss organizational architecture as a cohesive framework that will bring about change within PPC. Venter and Louw (2006, pg 394) says that the ability of an organization to facilitate the effective and efficient implementation of strategy is almost entirely dependent on its internal functioning, for it is the internal organization which is seen to comprise those elements that are pivotal in translating the strategy into tangible outcomes and actions. We will do this by exploring the notions of PPCs alignment and implementation with particular reference to the architecture developed by Lee et al (2004). Stakeholders The main driver of PPC strategy as described in the case study is to enhance stakeholders relationships. PPC Stakeholders are shareholders, customers suppliers, the broader community and its employees. These different employees are affected differently by PPC strategy. During the strategy formulation phase, PPC was able to establish that the main hindrance to achieving consistency was that their 4000 employees were demotivated. So PPC embarked on a strategy to motivate its employees. Cameron (2003) defines motivation as the force that drives behaviour in a particular direction. Mitchell (1982) defines motivation as those psychological processes that cause the arousal, direction and persistence of voluntary actions that are goal oriented. Both Cameron and Mitchell point out that motivation is goal oriented however Mitchell (1982) further defines this force as a psychological processes in his definition of motivation. This distinction by Mitchell is important in that it realizes motivation as a process (i.e. consisting of a number of steps) and psychological. This distinction reveals that for a manager to be able to motivate he has to identify the psychological needs of his employees and then devise a process of meeting those needs. PPC was able to identify that motivation of employees was one of the factors that it needed to improve in order to improve its goals. So it looked at how this can be achieved. Capabilities Louw and Venter (2006) describe capabilities as those different deliverables provided to the stakeholders by the organization and dependent on the nature of the organization. From the case study PPC seems to be following a low cost structure for its cement business and a differentiation strategy for its PPC Lime and Afripack business. These different capabilities have implications on PPC stakeholders. For example, for shareholders, the low cost strategy has high returns through streamlined, more cost effective operations and proved by the increase in share price from R78 to R122 by the end of September 2003. So the above combination of strategies has the benefit of drawing elements from both capabilities. Processes Processes can be seen as drivers of capability. Veasey (2001, pg 423) cited on Louw and Venter (2006) categorizes processes as management, operational and support. Management Processes: Describes the role of PPC managers, their work methods, goals and tasks that they aim to achieve and lastly knowledge, skills and level of performance required by the job. The Kumbuku project seemed to be aimed at reducing the performance as the responsibility of only the managers but to spread it amongst all employees. Operational Processes: This is merely concerned with the conversion of inputs into outputs. Heizer and Render (1999, pg 228) cited on Louw and Venter says most goods are produced using one of three strategies, namely, process focus, repetitive process and product focus. PPC produces many units of cement a year with very low degree of variety, so it follows the continuous process. Support processes: These are the processes that support the core business e.g., HR, marketing, sales. These processes are still very important in ensuring efficient and effective running of the business. Organisational structure/systems The main purpose of an organizational structure is to clear and precise roles and responsibilities for all employees as per their department and hierarchy in the structure. This ensures order and maintains a systematic procedure of doing things, which ensures performance and efficiency. At PPC, the strategy is aimed at flattening the structure and shortens the decision making hierarchy. This in turn can improve efficiency and motivate employees. Systems, Policies and procedure Policies and procedures are useful in guiding and aligning the organizations members in their activities and their behaviors at work. Reward Systems. Performance management systems Performance management includes activities that ensure that goals are consistently being met in an effective and efficient manner. These could include: Ongoing observation and measurements to track performance conducted by supervisor. Ongoing feedback about the performance to be given. Quarterly formal performance reviews. This could entails a formal documentation of the progress towards achieving expected results, comments on how these were achieved and suggestions on how to improve performance. If performance meets the desired performance standards, rewards should be given. Policies and procedures Knowledge, skills and abilities With the Kumbuku project, one of the main aims of the project is to achieve a good match between the requirements of the job and natural capabilities of individual employees. This could also have the impact of motivating the employees and lead to job satisfaction and loyalty. Technology Technology is the key to implementation of processes that lead to outputs at PPC. PPC has evaluated its manufacturing technologies and is similar to the best in the industry. However it also must ensure that its office technologies and service technologies are also of a benchmark standard. For PPC this has meant a big investment in order to achieve highly skilled employees. Organisational culture Collins and Porras (1994 in Clegg et al 1996) showed that it is strikingly evident that organizational culture lies at the centre of what differentiates visionary companies from comparison companies (and significantly greater economic performance over the long-term). Culture, how we do things around here in order to succeed (Schneider, 1994, 1997), is an organizations way, identity, pattern of dynamic relationships, reality. Nel et al (2001, p.397) on Harris and Moran (1979, p.32) describes culture as a communicable knowledge for human coping within a particular environment that is passed on for the benefit of subsequent generations, whilst Wilson and Rosenfeld (1990, p.229) defines culture as the basic values, ideologies and assumptions which guide and fashion individual and business behavior. The above definitions both speak to me about the communicable knowledge which Wilson and Rosenfeld explains it to be basic values, ideologies and assumptions. Stapleton (2003) on Trice and Beyer (1984) identifies 4 symbol categories in which this communicable knowledge manifests itself namely; practices, communications, physical forms and common language. These categories are best summarized to prove Deal and Kennedy (1982) definition of the way things get done around here. The way things get done around here can be seen through these 4 categories. Practices This refers to common practices at PPC e.g. Awards etc. Communications Common stories that are generally heard at PPC. Physical forms Some of the notable physical forms could be for example different dress manner between operators and professionals. Other examples include allocated parking spaces and offices. Common Language Refers to the common language during meetings, notice boards, procedure and policies. QUESTION 2 Employees are at the center of organizational change initiatives (Tetenbaum 1998).For PPCs Kumbuku project to be successful, employees need to be able to realize that a good organizational culture and climate would as McNabb and Sepic (1995) says bring about lasting change though the developing of working conditions in which employees can operate more effectively. Should the reason for change be not understood, the following sources of resistance to change could be experienced: Resistance due to organizational culture: Some of the difficulties with change initiatives may be attributed to deeper, more critical sources, such as the pervasive culture of the organization and the operating climate (McNabb and Sepic 1995). An organizations culture is the deep-rooted set of values and beliefs that provide norms for behavior (Deshpande and Webster 1989; Schein 1992). An organizations climate refers to the ways organizations operationalize routine behaviors and the actions that are expected, supported, and rewarded (Schneider and Rentsch 1988). These two characteristics combine to determine organizational readiness for change (McNabb and Sepic 1995). Resistance due to a lack of a holistic perspective: Another long-known reason for lack of change success is the propensity for organizations to implement piece-meal solutions rather than taking a systems perspective (Ackoff 1974). Stakeholders may be resistance to the Kumbuku project due to the fact that they might not have a clear understanding of the direction and holistic implication of the strategy the company is pursuing. Resistance by managers: People have a natural fear of change and when change is mandated they feel a loss of control (Evans 2001). For many people in an organization, change initiatives imply a loss of the security that goes with a specific job. Senge and Kaeufer (2000) note that change efforts can induce fear. The management team at PPC could be threatened by the introduction the allowance of employees in decision making processes. They might feel redundant and not adding value. Also the change in the PPC management structure putting management at the bottom might result in demotivated management team who does not take pride in its role. Resistance by white employees and managers: The fast promotion of black employees could be resisted by white employees, who might feel unfairly discriminated and not valued. Existing white managers might also feel unsecured and can also undermine the newly appointed black managers, who they might not attribute their promotion to good performance. Resistance due to poor communication: Should the Kambuku project not be properly communicated to relevant stakeholders, it could result in poor buy in and failure in implementation. Dawson (1994) discusses the idea of communication and employee involvement being central to the process of change as a crucial consideration in overcoming the natural resistance that most employees feel. QUESTION 3 Johnson (1988) cited on Signal-Horn (2004), defines strategic drift as when gradually, perhaps imperceptibly; the strategy of the company will become less and less in line with the environment in which the organization operates. This definition is the same as that of Charles Handy (1989) which describes strategic drift as the subtle changes of the organisations strategy that leads the organization away from its intended destination to a destination that is unintended. This means that an organization must continuously review its environment and change its strategy in relation to the change in environment as has PPC in the past five years. The organizations response to the changing environment is often associated with its culture. Culture in this instance is seen as a contributor to resisting change (keeping the organization in equilibrium as suggested by Lewin force field model) as it stifles innovation and performance, leading to a drift in strategy. This means that for organization to properly implement change they must undergo an appropriate cultural change. For PPC, it might take many more years for it to start experiencing strategic drift but it is important for PPC Chief Executive to look out for the symptoms of strategic drift which could include: Declining performance. Highly homogenous culture. Little toleration for questioning and challenging of status quo. Reliance on price/cost /competition. Strong power blockages to change. When some of the above mentioned symptoms are identifies Lewin three stage process of change could be used as interventions to prevent the danger of strategic drift: Unfreezing current attitudes This means that old behaviours and ways of doing things must be seen to be unsatisfactory by the organisation and changed and prohibited. Also the need and the benefits for change must be well communicated. Those resisting change must be confronted and addressed. This could be done by involving them to participate and communicating the value of change. Change to a new level This is a period of shifting the equilibrium. Here PPC could embark on a search for new solutions which could include information on new values, organisational culture and structure. Refreezing attitudes at the new level When the organisation has found a solution, it can embark on reinforcing and supporting the new strategy through it structure, policies and systems. REFERENCES Kreitner, R. and Kinicki, A. (2004) Organisational Behavior. New York, McGraw-Hill Nel, P.S., Gerber, P.D., van Dyk, P.S., Haasbroek, G.D., Schultz, H.B., Sono, T., Werner, A. (2001) Human Resource Management. 5th edition. Oxford University Press Southern Africa. Stapleton T (2003) The Context of Management -Sessions 1-7.OU Business School. Wilson, D.C. and Rosenfeld, R.H. (1990) Managing Organisations: Texts, readings and cases, New York, McGraw-Hill. Cameron, S. The Open University (2008). B713 Fundamentals of Senior Management, Block1; Session 14 page 125. Mitchell, T.R. (1982) Motivation: New Direction for Theory, Research and Practice, Academy of Management Review, pg 81. Clegg et al. Palmer, G. ed. 1996. The Politics of Management Knowledge London. Sage Publications. Schneider, B. Leadership at the Edge of Chaos. Strategy Leadership Magazine, Sept. 1997. Dawson, P. (1994). Organisational Change A Processual Approach Newcastle upon Tyne. Athenaeum Press Ltd. K. G. Lockyer, (2005), Project management and project network techniques, UK: Prentice Hall Financial Times Ackoff, R.A. (1974), Redesigning the Future: A Systems Approach to Societal Problems, New York: Wiley. Evans, Edward A. (2001), Executive Commentary, Academy of Management Executive, 15, 4 (November), 94-95. Schein, E.A. (1992), Organizational Culture and Leadership, 2d edition, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Schneider, Benjamin, and J. Rentsch (1988), Managing Climates and Cultures: A Futures Perspective, in Futures of Organizations, J. Hage, ed., Lexington, MA: Lexington Books, 181-200. Senge, Peter M., and Katrin H. Kaeufer (2000), Creating Change, Executive Excellence, 17, 10 (October), 4-5. Signal-Horn, S. (2004) The Strategy Reader. 2nd Edition. Oxford, Blackwell Publishing in association with The Open University. Tetenbaum, T.J. (1998), Shifting Paradigms: From Newton to Chaos, Organization Dynamics, 26 (4), 21-32. http://www.divandari.com/ppt/Strategic%20Change%20(handout).ppt#288,8,The risk of strategic drift accessed on the 11 October 2009. Kritsonis, A. (2004-2005), Comparison of Change Theories. International Journal of Scholarly academic intellectual diversity. Volume 8 Number 1. Lee, G., Venter, R and Bates, B. (2004), Enterprise-based HIV/AIDS strategies: integration through organizational architecture. South African Journal of Business Management, 35 (3): pg 13-22.

Essay on Shirley Jacksons The Lottery - Message of Social Responsibili

The Message of Social Responsibility in The Lottery      Ã‚  Ã‚   Often, we paint a fairytale view of life for ourselves and our children. Sometimes, an author paints a frightfully realistic picture of life and forces us to reconsider the fairytale. In Shirley Jackson’s story, "The Lottery," a town each year conducts a lottery in which the winner or looser, in this case, is stoned to death by his or her own neighbors. The tradition is supposed to uphold social structure within the town, but in order to comprehend the true meaning of the story you must be able to read between the lines. "The Lottery" is a story about a town that has let its traditions go too far. Also, it is clear that the story contains eye-opening facts that lead me to believe that the author’s intentions were not to write a horror story, but rather cry to all to stop and realize we have problems that we can and should approach, that can make a difference in many people’s lives in our society. The author states that the lottery is conducted every year in the spring. The flowers are blooming and the birds are singing, but this warm town quickly becomes a gloomy, overcast setting for a satanic event. This horrifying ritual ends in bloodshed and death. In our society today, there are large cities which have beautiful parks and people usually keep them clean and pretty th... ...lottery, and that could lead to many more deaths of innocent people. The fact that there are places in the world today that immoral actions occur, means that we, as responsible citizens, are not doing our job. The people of America must wake up and learn to stand up for what they believe in. Works Cited Jackson, Shirley. "The Lottery." The Harper Anthology of Fiction. Ed Sylvan Barnet. New York: HarperCollins, 1986. 862-868 McQuain, Michelle. "Change Only When Affected." Ode to Friendship & Other Essays. Connie Bellamy, Virginia Beach: VWC, 1997. Walden, John. "Critical Essays by John Walden." Electric Library. http://www.elibrary.com/id/230/270/lid, 1996.

GLUT 4 in Muscle Cells Essay -- Biology

Hypothesis During muscle contractions cytosolic calcium and adenosine monophosphate activated protein kinase (AMPK) levels increase. Exercise also increases GLUT 4 production, which allows more glucose to be metabolized in the muscle cell. The purpose of this study was to determine whether calcium and AMPK cause the increases in GLUT 4 production in the cell. The hypothesis regarding GLUT 4 being tested in this research article stems from related research, which showed that GLUT 4 and mitochondria increase due to repeated bouts of muscle contraction. Since raising calcium levels in the cytosol of the cell increases mitochondria, GLUT 4 is may increase as well. The hypothesis that is being tested with this research was that GLUT 4 will be increased in skeletal muscle cells due to induced increases in the cytosolic calcium levels. These calcium levels are increased in cells naturally due to exercise. Since exercise also increases activity of AMPK, the study tested the effects of increasing AMPK on GLUT 4 levels in skeletal muscle. Methodology GLUT 4 levels were determined after exposing muscle cells to the various stimuli. In order to test whether the various stimuli increased GLUT 4 muscle cells were either exposed to a single stimulus, a stimulus with an inhibitor specific of the stimulus, or no stimulus (control). Then the GLUT 4 protein levels in each set of cells could be tested in order to determine the effects of each stimulus. Various chemicals that are known to be produced in a muscle cell during normal exercise were used as stimuli. Caffeine, which produces increased cytosolic calcium, was used to simulate the normal increase in calcium in a cell during exercise. An... ... activity effect GLUT 4 protein. The results of this study show that during exercise GLUT 4 in muscle cells was increased by increases in cytosolic calcium levels as well as the activation of AMPK. The transcription factors that are responsible for "making" GLUT 4 are also increased by these two chemicals. The increases were found to be regulated by CAMK an inhibitor of calcium. This is important for muscle metabolism and effects on diabetes. The capacity for metabolism in muscle cells is enhanced with training because greater amount of GLUT 4 in the muscle cell is important to respond to stimuli. Consequently more glucose is transported into the cell to be metabolized. This GLUT 4 increase is an adaptive response to the body's greater need for energy. Ultimately this results in more glucose, which means more energy for the cell to use.

Business Requirements Document for Baderman Island Resorts Essay

Table of Contents Revision History3 1.Assumptions, Constraints, and Dependencies3 1.1Related Projects and Dependencies3 1.2Assumptions and Constraints3 2.Business and Customer Requirements3 2.1Strategic Business and Customer Requirements3 3.References3 Revision History NameDateChanges and Reason for ChangesVersion Annamae Goodrick04/05/2014Baderman Island resort wants a reservation system to support the three hotels on the island. 1.0 1.Assumptions, Constraints, and Dependencies 1.1Related Projects and Dependencies The resort has three hotels. The hotels cater to different market segments and have slightly different needs in an online reservation system. Client needs and expectations are set forth in a set of business rules outlined below. 1.2Assumptions and Constraints IDAssumption or Constraint 1.2.1The new reservation system will be proficient in achieving the requirements. 1.2.2Design constraints for the new reservation system are based on budget limitations and migration issues since the resort has three different locations using different systems. 2.Business and Customer Requirements Enter any summary requirement information here. 2.1Strategic Business and Customer Requirements The goal is to implement a reservation system to cover all three of Baderman Island Resorts and assist in meeting business requirements. †¢Priority Legend: MH (Must Have) or WH (Want to Have) †¢Status Legend: (A: Approved, C: Cancelled, D: Delayed). Req IDDateRequirementPriorityStatus 2.2.104/06/2014The system would require that future guests make a reservation for a span of dates. MHA 2.2.204/06/2014Guests may reserve a type of room, but not a specific room. The specific room will be assigned to each guest at check-in. WHA 2.2.304/06/2014The room descriptor will include the type and number of beds available and other amenitiesMHA 2.2.404/06/2014Event or conference rooms may also be reserved.MH 2.2.504/06/2014Overbooking – Because there are many no-show reservations at the hotels, each hotel will allow a certain percentage of overbooking. This overbooking percentage must be available for each hotel and must be modified dynamically. MHA 2.2.604/06/2014The reservation system will collect customer and payment information. Future guests will use a credit card to secure their reservation. MH A 3.References Enter any references here. #Req ID RelatedReference DescriptionLocationOwner 3.1.1SR-bi-004Virtual Organization PortalBaderman Island ResortAnnamae Goodrick 3.1.2Oracle Websitehttp://docs.oracle.com/cd/E19636-01/819-2326/aavby/index.htmlOracle

The Return: Shadow Souls Chapter 11

Arizona was as hot and barren a state as Elena had imagined. She and Damon drove directly to the Juniper Resort, and Elena was depressed, if not surprised, to see that Matt was not checked in. â€Å"It can't have taken him longer than us to get here,† she said, as soon as they'd been shown up to their rooms. â€Å"Unless – oh, God, Damon! Unless Shinichi caught him somehow.† Damon sat down on a bed and regarded Elena grimly. â€Å"I guess I hoped I wouldn't have to tell you this – that the jerk would at least have the courtesy to tell you himself. But I've been tracking his aura ever since he left us. It's been getting steadily farther away – in the direction of Fell's Church.† Sometimes, really bad news takes a while to sink in. â€Å"You mean,† Elena said, â€Å"that he's not going to show up here at all?† â€Å"I mean that, as the crow flies, it wasn't all that far from where we got the cars to Fell's Church. He went in that direction. And he didn't come back.† â€Å"But why?† Elena demanded, as if logic could somehow conquer fact. â€Å"Why would he go off and leave me? Especially, why would he go to Fell's Church, where they're looking for him?† â€Å"As for why he'd leave: I think he got the wrong idea about you and me – or maybe the right idea a little early† – Damon raised his eyebrows at Elena and she threw a pillow at him – â€Å"and decided to let us have some privacy. As for why Fell's Church†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Damon shrugged. â€Å"Look, you've known the guy longer than I have. But even I can tell he's the Galahad type. The parfait gentil knight, sans peur et sans reproche. If I had to say I'd say he went to meet Caroline's charges.† â€Å"Oh, no,† Elena said, going to the door as a knock sounded. â€Å"Not after I told him and told him – â€Å" â€Å"Oh, yes,† Damon said, assuming a slight crouching position. â€Å"Even with your sage advice ringing in his ears – â€Å" The door opened. It was Bonnie. Bonnie, with her petite frame, her curly strawberry hair, her wide, soulful brown eyes. Elena, in a state to disbelieve the evidence of her own eyes, and still not through with the argument with Damon, shut the door on her. â€Å"Matt's going to get lynched,† Elena almost screamed, vaguely annoyed that some knocking was going on somewhere. Damon uncrouched. He passed Elena on the way to the door, said, â€Å"I think you'd better sit down,† and then sat her down by putting her in a chair and holding her there until she stopped trying to get up again. Then he opened the door. This time it was Meredith knocking. Tall and willowy, with her hair falling in dark clouds around her shoulders, Meredith radiated the intention to go on knocking until the door stayed open. Something happened inside Elena, and she found that she could get her mind around more than one subject at once. It was Meredith. And Bonnie. In Sedona, Arizona! Elena leaped up from the chair where Damon had put her and flung her arms around Meredith, saying incoherently, â€Å"You came! You came! You knew I couldn't call you, so you came!† Bonnie edged around the embrace and said to Damon in an undertone, â€Å"Is she back to kissing everyone she meets?† â€Å"Unfortunately,† Damon said, â€Å"no. But be prepared to be squeezed to death.† Elena turned on him. â€Å"I heard that! Oh, Bonnie! I just can't believe you two are really here. I wanted to talk to you so much!† Meanwhile, she was hugging Bonnie, and Bonnie was hugging her, and Meredith was hugging both of them. Subtle velociraptor sisterhood signals were being passed from one to another at the same time – an arched eyebrow here, a slight nod there, a frown and shrug ending with a sigh. Damon didn't know it, but he had just been accused, tried, acquitted, and restored to duty – with the conclusion that extra surveillance was necessary in the future. Elena snapped out of it first. â€Å"You must have met with Matt – he had to tell you about this place.† â€Å"He did, and then he sold the Prius and we sort of packed on the run and got plane tickets here and we've been waiting – we didn't want to miss you!† Bonnie said breathlessly. â€Å"I don't suppose that would have been just about two days ago that you bought your tickets here,† Damon asked the ceiling wearily as he lounged with an elbow on Elena's chair. â€Å"Let me see – † Bonnie began, but Meredith said flatly, â€Å"Yes it was. What? It made something happen to you?† â€Å"We were trying to keep things slightly ambiguous for the enemy,† Damon said. â€Å"But as it turns out, it probably didn't matter.† No, Elena thought, because Shinichi can reach inside your brain whenever he wants and try to take away your memories and all you can do is try to fight him off. â€Å"But it does mean that Elena and I should start off right away.† Damon continued. â€Å"I have to do an errand first. Elena should pack. Take as little as you can, just the absolute essentials – but include food for two or three days.† â€Å"You said†¦starting now?† Bonnie breathed, and then she sat down abruptly on the floor. â€Å"It makes sense, if we've already lost the element of surprise,† Damon replied. â€Å"I can't believe you two came to say good-bye to me while Matt watches over the town,† Elena said. â€Å"That is so sweet!† She smiled radiantly before adding, in her own mind, And so dumb! â€Å"Well – â€Å" â€Å"Well, I still have an errand,† Damon said, waving without turning around. â€Å"Let's say we'll leave here in half an hour.† â€Å"Stingy,† Bonnie complained, when the door was safely shut behind him. â€Å"That might have only given us a few minutes to talk before we start.† â€Å"I can pack in less than five minutes,† Elena said sadly, and then got tangled up in Bonnie's previous sentence. â€Å"‘Before we start'?† â€Å"I can't pack just essentials at all,† Meredith was fretting quietly. â€Å"I couldn't store everything on my mobile, and I have no idea when I'll be able to recharge the batteries. I've got a suitcase of stuff on paper!† Elena was looking back and forth at them nervously. â€Å"Um, I'm pretty sure I'm the one who's supposed to be packing,† she said. â€Å"Because I'm the only one going†¦right?† Another look back and forth. â€Å"As if we would let you set off into some other universe without us!† Bonnie said. â€Å"You need us!† â€Å"Not another universe; only another dimension,† Meredith said. â€Å"But the same principle applies.† â€Å"But – I can't let you come with me!† â€Å"Of course you can't. I'm older than you,† Meredith said. â€Å"You don't ‘let' me do anything. But the truth is that we have a mission. We want to find Shinichi's or Misao's star ball if we can. If we could do that we think we could stop most of the stuff going on in Fell's Church immediately.† â€Å"Star ball?† Elena said blankly, while somewhere in the depths of her mind, an uneasy image stirred. â€Å"I'll explain later.† Elena was shaking her head. â€Å"But – you left Matt to deal with whatever supernatural stuff is going on? When he's a fugitive and has to hide from the police?† â€Å"Elena, even the police are scared of Fell's Church now – and frankly, if they put him in custody in Ridgemont it might be the safest place for him. But they're not going to do that. He's working with Mrs. Flowers and they're good together; they're a solid team.† Meredith stopped to take a breath, and seemed to be considering how to say something. Bonnie said it for her in a very small voice. â€Å"And I was no good, Elena. I'd started – well, I started to get hysterical and see and hear things that weren't there – or at least to imagine them and maybe even make them come true. I was scaring myself out of my mind, and I think I actually was putting people in danger. Matt's too practical to do that.† She dabbed at her eyes. â€Å"I know the Dark Dimension is pretty bad, but at least I won't be able to put houses full of innocent people in danger.† Meredith nodded. â€Å"It was all†¦going bad with Bonnie there. Even if we hadn't wanted to come with you I would have had to get her out. I don't want to be overly dramatic, but I believe that the demons there were after her. And that since Stefan's gone, Damon may be the only one who can keep them away. Or maybe you can help her, Elena?† Meredith†¦overly dramatic? But Elena could see the fine tremors running under Meredith's skin, and the light sheen of perspiration on Bonnie's forehead that was dampening her curls. Meredith touched Elena's wrist. â€Å"We haven't just gone AWOL or anything. Fell's Church is a war zone now; it's true, but we didn't leave Matt without allies. Like Dr. Alpert – she's logical – she's the best country doctor there is – and she might even convince somebody that Shinichi and the malach are real. But besides all that, the parents have taken over. Parents and psychiatrists and newshounds. And they make it almost impossible to work openly anyway. Matt's not at any disadvantage.† â€Å"But – in just a week – â€Å" â€Å"Take a look at this week's Sunday paper.† Elena took the Ridgemont Times from Meredith. It was the biggest paper in the area of Fell's Church. A banner headline read: POSSESSION IN THE 21ST CENTURY? Under the headline were many lines of gray print, but what really caught the eye was a photo of a three-way fight between girls, all of whom seemed to be undergoing seizures or contortions impossible to the human body. The expressions of two of the girls were simply those of pain and terror, but it was the third girl who froze the blood in Elena's veins. Her body was humped so that her face was upside down, and she was looking directly at the camera with her lips skinned back from her teeth. Her eyes – there was just no other way to put it – were demonic. They weren't rolled back in her head or malformed or anything. They weren't glowing eerily red. It was all in the expression. Elena had never seen eyes that made her sick to her stomach before. Bonnie said quietly, â€Å"Do you ever sort of slip and get that feeling like, ‘Oh, whoops, there goes the whole universe'?† â€Å"Constantly, since meeting Stefan,† Meredith said. â€Å"No offense meant, Elena. But the point is that all this has happened in just a couple of days; from the minute the adults who knew that there was something really going on got together.† Meredith sighed and ran fingers with perfectly manicured nails through her hair before continuing. â€Å"Those girls are what Bonnie calls possessed in the modern sense. Or maybe they're possessed by Misao – female kitsune are supposed to do that. But if we could just find these things called star balls – or even one – we could force them to clean all this up.† Elena put the newspaper down so she wouldn't have to see those upside-down eyes staring into hers. â€Å"And while all this is happening, what is your boyfriend doing during the crisis?† For the first time, Meredith looked genuinely relieved. â€Å"He may be on his way as we speak. I've written to him about everything that's happening, and he was actually the one who said to get Bonnie out.† She flashed a glance of apology at Bonnie, who simply lifted her hands and face to the heavens. â€Å"And as soon as he's finished with his work on some island called Shinmei no Uma, he's coming to Fell's Church. This kind of thing is Alaric's specialty, and he doesn't get spooked easily. So even if we're gone for weeks, Matt will have a backup.† Elena threw her own hands up in a gesture similar to Bonnie's. â€Å"There's just one thing you'd better know before we start. I can't help Bonnie. If you're counting on me to do any of the things I did when we fought Shinichi and Misao last time – well, I can't. I've tried over and over, as hard as I could, to do all my wings attacks. But nothing has ever come of it.† Meredith said slowly, â€Å"Well, then, maybe Damon knows something – â€Å" â€Å"Maybe he does, but, Meredith, don't push him right now. Not right this minute. What he knows for certain is that Shinichi can reach in and take his memories – and who knows, maybe even possess him again – â€Å" â€Å"That lying kitsune!† Bonnie spat out, sounding almost proprietory. As if, Elena thought, Damon was her boyfriend. â€Å"Shinichi swore he wouldn't – â€Å" â€Å"And he swore he'd leave Fell's Church alone, too. The only reason I have any faith at all in the clues that Misao gave me about the fox key, is that she was taunting me. She never thought we'd do a deal, and so she wasn't trying to lie or be too clever – I think.† â€Å"Well, that's why we're here with you, to get Stefan out,† Bonnie said. â€Å"And if we're lucky, to find the star balls that will let us control Shinichi. Right?† â€Å"Right!† Elena said fervently. â€Å"Right,† Meredith said solemnly. Bonnie nodded. â€Å"Velociraptor sisterhood forever!† They laid their right hands over one another's quickly, forming a three-spoked wheel. It reminded Elena of the days when there were four spokes. â€Å"And what about Caroline?† she asked. Bonnie and Meredith consulted each other with their eyes. Then Meredith shook her head. â€Å"You don't want to know. Really,† she said. â€Å"I can take it. Really,† Elena said in almost a whisper. â€Å"Meredith, I've been dead, remember? Twice.† Meredith was still shaking her head. â€Å"If you can't look at that picture, you shouldn't hear about Caroline. We went to see her twice – â€Å" â€Å"You went to see her twice,† Bonnie interrupted. â€Å"The second time I fainted and you left me by the door.† â€Å"And I realized I could have lost you for good, and I've apologized – † Meredith broke off when Bonnie put a hand on her arm and gave her a little push. â€Å"Anyway, it wasn't exactly a visit,† Meredith said. â€Å"I went running into Caroline's room ahead of her mom and found her inside her nest – never mind what that is – eating something. When she saw me, she just giggled and went on eating.† â€Å"And?† Elena said, when the tension got to be too much for her. â€Å"What was it?† â€Å"I think,† Meredith said bleakly, â€Å"that it was worms and slugs. She would stretch them up and up and they'd squirm before she bit them. But that wasn't the worst. Look, you had to have been here to appreciate it, but she just smirked at me, and said in this thick voice, ‘Have a bite?' and suddenly my mouth was filled with this wriggling mass – and it was going down my throat. So I was sick, right there on her carpet. Caroline just started laughing, and I ran down again and picked Bonnie up and ran out and we never went back. But†¦halfway down the path to the house, I realized Bonnie was suffocating. She had the – the worms and things – in her mouth and her nose. I know CPR; I managed to get most of them out before she woke up vomiting. But – â€Å" â€Å"It was an experience I would really rather not have again.† The very lack of expression in Bonnie's voice said more than any tone of horror could. Meredith said, â€Å"I've heard that Caroline's parents have moved out of that house, and I can't say I blame them. Caroline's over eighteen. All I can add is that everybody's sort of praying that somehow the werewolf blood will win out in her, because that seems at least to be less horrible than the malach or the – the demonic. But if it doesn't win out†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Elena rested her chin on her knees. â€Å"And Mrs. Flowers can deal with this?† â€Å"Better than Bonnie can. Mrs. Flowers is glad to have Matt around; like I said, they're a solid team. And now that she has finally spoken to the human race of the twenty-first century, I think she likes it. And she's been practicing the craft constantly.† â€Å"The craft? Oh – â€Å" â€Å"Yeah, that's what she calls witchcraft. I have no idea whether she's any good at it or not, because I don't have anything to compare her to – or with – â€Å" â€Å"Her poultices work like magic!† Bonnie said firmly just as Elena said, â€Å"Her bath salts certainly work.† Meredith smiled faintly. â€Å"Too bad she isn't here instead of us.† Elena shook her head. Now that she had reconnected with Bonnie and Meredith she knew she could never go into the Darkness without them. They were more than her hands; they were so much more to her†¦and here they were, each prepared to risk their life for Stefan and for Fell's Church. At that moment, the door to the room opened. Damon walked in, carrying a couple of brown paper bags in one hand. â€Å"So everybody's said bye-bye nicely?† he asked. He seemed to have trouble looking at either of the two visitors, so he stared particularly hard at Elena. â€Å"Well – not really. Not as such,† Elena said. She wondered if Damon was capable of throwing Meredith out a fifth-story window. Best to break it easily to him, by degrees†¦. â€Å"Because we're going with you,† Meredith said, and Bonnie said, â€Å"We forgot to pack, though.† Elena slid quickly so that she was between Damon and the others. But Damon just stared at the floor. â€Å"It's a bad idea,† he said very softly. â€Å"A very, very, very bad idea.† â€Å"Damon, don't Influence them! Please!† Elena waved both hands at him in a gesture of urgency, and Damon raised one of his hands in a gesture of negation – and somehow their hands brushed each other's – and tangled. Electric shock. But a nice one, Elena thought – although she didn't really have time to think it. She and Damon were both trying desperately to get their hands back to themselves, but didn't seem to be able to. Little shockwaves were running from Elena's palm all through her body. Finally, the disentanglement worked and then they both turned, in guilty unison, to look at Bonnie and Meredith, who were staring at them with enormous eyes. Suspicious eyes. Eyes that belonged in faces saying â€Å"Aha! What have we here?† There was a long moment when no one moved or spoke. Then Damon said seriously, â€Å"This isn't some kind of pleasure trip. We're going because there's no other choice.† â€Å"Not alone, you're not,† Meredith said in a neutral tone. â€Å"If Elena goes, we all go.† â€Å"We know it's a bad place,† Bonnie said, â€Å"but we are definitely going with you.† â€Å"Besides, we have our own agenda,† Meredith added. â€Å"A way to cleanse Fell's Church of the harm Shinichi has done – and is still doing.† Damon shook his head. â€Å"You don't understand. You won't like it,† he said tightly. He nodded at her mobile. â€Å"No electric power in there. Even owning one of those is a crime. And the punishment for just about any crime is torture and death.† He took a step toward her. Meredith refused to back away, her dark gaze fixed on his. â€Å"Look, you don't even realize what you have to do just to get in,† Damon said bleakly. â€Å"First, you need a vampire – and you're lucky to have one. Then you'll have to do all sorts of things you won't like – â€Å" â€Å"If Elena can do it, we can do it,† Meredith interrupted quietly. â€Å"I don't want either of you to get hurt. I'm going in because it's for Stefan,† Elena said hastily, speaking partly to her friends and partly to the innermost core of her being, which the shockwaves and pulses of electricity had reached at last. Such a strange, melting, throbbing sweetness for something that had started out as a shock. Such a fierce shock for simply touching another person's hand†¦. Elena manged to tear her eyes away from Damon's face and tune back into the argument that was going on. â€Å"You're going in for Stefan, yes,† Meredith was saying to her, â€Å"and we're going in with you.† â€Å"I'm telling you, you won't like it. You'll live to regret it – if you live, that is,† Damon was saying flatly, his expression dark. Bonnie simply gazed up at Damon with her brown eyes wide and pleading in her small heart-shaped face. Her hands were clasped together at the base of her throat. She looked like a picture on a Hallmark card, Elena thought. And those eyes were worth a thousand logical arguments. Finally, Damon looked back at Elena. â€Å"You're probably taking them to their deaths, you know. You, I could probably protect. But you and Stefan, and your two little teenage girlfriends†¦ I can't.† Hearing it put that way was a shock. Elena hadn't quite thought of it like that. But she could see the determined set of Meredith's jaw and the way Bonnie had gone up a little on her toes to try to look bigger. â€Å"I think it's already been decided,† she said quietly, aware that her voice shook. There was a long moment as she stared into Damon's dark eyes, and then suddenly he flashed his 250-kilowatt smile at all of them, shut it off almost before it had begun, and said, â€Å"I see. Well, in that case, I have another errand. I may not be back for quite a while, so feel free to use the room – â€Å" â€Å"Elena should come to our room,† Meredith said. â€Å"I have a lot of material to show her. And if we can't take much with us, we'll have to go over it all tonight – â€Å" â€Å"Then let's say we meet back here at dawn,† Damon said. â€Å"We'll set off for the Demon Gate from here. And remember – don't bring money; it isn't any good there. And this is not a vacation – but you'll get that idea soon enough.† With a graceful, ironic gesture, he handed Elena her bag. â€Å"The Demon Gate?† Bonnie said as they went to the elevator. Her voice shook. â€Å"Hush,† said Meredith. â€Å"It's only a name.† Elena wished she didn't know so well when Meredith was lying.

Common Law Essay

Common Law is the body of law developed from custom or judicial decisions in English and U.S. courts, not attributable to a legislature. Which means that it is a system in which principles are developed based on past situations with similar conditions. In this sense common law is founded on the precedence of first occasions. In the case of an event that an instance has never before happened the outcome of this event sets the precedent for futher cases. American law is based on federal and state constitutions. The Constitution of The United States is considered to be the supreme law of the land and no law can supersede that law. The Constitution sets the guidelines for all law in the states. This also deems for laws within states the law of the states are considered to be the law of that particular state, and is the law their unless deemed un-constitutional by the Constitution. The importance of precedent in the judicial decision making process is that laws and past cases can be examples in decisions to be made. The relevance in legal principles is what makes things related in a legal process and helps influence decisions and which makes this process work. Equitable remedies are a branch of law founded on notions of justice and fair dealing. This supplies a remedy when there is not a adequate remedy available. While a legal remedy is when a court of law exercises the law and enforces the right and orders the penalty.

Blood makes it all go away essays

Blood makes it all go away essays Enraged, sad, lonely, stupid, worthless, irrational, crazy. I can't stand what I think because I sound like such a whiner, so self-involved. During I feel very focused and full of anticipation. I purposely hold my breath as I cut and let it out when I'm through, so I breathe out as the blood runs out. I feel so calm. All the noise and stupidity in my head is gone, I feel like I'm floating... I feel stupid because I feel like I don't have a reason to do it. That's why I keep it to myself. [female, age 15, 1 yr SIB, HS] (Martinson). In a world where stress is relieved by simple things like screaming, and crying lays another form of relief. This form helps the people who do it detach from everything else, and really feel. Self mutilation is a form of addiction just like drugs and alcoholism, and like all others stems from a variety of cultural and psychological factors. Although the aspect of self mutilation makes some cringe, some are pleased at the sight of their own blood. To fully understand this, is too know what self mutilation really is. Its defined by Deb Martinson as the act of attempting to alter a mood state by inflicting physical harm serious enough to cause tissue damage to your body. This can include cutting (with knives, razors, glass, pins, any sharp object), burning, hitting your body with an object or your fists, hitting a heavy object (like a wall), picking at skin until it bleeds, biting yourself, pulling your hair out, etc. By doing this brings their levels of psychological and physiological tension and arousal back to a bearable baseline level almost immediately (Martinson). People who self injure could be anyone, male, female, gay, straight, a high school student, rich, poor, teachers, or anyone around the world. The incidence of self-injury is about the same as that of eating disorders, but because it's so highly stigma tized, most people hide their scars, burns, and bru...

Free Essays on I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud

like the gentle flower that he is describing. He mentions that the daffodils are â€Å"fluttering† â€Å"dancing â€Å" and â€Å"twinkling,† such terms make the lines flow with a musical eloquence. He is able to make the daffodils come to life in a joyous movement making me feel like I am also swaying along with the flowers. We can see that he holds daffodils and nature in high regard. This poem has a lot of nature images that you can practically see: the trees, the water, the stars, and the daffodils. His tone is merry and flows quickly and nicely. It's like he is creating a painting not a poem. The images around him all seem to be in harmony, and, like he says, "dance" together. The extent of his joy is when he is among the daffodils, but the greater experience he seems to gain is the recollection of that moment of tranquility while with that "jocund company." The cloud he mentions is used not to represent loneliness, bu... Free Essays on I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud Free Essays on I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud William Wordsworth is a famous Romantic English poet known for his imagery. In his poem "I wandered lonely as a cloud," we can see his use of imagery and emotion at its best. This also happens to be one of my favorite poems. This poem's plot is simple. We the reader are being taken along for a magical trip that the author is recounting. The speaker says that while wandering like a cloud floating above hills and valleys he encounters a field of daffodils beside a lake. These dancing, fluttering flowers caught the heart of our speaker. We can obviously see that this moment in his life has meant a great deal to him. He says that a poet could not help but be happy in such a joyful company of flowers. He also says whenever he feels "vacant" or "pensive" the memory flashes upon "that inward eye / That is the bliss of solitude," and his heart fills with pleasure "and dances with the daffodils." The imagery Wordsworth uses is very powerful, making me feel like I too saw this wonderful sight of daffodils. He uses gentle words like the gentle flower that he is describing. He mentions that the daffodils are â€Å"fluttering† â€Å"dancing â€Å" and â€Å"twinkling,† such terms make the lines flow with a musical eloquence. He is able to make the daffodils come to life in a joyous movement making me feel like I am also swaying along with the flowers. We can see that he holds daffodils and nature in high regard. This poem has a lot of nature images that you can practically see: the trees, the water, the stars, and the daffodils. His tone is merry and flows quickly and nicely. It's like he is creating a painting not a poem. The images around him all seem to be in harmony, and, like he says, "dance" together. The extent of his joy is when he is among the daffodils, but the greater experience he seems to gain is the recollection of that moment of tranquility while with that "jocund company." The cloud he mentions is used not to represent loneliness, bu...

THE VOICE OF THE COMMON SOLDIER essays

THE VOICE OF THE COMMON SOLDIER essays In contemporary times, much criticism has been placed upon Rudyard Kipling for his support of British Imperialism; George Orwell went so far as to call him the "prophet of British Imperialism during its expansionist phase." To be sure, a considerable portion of Kipling's works were written in celebration and support of Imperial expansion, but it is short-sighted to simply label him as an Imperial propagandist or apologist. Two of his most oft-condemned poems, Recessional and The White Man's Burden, actually were used by both sides of the colonial issue at the time.1 A reading of Recessional, taken in the context of the prevailing attitudes of the time, seems to indicate that it is a piece about hubris rather than a promotion of the Empire. And the "burden" that Kipling writes on, while patronizing, was indeed a genuine burden.2 The fact that the British Empire went far in alleviating famine and disease in the conquered territories should not be ignored. It is beyond a doubt, however, that Kipling was convinced of Britain's superiority in the world. In For All We Have and Are, for instance, the reader is convinced with the last two lines, "What stands if Freedom fall?/Who dies if England live?" Kipling was not by far the most vociferous of the jingoists; having been somewhat of an outsider all for his life, he showed great sympathy for those whose lives were wasted in the expansion of the empire, and criticized the Imperial machinery that used them. His poetry as told by the common British soldiers show his ability maintain his status as poet laureate of the Empire while telling the stories of its victims, and at times, condemning it for the way it treated those soldiers. Kipling published Barrack-Room Ballads in 1890, and it immediately gained him great success in England. A collection of poems written in the voice of a London cockney, they display Kipling's remarkable breadth of understanding of soldiers and soldiering during the Vi...