Religion And Its Impact On Society - 1163 Words

Religion has created major turmoil in America. Every night on the news, specialists elaborate more and more about the candidates and their ideas. Many of the most controversial issues are refugees, terrorism, and abortion; all of which all have aspects dealing with religion. This is a sharp contrast to the supposed â€Å"separation† of church and state in America, since citizens are electing the next president based on his religion-based opinions. These opinions are often altered through the instantaneous spread of information. This leads to incorrect accusations that threaten the Candidates reputations and campaigns. This situation is more relevant now than ever before due to the abundance of social media and news outlets. While observing the dynamic relationship between religion and politics, it becomes crystal clear that they are closely intertwined. Interactions in today’s society involves social aspects and a religious aspects. These two combined create a basis fo r political persuasion. It poses the question, if there is any separation between church and state in America today. The answer is simple: no. Today in America, all of the political decisions, elections, and debates are rooted in religion, especially while looking in-depth at social aspects such as interaction, imitation, and demographics. The Psychology of Politics Social interaction is the â€Å"process of reciprocal stimulation or response between 2 people† (Social Interaction). This is what creates the social orderShow MoreRelatedReligion And Its Impact On Society1473 Words   |  6 Pages The dictionary defines society as â€Å"an organized group of persons associated together for religious, benevolent, cultural, scientific, political, patriotic, or other purposes† and religion as â€Å"something one believes in and follows devotedly; a point or matter of ethics or conscience.† The question stated on our political survey reads â€Å"shared religious belief isn’t and important part of our society.† And I disagree with that. Almost everyone has his or her own sets of beliefs and morals, which isRead MoreReligion And Its Impact On Society910 Words   |  4 PagesNot a single person would define religion, in their own words, the same as anyone else. James Martineau, an English philosopher influential in the history of Unitarianism, once said â€Å"Religion is the belief in an ever living God, that is, in a Divine Mind and Will ruling the Universe and holding moral relations with mankind.† Many different people see religion in many different ways. Religion has been an important place in the history of civilization. It gives a meaning and purpose to human life andRead MoreReligion And Its Impact On Society1343 Words   |  6 Pagescirculation religion has been a part of society that has always been there. But is this idea of rules and regulations enforced by a belief system really helpful to society? In a world without religion would there be less wars, hatred, and discrimination? With so many people involved or affiliated with religion it is important to explore deeper into the negative impact that religion has on society and try to make the world a better place with information that will help all. At a personal level religion fulfillsRead MoreReligion And Its Impact On Society1 033 Words   |  5 PagesCenter’s Forum on Religion Public Life, more than 230 countries were estimated to have 5.8 billion religiously affiliated people nationally (Global). This large statistic represents 84% of the 2013 world population, which at that time was 6.9 billion (Global). Religion has an immense presence in this world, but it also has a huge impact on the society that surrounds it. Contributing not only to the good of society, religion has also been used to disrupt and cause chaos. Impacting society positively,Read MoreReligion And Its Impact On Society922 Words   |  4 Pagesand it is impossible to think that every person in the world believes the same thing. A person’s morals can be based off of their geographical location, religion, political party, upbringing, or even the time period in which they lived. Each of these factors can greatly impact what people think is right and wrong. Religion has a huge impact on what people’s morals are. For example, many Hindus find that it is immoral to eat meat, while many Christians do not find a problem with it. This doesRead MoreReligion And Its Impact On Society1699 Words   |  7 PagesFor the past centuries religion has been a major force in the world and still continues to be one as there are billions of people that believe and follow a certain religion, but sadly religion has had a largely negative impact on the world today. As people continue to view religion in an unrealistic positive manner they continue to be deceived about its negative impact. During recent years there have been many headlines about how religion influenced people in performing terrible acts that oppressRead MoreReligion And Its Impact On Society1310 Words   |  6 Pagesforce in society. Religion has been a major component of human culture since nearly the beginning of man. As we emerged as a high intellect species, we developed man y different ideologies to answer some of our unanswerable questions. Since these developments, we continue to evolve as a species and the ideologies we have created evolve with us in our endlessly changing societies. As civilization grows, our different cultures clashed for many different reasons, one of which has been religion. As theRead MoreReligion And Its Impact On Society951 Words   |  4 Pages Religion to me is a set of beliefs and practices that can determine actions in everyday life by determining morals and deciding what is right and wrong in each society. This is a general idea that I believe has guided societies for centuries and has shaped today’s cultures. As we study cultures around the world, we can find significant influential factors dating back to a prominent religion that shaped the ideals of culture telling the people what is deemed acceptable practice and behavior and whatRead MoreReligion And Its Impact On Society1862 Words   |  8 PagesReligio n ranks as one of the most divisive factors in the world today dividing not only believers and non-believers but as well as those of different sects. Different ideals, and views of the diverse religions spur negativity amongst countries, races, friends, and family alike driving wedges whilst creating problems between individuals. However it also has brought billions of people together, going on to forge a sense of shred belief and unity of purpose across wide racial and geographical dividesRead MoreReligion : What Are Its Impacts On The Society?1601 Words   |  7 PagesReligion: What are its Impacts to the Society? Human as a physical and finite being believes that there is the spiritual entity or entities which unlike man are infinite and more powerful. Human sought to have a relationship with this sacred being, and the medium which he has devised to do so is religion. Borne out of human’s quest or search for purpose and meaning, religion was employed to provide answers to some basic intriguing phenomena, which bothers him on daily basis. Religion

Sociology Katelyn Hofstetter Free Essays

Women’s Rights The social position of Muslim women differs tthroughout time periods and countries, such as Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan. The consequences of breaking the laws in these nations differ as well. In addition, different social factors affect the way Muslim women are treated. We will write a custom essay sample on Sociology Katelyn Hofstetter or any similar topic only for you Order Now These social positions are perceived differently amongst men and women in Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan. In Afghanistan, the leaders of the past Resistance turned Muslim Afghanistan into a strict theocratic state by incorporating religion into the state laws. This theocratic state, also known as the Islamic state of Afghanistan, along with the mujahideen, limited women’s rights in 1992 (Goodwin, 2003:78). Specifically, women are required to follow a strict dress code of wearing proper veils and are banned from watching television or listening to the radio. When a Muslim woman gets married, she becomes her in-law’s property. Women are also prohibited from working, wearing perfume, receiving an education, participating in political elections and showing any body part that can be considered erotically enticing. In addition, a Muslim woman cannot talk to men that are not related to her (Goodwin, 2003:78-79). One reason women’s rights are restricted is the lack of education and illiteracy of Afghan women. Being illiterate prevents a woman from studying Islam. Therefore, when someone tells her something is Islamic, she automatically believes him because she has no way of knowing otherwise. Not only does illiteracy prevent Muslim women from studying Islam, but it also prevents them from studying their legal rights and the Qur’an. Studying the Qur’an and legal rights would cause women to understand what really is Islamic. https://donemyessay.com/sociology-exam-3-chapters-6-8/ Women may lack knowledge of how women live in other nations. Therefore, these women do not resist their lack of rights because they are uninformed of alternative lifestyles of women. In 1921, women’s rights drastically changed. The veil was banned and the first school for girls opened (Goodwin, 2003:88 and 90). In 1964, the constitution of Afghanistan granted equal status to men and women and coeducation (Goodwin, 2003:89). Communism did take over Afghanistan after that event and Aghanistan’s laws for women became much more conservative. Hamida, a college-educated Afghan woman had to stay home with other women and wear the traditional veil due to the drastic change in women’s rights. She greatly suffered and experienced many physical problems due to the drastic change in rights. Her level of education may have been a factor to her sthrong reaction (Goodwin, 2003:91). Hamida’s reaction demonstrates how educated women have a sthronger negative reaction than uneducated women in terms of restrictions. In Iran, women must wear their hijab properly and remain entirely covered in public as soon as they are mature enough to be married. Women are considered mature enough to marry by the age of 9 (Goodwin, 2003:107). According to Zahra Qasim, a store clerk in Iran, dress restrictions are not always formally written down, so rules are somewhat unclear, which leads to women being punished due to laws they are unaware of (Goodwin, 2003:108). Banning the veil could be perceived just as oppressive if not more, than requiring women to wear a veil. Due to banning the veil, some women feel uncomfortable going in public without a veil, causing women to avoid going out in public whenever possible (Hoodfar, 1993). Therefore, wearing the veil in Iran is part of culture and society in Iran. Another reason behind the dress restrictions is husbands feel in control when their wives wear a veil (Goodwin, 2003:109). Rahnavard has a different perspective on the veil. She believes â€Å"women in the west have been enslaved by fashion, makeup, and turned into objects of sexual attention. â€Å"The veil frees women from the shackles of fashion and enables them to become human beings in their own right,’ she claimed. Once people cease to be distracted by women’s physical appearance, they can begin to hear their views and recognize the inner person’† (Goodwin, 2003: 112-113). Therefore, Rahnavard believes Western women are more oppressed than Muslim women. The veil protects women from being judged and discriminated based on physical appearance, something western women are not protected from. Despite the positive perspectives of the veil in Iran, there are discrepancies between the rights of men and women. Despite the positive perspectives of the veil in Iran, there are discrepancies between the rights of men and women. Maryam Rajavi ran the mujahideen with her husband and mobilized Iranian women against suppressive regimes, which was the cause of many supporters of Shah to attempt to assassinate Rajavi. Although they did not assassinate Rajavie, they were successful in executing two of her sisters (Goodwin, 2003: 122). Such aassassinations demonstrate how many Iranians sthrongly appose a change in women’s rights. When women fail to follow the rules Iran reinforces, the common punishment involves whipping the woman. Jan Goodwin explains the experience of being whipped as â€Å"The lack of power, being robbed of all dignity. It was a disgusting experience, so degrading, and as violating in its way as rape† (Goodwin, 2003: 112). Within Iran, there are inequalities amongst men and women. For instance, laws in terms of execution differ among genders. Girls have to be at least 9 years old to be executed while boys have to be at least 16 years old (Goodwin, 2003:115). Women can not divorce without the husband’s consent. When a divorce does occur, the husband typically gets custody of the children (Goodwin, 2003:114). In addition, women must remain virgins before mmarriage. Within the Islamic religion, it is believed virgins automatically go to Paradise following death. This is not necessarily the case for women that lose their virginity before mmarriage. If it is discovered that an unmarried woman is not a virgin, they may be forced to get married (Goodwin, 2003:115). Ssimilarly to Iranian laws, Pakistan also prohibits sex before mmarriage, which is termed as Zina laws. A large ppercentage of the women in Pakistan experience punishment for committing Zina. When a woman commits Zina, despite whether or not she had sex voluntarily, the woman is punished and the man is not. Men often report that a woman committed Zina as a form of revenge of the woman’s close male relative, despite if she really committed Zina. One can only attest that an assault occurred if there are at least four male witnesses that were present during the act and agree that it happened (Goodwin, 2003:51-53). 75% of women in jail are charged with Zina (Goodwin, 2003:52). Such a high ppercentage demonstrates the commonality of charging someone with Zina. The value of a woman’s life is considered half that of a man’s in Pakistan (Goodwin, 2003:55). Women’s lives are so restrictive they are sometimes only allowed outside their home three times in their lifetime, when they are born, when they get married, and when they die. In addition, the windows are frosted so no outsiders can see the woman in her house (Goodwin, 2003:56-57). The cause of the lack of women’s rights is due to education; Pakistani women lack knowledge about their rights (Goodwin, 2003:71). Socioeconomic class plays a factor in women’s rights in Pakistan. The elite rich live in a westernized lifestyle. For instance, the elite have a lifestyle full of materialism. Women often have boyfriends in private, participate in sexual aactivity prior to mmarriage, drink alcohol at parties, and watch movies that have been banned in Pakistan. Unlike the lower socioeconomic classes, the elite women are not considered property to her husband and do not have to live a domesticated lifestyle because they frequently hire people to perform the chores wives are expected to do in a lower class. In this elite class, the parent’s of sons arrange their mmarriage with a well-educated woman. The parent’s of daughters look for a husband that is professional with an American green card (Goodwin, 2003:68-69). The film, A Matter of Honor, informs the viewer that in Pakistan, Honor Killings are when a woman is killed due to acts that are prohibited through the religious laws the country follows. Family members commit Honor Killings for the sole purpose of preserving the honor of the family. Honor Killings are more common among rural and uneducated people because they do not know how to read the Qur’an to build perceptions from the accurate meanings of the verses. Honor Killings are technically illegal in Pakistan, but they are rarely enforced. Muslim women’s rights are different among different countries and there are many opposing perspectives on Muslim women’s rights. In addition, the reasons why women’s rights continue to be restrictive differ as well. One commonality among Afghanistan and Iran is the wearing of the veil. There are several different perspectives as to why the veil is worn. There are other laws regarding what women can and can not do in which Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan enforce. Not only are there different laws that are enforced, but they way they are enforced differ amongst different factors as well. Despite the trends in the way women are treated in these countries, it is important that people do not generalize these practices among all Muslim women, as this habit leads to false assumptions. How to cite Sociology Katelyn Hofstetter, Papers

Cloning Essay Research Paper The most recent free essay sample

Cloning Essay, Research Paper The most recent finds and researchesin the field of genetic sciences: Deoxyribonucleic acid cloning I am a biological science major pupil at Brooklyn College, and of class I am interested in the most recent finds in life sciences, peculiarly in genetic sciences and DNA cloning. A batch of us heard about cloned sheep Dolly and other cloned animate beings, and I decided to happen out, with aid of the Internet, how this procedure was accomplished in general and what is the hereafter of this sort of experiments and researches. Besides, I tried to happen an reply to popular inquiry about cloning a human being. Sheep Dolly was the first cloned mammal and the first animate being that was cloned from the cell of an grownup specimen in the history of humanity. The cloning was accomplished by scientists from Edinburgh on February 20 4th in 1997. Research workers report that the sheep is turning good and healthy. However, Dolly is a first, and by now the merely feasible animate being that was of all time cloned from familial stuff from cells of grownup animate being. Before that there were other cloned animate beings that got their familial stuffs from foetal or embryologic cells. Therefore in the current experiments, the research workers have succeeded in the production of feasible offspring from three sorts of cell population: 9-day old embryo, 26-day fetal and 6-year old mammary secretory organ. I would wish to briefly explicate how the experiment of cloning Dolly was made. Firs of all what is a ringer? It is a familial transcript of a life being that portions same DNA with a giver. However ringers do non portion same ideas and memories with givers. Images below can assist to understand the whole procedure of acquiring a ringer from grownup mammalian cells. The chief key of this procedure is a atomic transportation. The gamete ( unfertilised cell ) of grownup female sheep was extracted fr om her, and after that the karyon was taken out the cell every bit good. Then familial stuff in the karyon from the cell of the donor sheep was fused with the cell that was missing its ain karyon. After that fused cell with donor s familial stuff is jumped with really little electrical current which makes it a complete fertilized ovum ( fertilized cell ) right now. The fertilized ovum becomes precisely as the when the giver sheep was a fertilized ovum herself, therefore genetically they are perfectly indistinguishable, and the phenotype ( visual aspect ) of the cloned sheep will be merely like giver s. After this measure fertilized ovum is grown for a piece on the Petri home base, fertilized ovum divides by mitosis many times in same manner as if it was in vitro ( of course, in the organic structure ) non in viv O ( in the trial tubing ) . Then the civilization ( an early embryo ) is implanted into the organic structure of a foster sheep. The embryo continues to develop of course from this point, and at certain clip the baby is born. Of class the chief inquiry that is originating is why we need these researches and cloned animate beings. Well, as information in the articles that I obtained on the Internet Tells me, all these experiments were non some brainsick thought of a research worker who merely wanted see himself as a Creator. These recent familial can be really helpful in different facets of life. First of all, why sheep and non Canis familiariss were chosen for the experiment? The reply is that you can utilize some particular sort of sheep as the giver who are immuned from certain diseases good and has good productiveness. Cloning can be used for intervention of certain carnal diseases, such as huffy cow syndrome, every bit good. So, cloning is really of import in agribusiness today. Besides, it benefited modern animate being genetic sciences itself: ordinance of cistron look, procedure of aging and assorted instances of malignant neoplastic disease are better understood on molecular familial degree thanks to the find of mammalian cloning procedure. Besides, custom-modified transgenic animate beings are needed in really little sums make any sort of researches, and are ideal tool in medical specialty excessively: proteins and enzymes they make can be used for interventions of human diseases. Cloning is a perfect switch that can turn bad cistrons off and turn good one s on.New finds in genic cloning are really of import for workss excessively. Cloning helped to make assorted loanblends, such as Prunus persica nectarinas. Besides, in it helps to give high output of harvests. However, there can be disfavor that offspring will non be feasible, or will non reproduce of course. The other disadvantage is that it is expensive procedure since in instance with workss big measures of ringers are needed. Although find of cloning puts worlds on one measure higher in the procedure of development, it still carries some disadvantages with it. First of wholly, the is a disadvantage of monoculture: the rudimentss of cloning is that offspring is indistinguishable with parents, which means that if the giver was affected in any manner genetically and it was non noticed the receiver will be affected every bit good. This is important if big progeny is obtained, as it happens in agribusiness. Second of all, ethical issues about cloning are concerned excessively. Some organisations that defend animate beings and travel against experiments on them argue that animate being cloning is unnatural and these sorts of experiments should be stopped.

What Is Gender Performativity free essay sample

All of us have been assigned a â€Å"sex† when we are born, and we are bound to be men or women. Many of us believe that we belong to a particular sex whilst sex is natural, gender is social and culture constructed. Sex refers to the biological and physiological characteristics that define men and women such as reproductive organs; gender refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviors, activities, and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for men and women. [i] To put it another way, male and female are sex categories, while masculine and feminine are gender categories. In this contemporary society, for males, behavioral traits generally considered masculine include independent, non-emotional, aggressive, tough-skinned, competitive, strong, active, self-confident. In contrast, for females, behavioral traits generally considered feminine include dependent, emotional, passive, sensitive, weak, accepting. Have you ever think that, why a male must act like a man, a female must act like a woman? It is all because of gender socialization. We will write a custom essay sample on What Is Gender Performativity? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page During this process, we learned how to behave in the society, to act the expected role of men or women. In other words, that is all of us are taught to perform scripts of the belonged sex. Judith Butler argues that gender is â€Å"performative† and is constructed through â€Å"repeated acts of gender practice. In the following I will give explanation on Judith Butler’s arguments, and based on Bulter’s view, critical analyze the contemporary ideas of masculinity and femininity by discussing people’s clothing, see how are they being gendered. In Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity, Judith Butler mentioned gender is an act. The action of gender requires a performance that is repeated. This repetition is at once a reenactment and reexperiencing of a set of meanings already socially established and it is the mundane and ritualized form of their legitimation. Although there are individual bodies that enact these significations by becoming stylized into gendered modes, this â€Å"action† is a public action. These actions are formed by the temporal and collective dimensions, gender is an identity tenuously constituted in time, constituted in an exterior space through a stylized repetition of cts. Gender is instituted through the stylization of the body and, hence, must be understood as the mundane way in which bodily gestures, movements, and enactments of various kinds constitute the illusion of an abiding gendered self. This formulation moves the conception of gender off the ground of a substantial model of identity to one that requires a conception of a constituted social temporality. The act that o ne does, the act that one performs, is, in a sense, an act that has been going on before one arrived on the scene. ii] Hence, gender is an act which has been rehearsed, much as a script survives the particular actors who make use of it, but which requires individual actors in order to be actualized and reproduced as reality once again. [iii] Butler thinks that gender is performative which sees gender is the effect of a series of acts, how we act and walk and speak and talk in ways that consolidate an impression of being a man or being a woman, we have to nominate ourselves as either male or female, which means, it is constructed through multiple acts of gender practice. In Adorned in Dreams: Fashion and Modernity, Elizabeth Wilson stated that â€Å"fashion is obsessed with gender, defines and redefines the gender boundary. †[iv] In this contemporary society, fashion is androgynous, however, we use fashion as a tool to help us to perform the script, and let others to have a clearer identification of our gender. Therefore, fa is one of the most effective examples to demonstrate how masculinity and femininity are gendered. Clothing clarifies cultural ideas about gender; it helps in constructing self-controlling, self-regulating subjects with their â€Å"proper looks†; it adds layers of cultural meanings onto the body. Vision is the first thing to attract peoples attention, clothing is an indicator which help us to determine the sex of a person, for example, there are only little appearance differences between infant boys and infant girls, parents most often use clothing to avoid confusion. Boys are typically dressed in blue color, and often decorated with sporting, cars or superheros prints; girls are dressed in pink and decorated with flowers or hearts. [v] In 2010, there was a news â€Å"Rooms with a hue: The all-pink and all-blue photographs that prove girls and boys develop gender specific preferences to colour† by Daily Mail Reporter, it shows that girls usually like pink and boys usually like blue. [vi] However, before World War II, girl would be thought as butch if she wearing pink. At that time, pink was the boys colour (because its an offshoot of angry red) and blue was the girls colour (because it was thought to be calming and serene). [vii] This can indicate that colour performance is gendered, people set a value on one colour, and use that colour to help them perform their scripts better. Nowadays, blue provides a energetic feeling while pink is a girlish and gentle. Not only the use of colour, but also the types and the cuttings of clothing can illustrate that appearance is gendered. In order to emphasise male and female bodily features, the shoulders part of suit of men are stiffened, and the womens clothing is usually skinny which these can add â€Å"masculinity† and â€Å"femininity† to the body. [viii] The suit especially the stiffened shoulders, can help broadening the shoulders and chest, shows that men are strong. Also, men’s bodies are rendered invisible, which ignored their erotic display and men’s suits are usually promoting â€Å"professional† images of male, show that they are independent and competitive.

Goodfellas narrative structure essays

Goodfellas narrative structure essays The movie GoodFellas based on Nicholas Pileggi's book Wiseguy and directed by the highly praised Martin Scorsese is probably one of the best mafia movies ever made. GoodFellas is the story of Irish-Italian American, Henry Hill, and how he lives day-to-day life as a member of the Mafia in the 60s and 70s in New York City. Based on a true story, the plot revolves around Henry, his wife, and his mafia partners. Joe Pesci plays Tommy Devito, a pure bred Italian gangster, who turns out to be Henry's best friend. Robert De Niro plays Jimmy Conway, the man who puts the two of them together, and runs some of the biggest hijacks and burglaries the city has ever seen. Hill (Ray Liotta) rises through the ranks of his Brooklyn neighborhood's organized crime branch, and with money from the mob he begins living the good life, complete with a beautiful bride, Karen (Lorraine Bracco), a fancy home, and the best seats at the most exclusive restaurants. A messed up robbery lands Henry in prison for a few years, and when he gets released, his reckless infidelities and drug abuse damage his associations with his adopted family forcing him to sell out his friends to stay alive. The movie is told through the view of Henry and also through the view of his wife Karen. Martin Scorseses unique narration structure of using two narrators creates a truer representation for the audience to see how life was like in the mafia. This is made clear when you look at the films exposition, cultural verisimilitude and subjectivity. In GoodFellas, the storys exposition or background information is given out through the narration and through flashback. The beginning of the film is one big flashback. It is during this time that Henry informs the audience about his childhood and how and most importantly why he got into the mafia. In his narration he says he felt like, the luckiest kid in the world growing up and working for mobsters...

Nelson Rockfeller, Last of the Liberal Republicans

Nelson Rockfeller, Last of the Liberal Republicans Nelson Rockefeller served as governor of New York for 15 years and became an influential figure in the Republican Party before serving as vice president under President Gerald Ford for two years. As the presumed leader of the northeastern wing of the party, Rockfeller ran for the Republican nomination for president three times. Rockefeller was known for a generally liberal social policy coupled with a pro-business agenda. The so-called Rockefeller Republicans essentially faded into history as the very conservative movement exemplified by Ronald Reagan took hold. The term itself fell into disuse, replaced by â€Å"moderate Republican.† Fast Facts: Nelson Rockefeller Known For: Longtime liberal Republican governor of New York and heir to the Rockefeller fortune. He ran unsuccessfully for president three times and served as vice president under Gerald Ford.Born: July 8, 1908 in Bar Harbor, Maine, a grandson of the world’s richest manDied: January 26, 1979 in New York CityParents: John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and Abby Green AldrichSpouses: Mary Todhunter Clark (m. 1930-1962) and Margaretta Large Fitler (m. 1963)Children: Rodman, Ann, Steven, Mary, Michael, Nelson, and MarkEducation: Dartmouth College (degree in economics)Famous Quote: Ever since I was a kid. After all, when you think of what I had, what else were there to aspire to? (on seeking the presidency). As the grandson of legendary billionaire John D. Rockefeller, Nelson Rockefeller grew up surrounded with extravagant wealth. He became known as a supporter of the arts and was highly regarded as a collector of modern art. He was also known for a gregarious personality, though his detractors claimed his habit of exuberantly greeting people with a loud Hiya, fella! was a carefully calculated effort to appeal to ordinary people. Early Life Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller was born July 8, 1908, in Bar Harbor, Maine. His grandfather was the richest man in the world, and his father, John Rockefeller, Jr., worked for the family business, Standard Oil. His mother, Abigail â€Å"Abby† Greene Aldrich Rockefeller, was the daughter of a powerful U.S. senator from Connecticut and a noted patron of the arts (she would eventually be a founder of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City). Growing up, Nelson was apparently afflicted with dyslexia, which was not fully understood. He had trouble reading and spelling throughout his life, though he managed to do reasonably well in school. He graduated from Dartmouth College with a degree in economics in 1930. He married soon after college, and began working for his family at Rockefeller Center, which had recently opened as an office complex. New York Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller (1908 - 1979, seated) with his first wife, Mary Todhunter Clark, and children, Mary, Anne, Steven, Rodman and Michael. Keystone / Getty Images Early Career Rockefeller obtained a real estate license and began his career by leasing out office space in Rockefeller Center. He also supervised some of the decor. In a famous incident, he had a mural painted by Diego Rivera chiseled from the wall. The artist had included the face of Lenin in the painting. From 1935 to 1940 Rockefeller worked for a Standard Oil affiliate in South America and became interested in local culture to the point of learning Spanish. In 1940 he began a career of public service by accepting a position in the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt. His job at the Office of Inter-American Affairs entailed providing economic aid to Latin American countries (which was a strategic effort to thwart Nazi influence in the Western Hemisphere). Bettmann / Getty Images   In 1944 he became the assistant secretary of state for Latin American affairs, but resigned a year later, when his aggressive personality rubbed his superiors the wrong way. He later worked briefly in the administration of Harry Truman. In the Eisenhower administration, Rockefeller served as the undersecretary of HEW for two years, from 1953 to 1955. He then served as an adviser to Eisenhower on Cold War strategy, but left the government, hoping to get involved in politics elsewhere. Running for Office Rockefeller decided to run for governor of New York in the election of 1958. He secured the Republican nomination, partly because state party officials liked that he could finance his own campaign. It was widely assumed the Democratic incumbent, Averell Harriman, would be reelected, especially running against a novice at electoral politics. Showing a surprising flair for campaigning, Rockefeller energetically approached voters to shake hands and eagerly sample food in ethnic neighborhoods. On Election Day 1958, he scored an upset win against Harriman. Within days of his election he was being asked if he intended to run for president in 1960. He said no. November 9, 1966 - New York: Governor Nelson Rockefeller, who is Governor, according to amended campaign sign overhead, rejoices in his re-election early November 9, 1966.   Bettmann / Getty Images His terms as governor would eventually be known for ambitious infrastructure and transportation projects, a commitment to increasing the size of the state’s university system, and even a commitment to the arts. He would go on to serve as New York’s governor for 15 years, and for much of that time the state seemed to operate as a laboratory for governmental programs, often inspired by groups convened by Rockefeller. He typically convened task forces of experts which would study programs and propose governmental solutions. Rockefeller’s penchant for surrounding himself with experts wasn’t always viewed favorably. His former boss, President Eisenhower, was said to have commented that Rockefeller was too used to borrowing brains instead of using his own. Presidential Ambitions Within a year of taking office as governor, Rockefeller began to reconsider his decision not to run for president. As he appeared to have the support of the moderate to liberal Republicans on the East Coast, he considered running in the 1960 primaries. However, realizing Richard Nixon had solid support, he withdrew from the race early. In the 1960 election he supported Nixon and campaigned for him. According to an anecdote recounted in his 1979 obituary in the New York Times, in 1962 he was asked, while looking at the White House from his private plane, if he ever thought about living there. He replied, â€Å"Ever since I was a kid. After all, when you think of what I had, what else were there to aspire to?† Vice. Pres. Richard Nixon (R) with Nelson Rockefeller (L) September 01, 1960.   Joseph Scherschel / Getty Images Rockefeller viewed the presidential election of 1964 as an opportunity. He had solidified his reputation as the leader of the â€Å"eastern establishment† Republicans. His obvious opponent in 1964 primaries would be Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona, the leader of the conservative wing of the Republican Party. A complication for Rockefeller was that he had been divorced from his first wife in 1962. Divorce was unheard of for major politicians at the time, yet Rockefeller hadnt seemed to be harmed by it when he won reelection as governor of New York in 1962. (He married for the second time in 1963.) It’s difficult to quantify how much impact Rockefeller’s divorce and new marriage had on his presidential prospects in 1964, but it’s likely it had an effect. When the 1964 Republicans primaries began, Rockefeller was still considered a favorite for the nomination, and he won the primaries in West Virginia and Oregon (while Goldwater won in other early states). The deciding contest promised to be the primary in California, where Rockefeller was believed to be the favorite. A few days before the June 2, 1964, voting in California, Rockefeller’s second wife, Margaretta â€Å"Happy† Rockefeller, gave birth to a son. That event suddenly brought the issue of Rockefeller’s divorce and remarriage back into the public eye, and it has been credited with helping Goldwater win an upset victory in the California primary. The conservative from Arizona went on to become the 1964 Republican nominee for president. When Rockefeller rose to speak at the Republican National Convention that summer to advocate for a platform amendment repudiating the conservative John Birch Society, he was loudly booed. He refused to support Goldwater in the general election, which Lyndon Johnson won in a landslide. Rockefeller, shown addressing the GOP State Committee, is seeding delegate strength among committee members on June 25, 1968.   Bettmann / Getty Images As the election of 1968 approached, Rockefeller tried to enter the race. That year Nixon represented the moderate wing of the party, with California governor Ronald Reagan favored by the conservatives. Rockefeller gave mixed signals about whether he would run until that summer’s convention approached. He finally tried to round up uncommitted delegates to challenge Nixon, but his efforts fell short. Rockefeller’s presidential runs had a lasting impact on the Republican Party, as they seemed to define the profound split in the party as the conservative wing was becoming ascendant. The Attica Crisis Rockefeller continued on as governor of New York, eventually winning four terms. In his final term a prison uprising at Attica came to permanently scar Rockefeller’s record. The prisoners, who had taken guards as hostages, demanded Rockefeller visit the prison and oversee negotiations. He refused, and ordered an assault that turned disastrous when 29 inmates and ten hostages were killed. Rockefeller was condemned for his handling of the crisis, with his political opponents claiming it demonstrated his lack of compassion. Even Rockefeller supporters found his decision difficult to defend. Rockefeller Drug Laws As New York endured a heroin epidemic and a crisis over drug use and associated crime, Rockefeller advocated for tougher drug laws with mandatory sentences even for dealing small amounts of drugs. The laws were passed and over time were seen as a major mistake, greatly increasing the states prison population while not doing much to curb underlying problems of drug abuse. Subsequent governors have removed the most severe punishments of the Rockefeller Laws. Vice President In December 1973 Rockefeller resigned from the governorship of New York. It was assumed he might be thinking of running for president again in 1976. But after Nixons resignation, and Gerald Fords ascension to the presidency, Ford nominated Rockefeller to be his vice president. President Ford holds the report on the Central Intelligence Agency presented to him at the White House by Vice President Nelson Rockefeller, chairman of the blue ribbon panel that made the investigation.   Bettmann / Getty Images After serving as vice president for two years, the conservative wing of the party, led by Ronald Reagan, demanded that he not be on the ticket in 1976. Ford replaced him with Bob Dole of Kansas. Retirement and Death Retired from public service, Rockefeller devoted himself to his vast art holdings. He was working on a book about his art collection when he was stricken by a fatal heart attack on the night of January 26, 1979 at a townhouse he owned in Manhattan. At the time of his death he was with a 25-year-old female assistant, which led to endless tabloid rumors. Rockefellers political legacy was mixed. He steered New York state for a generation and by any measure was a very influential governor. But his ambition for the presidency was always thwarted, and the wing of the Republican Party he represented has largely disappeared. Sources: Greenhouse, Linda. â€Å"For Nearly a Generation, Nelson Rockefeller Held the Reins of New York State.† New York Times, 28 January 1979, p. A26.Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller. Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed., vol. 13, Gale, 2004, pp. 228-230. Gale Virtual Reference Library.Neumann, Caryn E. Rockefeller, Nelson Aldrich. The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Thematic Series: The 1960s, edited by William L. ONeill and Kenneth T. Jackson, vol. 2, Charles Scribners Sons, 2003, pp. 273-275. Gale Virtual Reference Library.

Mental Illness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Mental Illness - Essay Example Panic attacks usually last for a short duration of time in which a person is subject to stress and overload of anxiety and they have a sudden intensity of that anxiety. A panic attack is characterized by a person having heart palpitations, sweating, trembling and shaking, shortness of breath, a feeling of choking, chest pains, nausea, dizzy and lightheaded sensations, numbing or tingling sensations, a feeling of distance from reality or from oneself, a fear of dying, losing control or going crazy (Panic attack, American Psychiatric Association, 1994). Panic attacks can often lead to panic disorder. This is mental illness that is characterized by a series of panic attacks that a person experiences over a period of time due to anxiety and stress. It is a recurrence of this unexpected panic attacks that create the disorder. Many times it is diagnosed with or without agoraphobia present (Panic disorder with agoraphobia, American Psychiatric Association, 1994). Agoraphobia is the condition in which a sufferer of the panic disorder often begins to have continuous concern that another panic attack will come on. It is the anticipation of going to a certain place where they fear that a panic attack will occur. It is often difficult for people to travel beyond their comfort zones without suffering from severe anxiety. Many people find it hard to go to shopping malls, ride a bus or attend theater or sports performances because of the urge to need to find a quick route to get out so that they do not become embarrassed if they were to have an anxiety attack (Anxiety Disorders Association of America, 2011). Patients are worried that certain situations will cause them to have a panic attack and therefore sometimes start to avoid situations which make them anxious or nervous. They are often afraid to do something as

Political Science - international relations Essay

Political Science - international relations - Essay Example America is presently on course for an economic meltdown at the same time the EU and China are thriving. This trend is expected to continue unless drastic steps are taken immediately but much the same as the global warming crisis; the self-inflicted damage has already been done and may not be completely reversible. The current President Bush administration cut the taxes of the rich while increasing military expenditures on The War on Terror, invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan and the rebuilding of those countries. The debt has now exceeded even the Reagan administration’s record levels. It has severely hampered America’s ability to continue to effectively defend itself and will cripple it economically for many years to come. (Suter, 2004). In this time of increased globalization of the world’s financial markets, American legislators are more easily able to borrow from other countries that are experiencing a surplus of money. The United States is regarded as a good investment and has an unlimited ability to secure loans without a problem, but loans must be paid back, with interest. China and other countries own a large piece of America, a potentially disastrous prospect. For example, in February of 2005 the nation’s seventh largest creditor with $53 Billion in holding s, the Bank of Korea, revealed that it intended to â€Å"diversify reserves out of U.S. dollars† (Hirose, 2005). The Dow Jones dropped 174 points and the dollar lost significant value that same day. What if tomorrow, a major U.S. creditor lost confidence in this nation’s ability to honor the debt or decided to exert political influence by means of economic threats related to the debt? (â€Å"America’s Foreign Owners†, 2006). What if they all united against the U.S.? It probably won’t happen anytime soon but the fact that it could happen should be enough to alert Congress to the crisis. One or a combination of creditor countries could cause a sudden and

Importance of Homework Essay Example for Free

Importance of Homework Essay Homework, as I understand, is a practice and review of lessons learned as part of your studies, not an instrument that forces students to relearn an entire lesson,” comments Dr. George Roberts, a renowned psychiatrist and professor at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Roberts does not believe in assigning students enormous amounts of homework because he considers it unnecessary and a waste of time. However, not all school boards concur with Dr. Roberts, since they perceive homework as an essential part of education and learning. Most people will agree that homework is an essential part of education, but the question is, how much homework should be assigned on a daily basis? Everyone may have different opinions on how much homework should be assigned, but here is my stance on the situation. I believe that the homework load that teachers can assign should be limited so that students will not accumulate too much stress, get enough sleep, and have more free time to enjoy their hobbies and spend with their family and friends. First of all, extremely exorbitant amounts of homework have been causing stress in many teenagers. What comes to mind when you think about stress? Competitions, performances, or homework? Amazingly, homework is one of the top stress providers for students. 13 out of 100 teenage suicides are related to stress buildup at school, specifically from the large amounts of homework. Excess homework has even been proven to cause an increased maturing rate of hair, also known as the graying of hair. I’ve had my own experiences of stress caused by homework, and they weren’t too pleasant.

Peace Essay :: essays research papers

China and Iran: Transition to Democracy   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout the course of history, there have been Communist, Socialist, Democratic governments and dictatorships, but the most equitable form of government has been Democracy. All these different forms of government have been successful at some time, but in today’s world in order for the process of democratization to succeed, many factors have to be favorable for success to be achieved. In this essay, the democratization of China and Iran will be discussed. One has been successful where the other has not emerged. The process and factors that lead to their present outcomes will be discussed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The democratization of China had been a very slow process. China’s process of democratization has been long in coming, â€Å"for 160 years since the Opium War, China has struggled through countless tortuous paths in pursuit of democratization. Millions of people with lofty ideals sacrificed for it; a number of them were killed by those who resisted democratization, but even more died as a result of internal conflicts.†1 These deaths were not in vain, they taught the people of China a very valuable lesson and after the Cultural Revolution(1966 to 1969), which was a crucial period when many political and social reforms were initiated, the people of China started to accept these political reforms. â€Å"The legitimacy of the Communist government had been exhausted. Cultural Revolution raised questions to the Chinese about the legitimacy of the former communist regime.†2   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There were many events that led to the democratization. The incident at Tiananmen Square was a major event (June 1989) in twentieth century Chinese history, as well as one of the causes of the downfall of communism in many countries. During this incident students marched and demonstrated against the CCP. It was watched by the world via television, it marked the beginning of the third period of modern Chinese foreign policy. The first was coterminous with Mao Zedong’s rule, 1949-1976, and the second was coterminous with the economic reform movement of 1977-1988, led by Deng Xiaoping. Under Mao, Beijing’s foreign policy was determined mostly by domestic factors. The first of these was revolutionary politics. The most important domestic change was replacement of Maoist radicalism by Dengist pragmatic moderation and a corresponding shift from the primacy of politics to that of economics. â€Å"Tiananmen symbolized the beginning of the end of communist r ule in China, contributed to the end of Marxism-Leninism globally, and affected China’s foreign relations in two ways.

Kurt Vonnegut’s Cats Cradle Analysis

Ben Fisher Mr. Anderson AP Writing and Composition 1 14th November 2012 Cat's Cradle American Author Analysis by Ben Fisher Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut is a science fiction book that was published in 1963. The book is (falsely thought to be)centered around the narrator, John, and his quest to write a book about what was happeneing with the creators of the atomic bomb the day the first bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. His adventure follows his travels as he meets with researchers, the children of a fictional Dr. Felix Hoenikker, and ventures to an island nation to talk to the good doctors final son.Along this course, he explains a religion he does not yet have, as this is from a post-experience diary perspective, called Bokononism, and its practices. He gains knowledge of this religion and its creation on the island of San Lorenzo, which resolves in him becoming president. But this is a side plot of the book. The main plot, hidden in the background, is centered around a ficticious sub stance called Ice-Nine, with the power to freeze all the worlds oceans in the blink of an eye if it were to touch a single water source, an expression of mans' ability to destroy the things that surround him.Cat's Cradle is set in an unknown year more than 20 years after August 6th, 1945. At the beginning, John visits Ilium, New York to talk to Dr. Asa Breed at General Forge and Foundry, the place in which Felix Hoenikker â€Å"worked†, which leads to his discovery of several key locations in the area. The later half is focused on the fictional Carribean island of San Lorenzo, an island nation started by Earl McCabe, a marine deserter, and Bokonon, born Lionel Boyd Johnson, who created Bokononism.These settings leave a sense of a tight dichotomy between modern America and the Caribbean nation of San Lorenzo. Though the concept of the book within, about the bombing of Hiroshima, and a freeze frame of the events of that day, reveals a young nation holding infinite power in a va st expanse of nothingness. The concept of San Lorenzo as a country in location is central to the happenings of the book. To contrast this idea of self destruction is the concept of Bokononism, a religion outlawed on the island after being created by one of its founders.Christianity is the official religion, but both Protestantism and Catholicism are illegal, and every single citizen of the island celebrates Bokononism even with the threat of the â€Å"hy-u-o-ook-kuh†, representing how San Lorenzan natives pronounce the Hook, a giant fish hook that a Bokononist is threatened to be speared upon if they are caught practicing Bokononism. Though this concept is really an illusory ploy created by Bokonon and McCabe, and perpetrated by the island's leader, â€Å"Papa† Monzano, to give hope in pure foma, or harmless untruths, that form a religion that gives hope and reason instead of defining how you should live.You exist to serve the wampeter of you karass whilst avoiding gra nfalloons and trying to find kan-kans that leads the creation of more sinookas that lead to a procces of vin-dits. All the while you may be bothered by stuppas and pool-pah, but when you are busy, busy, busy, you will truly understand your situation, and in your zah-mah-ki-bo, you may lead yourself to think, â€Å"Now I will destroy the whole world†. All this while, you may connect to another, boko-maru will most likely lead to you finding your path. * *Translated: In short, the book is lies.Your life is based around serving the central theme of you group (wampeter of your karass) and avoiding intermingling into false groups (granfalloons), and finding items that help your cause (kan-kans) To create tendrils to intertwine others into your life (sinookas) causing shoves towards Bokononism (vin-dits). A fogbound child (a stuppa) or a shitstorm/the wrath of God (pool-pah) may try to mislead yourself, but eventually tou will think about the complicated and unpredictable machinery of life (busy, busy, busy) and will find your inevitable destiny (zah-mah-ki-bo) leading you to your task unknowingly.This may end in suicide (Now I will destroy the whole world) due to the duffle placed upon a stuppa (a fate of many placed on one who knows, nor can find, nothing). The idea of boko-maru is supposed to be a very sensual experience that connects two people deeply. Though at any time, your spirit is orbiting an object of great importance, your karass around a wampeter. The person who secondhandedly introduces us to these concepts is not our protagonist. It is our narrator, a minor character in his own aspects, but the only one that is left later, though he never truly matters.He is simply around to be an expositor of the actions of others, a minor characters sharing the traits of a protagonist. The true protagonist of the story, or which the story revolves around, is Felix Hoenikker, a fictitious addition to the Manhattan project team. He is portrayed as an odd man in capable of conventional thought or process, but able to think up and create brilliant objects in moments when presented with a problem. His mind otherwise wandered his whole life, and he was emotionless and apathetic towards anything but his work.His children, Newton, Franklin, and Anglea, play major rolls constructing the story for the narrator, exposing themselves as as weird as their father. Their mother, Emily, plays a minor roll in the story, but a major roll in a shift in the good doctors attitude that would barely be noticed by most, including his own children. Bokonon and Earl McCabe are presented as opposing forces, one being the founder and continual contributor of Bokononism, the other of a government willing to convict those practicing to keep the concept practical.This provides the whole concept of possibility for the ending of the book. One Julian Castle once owned the island and used it as a sugar plantation, and by all means is one of the most complex and thoughtful (see: evil/diabolical) characters in the book, running a humanitarian aid hospital in the jungle of San Lorenzo. He works alongside one Schlicter von Koenigswald, a former S. S. member that had worked in Auschwitz doing various unnamed evil tasks, now working at the Hospital of Hope and Mercy to atone for his sins.The main characters progress in that they gain a concept of both brotherhood and false family through their karass. By the end, the narrator has gone through rage, happiness, depression, excitement, and finally, he tells himself the truth. He becomes what he once feared, but does not fear what he becomes. The revelations that bring about this change are rather odd. At the beginning, John introduces that this is a book written about the events that brought about the end of the world.John is writing a book about the day of the dropping of the Little Boy on Hiroshima. This leads to a discussion with Dr. Asa Breed, the man who supervised Felix Hoenikker, the fictional forefath er of the atomic bomb. They discuss that the good doctor was very flittery minded, and worked on whatever he felt like. Once, they asked him if he could create something to turn mud to solid ground in seconds. He said it was impossible, and Dr. Breed believed it was never created. The truth is the good Doctor created the substance, named Ice-9, in small portions.John follows the trail to the son of Doctor Hoenikker, Newt, and his sister, Angela, a painting and a clarinetist, respectively. They all end up meeting on a flight to San Lorenzo, where John heads after learning Frank Hoenikker, the middle son of Doctor Hoenikker, had become the Major General of San Lorenzo. It is later revealed that this was achieved by using a sample of Ice-9 as a bargaining chip, trading it for the position after washing up on the shore after a shipwreck.The separate chunks, carried by Franklin, Newton, and Angela, were created when the good Doctor, whilst on vacation at his summer home, was playing arou nd with his original sample in his spare time. Whilst on the island, â€Å"Papa† Monzano becomes sick, and declares that Franklin will become the next president, and requests Bokononist burial rights. Franklin passes the buck on to John, asking him if he would take the position if he could marry Mona. He accepts, and plans to change the law so Bokononism may be practiced, but sees it has been outlawed such as to carry a flame of hope for all residents of the island.As he prepares to assume the position, â€Å"Papa† Monzano kills himself declaring that he â€Å"will destroy the whole world†, and freezing himself with his sample of Ice-9. Angela, Newton, John, and Franklin attempt to destroy any samples of Ice-9 and the corpse, but during a staged bombing run, one of the planes crash into the cliffside mansion and knock his body into the water, freezing the whole world solid. John and Mona takes refuge in a chamber built by â€Å"Papa† Monzano for the same reason, and they survive to see it in wreck, tornadoes reigning supreme, the sky a blanket of everlasting storms.Mona, upon finding most of the population frozen, tastes a small sample of the snow created by Ice-9, and dies instantly. John then happens upon the others who survived in the remains of the castle, and shortly thereafter meets Bokonon. The possible final words of the Books of Bokonon, driving the narrator subconsciously and consciously throughout the book, are well thought out, but only in the moment. â€Å"If I were a younger man, I would write a history of human tupidity; and I would climb to the top of Mount McCabe and lie down on my back with my history for a pillow; and I would take form the ground some of the blue-white poison that makes statues of men; and I would make a statue of myself, lying on my back, grinning horribly, and thumbing my nose at You Know Who. † Throughout the book, constant references are made to the book within the book about the creati on of the atomic bomb. Along these lines, Cats Cradle itself is an allegory about the destructive power of man when faced with an object of great potential that can be so easily mishandled.Ice-9 represents the arms race, and is a literalization of the phrase â€Å"Cold War†. Taking the context of the stringent political atmosphere between America and Cuba/Soviet Russia at the time, Vonnegut creates the theoretical isle of San Lorenzo for the bringers of doom, much as the Americans perceived Cuba could bring about the same end in an alternative fashion. Nuclear winter makes a strong connection, along with the toxicity of the snow that is brought about, along with the changes in weather and atmosphere. I opened my eyes—and all the sea was ice-nine. The moist green earth was a blue-white pearl. The sky darkened. Borasisi, the sun, became a sickly yellow ball, tiny and cruel. The sky was filled with worms. The worms were tornadoes† (P. 151). The true severity of the arms race is also parodied by the easy manner in which â€Å"Papa† Monzano brings about the end, with just a touch of the material to his tongue, similar to how with just the touch of a button over a faulty Early Detection System, the world could be brought to Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD).Kurt Vonnegut, as he has done in many of his pieces, inserted his own consciousness to portray John, allowing him to insert his own perspective on any scene in which he is included. Though John only represents parts of his personality, and is not wholly the same. Through a combination of conversation, observation, and presentation of the conceptual ideas of this parallel reality, the exploration of practical destruction. Relevant to this information is his personal experiences in the happenings of war and the propensity of our people to complete these actions.Today, this book is a paradoxical, if not accurate, mirror to the climate at the time. Cold and drastic, not an inch to budge or you'd get bombed to smithereens. In this way, Kurt Vonnegut challenged a major part of what was considered standard for a novel, and instead wrote what he felt would move correctly, and for that he is remembered. â€Å"In the beginning, God created the earth, and he looked upon it in his cosmic loneliness.And God said, â€Å"Let Us make living creatures out of mud, so the mud can see what We have done. † And God created every living creature that now moveth, and one was man. Mud as man alone could speak. God leaned close to mud as man sat, looked around, and spoke. â€Å"What is the purpose of all this? † he asked politely. â€Å"Everything must have a purpose? † asked God. â€Å"Certainly,† said man. â€Å"Then I leave it to you to think of one for all this,† said God. And He went away. † I thought this was trash. (Pg. 153)

The Blue Sword CHAPTER TWELVE

The third morning dawned as bright and valiant as the two before; and still slightly bemused but cheerful, Corlath's entourage made itself ready to follow its leader back down the mountain. Harry contrived to be the very last of the file, and she looked around her as the penultimate horse and rider left the clearing before the hall and disappeared down the close-grown trail. She had been standing where she was standing now when Corlath had stepped into the clearing before the hall, Fireheart at his heels, to bid farewell to the man he had come to see. They spoke a few words, too low for her to hear as she skulked in the background, as well as anyone on a tall bright chestnut horse with a hunting-cat at its feet could skulk; and then she saw Corlath hold out one hand, palm down and fingers spread, toward Luthe. They held each other's eyes for a long moment, and then Luthe reached out two fingers to touch the back of Corlath's hand. Corlath turned away and mounted, and the Riders began following him into the mouth of the trail. Narknon was yawning hugely, leaning against one of Sungold's forelegs. She had been grumbling to herself all morning, although she seemed to know they were leaving, since she had at last deigned to climb out of bed and follow Harry as Harry took her saddle and gear and went to fetch Sungold. Harry thought with surprise that in just two days she had grown fond of her surroundings and was sorry to leave. This place felt like home; not her home perhaps, but someone's home, accustomed to shelter and keep and befriend its master. Its emptiness did not have the hollow ring of Corlath's castle, for all that the proud City castle was more richly furnished. She told herself straitly that her affection for this place could too easily be only that she dreaded what the path away from this haven was leading her toward. She found Luthe standing beside her, with a hand gently laid on Sungold's crest – a familiarity Sungold rarely permitted any stranger. â€Å"Harry,† he said, and she blinked; no one had called her by her old nickname since that last day at the Residency, and it gave her a disconcerting flash of homesickness, for the Hillfolk could not say it as a Homelander would: Mathin called her Hari. â€Å"I believe all will go well with you: or at least that you will choose to stay on the best path of those you are offered, and that's the most any mortal can hope for. But I don't see so beautifully that I have no doubts, for you or anyone; and I am afraid for you. The darkness coming to Damar will not temper itself for a stranger. If you should need a place to come to, you may always come here. You will find it quite easily; just ride into these mountains – any Damarian mountains will do, although the nearer here the better – and say my name occasionally. I will hear you, and some guide will make itself known to you.† There was a sparkle of humor in his hooded blue eyes, but she understood that she m ight take his words seriously nonetheless. â€Å"Thank you,† she said, and Sungold walked forward, into the trees. Narknon, with a last stretch and tail-lash, bounded off before. Harry did not look back, but her peripheral vision told her how the sunlight dropped back, and the trees closed in behind her, and Luthe's clearing was only a spot of gold, a long distance away. The road down was much easier than the road up had been, for all the uncertainty of stepping downward and downward, Sungold's hocks collected under him, his hoofs delicately feeling the safety of the footing; but some cloud of foretelling, or chance, had been left behind them in the pleasant vagueness of the three days in Luthe's hall. Whatever doom lay before them now, it was a definite doom of definite shape, and the swifter they rode, the more swiftly they might meet it and have done with it, for whatever result. They camped at the edge of the foothills that night, and the army re-materialized around them; and everyone looked easier, and more relaxed, even obscurely comforted, by their few days' break, loitering in the forested feet of the mountains, listening to the birds, and catching hares and antelope for the cooking-pots. It was not all idleness, however, for Corlath's army on that morning after leaving Luthe had swelled by a few hundreds more. Terim rode up beside her as they set out, and stayed near her all day; they rode at the front, with Corlath and the Riders, and Murfoth, and the few other chieftains who led more than fifty riders to Corlath's standard. Harry saw Senay once, not many horse-lengths distant – for the riding was close – and she caught her eye and began a smile; but suddenly uncertain how the winner of the laprun trials was expected to behave to one of those defeated, and one who besides wore a sash with one's own slash mark in it, dropped her eyes before the other had a chance to respond. In the evening, however, when Harry dismounted, she found herself staring at a bay flank she did not recognize for a moment; its rider dismounted also, and was found to be Senay. This time the two young women looked at each other directly, and both smiled. So several more days passed, and Corlath's little force made a glorious and frightening thunder when it galloped; and even as Harry thought that her Outlanders did not guess there were so many in all the Hills, she thought too of what each of the Hillfolk knew: of the Northerners there were many more. Harry rode now with Terim and Senay on her either side, and the three of them ate together. Harry noticed that while the Riders as a group stayed in the same area, all seemed to have friends or blood kin from the army outside who came closer to stand by them, as Terim and Senay, for whatever reason, had chosen to stand by her. Corlath's small force would fight shoulder to shoulder and friend to friend; it was a little comforting. Mathin found her once, head against Sungold's neck and brush hanging limply in one hand. â€Å"Hari – † he said, and she started and snapped upright, and began to brush Sungold's shoulder. â€Å"Hari,† he said again, â€Å"it is only your old teacher, and there is no shame to your thoughts. We all have them; but it is the worst for you, and for all those riding with us fresh from the trials, but worst of all for you as laprun-minta and bearer of the Blue Sword. Do not be too hard on yourself.† Harry said, â€Å"I am not too hard on myself.† Mathin smiled grimly. â€Å"I don't believe you. Even young Terim, who worships the ground you walk on – † Harry snorted – â€Å"has spent the past three years riding the borders, under his father's wise and watchful eye, that he might strike his first angry blow and draw his first blood with his newly earned sword before the great battle of the Bledfi Gap. You do not have three years. It is not your fault.† â€Å"It does not matter that it is not my fault, does it?† Harry tried to smile, but Mathin's dark face was too worried, and she gave it up. â€Å"Thank you, my old teacher; I will try to remember what you say.† Mathin said softly, â€Å"You are still the keeper of my honor, Harimad-sol, and I have faith in you, whatever happens. If you forget all else, do not forget that.† â€Å"I will not,† Harry said. They had left the slight shelter of the mountains now, and rode northwest across the plain to come to the great gap in the northern range as soon as they might, where the Northern invaders would pour through. They rode quickly but without driving, for the horses and their riders needed to have the strength to engage the other army; and Corlath further hoped to arrive enough in advance of their enemy that he might choose the ground where they would meet. They had ridden over little true desert; soon after they left the foothills' border the scrub fringe of desert began turning green, and they passed the occasional carefully irrigated small holding, now silent and empty. In three days' time they would arrive at the Gate of the North, the Bledfi Gap, and Corlath called a meeting again of his Riders and the chieftains. Terim and Senay waited outside the zotar by a little fire, guarding Harry's saddle and baggage, and Harry went to hear what her king would have to say; and she remembered Luthe's words to her: â€Å"You could do worse than to believe in him.† They counted themselves. There were some foot soldiers who would meet them at the end of their ride, but only a few; there were few of the Hills who did not feel better, more useful, more real, on horseback. Barring them, they were full strength. Few of the Hillfolk came from any farther west, for the taint of the Outlanders was oppressive to them. Harry stared at her hands, burned a cinnamon-brown as dark as any Hillman's. Aerin's hair was red, she thought, and pushed back her hood; and I am a Rider. The muster came to a little shy of two thousand; and there was silence as everyone considered the Hills black with Northerners, and the width of the mountain pass. Corlath, without making any face-saving remarks about its not being as bad as it looked – For Hillfolk, thought Harry, don't seem to like that sort of thing: what would poor Sir Charles do here? – began to describe their options; but Harry, to her horror, found her mind wandering. She yanked it back, pointed it at Corlath, and it promptly ducked out again. Is this the first symptom of failure of nerve? she thought, feeling cold and clammy in spite of the dry heat. Various of the new men had questions or comments; and then the meeting broke up; and while Riders' councils always ended quietly, there was a subdued feeling to the air in the king's tent that was not pleasant. Only a few people were left when Harry stood up and faced Corlath and said, tiredly, as if she couldn't help herself: â€Å"Why do you persist in ignoring the northwest pass? I cannot believe the Northerners may not give us an unwelcome surprise by its use.† â€Å"I ignore it because it does not require my attention,† said Corlath, and while his voice was a low rumble, there was as yet no lash of anger in it. â€Å"But – â€Å" â€Å"You know nothing of it.† The flatness of his tone goaded her and she said: â€Å"The Outlanders make maps none so ill, and I have seen the maps of that area – and I can read maps too! And they tell me that a force, not so small as to be ignored, could slip down the northwest pass very easily, and follow the mountains east, and catch us on the plain from behind, and then your earthworks will be mounts to fall on when we are set on from our backs!† â€Å"Enough!† roared Corlath. â€Å"You I will place in a hollow in the side of the hill, so you may see from all directions, and I advise you to look overhead as well, for eagles that might be carrying rocks!† Harry turned and ran out. She noticed, without registering it, that Innath and Faran and Mathin stood listening; and she did not see the troubled looks they sent after her. The night air was cool with the sudden coolness of the desert when darkness falls, and she took a few deep breaths. Then she went to her fire, and sat down, and tried to make her face calm; and if her mind had been calm, she might have thought it strange that Senay and Terim asked her no questions; but she was relieved at their silence and wrestled as best she could with her own demons. Mathin came and sat near her also, and he too was silent, and she did not notice how he looked at her. The fires burned down, and everyone lay down to sleep. Harry chose not to sleep in the zotar that night; and Mathin stayed by her little fire as well, though he still said nothing. Harry turned on her back and stared at the sky. She let the stars swing above her for a time, and then she stood up quietly, and picked up her bedding and her saddlebag, and made her way to the horses; and she remembered what Mathin had taught her of stealth. Narknon made none of her usual protest at being disturbed, and meekly followed her. Sungold rubbed his head against her but made no sound, for war-horses are trained to silence; and she mounted him and jogged away slowly. She had a terrible headache; it had been building all evening, and now it seemed to stand out around her like a cloud. Perhaps it was a cloud indeed, for no one challenged her as she set Sungold's head west. They covered many miles before morning, for Sungold was of the best of the Hill horses, and the speed the army traveled was to him slow. Harry remembered a little spur of hills running down to the central plain that she should meet before morning broke too clearly for watching eyes to see a lone chestnut horse with a Hillman on his back working his way quickly west. She hoped, because the hills had looked overgrown on the Outlander map, and because Dedham himself had ridden so far and drawn the chart himself, that she would be able to lose herself in them; and she hoped that the stream that flowed through them would be easy to find. She was tired by the time she felt the sun on her back, and she knew Sungold was weary too, although his stride was as long and elastic as it had been hours ago. Narknon loped along beside them, keeping pace. But the hills were at hand: rough outcroppings of grey and rust-red rock, with little but lichen to meet the traveler's first look; but as Sungold picked his way around a tall grey standing stone, suddenly grass appeared before them, and Sungold's feet struck good dark earth, and then they heard the stream. Narknon reached it first; she had none of most cats' aversion to water, and leaped in, sending water in all directions, and splashing Harry playfully when she followed. â€Å"I should not have let you come with me,† Harry said to her; â€Å"but I don't suppose there's any way I could have prevented you. Thank the gods.† Sungold was laying his ears back in mock anger and striking with his forefeet as Narknon splashed him too. â€Å"And besides, I daresay Sungold would miss you, and I had to bring him.† It was after they had all soggily climbed out of the water again that she heard the hoofbeats; and she whirled around to face them. The faces of her four-footed companions remained undisturbed, and Sungold turned his head mildly to look over his shoulder at whoever approached, but this was no comfort, for they did not understand the awfulness of what she had done, or that the friends who had followed her were friends no longer. It was Senay and Terim. Their horses showed the pace they had kept worse than Sungold; but they were well mannered and stood quietly, waiting hopefully for their riders to tell them they might stop and rest, and drink and graze, as their brother was doing already. â€Å"Why did you follow me?† said Harry. â€Å"Did Corlath send you? I – I won't come back. If you take Sungold away from me, I'll go on foot.† Terim laughed. It wasn't a very good laugh, but there was some weary humor in it nonetheless. â€Å"I don't think anyone could take Sungold away from you, unless perhaps by cutting him in pieces; and we are not sent by anyone. We followed you †¦ â€Å" â€Å"We followed you because we chose to follow you,† said Senay. â€Å"And Mathin sat up and watched us go, and said nothing; and you will not send us back, for we shall follow you anyway, like Narknon.† Senay dismounted deliberately, and sent her grateful horse to the water; and Terim followed her. Harry sat down where she stood. â€Å"Do you realize what I've done? What you've done by following me?† â€Å"More or less,† said Terim. â€Å"But my father has other sons; he can afford to disinherit one or two.† Senay was pouring water over her head. â€Å"There are a few who will come to me; we will pass near my village, and I will tell them, and they will follow. There are not many left in the western end of the Horfels; but most of those there are owe allegiance to my father. The best of them, I fear, rode to join Corlath after I left for the trials; but there are some – like my father himself – who chose not to desert the land they've loved for generations.† â€Å"That will not help you when he disowns you, like Terim's father,† said Harry. Senay shook her wet hair back and smiled. â€Å"My father has too few children to lose one; and I am the only child of his first wife, and he raised me to make up my own mind. The way he did this was by yielding to me when I asked, even when I was foolish. I lived through it; and I know my own mind; and he will do what I ask him.† Harry shook her head. â€Å"Do you know where †¦ we're †¦ going?† â€Å"Of course,† said Terim, surprised. â€Å"Besides, Mathin told us, days ago.† Harry was beyond arguing; and, she realized in the back of her mind, she didn't want to argue. She was too warmed and heartened by having two more friends with her in her self-chosen exile; and unlike Sungold and Narknon she could not feel she had compelled this man and woman. â€Å"And we brought provisions,† Terim said matter-of-factly. â€Å"You shouldn't go on desperate missions without food.† â€Å"Narknon would take care of me, I think,† Harry said, trying to smile. â€Å"Even Narknon can't bake bread,† said Terim, unrolling a twist of cloth that held several loaves of the round pot-baked bread the army ate in vast quantities. They unsaddled their horses in companionable silence, and rubbed the sweat marks with grass, and the horses waded into the stream again and splashed their bellies, and then found sandy patches on the shore to roll in, scratching their backs and withers and grunting happily. Horses and riders together rested in the shade of some thin low-branching trees, till the sun was low on the western horizon; and then the riders brushed their horses till they gleamed in the twilight. And they saddled and rode out with the sunset blinding their eyes, with a long lean cat-shadow following behind. Mathin could not sleep after he had silently wished Senay and Terim speed and luck. He lay down again, and his thoughts roved back over the last weeks, and his memories were so vivid that dawn was breaking and other bodies were stirring before he thought to rise himself. Innath joined him at the fire that Senay and Terim and Harry had sat around the night before; and neither of them was surprised when they saw Corlath leave the zotar and come directly to them. They remained seated, and gazed up at him as he towered over them; but when he looked down they found they could not meet his eyes, or did not want to recognize the expression in them, and they stared into the fire again. He turned away, took a few steps, and paused; and bent, and picked something up. It was a long maroon sash, huddled in a curve in the ground, so that it looked like a shadow itself. He held it over his hand, and it hung limp like a dead animal; and the small morning breeze seemed unable to stir it.

Finding My Way Back to School Through an Online Business Degree, Part II Essays

Finding My Way Back to School Through an Online Business Degree, Part II Essays Finding My Way Back to School Through an Online Business Degree, Part II Essay Finding My Way Back to School Through an Online Business Degree, Part II Essay In the last post I chronicled the premature end of my college experience when I was twenty years old and opted to take a job opportunity rather than get my degree. While it seemed like a good idea at the time I was now paying the price for that decision; realizing that my opportunities were more than a little stunted with no formal education to back me up and a host of college graduates now entering the workforce. While I choose to go back to school I had little idea how that would logistically work with the balancing of my job and other responsibilities until a friend mentioned the possibility of earning an online business degree. On this advice, I checked into programs available and realized very quickly that most colleges and universities were indeed offering some sort of online program. This was very different from when I had left school initially – a time when the Internet was really still in its fledgling form. Today, it seems as though in order to stay competitive, most reputable schools are offering online options for their programs. I found an online business degree program that appealed to me, applied for admission and very soon after found myself embarking on my education for a second time. : An online business degree has given me a great many options. The most obvious of course is the ability to complete my education without having to sacrifice my current work schedule and other responsibilities. I simply logon and complete the work when it’s most convenient for me. This is not to say that it isn’t challenging – it is; but the online business degree has given me the tools to make it happen while still retaining my job. Through my online business degree program I have also met quite a few friends. I certainly thought that learning in this manner would be somewhat isolating; after all, it’s not like you are sitting in a classroom working on projects as a group. But I have found the opposite to be true; the online learning environment is still a learning environment and the people I have met there have been supportive, encouraging, and in pursuit of the same goals as I am – making my online business degree experience that much more enjoyable.

Adverbs of Frequency Beginner English Lesson

Adverbs of Frequency Beginner English Lesson Students can now talk about their daily habits. Introducing adverbs of frequency can help give them further expressive capabilities by allowing them to speak about how often they perform daily tasks. Write these adverbs of frequency on the board next to a list of the days of the week. For example: Always - Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday / Friday / Saturday / SundayUsually - Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday / Friday / SaturdayOften - Monday / Tuesday / Thursday / SundaySometimes - Monday / ThursdaySeldom - SaturdayNever This list will help students associate the adverbs of frequency with the concept of relative repetition or frequency. Teacher: I always have breakfast. I usually get up at 7 oclock. I often watch television. I sometimes exercise. I seldom go shopping. I never cook fish. (Model each adverb of frequency by pointing to it on the board while slowly saying the phrases allowing students to take in the regularity associated with the adverb of frequency being used. Make sure to accent the various adverbs of frequency.) Teacher: Ken, how often do you come to class? I always come to class. How often do you watch TV? I sometimes watch TV. (Model how often and the adverb of frequency by accenting how often in the question and the adverb of frequency in the response.) Teacher: Paolo, how often do you come to class? Student(s): I always come to class. Teacher: Susan, how often do you watch TV? Student(s): I sometimes watch TV. Continue this exercise around the room with each of the students. Use very simple verbs that the students have already become used to using when talking about their daily routines so that they can focus on learning the adverbs of frequency. Pay special attention to the placement of the adverb of frequency. If a student makes a mistake, touch your ear to signal that the student should listen and then repeat his/her answer accenting what the student should have said. Part II: Expanding to Third Person Singular Teacher: Paolo, how often do you eat lunch? Student(s): I usually eat lunch. Teacher: Susan, does he usually eat lunch? Student(s): Yes, he usually eats lunch. (pay special attention to the s ending on the third person singular) Teacher: Susan, do you usually get up at ten oclock? Student(s): No, I never get up at ten oclock. Teacher: Olaf, does she usually get up at ten oclock? Student(s): No, she never gets up at ten oclock. etc. Continue this exercise around the room with each of the students. Use very simple verbs that the students have already become used to using when talking about their daily routines so that they can focus on learning the adverbs of frequency. Pay special attention to the placement of the adverb of frequency and the correct usage of the third person singular. If a student makes a mistake, touch your ear to signal that the student should listen and then repeat his/her answer accenting what the student should have said.

Finance and funding in travel and tourism sector Assignment

Finance and funding in travel and tourism sector - Assignment Example Such costs are therefore apportioned on the basis of any formula or any other mechanism. Such costs include administrative costs like janitorial services, utilities etc. Fixed Costs: These costs remain constant irrespective of the level of the activity. For instance, the machinery fuel consumption; this will not be reduced or increased with the level of production. Rather, the fuel expenses will be distributed over the units produced. Therefore, it is the behaviour of the fixed costs that they remain fixed in totality but reduce per unit as the production increases. Variable costs: Variable costs are such costs, which increase or decrease with respect to the level of the activity. For example, the labour cost for the production of the units of product will be nil in case the production halts and will be increased when the production starts. Such costs behave parallel to the level of the activity. Semi-variable costs: Semi-variable costs are such costs which consist of the features of variable costs also and that of the fixed costs. It implies that such costs are fixed up to a certain extent and then they get parallel to the level of the activity. Cost volumes are significant in decision-making process of the management. Things get managed when they get measured; this is the main reason why costs volumes are always monitored. Constraints are established for the costs levels so that they do not exceed the prescribed budget. Costs volumes analysis sets the direction for the controls to be applied on different components of the variable costs. In addition to this, once the cost volumes are established, they can be then compared with the costs of prior periods, competitors and other departments by way of benchmarking. Comparison with prior period assists in comparisons and variance analysis with respect to the previous years. The results of the previous year are