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White Water Rafting Site Recommendation Christopher Davis, Liquita James, and Susan Williams ACC/543 August 13, 2012 Linda Miller White Water Rafting Site Recommendation White water rafting is a new sport that has gained popularity in recent years. Because of this popularity the white water rafting business has expanded. Our client is interested in opening a white water rafting business. The client has three states in which they are interested in Alabama, Georgia, and Virginia.The client has requested that the accounting firm research to see which location would be best for their new rafting business. Research must be done of the legal ramifications of real property, personal property, business insurance and environmental issues and regulations for each location in order to make the site recommendation. Real Property and Personal Property Real Property is the land itself and any building, trees, soil, minerals, timbers, plants, and other things permanently affixed to the land.Land an d buildings are purchased and the owner may use, enjoy, and develop the property as he or she sees fit, subject to any applicable government regulation. Buildings that are constructed on the property are also real property. Personal property is tangible property such as equipment, vehicles, furniture, and jewelry, as well as intangible property such as securities, patents, trademarks, and copyrights. Determining if a mobile home can be used for the office on the new location is important to the client.Therefore we would need to know in each location if the mobile home is considered real property or personal property. In Toccoa Georgia real property can be purchased for around $150,000 for 2. 2 acres on the Toccoa River. Placing a mobile home on this land for the office would be considered real property in Georgia as long as the mobile home is titled to the same party that owns the land. The mobile home must be tied down and blocked in to be considered for commercial use.In Cahaba Ri ver City: Mountain Brook, Alabama the tax assessing official makes the differentiation between real property and personal property by considering the manner in which property is attached to or secured at the location and the purpose for which the property is used. Intangible personal property includes an owner’s representation of rights to property such as shares of stock, annuities, patents, market certificates, etc. Intangible personal property owned by businesses is not taxable under the property tax laws of this state.Business personal property is considered Class II property and is taxed at 20% of market value. Market value multiplied by twenty percent equals the assessment value, which is then multiplied by the appropriate jurisdiction’s millage rates to determine the amount of tax due. The State of Alabama publishes a personal property appraisal manual so that basic methods and procedures can be followed in the personal property appraisal process (â€Å"Persona l Property†, 2012). Land in Birmingham, Alabama is roughly around 45,000 an acre.Rappahannock River in Fredericksburg Virginia is a combination of rural and urban life. The river is located off a major highway  leading north and south of the area. It's it also located between  the capital Washington, D. C. and the capital of the state, Richmond. It's a great area for relaxing and family with  a country feel. There are major tourist’s sites such as  war battlefields,  art galleries and antique shops. The mobile home issue as an office would be considered real property in Virginia.Once the home or office t is off the truck and secured on the ground it is considered real property. Lots run from $120,000 up to $700,000. 00 Business Insurance It is also important that we research what each site location business insurance requirements are. Business Insurance will protect our client and their property from damages and any unforeseeable circumstances. For Georgia the following insurances are required for a white water rafting business in Toccoa; vehicle insurance, floater policy, on water liability, and workmen’s compensation.Vehicle insurance for the buses, vans and cars, with low premium rates are based on the seasonal nature of your business, with limits up to $5,000,000, plus Physical Damage coverage; MVR and driver selection program assistance, prompt issuance of ID cards and Certificates. Floater Policy for your rafting and canoeing equipment policies provide physical damage protection for your river equipment – Fire, theft, vandalism, collision, and much more are covered; Low rates make this an important part of your insurance protection program; Office computers and equipment can be included.On Water Liability is professional liability insurance consulting for whitewater rafting, canoe livery industries and outdoor adventure companies. New, lower minimum premiums for the smaller outfitter, along with a liability waiver des igned for you; Limits up to $5,000,000. . Finally Worker’s Compensation Offered in most states – Competitive rates. CBIZ offers professional liability insurance consulting for whitewater rafting, canoe livery industries and outdoor adventure companies.CBIZ is the Preferred Agent for the Paddle sports Industry Association. They offer liability coverage through four programs: K&K, Tudor Insurance (Sattler), the AO endorsed Great Outdoors Program (Gillingham) and Philadelphia Insurance. Additionally, they offer commercial auto through four programs in most states. With full-service professional liability insurance consulting for whitewater rafting, canoe livery industries and outdoor adventure companies from CBIZ, you’re protected while your customers enjoy their outdoor activities: 1.Vehicle Insurance: Stable markets for buses, vans, cars, and trucks; Low premium rates are based on the seasonal nature of your business; Limits up to $5,000,000, plus Physical Damage coverage; MVR and driver selection program assistance, prompt issuance of ID cards and Certificates. 2. Floater Policy for your rafting and canoeing equipment: These policies provide physical damage protection for your river equipment – Fire, theft, vandalism, collision, and much more are covered; Low rates make this an important part of your insurance protection program; Office computers and equipment can be included. . On Water Liability: Get professional liability insurance consulting for whitewater rafting, canoe livery industries and outdoor adventure companies. New, lower minimum premiums for the smaller outfitter, along with a liability waiver designed for you; Limits up to $5,000,000. 4. You also need Worker's Compensation (â€Å"Whitewater Rafting†, 2012). For Virginia liability insurance is required for rafting. Virginia requires that management must have at least three years management experience for acquire an insurance policy.There must be a General liabi lity minimum premium $2,500 for mountaineering experience and ropes courses General liability minimum premium $10,000 for equine exposures – General liability minimum premium $2,000 for water activities. As with Alabama CBIZ offers the most affordable insurance for the area and offers the same vehicle, floater, water liability and workman’s comp insurance. Environmental Issues and Regulations Environmental issues and regulations are important when deciding upon a site for our clients business.These issues and regulations can cause a major problem for our client. At the Toccoa Georgia site the environmental issues that are of concern are that the rivers are being polluted by businesses in the area. â€Å" Polluters can dump garbage into streams, developers can pave over wetlands to build strip malls, and the cops on the environmental beat can’t do a thing about it† I n April, the Environmental Protection Agency took the first major step in decades to prote ct Georgia’s rivers by setting new guidelines to prevent pollution from flowing into our waters. â€Å"Protect Our Rivers†, 2012) Fourteen Alabama environmental groups have officially filed a petition with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to withdraw Alabama's authority over the water pollution-permitting program because it does not meet the minimum requirements of the Clean Water Act (â€Å"Clean Water Network†, 2012). There are no ongoing environmental issues or regulations for Rappahannock River in Fredericksburg Virginia. Site Recommendation The site recommended for our client is the Alabama site.The insurance requirement is about the same for all three states. Therefore we need to look at the real property and environment to make our decision. The mobile home issue is that it can be used for commercial use in all three of the locations. The mobile home would be considered real property because it will be attached to the location. Land in Alabama is che aper so that makes it a better investment. Finally the environmental issues are about the same with those states having issues with polluted rivers. Alabama like other states is actively pursuing this issue.In conclusion, our client is trying to decide where would be the best location to open a new white water rafting business. First we found three ideal locations for the new business. Then after much research we looked at whether or not they could have a mobile home as an office and if this was real or personal property. Other issue that we looked into was the business insurance and environmental issues. This helped us to decide that the best location for our new white water rafting business was Cahaba River City: Mountain Brook, AL. References Clean Water Network (2012).Retrieved from http://www. cleanwaternetwork. org/news-events/news/clean-water-network-groups-call-epa-take-away-alabamas-authority-over-water-permitt Georgia. (2012). Retrieved from http://www. statues. Laws. com Georgia business license. (2012). Retrieved from http://www. ehow. com Personal Property (2012). Retrieved from http://www. ador. state. al. us/advalorem/sections/personalproperty. htm Protect our Rivers. (2012). Retrieved from http://www. environmentgeorgia. org Whitewater Rafting (2012). Retrieved from http://www. cbiz. com/page. asp? pid=6384

Contrast between Growing up as a Single Child

My brother and I always compare and want to the better than each other. Since I have experienced both growing as only child and with siblings, I have several perspectives similarities and differences between rising up in single child family and having siblings. No matter we have siblings or not, are the first one we communicate with, so parents are their role model in their childhood. Parents are the one who can affect their children the most. It may determine their personality by different methods of parenting.Growing up as only child and with siblings can have similar personality. For instance, I have a younger bother but my friend does not. Our parents have similar occupation and they are talkative people. When my friend and was developing our personality, we both have a out-going mind and easy to talk with people. Therefore, parents are the most important characteristic when we are growing up. Only children don't grow up with interaction, so they learn to be children on their own . Children, who have brothers and sisters, are raised among heir siblings.They tend to compare with their playmates. When they have conversation, play games together, or solve problems, they can share their different opinions In order to learn how to cooperate with people. By the time they are growing up, elder siblings always can help parents to take care younger siblings. Younger siblings also can learn from older siblings because children are easier to intimate what are other people doing. Only children would have less opportunity to get interaction and cooperation. Another difference is getting and sharing stuffs.Growing up with brothers and sister has to share everything in the family, such as rooms, toys, etc. In the single child family, parents have only one kid to spend money on and he or she does not have to share stuffs with anybody. Therefore, they can get more toys than the children who have siblings. Only children have all things that parents are given. For example, if there are two families from middle class and have enough money to afford one child to study aboard, the child, who does not have filings will get the chance to study overseas because only children family can spend all the money to one child.However, the families, which have more than one child, need to balance what their kids needed. In this case, parents are most likely not a single child and with siblings are more than the similarities of those. They born have pros and cons. But, I feel grateful that I have a younger bother. He makes me to learn sharing and cooperating earlier than single children. I feel there always someone accompanies me.

Humanities Today Essay

This paper discusses the definition of humanities and differentiate between the humanities and other modes of human inquiry and expression. It also includes examples that reflect current developments in politics, socioeconomics, and examples in the following types of humanities; art, music, architecture, philosophy, and literature. Defining Humanities The humanities can be defined as knowledge that investigates the human experience, and studies human culture, such as the arts, literature, philosophy, history, including other human endeavors. Gaining knowledge from others’ records of the human experience offers us the  opportunity to feel a connection to other cultures and to those from the past, as well as with our contemporaries (Stanford University, 2015). Modes of Human Inquiry and Expression The difference between the visualization of humanity and the practical application of humanity is the understanding of the critical observation of what humanity should be as opposed to what humanity is. In other words, they focus on ideas and values, not just the creation or outcome of an action. Other modes of human inquiry include the study of non-human subjects like in mathematics or natural sciences and do not have much to do with the creative human  endeavors. The humanities are committed to studying the aspects of the human condition using a qualitative approach that normally prevent a single paradigm from defining any discipline. Some studies included in humanities can also be regarded as social sciences in other studies that include; communications, cultural studies, archaeology, and history. Examples of the Humanities HUMANITIES TODAY 3 Humanities are the experiences of the human being that can be visual, audible, and even felt by touch. They can be expressed through art, music, architecture, philosophy, and literature.  Art Art include paintings, photography, sculptures, and architecture. The artist can express their emotions, cultural ideals, even political views through their work. There are many classic artists such as Michelangelo who are well renowned which will continue centuries after their time. Artists, like Michelangelo, were commissioned to produce for organizations such as the Roman Catholic Church (Drake, 2008). Michelangelo viewed himself as a sculptor and quite reluctantly took on the task of painting the ceilings of the Sistine Chapel. No doubt there was a  political agenda and at one point Michelangelo was accused of being a heretic because his work reflected disturbing, past events by the church. A contemporary example would be pop artist Andy Warhol. Beginning in the late 1970’s, Warhol created paintings that were abstract, which is an example of how humans have the ability to think conceptually. Now, art can be digitally mass-produced and distributed which creates a large market for sales and profits, although not necessarily for the artist. Music Music is a common form of expression used to communicate current trends, politics, technology and socioeconomics. The most common genre of music today that expresses all of these messages is hip-hop music. Specifically â€Å"Gangsta rap represents part of a larger focus on hip hop and politics that is popular within the media and among scholarly research and the prominence of gangsta rap in the late 1980s and early 1990s prompted the association between hip hop and violence that contemporary social scientists theorize† (Gilliam, 2007). Architecture HUMANITIES TODAY 4 There are several different methods within modernism style of architecture. The modernist style looks for function rather than trying to reproduce the natural environment. There are several forms within the modernism style they include: structuralism, formalism, Bauhaus, the international style, brutalism, and minimalism. The features of modernism includes the fact there is little embellishment or decoration, man-made supplies are used (metal and concrete). Architects in the 20th century include I. M. Pei. In the Early Twentieth-Century modern architects used materials such as ferroconcrete and structural steel in conjunction with the cantilever to build beautiful ensembles. Frank Lloyd Wright (1869-1959), was one of the first American architects of world significance. He introduced a new style. He combined the new technology of steel and glass with the aesthetic principles of Asian architecture [ (Fiero, 2006) ]. In 1909 Wright completed the Robie House in Chicago. This marked the beginning of a long career creating memorable masterpieces. Today most of these techniques have inspired many of the current styles enjoyed by millions. Philosophy Philosophy is defined as a â€Å"comprehensive system of ideas about human nature and the nature of the reality we live in and is a guide for living, because the issues it addresses are basic  and pervasive, determining the course we take in life and how we treat other people† (Thomas, 2005). Major philosophers of the 20th century include Carl Jung, Albert Camus, and Bertrand Russell. Literature Literature provides readers a written composition comprised of current or previous cultural issues. According to the Department of State’s website â€Å"Social and economic advances have enabled previously underrepresented groups to express themselves more fully, while HUMANITIES TODAY 5 technological innovations have created a fast-moving public forum† (U. S. Department of State, 2007). One example of a current piece of literature is the novel, The Kite Runner. The book was written by Khaled Hosseini and â€Å"tells of childhood friends in Kabul separated by the rule of the Taliban† (U. S. Department of State, 2007) Conclusion The study of humanities is an ever changing journey. Humanities will changes with the questions and expression about every generation to come. Humanities are unique in that a quest for the purpose and meaning of the human life is being sought. As time goes on, the study of humanities will be become broader, taking with it all the questions of yesterday. HUMANITIES TODAY 6 References Drake, C. (2008, November). Did Michelangelo have a hidden agenda? The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from http://www. wsj. com/articles/SB122661765227326251 Fiero, G. K. (2011). The Humanistic Tradition Book 3: The European Renaissance, The Reformation, and Global Encounter. McGraw-Hill 6e Stanford University. (2015). Home of the Human Experience. Stanford University, Stanford, California. Retrieved from http://shc. stanford. edu/ Thomas, W. (2005). What is philosophy? Retrieved from http://objectivistcenter. org/cth–409- FAQ_Philosophy. aspx.

Dont have a topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Dont have a topic - Essay Example Another guideline to become a successful student is to manage time fruitfully. Time management is not difficult when a student creates a checklist and organizes his work. Time management can lead a student towards success as one then submits all the assignments, presentations and other related academic papers on time. Also, a student should avoid distractions and focus on the subject he is studying. When a mind is focused on a particular subject, then the idea can be more effectively grasped. Focusing can be maintained by studying in a quiet place, for example a library and by putting aside other secondary tasks. The key to success is to strengthen one’s ‘will’ to succeed. The biggest difference an ordinary student and a successful student is their attitudes. For some, learning is fun and enjoyable. For others, learning is drudgery. Our attitudes are habits built from feedback from parents, friends and society. In every class, look for positive people to associate with; in every chapter find one more concept important to you; with every friend, explain a new idea that you have learnt; keep a list of goals, positive thoughts and action. Educators believe that forming questions is more important than remembering answers. Yet teachers ask for answers, not questions but questions and answers are two sides of the same coin, the process called learning. Mental self management or is an art of planning, monitoring and evaluating the learning process. You have to identify the best learning styles that suit you and have to develop the habit of asking questions (Martin 6). By asking question one learns more as he remembers during an exam what he has asked from his teacher in the class. One another quality that a student must possess to become a successful student is self motivation. One has to motivate himself to study by reflecting on the goals set and the relative outcome of those goals. The more a

WASHINGTON MUTUAL BANKRUPTCY CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT Research Paper - 1

WASHINGTON MUTUAL BANKRUPTCY CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT - Research Paper Example The total collapse of WaMu would have been disastrous for the Government. Besides, the FDIC is not in the banking business and a last minute deal was brokered between the Government and JP Morgan Chase. The same day as the takeover, Chase purchased the bank from the FDIC for a little less than two billion and agreed to assume all secured debts, minus equity shareholders. With that Chase became the one of the largest banking firms in the country (Dash). WaMu’s parent company, Washington Mutual, Inc., was left with just twenty-five billion dollars in assets minus liabilities and filed a voluntary petition for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection the very next day, September 26 in its home state of Delaware. The Bankruptcy itself has been an ongoing issue for three years now and is still in litigation. With the FDIC and Chase agreeing with WaMu in principal, the company’s proposal was that seven billion dollars was to be distributed to its creditors. However, the plan was rejected on September 14, 2011 by US Bankruptcy Judge Mary Walrath in Wilmington. Siding with the plaintiffs, she ordered the two sides into mediation. As such the company’s stock plummeted more than seventy per cent in the days following the judge’s ruling. Why then did a bank formerly known as the â€Å"Wal Mart of banking† fail so completely? It was for the same reasons a lot of financial firms fell during the summer and fall of 2008. During most of the first decade of the twenty-first century, credit was cheap and easy to come by. The so-called â€Å"sub-prime† consumers, those with far less than stellar credit, were able to obtain credit cards and home mortgages when they would have probably been turned down any other time. WaMu was almost leading the charge, with its Providian credit card division. It also controlled a likewise now

The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Statute of 1970 Case Study

The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Statute of 1970 - Case Study Example This paper highlights in-depth analysis of RICO including various ways of RICO being used, criticisms made by the civil libertarians and legal establishments. Additionally, it will analyze the expansion of RICO due to the Supreme Court cases. As mentioned before, much of the criminal procedure has been expanded due to the use of Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act of 1970 (RICO). Defining the phrase "organized crime" used in RICO has proven to be somewhat indefinable. For example, it took twenty years to eliminate La Cosa Nostra. Its special strike forces were disbanded by the Justice Department in 1990 under RICO. The law RICO itself did not try to define the organized crime other than listing a number of crimes alleged to be committed by racketeers. Organized crime or racketeering is mostly defined by RICO in a manner of committing racketeering activity by a group or an individual as a part of an enterprise.1 It has blurred the lines amid the federal law enforcement and state. The expansion of the federal crime law has been introduced due to the attempts of federal bureaucrats and politicians to do something regarding the increased crime rates. Mostly to prevent the illegal use of drug in America and to punish people who are involved in so called "white-collar" crime. RICO was passed by the Congress in 1970 under the President Richard Nixon's 'crime bill.' However However, according to the federal prosecutors, RICO is a powerful tool that can be used against the business owners. For example, Rudy Guiliani, who prosecuted Michael Milken including other leading lights of the Wall Street in 1980's, rose to become one of the first mayors of the New York City and a public speaker who collected $75,000 on every speech, was involved in the earliest attempts to expand RICO to prosecute few of the private business figures. Despite the federal prosecutors, RICO has helped a little or not at all in stopping crimes like rape, murder, robbery etc. which was the major concern of the public in 1970's. It has only enabled the federal prosecutors to avoid the separation of constitutional powers amid the state and the national governments. Since RICO was introduced, the jurisdictional boundaries along with the federal law enforcement and state have been removed.2 On the other hand, there are a variety of RICO civil and criminal cases that have appealed for the reason that the statutes are conflicting with the fundamental constitutional protections. Most of the cases are focused on the First Amendment protections of speech and assembly plus the Sixth Amendment which concerns about the access to double threat and legal counsel. Cases in the First Amendment include the usage of RICO in obscenity trails. Main issues in this section are the use of forfeiture which involves a former restraint or rely on distantly strained obscenity statutes. It was the Meese Commission on Pornography of 1985 who supported the use of forfeiture so that obscenity from American society is eliminated permanently. But however, in the case of U.S. vs. Pryba (1988) the National Obscenity Enforcement Unit refused to the claim made not in favor of RICO. In some way, RICO reintroduced the criminal forfeitures

Telecommunications Industry of Zimbabwe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Telecommunications Industry of Zimbabwe - Essay Example The telecommunications market in Zimbabwe and the world around is becoming increasingly consolidated, thus enabling the key players in the telecommunications industry to come out with products at a faster pace, so as to meet the demands of their customers and the trend of the market. The importance of investigating the relationship between project management maturity, business performance and project performance in the telecommunication industry in Zimbabwe cannot be overstated. A number of other studies have shown that the issue of what constitutes the most appropriate method of state policy restructuring as regards technological and industrial development is a matter of contention. Zimbabwe continues to open up its economy to market forces and as such more research and studies should be carried out about the country's economic and political roles and also on the social implications of telecommunications reform and reforms in other sectors of the economy. In a study carried out about contemporary south African telecommunications, the researchers noted that "while much has been written about general industrial development in that co... Zimbabwe continues to open up its economy to market forces and as such more research and studies should be carried out about the country's economic and political roles and also on the social implications of telecommunications reform and reforms in other sectors of the economy. In a study carried out about contemporary south African telecommunications, the researchers noted that "while much has been written about general industrial development in that country, there is no real detailed study of any of its major industries." (Kaplan, 1990). It can be said that the same also holds in the case of Zimbabwe. This situation can lead to some critical deficiencies in understanding because most major economics development processes can only be discerned through such detailed studies. 2. Theory and research review It should be noted that there are very few, if any publications about the telecommunications industry in Zimbabwe. Although one may find an occasional paper that discusses physical road and air transportation and communication or books about the postal history of the country, there hasn't been any prior real interest in the Zimbabwean telecommunications sector, even though this sector continues to grow in importance. As such, literature on telecommunications in Zimbabwe has mostly been manifested in papers presented at various economic, business or investment conferences. SWOT analysis: 3. Research problem statement and research objectives This study investigates the ways in which efficient management techniques can be implemented in the Zimbabwean telecommunication industry, as well as investigating the manner in which project maturity, business performance and project performance relate to one another in the industry. 3.1. Problem statement The

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Marketing - Essay Example Balancing marketing mix enables the business to deliver its product in the right location within the stipulated time. Firms that demonstrate great consumer satisfaction are able to hold on large market shares because they respond effectively to consumer trends. Introduction Sustainability of an organisation depends on economic viability of the business in relation to customer’s behaviour. Business enterprises that post successful results in the market are able to convince consumers to buy their products as well as reciprocating consumer’s behaviour by providing products, which will satisfy consumer demands. Zara is an apparel company with outlets in famous cities of the world. The organisation traces its root in Spain; however, it has branches in major cities of the world. The concept that this paper intend to discuss is marketing of the company product. Marketing is a crucial element for the business because it dictates the viability of the sustainability of the busine ss. The report will explore various marketing aspects such as customer, market environment, and marketing mix in relation to the strategy of the business. Investigation of the above aspects will enable the report to make recommendation as well as developing future strategies of increasing the performance of the business. The operation of the company in foreign markets is a concern of this paper. The choice of market is very critical to the business performance. However, the knowledge of customer choices helps many enterprises to integrate their markets with respect to consumer behaviour. Zara The firm established its operation in 1975 in Galicia Spain. The firm has stretched its operation to cover large cities in the world. It retails products of textile with a focus on fashion trends that dictate the consumer behaviour in the clothing industry. The profit margin of the organisation has been consistently high, demonstrating that the organisation is economically viable. Currently, th e organisation has 2,692 stores across the world (Dutta, 2002:3). The organisation’s aim is to feed the markets with medium quality products at competitive prices. The idea is to ensure that the company products are selling in a highly competitive environment. The organisation relies on consumer trends in designing its products as well as setting the prices of the product. Clothing apparels pose a number of challenges to entrepreneurs because the consumption behaviour changes with fashion trends (Luo, 2008:6). This requirement dictates the marketing strategy of the product. For instance, the organisation has observed that high prices delay stock turn over which eventually reflects on the profit margin of the organisation. Zara’s manufacturing and stocking trend ensures that the customers’ tastes are available in the market at any given time. The idea seems to be influencing the manufacturing trends developed by the firm. Time is a concept that influences product behaviour in most cases. Some product have short expiry period while other have long expiry period. Whatever the case, market response for the company product dictates the manufacturing speed and the profit of the business. For example, Y products in the market may take two months in the market. The two months would be reflecting on the product demand patterns demonstrated by the consumers. However, when the organisation decides to change the prices of the

Conflict Prevention, Development, And Peace-Building Assignment

Conflict Prevention, Development, And Peace-Building - Assignment Example   In saying this, the author generalized his assertions, insinuating that all Secretary-General’s successes have been predetermined by the performance of their predecessors. Research shows that Secretary Generals, like Boutros Boutros-Ghali and Dag Hammarskjold, introduced new approaches to the UN’s operation and were largely successful in terms of changes made and the resources available to them at the time.   The author provides a comprehensive and critical examination of the issues highlighted at the beginning of the article. Although some of the claims are misplaced, there is no ambiguity in his approach to the discussion.   I have learned that peaceful settlements and conflict resolution are multidimensional concepts that require good interplay between multiple entities.   For example, from a superficial point of view, it often seems like the UN is at fault for most of the conflicts witnessed thus far. However, the author takes time to inform the reader tha t the UN is just a proxy for member states; it does what it is told, not the other way round.   People are often quick to ask, "where is the UN?" and "what is the UN doing?", when in actual sense it is the member countries that determine its course of action.   Countries that sit on the UN Security Council are especially guilty of micromanaging the organization because of their influence.   For example, in the Korean War, the United States was primarily responsible for the UN's decision to enter the conflict.

Thoreau, Henry D, Walden Essay Example for Free

Thoreau, Henry D, Walden Essay Henry David Thoreau, who deals with nature, remains to this day something of a mystery. He was an American essayist, poet, and sensible philosopher, best known for his autobiographical story of life in the woods, WALDEN (1854). Thoreau became one of the leading personalities in New England Transcendentalism. Thoreaus primary genre was essay, and his fascination with his natural surroundings is reflected in many of his writings dealing with totally different subjects. Natural History of Massachusetts includes poetry, describes the Merrimack River, and discusses the best technique for spear fishing. Although he has had more interpreters than any of our other writers on nature, his complex personality has eluded an ever-gathering host of sentimental disciples, whom he would have been the first to spurn , and nearly all his ingenious critics from Lowell and Stevenson to those of his centenary in 1917. He has been regarded as an American Diogenes and a rural Barnum; as a narrow Puritan, as a rebel against Puritanism, as a German-Puritan romanticist; as a sentimentalist; as a poet-naturalist; as a hermit worshiping Nature; as an anarchistic dreamer; as a loafer, Where, amid these bewildering and often equally plausible interpretations, are we to find what he himself called his true centre, if indeed he has one? Obviously, the answer should lie within the twenty volumes of his collected writings; in part, however, it should be revealed by an examination of the influences that were most important in making him what he was. John Thoreau-one of Carlyles sincere, silent fathers of genius, who, in his manufacture of pencils and plumbago, was more intent on excellence than on pecuniary gain-and of Cynthia Dunbar, handsome and spirited, one of the most unceasing talkers ever seen in Concord, whom her staid community was inclined not altogether to approve. His love of nature seems to have been adumbrated in his mother; certainly it was evoked very early, since he tells of the keen impression produced on his imagination, when he was only four or five years old, by the sight of Waldens fair waters and woods, which, he says, for a long time made the drapery of my dreams. Early, too, came the tendency to reverie and the love of solitude, although for some years he lived, like Wordsworth, mainly the life of glad animal movements, wandering over the countryside, to woods, lakes, and rivers-hunting, fishing, berry-picking, boating, swimming. Thoreau was associating with men on other grounds than the raptures of youth in contact with nature; and this habit grew until, at Harvard College, he paid little heed to the curriculum, and He embarked upon a long voyage of unchartered reading that profoundly influenced his outlook on nature and on human life . For the field observations of a student of nature Thoreau was admirably endowed. There was a wonderful fitness, said Emerson, of body and mind. He had in high degree a species of dexterity not uncommon in the Yankee. He understood the relation between sensuous vigour and subtlety and the life of a naturalist: The true man of science, he wrote in the Journal, will know nature better by his finer organization; he will smell, taste, see, hear, feel, better than other men. Accurate perception in the metaphysical as well as the physical sphere he believed to be dependent on a fit body. The whole duty of man is to make to oneself a perfect body, a fit companion for the soul, since the bodily senses are channels through which we may receive ineffable messages-subservient still to moral purposes, auxiliar to divine. This relation between body and soul he was almost incessantly conscious of; certainly he never cultivated body for the sake of body, and, being a good New Englander, had no erotic strain. Nothing was more foreign to his nature than the sensuality of a certain type of vigorous masculinity to be found in all ages, notably in the Renaissance, when poet and painter, as well as philosopher, had ground for saying that not all the snows of Caucasus could avail to allay the fires within me. Driven to choose between body and soul, Thoreau would have had no hesitation: I must confess there is nothing so strange to me as my own body, he wrote in his Journal. I love any other piece of nature, almost, better. That is his view of body as body, but body as minister of the divine he could not value too highly, and, if not of the Renaissance, he was equally not of the Middle Ages. He was indeed all- sentient. Other poets of nature have not been so fortunate. Thoreaus Taking nature as his province, Thoreau studied her faithfully, acquainting himself with her multitudinous facts, her exact rules and laws, her endless diversity and loveliness of form and movement, till he was prone to forget that knowledge of the part was but a means to knowledge of the whole. Yet inwardly he knew and remembered that to attain the true end, to penetrate to the reality beneath the show, he must stir the deeper currents of his own being, rouse himself out of that somnambulism which, according to Carlyle, is what we please to call life. How could he hope to read rightly the holy book of nature if he brought to it nothing better than the unreal light of the dream world in which the ordinary man lives without knowing it-that ordinary man of whom Plato says, dreaming and slumbering in this life, before he will awake here he arrives at the world below, and has his final quietus . Thoreaus subtle and ambiguous synthesis is founded on a fiction. His account of his tax resistance in the essay revises his tax resistance in the world, in his community of Concord. Thoreau tells us he finds in himself an instinct toward the higher, or spiritual, life, and another toward a primitive and savage one. He reverences them both: ‘I love the wild no less than the good. ’ For wildness and goodness must ever be separate. Thoreau repudiates the physical life with the astounding statement— in Walden of all books—‘Nature is hard to be overcome but she must be overcome. ’ In this new context it appears that Nature is abruptly aligned with the feminine, the carnivorous, and the carnal; though a mans spiritual life is ‘startlingly moral’ one is nonetheless susceptible to temptations from the merely physical, or feminine; urges to indulge in a ‘slimy beastly life’ of eating, drinking, and undifferentiated sensuality. Thoreau speaks as a man to other men, in the hectoring tone of a Puritan preacher, warning his readers not against damnation (in which he cannot believe-he is too canny, too Yankee) but against succumbing to their own lower natures: ‘We are conscious of an animal in us, which awakens in proportion as our higher nature slumbers. ’ Sensuality takes many forms but it is all one-one vice. All purity is one. Though sexuality of any kind is foreign to Walden, chastity is evoked as a value, and a chapter which began with an extravagant paean to wildness concludes with a denunciation of the unnamed sexual instincts. ‘I hesitate to say these things, but it is not because of the subject, I care not how obscene my words are, but because I cannot speak of them without betraying my impurity Thoreaus extensive accounts of his house in Walden demonstrate a lively appreciation of issues in current architectural thought. Pinning down his intellectual sources, however, often proves difficult, and it is uncertain whether or not he knew the villa books firsthand. There is some evidence that he was familiar with Downing, albeit at a later date than the Walden experiment. He mentions Downings A Treatise on the Theory and Practice of Landscape Gardening (1841) and The Fruits and Fruit Trees of North America (1845) in a brief enumeration of books on a friends shelf in 1857, and in a journal entry of 1852, he critiques the notion that one should take up a handful of the earth at your feet paint your house that colour, a conceit that had appeared in Downings writings in 1846 and 1850. Joseph J.  Moldenhauer argues, however, that Thoreaus source was instead William Wordsworths Guide to the Lakes (1810), a copy of which Thoreau owned (the fifth edition, of 1835, is an American compilation), in which the handful of the earth conceit is attributed to Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792) in conversation. Moldenhauer stresses that Thoreaus knowledge of Downing is circumstantial rather than documentary; nonetheless, the circumstantial evidence seems strong, given that Downing was at the height of his popularity and influence at the very moment of Thoreaus 1852 remarks . Elsewhere Thoreaus Nature is unsentimental, existentialist. In ‘Brute Neighbours,’ for instance, Thoreau observes an ant war of nearly Homeric proportions and examines two maimed soldier ants under a microscope; the analogue with the human world is too obvious to be emphasized . Although Thoreau introduces the irreconcilability of man and Nature in Walden, in The Maine Woods (1864) he gives the inscrutability of Nature its fullest treatment. In each of Thoreaus three quests into the forest of Maine he foregrounds an epistemological crisis which ultimately reveals the inscrutability of Nature, and the inability of man, as Melville might suggest, to pierce through the pasteboard mask of Nature. In Ktaadn, Thoreau introduces the epistemological themes that he will develop further in Chesuncook and Allegash and East Branch. Each of these three excursions is an extravagant wandering from civilization out into the wild interior of Maine, and then back to civilization (although it must be noted that none of the three excursions is completely circular: in the first and third journeys. Thoreau and his companions leave from Boston, but only return as far as Bangor; in the second journey Thoreau leaves from Boston and returns to Oldtown, just a bit past Bangor). The central opposition at work in all three excursions is the contrast between civilization and Nature, the tamed and the primitive. The hallmarks of civilization are money, property, politics, and machines, such as the railroad and steamboat; the wilderness features wild animals, tangled plants, bugs, mountains, rivers, and Mount Ktaadn. Ktaadn, the first excursion, takes place in 1846. The themes of Ktaadn are grounded in the relationship between civilized man and primitive Nature. Thoreau sets out from Boston into the wilderness of Maine in order to ascend Mount Ktaadn in an effort to re-establish an original relation with Nature, to push beyond boundaries into the realm of the Indian storm-bird Pomolawho, according to Penobscot legend, lives on Mount Ktaadn-where man and Nature unite and ultimate truths are revealed. He never reaches the summit of Mount Ktaadn, however, and Thoreau makes it clear that Nature remains ultimately inscrutable. Speaking of Ktaadn, Thoreau writes: It was vast, Titanic, and such as man never inhabits. Some part of the beholder, even some vital part, seems to escape through the loose grating of his ribs as he ascends. He is more alone than you can imagine. There is less of substantial thought and fair understanding in him than in the plains where men inhabit. His reason is dispersed and shadowy, more thin and subtle, like the air. Vast, Titanic, inhuman. Nature has got him at disadvantage, caught him alone and pilfers him of some of his divine faculty. She does not smile on him as in the plains. She seems to say sternly, Why came here before your time. This ground is not prepared for you. Thoreau writes: Talk of mysteries! Think of our life in nature, daily to be shown matter, to come in contact with it, rocks, trees, wind on our cheeks. Having sought the unification of man and Nature, and failed. But, just as Thoreau fails to reach the top of Ktaadn, none have gone high enough up the mountain to find the origin of the spring. Thoreaus second journey into the wilderness of Maine occurs in 1853. Thoreau more fully develops a series of oppositions introduced in Ktaadn. In Chesuncook Thoreau explores the contrast between civilization and wilderness, the civilized and the primitive, the present and the past, lower uses of Nature and higher laws, the indiscriminate hunter and the poet, and commodity and discipline. In his excursion, Thoreau wishes to recapture the past-to relive what the Jesuit missionaries experienced when travelling through the primitive wilderness untouched by civilized man-but he is unable to: he is tainted by the corrosive effect of civilization. Thoreau makes this clear central crisis: the destruction of the moose by Thoreaus band of indiscriminate hunters. Framed by suggestive allusions to Mount Ktaadn, Thoreaus participation in the killing of the moose provokes the wrath of Nature against Thoreau, thereby cutting off any chance. Thoreau may have had of succeeding where he failed in Ktaadn: to establish an original relation with Nature, to go beyond boundaries and express truth . In Chesuncook Thoreau laments his only half-willed participation in the destruction of Nature; in A Minor Bird the narrator tries to understand what there is within man that would cause him to silence any song of Nature, whether that song be in-or-out of key. The suggestion in A Minor Bird is that there is some mysterious separation between man and Nature, a disharmony. Thoreau reflects on the relentless, inevitable advance of civilization, and the destruction of Nature, which this advance brings with it. This poses a serious problem, for the Poet, notes Thoreau, and draws power and inspiration from contact with primitive Nature. In the end Thoreau suggests that perhaps man can preserve some of the raw wilderness left in America (through some form of park system or similar venture). This solution is Thoreaus problematic attempt at a mediating compromise between the relentless progress of civilization and the need of the Poet to tap into the inscrutable power within Nature, the Poets muse. In the past, Nature was untouched and available to the Poet; in the present, Nature is quickly receding. Thoreau introduces the idea of Nature as Muse in Chesuncook. Thoreau is doubly-damned: the mythological tablets that only the poet can read are being destroyed by civilization, and the poet himself has been so corrupted by civilization that even he can no longer read the few glowing wood chips that remain. The poet yearns for communication with Nature, but he cannot bridge the gulf, which separates them. In the end, Thoreau symbolically resigns himself to his fate: when hop and Indian Joe pass by Ktaadn on their way back home, they do not even attempt to climb. Thoreau complains testily in his Journal (1852). One needs distance to be able to focus his vision. One needs space and freedom of movement to refocus his vision, keep it unconstrained by familiarity, habit and custom. In Thoreaus view, lack of originality and morning freshness amounts to near blindness. What makes nature nonhuman, but, for that very reason, also a perfect conversationalist is that nature is ever original, lacking intention and memory. Both, in Thoreaus eyes, are socially conditioned and therefore suspect, the first associated with private interest, the second, with the bonds of tradition. Natural existence, on the other hand, is superior to petty concerns and designs, it unfolds spontaneously moment-by-moment, offering itself to man as a pure tonic. Vista and novelty are what Thoreau treasures most in relationships and communication, and these natures would provide amply . Until recently, Thoreaus scientific interests and pursuits were dismissed by critics as amateur and sloppy science coupled with a declined prose style. Only recently, with the 1993 publication of Faith in a Seed—a collection of not just his late natural history essays but also including the first publicat ion of his unfinished manuscripts—has it become apparent that Thoreau had accomplished something important. In Faith, he demonstrated by observation, experimentation and analysis, how 99 percent of forest seeds are dispersed; and how forests change over time, and regenerate after fire or human destruction. Thoreau worked at his familys pencil factory in 1837-38, 1844, and 1849-50. He had a natural gift for mechanics. According to Henry Petroski, Thoreau discovered how to make a good pencil out of inferior graphite by using clay as the binder; this invention improved upon graphite found in New Hampshire in 1821 by Charles Dunbar. Later, Thoreau converted the factory to producing plumbago, used to ink typesetting machines. Frequent contact with minute particles of graphite may have weakened his lungs. He travelled to Quebec once, Cape Cod twice, and Maine three times; these landscapes inspired his excursion essays, A Yankee in Canada, Cape Cod, and The Maine Woods, in which travel intineraries frame his thoughts about geography, history and philosophy. Thoreau was not without his critics. Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson judged Thoreaus endorsement of living alone in natural simplicity, apart from modern society to be a mark of effeminacy: Thoreaus content and ecstasy in living was, we may say, like a plant that he had watered and tended with womanish solicitude; for there is apt to be something unmanly, something almost dastardly, in a life that does not move with dash and freedom, and that fears the bracing contact of the world. In one word, Thoreau was a skulker. He did not wish virtue to go out of him among his fellow-men, but slunk into a corner to hoard it for himself. He left all for the sake of certain virtuous self-indulgences. Stevenson was sickly much of his life, bed-ridden and cared for by his mother and wife, but craved a life of adventure and travel. However, English novelist George Eliot, writing in the Westminster Review, characterized such critics as uninspired and narrow-minded: People—very wise in their own eyes—who would have every mans life ordered according to a particular pattern, and who are intolerant of every existence the utility of which is not palpable to them, may discourage Mr. Thoreau and this episode in his history, as unpractical and dreamy. Throughout the 19th century, Thoreau was dismissed as a cranky provincial, hostile to material progress. In a later era, his devotion to the causes of abolition, Native Americans, and wilderness preservation have marked him as a visionary.

Abraham The Origin Of Islam And Christianity Religion Essay

Abraham The Origin Of Islam And Christianity Religion Essay Abrahams story is one of the complicated texts in both the Quran and the holy bible (Froese 12). Shosh (526) notes that its image is variably presented in the two contexts. While many scholars in religion have concentrated on understanding Abrahams sons: Ishmael and Isaac (Murray 298) and their roles in the origin of Muslim and Christian communities, Abraham is a very influential figure in the origin of both religions (Shosh 527). This essay gets out of the way and argues that Abraham is the sole father of the two religions. The argument will isolate Abrahams character from his sons at the specific case of sacrifice of his son to God (Genesis 22: 1-9 Q 37:105). Sons roles in his life may be mentioned; their characters in origin of the two religions are insignificant in this essay. The Quran and holy Bible give a contradictory story about this topic. Abraham had two sons: Ishmael and Isaac (Genesis 11-12 Q 2-3). The bible in Genesis presents Ishmael as son born by a slave, Hagar; while Isaac as the true son of Abraham (Murray 309). Quran presents both as biological sons of Abraham. Which of the two sons did God ask for a sacrifice from Abraham? This is a difficult question to answer at our generation. According to the bible, Isaac was the only son of Abraham (Genesis 21) who was born under the power of God; Ishmael and Isaac were both the sons of Abraham (Q 2). Quran stipulates that Ishmael, the first born of Abraham, was the sacrifice God asked from Abraham (Q 37:105) whereas on contrary, the holy bible states that Isaac, the only child of Abraham, was the sacrifice God wanted from Abraham. Which text is right to follow? Anyway it does not matter for this argument. The fact is Abraham offered to sacrifice his son to God (Fischer 173). According to Shosh (527), Abrahams character has been viewed in different perspectives. Abraham is a profound character in matters of faith and religion; he cannot be overlooked in the study of both Islam and Christianity. In the story of sacrifice of his son, Abraham appears the first and last, both in the bible and Quran, to be posed such a difficult task by God. As Murray (300) notes Abraham heeded to this call. From this story the essay will justify why Abraham is the father of Islam and Christianity. Christianity calls for absolute obedience to God. Christians should obey all the ten commandments of God. When Abraham was called by God to offer the sacrifice of his son, he did not question. He obeyed. Abraham took his son, Isaac, the following morning and headed for the place of sacrifice (Genesis 22:3). Abraham was determined to offer the sacrifice of his only son to God. He is revealed as the father of obedience which Christians must look up to. On the other hand, Quran states that Abraham offered to sacrifice Ishmael to God (OKane 500). Ishmael was his older son and indeed closer to him; in fact they preached together in Arabia while Isaac preached in Palestine and Syria. To the amazement of many Abraham admitted to the call of God to sacrifice him. This was a sign of great obedience. Muslims have a call to abide to the rules of Allah as the only God. Abraham is the beacon of obedience. Abraham was the first to believe in both body and spirit to the one God. He was against the worship of idols which was practiced by his forefathers (Q 21:60). He preached believe in one God (Q 6:76 Froese 15). Indeed, Abraham believed in God in heaven. Accepting to offer his son to God was a sign of deep believe and trust in Him. To believe in God is to accept unconditionally to His call; heed to His laws. Abraham demonstrated believe in God which is what religion is all about. Muslims are therefore called to believe strongly to Allah as the only God. As Fischer (174) argued, Gods call to Abraham to make human sacrifice was an indication to both the Christians and Muslims that He is not interested in human sacrifice. When Abraham had just laid his son, Isaac, down to slay him the angel of God appeared to him and stopped him from doing that (Fischer, 176 Genesis 22:9). This is an indication that God is not interested in human sacrifice. Throughout the Christian history human sacrifices have never been advocated for. In the Quran context it is stated that God warned Abraham not to lay the knife to his son, Ishmael. Islamic religion does not offer human sacrifices as well. In my own opinion God used Abraham to send a message to the whole nations: God does not need human sacrifice. He is a sign of anti-human sacrifice. Why did God ask for human sacrifice from Abraham when He never needed it? This is the interesting question we need to answer in analyzing this story. Fisher (176) thinks that God wanted to expose the human nature through Abraham. Fisher further argues that God expected Abraham to bring a controversial discussion in the matter. I do not agree with Fisher. God is the creator of man; He knows his personality. There was no way God could test the nature of man. In my own view God wanted to use Abraham to reveal to the world the ideal nature of those who will inherit His kingdom. In natural sense, death especially for ones child is not as light as Abraham took it. God had inspired him first before putting him into this test. And because Abraham would be celebrated as the father of religion all over the world God made him act the way he did. In this story God wanted to clarify that religion is not contradicting. As Fisher (176) notes, God did not want to contradict himself by allowing Abraham to slaughter a son whom He had asked from Him for more than ninety years (Genesis 22). Christianity today should learn from the father, Abraham that God laws are clear and do not change. It should be clear that God remained faithful to Abraham. If God allowed Abraham to slaughter his son it would be a contradiction of a promise that Abraham would become the father of all nations. On the other hand, God would not let Ishmael be slaughtered as a sacrifice; Ishmael had been assisting Abraham in preaching in Arabia. In this argument therefore Abraham laid the foundation of religion; no contradiction. What could have happened if Abraham objected to the call of God? The religion today would not have the same meaning. God would have expelled Abraham out of His kingdom. This what the religion today holds: excommunication to the victims of r eligious contradiction. God appeared to Abraham when he had almost slaughtered his son (Genesis 22). In Qurans view Abraham had fulfilled the vision and kept His word. God wanted to use this chance to tell the Islamic religion that there is a vision in this life. Adhering to the word of Allah is the only thing to bring the vision into realization; this would be at the end of time. In Biblical view, God provided an alternative to Abraham to offer sacrifice, a lamb. This has a meaning for the Christian community: God is the solution to all the problems. It is in the same context that God sent Jesus Christ to save the world. Vision and hope are the basis of these religions. CONCLUSION The story of sacrifice by Abraham has been differently interpreted by the two texts as earlier mentioned. In both Islam and Christianity; however, Abraham plays one role-The father of religion. He represents an ideal of holy mosque and church. His character has been put in the religious history to define the way for religion. By demonstrating strong believe and faith in God, Abraham revealed to the world that there is one supreme God who should be worshipped and obeyed. Islam emphasizes on one God who should be worshipped: Only Allah Should be worshipped. Where did they derive this from? The immediate answer is Abraham. Christians believe in one God who is the father and almighty. They are indeed descendants of Abraham. Abraham is therefore the father of Islam and Christianity.

Moral Conflicts in Crime and Punishment Essay -- Crime Punishment Essa

Moral Conflicts in Fydor Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment  Ã‚   Crime and Punishment by Fydor Dostoyevsky has been hailed as the greatest literary work in the Western hemisphere. Crime and Punishment was written in pre-Communist Russia under the Tsar. Dostoyevsky's writing shows insight into the human mind that is at once frightening and frighteningly real. His main character, around who all other characters are introduced, is Rodion Romanovitch Raskolnikov. Raskolnikov murders an old pawnbroker woman for seemingly no reason at all. His sister and mother move to St. Petersburg following his sister's engagement to a man whom Raskolnikov was extremely displeased. Raskolnikov undergoes severe mental trauma, and falls ill after the killing. The reader isn't sure why Raskolnikov killed the woman, indeed it appears that Raskolnikov didn't know himself. He is surrounded by friends and his family and draws in other characters to him during his illness. He befriends a woman, Sofya Seymonavitch, who prostitutes herself to support her mother and her drunken father. As the police come closer onto his trail Raskolnikov faces serious threats to his sister from her two suitors, one of which tries to rape her and kills himself after he finds that he can't bring himself to. At the end Raskolnikov gives himself up, and gives his family into the care of his friend Rauzumihin, who marries Raskolnikov's sister Douina. Dostoyevsky exposes the darkest sides of human nature in with characters that are completely human. The tale Dostoyevsky weaves is a murder mystery, with the murderer and all the facts of the murder known in the very first pages of the book. How then can it be a murder mystery? The mystery is finding out why Raskolnikov comm... ...and then gives all of his money in the world to Marmeledov's family after his death? Who befriends and supports Sofya? Who time and time again defends his sisters honor and safety? Can the reader call this man murderer, shun him, and cast him out, make him the bad guy? Or must the reader be forced to see the suffering Raskolnikov is inflicting upon himself, the acceptance that what he did was evil, his urge to confess to the world what he had done. Must the reader in the end admit that this horrible criminal is human? That Rodion Romanovitch Raskolnikov was neither brute nor hero, but one of us? Dostoyevsky leaves the reader who was looking to divide the characters with the sword of moral right and wrong with the sword pointing directly at himself. Works Cited: Dostoevsky, Fyodor. Crime and Punishment. Trans. Constance Garnett. New York: Modern Library, 1950.

African American Discrimination in the United States Essay -- American

African American Discrimination in the United States NO! NO? This is the word most often heard by African Americans throughout our vivid history. Although at one time we were a majority of judgment and unfair discrimination, it is now more than likely safe to say, white or black, we are proud to be Americans. In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird she elucidates what it was like, during the 1930s, to live in a small town who often put judgment before thought. When thinking of discrimination the words unfair, segregation, and prejudice all come to mind. And why we ask ourselves, because someone or something is DIFFERENT. Is that really how our world should think? Should we separate ourselves into groups depending on our differences? This is a question that many white Americans neglect to ask themselves. According to statistics, African Americans make up approximately thirteen percent of the world’s population, with nearly ten million of them in poverty. A large part of black discrimination is due to white racism. Black is automatically seen as opposite of white and therefore seen as different. It is known that black skin stands out more than tan or white skin, which may be the reason why African Americans are the most segregated minority group in the U.S. society (faculty). Black Americans first received freedom from slavery in 1865, and the right to vote in 1870, when the 15th Amendment was established. Why then were they still discriminated against and not truly given the right to vote until 1964, when the Civil Rights Act was passed. To this there may not be an answer (Lieda). In 1964 the Civil Rights Act was passed stating that: â€Å"All persons should be entitled to the full and equal enjoym... ...vantage of a young white woman when posed with the opportunity (Lee). This can be very misleading and inaccurate when it comes down to the innocence of a black man. That is in no way civil to all men if that is the way our justice system works in the U.S. today. When compared to how the way things were in the 1930s, it can easily be seen that our society has come a long way and such assumptions are not usually made. When one looks back through the piles of history our country has made it is easily visible that the world today is much different than it was years ago. Many obstacles have been thrown our way but it seems that each one of them was overcome with the strength and hope many of our people have. Remember different does not necessarily mean wrong. We as a whole have fought a long hard battle to bring us where we stand today, a nation united as one.

Stanley Fish :: Political Politics Essays

Stanley Fish It is one of the minor symptoms of the mental decline of the United States that Stanley Fish is thought to be on the Left. By some of his compatriots, anyway, and no doubt by himself. In a nation so politically addled that 'liberal' can mean 'state interventionist' and 'libertarianism' letting the poor die on the streets, this is perhaps not wholly unpredictable. Stanley Fish, lawyer and literary critic, is in truth about as left-wing as Donald Trump. Indeed, he is the Donald Trump of American academia, a brash, noisy entrepreneur of the intellect who pushes his ideas in the conceptual marketplace with all the fervour with which others peddle second-hand Hoovers. Unlike today's corporate executive, however, who has scrupulously acquired the rhetoric of consensus and multiculturalism, Fish is an old-style, free-booting captain of industry who has no intention of clasping both of your hands earnestly in his and asking whether you feel comfortable with being fired. He fancies himself as an intellectual boot-boy, the scourge of wimpish pluralists and Nancy-boy liberals, and that ominous bulge in his jacket is not to be mistaken for a volume of Milton. In a series of audacious bounds, then, we have argued our way from a 'radical' anti-foundationalism to a defence of the Free World. This leaves Fish in the enviable position of accruing cultural capital to himself by engaging in avant-garde theory while continuing to defend the world of Dan Quayle. A superficially historicist, materialist case - our beliefs and assumptions are embedded in our practical forms of life - leads not only to a kind of epistemological idealism, but to the deeply convenient doctrine that our way of life cannot be criticised as a whole. For who would be doing the criticising? Not us, since we cannot leap out of our local cultural skins to survey ourselves from some Olympian viewpoint; and not them either, since they inhabit a different culture which is incommensurable with our own. They may think that we are raiding their raw materials and exploiting their labour power, but that is just because they have never heard of the civilising mission of the West. The felicitous upshot is that nobody can ever criticise Fish, since if their criticisms are intelligible to him, they belong to his cultural game and are thus not really criticisms at all; and if they are not intelligible, they belong to some other set of conventions entirely and are therefore irrelevant.

English Composition Essay

There are mixed reviews on online studying. During my research for articles on this subject, I found that more people are choosing online education instead of being in the traditional classroom setting. This appears to be a trend that in the eyes of some people will gain ground on classroom learning. Earning a college degree online will benefit mainly people with full time jobs. As Jessica Groach-Santina views it, â€Å"This form of education, will allow you to learn on your own schedule, put the skills you need directly into practice on the job and give you the valuable technical knowledge that employers are seeking†. Steve Lohr wrote in one of his many articles, â€Å"online education is providing learning experiences that are more tailored to individual students than is possible in the classroom. † The Department of Education performed a study last year and found students that did some or all of their courses online ranked higher in test performance than average classroom students. Steve Lohr wrote in his article, Online Education Beats the Classroom that â€Å"over the next few years, online education will expand sharply as evidence mounts of its value†. Philip R. Regier, the Dean of Arizona State University, also feels within the next three to five years the online studies will triple. Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, also feels more people will be taking classes online. In one of Steve Lohr’s most recent articles titled â€Å"Second Thoughts on Online Education† he back- tracked on some of the earlier statements he made, â€Å"A rush to online education may come at more of a cost than educators may suspect. † After more research concerning online education was conducted by the National Science Foundation and the Education Department, one study showed Hispanics and males did notably worse online. David Figlio, an economist at Northwestern University believes, the reason for the poor grades by these groups, was that males were more than likely waiting until the last minute to do their assignments. They were also putting off viewing lectures and cramming their studies before a test. Another issue could be that English is a second language for some Hispanic men. I understand there are positives and negatives with almost everything one sets out to accomplish. The key to success is, no matter what you set out to achieve, it will take hard work. This is my first time taking courses online and I know it will be as challenging as sitting in a classroom. However, it’s more convenient than going to a class at a certain time and I also get to work at my own pace, to a certain extent. Work Cited MLA: Groach-Santina Jessica. â€Å"The Value Of An Online Degree. † 10 September 2010. 29 September 2010 http://www. online-education. net/articles/general/securing-a-better-future. html MLA: Lohr Steven. â€Å"Study Finds That Online Education Beats The Classroom†. 19 August 2009. 29 September 2010 http://www. bits. blogs. nytimes. com/2009/08/19/study-finds-that-online-education-beats-the-class†¦ MLA: Lohr Steven. â€Å"Second Thoughts On Online Education†. 8 September 2010. 29 September 2010 http://www. bits. blogs. nytimes. com/2010/09/08/second-thoughts-on-online-education/? scp+1&sq

Reaction Paper in the Movie Jose Rizal

The movie tells the life story of Jose Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines. A three-hour epic on the life and struggles of his poet and patriotisms. It covers his life fromhis childhood to his execution at the hands of the Spanish forces occupying thePhilippines in the late 19th century. We are also thrown into the world of Rizal's novels (filmed in black and white), so we get a glimpse of how he viewed Filipino society under the Spanish heal. The film also through a series of flashback showing Rizal as a genius, a writer, a doctor, an artist, a lover, a friend, a brother and a son, thus giving a rich texture of Rizal’s character.The movie introduces us to the life of subjugation of the Filipino people under the rule of the Spanish friars. From the execution of three Filipino priests in 1872 for alleged subversion to the harsh and unequal treatment of Filipino students in the schools, this film is a stinging indictment of Spanish colonial rule in the Philippines. I als o commend the film for its bravery in showing the evil tyranny of the Catholic Church during that time. Considering that the Philippines is a Catholic nation that is like butchering a sacred cow but alas, Abaya works her magic in depicting the suffering of the Filipinos because of the friars.This is by far the best Filipino movie that I have seen so far. I would urge anyone reading this who likes movies, to either rent it or buy it. I particularly love the last scene of the film when Rizal fell in the ground facing the sky, having his last breath looking at a beautiful sunrise- a metaphor depicting that Rizal did not die in vain. He did not die for nothing. He did not die defeated. Rather he died victorious because his death is the torch that lights Philippine independence, that ignites Philippine RevolutionOne of the strengths of Jose Rizal is the incorporation of the characters of Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo in the life of Rizal and of the Filipinos in general. This only shows that the two books are reflections of the lives of the Filipinos during the Spanish regime. But the thought and noble ideas of the book do not only live in the past but also in the present manifesting the universality and immortality of Rizal's ideas. The beautiful transition of Rizal's time and the setting of the two novels is really impressive.

Mary Shelley’s novel Essay

There are few writers in world literature whose heroes have become common names and are used in the every day life of people from different cultures. Among the limited number of such lucky creators is Mary Shelley who has written at quite a young age in 1818 her everlasting â€Å"Frankenstein†. Despite this fact the novel is extremely persuasive and intriguing, having the full range of features which show a mature author’s experience. The publishing of the story immortalises her. The fame which the book brings transcends borders and time. They are the best verification of the monster’s suggestion after the death of the ambitious doctor: â€Å"and when I shall be no more the very remembrance of us both will speedily vanish†. This modest supposition proves not to be true. At least his ominous silhouette remains in the mind overloaded with information. All our readers’ attention being absorbed, we do not notice how we transfer the name of Dr Frankenstein over to the fruit of his scientific work. Actually the monster he creates so diligently is left unnamed and is mistakenly called after his creator. It is quite common to find the name â€Å"Frankenstein† associated with clumsy and ugly creations of other authors or in everyday conversations. It has taken on its own life and very often is utilised to mean any fictional human-like monster. It is important to note the first â€Å"meeting† with the word â€Å"Frankenstein† in each person’s life. This is completely possible to be through Roald Dahl’s story â€Å"James and the Giant Peach†. The author employs the famous name in a rhymed conversation between the two aunts of the little boy. They abuse each other using insulting expressions. One of them contains the imagery â€Å"you would make a lovely Frankenstein†. This is the way we usually associate the title of Shelley’s book. There may be some exceptions not to include the impressive name but to invoke some similarity with the appearance of the character. In the popular TV comedy, â€Å"The Adams Family† for example, the butler â€Å"Lurch† is obviously modelled on this creature but the producers do not repeat the widespread error of calling him â€Å"Frankenstein†. The topicality of Mary Shelley’s book comes not only with the mentioning of its title in any context. It has deeper relations with a lot of features of contemporary life as it raises issues of complex politics of human desire. We can discover the author’s insight in tackling the burning problems from our lives: accountability – especially in the medical, farming and militarily industries; social alienation – including criminals and prisoners, refugees, orphans or adopted children dilemmas; the nature of life itself. The choice of subtitle is not accidental. â€Å"The Modern Prometheus† relates to the infusion of life (fire) into a non-living thing. The charitable action of the chained Titan from Greek mythology has provided a lot of motivation in all the arts. Taking inspiration from Byron’s suggestion of writing ghost stories, Mary Shelley explores an area which relates to all scientists dreams: the achievement of artificial life. This is the overriding purpose of the efforts of her main hero whose name gives the title to the novel. In his childhood Victor Frankenstein had been amazed by electricity. He had seen its effect on a â€Å"beautiful oak† struck by a dazzling stroke of lightning. Later the young doctor shares this experience with his friend – Arctic explorer Robert Walton. It is clear that the new phenomenon deeply excites the inventive imagination of the experimenter, just like Mary Shelley herself endures before the science. Obviously both competition in her circle of friends and her growing interest in the unveiling of nature’s secrets have fired the imagination of the talented woman. She has been aware of the contemporary physician Dr Erasmus Darwin’s and the chemist Sir Humphry Davy’s researches, and probably has been excited by feelings similar to those we have today when cloning or Genetic Modification of food is argued about. If we think over the threatening cost of breaking the food chain, a series of dangerous pictures can form in front of our eyes. Unfortunately, under the cover of caring for humans and creating more food we are stepping into the unknown where there may be lurking serious and unpredictable risks. The writer comes to the idea for the development of an extraordinary character in order to show where arrogant medical and biological approaches could lead. In her vision for the future she is very close to the plots used in films about military projects. The spreading of diseases from hidden hospital laboratories is akin to the escaping of the monster from Frankenstein’s workshop. The contemporary world is even under greater threat from the production and storage of nuclear weapons. Experimentation with them, and even their very existence, reminds us of Shelley’s warning of what could happen in case of failure. The artificial hero, to whom she gives intelligence, is probably the first in the search for similar images in world literature. In the modern times her example is repeated in the construction of electronic humanlike machines. All languages are enriched by the word â€Å"robot† introduced by Karel Capek in his â€Å"RUR† play. The abbreviation for Rosumove Universalne Roboty could be translated as â€Å"sensible universal work†. For the last word Capek uses an old lexeme which is not in contemporary Czech but exists in other Slavonic languages.

Information Literacy Essay

Information literacy is an understanding and set of abilities allowing persons to â€Å"distinguish when information is needed† and have the capacity to identify, locate, evaluate, and effectively employ the needed information. â€Å". An information literate individual is someone who has learned how to learn, and is able to: ? recognise a need for information ? Establish the extent of information needed ?efficiently access the needed information ?assess the information along with its sources critically ?add in particular information into their knowledge base  ?make use of information effectively to achieve a specific purpose ? comprehend legal, economic, social and cultural matters in the use of information ? Make use of and access information ethically Information literacy is not identical to computer literacy (which involves a technological expertise to control computer hardware and software) or library literacy (which entails the capability to utilize a library’s collection and its services), even though there is a strong relationship between all these concepts. Each literacy calls for some level of critical thinking. However weighted against computer literacy, information literacy goes further than kust having access to, and knowledge of how to employ the technology, since technology alone does not assure quality learning experiences. Compared with library literacy, information literacy is above searching through an online catalogue or other reference materials, for information literacy is not a technique, but a objective for novices. Information literacy involves knowledge of the manner in which information systems work, of the dynamic bond among a specific information need and the sources and channels needed to fulfill that need. Information Literacy – Why? Information literacy necessary given the proliferation of information access and resources. People are faced with different, abundant, information choices in the place of work, in their studies as well as in their lives. Information is available throughout community resources, media, the internet, manufacturers special interest organisations, service providers  and libraries. Progressively more, information comes unfiltered. This brings up questions about authenticity, validity, and reliability. Information is also accessible through multiple media, embracing graphical, aural, and textual. These pose special challenges in evaluating, understanding and using information in an ethical and legal manner. The doubtful quality and expanding quantity of information also cause large challenges for businesses of all types, as well as for society itself. Why has the idea of information literacy taken root? The concept of information literacy has its roots in the appearance of the information society, characterized by fast growth in accessible information and related changes in technology used to create, disseminate, access and control that information. Ever since the publication of the American Library Association’s (ALA) Final report (1989), written by a group of librarians and other educationalist, the idea of information literacy has been broadly accepted. This focus in information literacy is largely a result of its strong association with the idea of permanent learning. Conclusion: Being information literate requires knowing how to clearly define a subject or area of investigation; select the appropriate terminology that expresses the concept or subject under investigation; formulate a search strategy that takes into consideration different sources of information and the variable ways that information is organized; analyze the data collected for value, relevancy, quality, and suitability; and subsequently turn information into knowledge (ALA 1989). This involves a deeper understanding of how and where to find information, the ability to judge whether that information is meaningful, and ultimately, how best that information can be incorporated to address the problem or issue at hand. Sources: 1. http://www. nap. edu/catalog/6482. html 2. http://www. ycp. edu/library/ifl/glossary. html 3. http://www. ala. org/Content/NavigationMenu/ACRL/Standards_and_Guidelines/Information_Literacy_Competency_Standards_for_Higher_Educati on. htm#ildef 4. http://www. ala. org/Content/NavigationMenu/ACRL/Publications/White_Papers_and_Reports/Presidential_Comitee_on_Information_Literacy. htm 5. http://www. nap. edu/catalog/6482. html 6. http://notes. cc. sunysb. edu/Pres/boyer. nsf/ 7. http://www. infolit. org/index. html 8. http://www. infolit. org/documents/progress. html 9. http://www. fiu. edu/~library/ili/iliweb. html 10. http://www. infolit. org/definitions/index. html 11. http://www. infolit. org/documents/89report. htm 12. http://www. ed. gov/pubs/UnderLit/understanding. html 13. http://www. bham. wednet. edu). 14. http://www. rrpubs. com/heproc).

Assignment - Assistive Technology for Visual and Hearning Impairments

- Assistive Technology for Visual and Hearning Impairments - Assignment Example In addition, these devices are enabling students with such low-incidence disabilities thrive academically and contribute a great deal to their communities, despite any setbacks that they encounter. Teachers today are wise to learn about such devices and become an agent for helping students properly apply the technology to their daily personal and academic lives. What follows is a description and evaluation of several such devices that are currently available and in use today. It is estimated that 24 million Americans suffer from some degree of hearing loss. For students, this can be particularly troubling because, if proper modifications are not implemented, such individuals are placed at an academic disadvantage. It is important to use modern technology to assist students in leveling the ‘playing field’ as much as possible. According to research, students who are hearing impaired can exhibit a low self-esteem, lose interest in many learning activities, fail to participa te in social activities, and often have poor communication skills (DeConde-Johnson & Thibodeu, 2005). As such, looking incorporating assistive technology devices that help hearing impaired students perform better in school and become more sociable with their peers can only serve to benefit the entire academic community. While there are many such devices on the market today, three particularly stand out for their effectiveness, even in the face of certain inherent challenges that must be overcome. ASL software is a readily available program that can be used on either a PC Windows operating system, or on a Macintosh. This software allows students to learn advanced sign language skills in an interactive environment, thereby allowing them to communicate more opening and freely with their peers and other adults. In essence, the program promotes literacy skills for the hearing impaired student in much the same fashion as phonics does for the non-disabled individual. This assistive technol ogy device can be easily implemented into a traditional classroom setting. In addition, students can use the software independently at home or in other locations. The benefits are many, and the challenges minimal. One hurdle for the software is that the teacher will likely need to have some basic knowledge of sign language in order to assist the student in learning how to make full use of the program. That being said, such knowledge can only serve to strengthen the student/teacher relationship, which in the end should prove beneficial itself. ACL software requires only 3-4 hours of training time for the student learn how to make proper use of it, and the IT department at any school should be able to assist with its installation. Such devices and software can be used to enhance math skills, promote literacy and spelling, focus on the advancement of sign language, improve visual perception, and strengthen memory skills. From this evaluation, the software should be considered in any en vironment where there is a hearing impaired student. The cost is minimal, with most packages running only about $35. Another device designed to help hearing-impaired student is the speech synthesizer. Depending on the age of onset for the disability, many hearing impaired students cannot communicate verbally. They do not know how to make certain sounds and cannot hear what they are saying. A speech synthesizer enables the student to type out information that they wish to say and

Thomas Hobbes Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Thomas Hobbes - Article Example Hobbes eventually died in Hardwick in 1679 at the age of 90 after he was attacked by paralysis. He will always be remembered for his political philosophies and this indifferent way of commenting (on philosophical fronts) from others. Hobbes developed his own political analysis and philosophy, which he documented in the form of a book published in 1651 with the title of Leviathan. His arguments in the said publication were illuminating. It is so very simple in the daily happenings of a man who is a selfish and greedy organism, always ready at war with other men (organisms of his type) for his own well being and benefit. His suggestions are that people have turned very selfish in their normal way of living and they lead a unkind life towards other humans which they should not do in the first place. Everyone does not follow the path set by good men of past, which is much to his dislike. He does not like the attitude possessed by the people who follow the sovereigns as if they are Gods or more than them. Fear of death, according to him, is one such thing, which brings to our notice that makes them follow the sovereigns in any possible way they can. A worldly leader cannot in anyway represent people's attitudes; but the same according to him is happening day in day out in this world. The person having authority lets his commands rule, which Hobbes does not quite approve of in any way. His other books also suggest the same ideologies, which are there in his hit one, Leviathan. These suggested his interest in gathering some analysis on political philosophies as well as some comparisons with the ways in w hich leaders and sovereigns have lived their lives and as a consequence ruled over people. Other theorists also followed in the same fashion as Hobbes did. They studied his analyses and thus made their own in the light of what Hobbes had already said. Amongst them were included big names like J.L.Stephen. C.H.Hinnat, T. Surrell. Hobbes was not very happy with the teachings of Aristotle and remarked them as being mistake in doctrine. He ridiculed the English universities of their dull approach towards their curriculum. In reality, he owed both to Aristotle as well as the English universities because he laid the foundation of his beliefs courtesy through Aristotle and these varsities. Hobbes pays importance on the topic of virtue. According to him, virtue develops the respect amongst people so that they can live within the pre-set moral laws and follow them in conformance. Virtue provides an incentive or benefit from which the person can benefit as long as he is alive. It is an ever-lasting impression on one's personality. Thomas Hobbes suggests that the impulses that one has within him/her every now and then should be controlled so that a person's personality does not effect drastically or at other times, quite swiftly. Moral strength is the key for a person and he/she should not let loose on this very asset of his/her. Controlling desires is also an advantage that one has over other of his fellow human beings. One should never let his/her desires get the better of him/her under any circumstances whatsoever. Hobbes has been in the forefront like Locke, Kant and Mill in introducing within people the importance of virtue. They term it as of similar importance as people tie themselves to their mind and

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair - Essay Example Jurgis is young and energetic; hence it does not take long for him to get a job, just like do Marija, Jonas and Teta, who are their close relatives. The family agrees to purchase a house, but this does not materialize since the deal is simply a swindle; there are too many hidden aspects of the agreement, and the house is poorly maintained and shoddy. Later, we learn that the family’s expenses are enhanced, which forces even Ona to seek employment. It is really difficult to land a job in Packingtown because the working conditions are very hard and unsafe. Besides, there is no disregard for workers’ safety in this region. Moreover, the immigrant community in Packingtown is exposed to corruption and crime, which extremely complicates life in the area. We are informed that Dede Antanas, the father of Jurgis, lands a job, but, this he achieves through corrupt means. Late, the old man succumbs to death since the job he got was too difficult for him (Bloom 25). Winter accordin g to the author is the most dangerous period in Packington, and this even translates into the working conditions. For example, we are informed that the place that Jurgis works in brings risks into his life each time he goes for work. There are too many hardships as evidenced by various events in the novel. For example, Marija and Tamoszius are never able to marry due to financial difficulties. Later, Marija’s financial woes worsen since her factory closes down and she later loses her job. Jurgis is very stressed about these living conditions of his family members, which prompts him to join a union. It is at this union that Jurgis starts to get enlightened concerning corruption, fraud and bribery, three vices that make sure that Packingtown is able to conduct its affairs. Jurgis wants to improve his family woes very much to the point of starting to learn English. At Packingtown, it was easier to adjust to life if one was conversant with English since it was the language that w as used by most people (Bloom 37). From the tale, we learn that, Jurgis’ family members face extreme hardships as they try to settle in Packingtown permanently. We learn that Marija is fired from her job even after regaining it later, Ona gets pregnant and as a result, her job becomes an extremely difficult affair. Later, Ona gives birth to a boy who is named Antanas, in memory of Jurgis’s late father. Her bosses do not even sympathize with her situation since they compel her to resume working after just seven days of leave. Many mishaps in this region have ensured that families are easily ruined. For example, when Jurgis is injured, he is bedridden for a period of three months, unable to perform any work. His accident had been caused by poor working conditions at the factory, but, the factory does not consider this. Instead, they scrap him off from the pay list. Jonas is unable to put up with this misery, hence he runs away from the family without ever informing anyon e of his actions. The family’s problems are compounded because the youngest child of Teta passes on from poisoning. Jurgis does not give up at this point; and instead he takes a very long time trying to look for a job. He is so frustrated that he decides to take up a job in a fertilizer plant that is close to his home. He is forced to do this since he feels

Cardiovascular safety of NSAIDa Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Cardiovascular safety of NSAIDa - Essay Example As analgesics, NSAIDs are strange in that they are non-narcotic and thus are used as a non-addictive alternative to narcotics (Sundaram, 2014) The most common members of this group of drugs such as aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen are all available over the counter in most countries. Acetaminophen (parecetamol) is not considered an NSAID because it has only little anti-inflammatory activity. It treats pain mainly by blocking COX-2 mostly in the central nervous system, but not much in the rest of the body.NSAIDs work by inhibiting the activities of both cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). They achieve their function by synthesizing prostaglandins and thromboxanes (Hughes, 2008 p. 100). It is believed that inhibiting COX-2 leads to the anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic effects. It has been discovered that, those NSAIDs that inhibit COX-1, particularly aspirin, may cause gastrointestinal bleeding and ulcers. For this reason, the use COX-2 selective inhibitors may be preferred to COX-1 inhibiting NSAIDs. This paper will, therefore, primarily focus on the cardiovascular safety or effect of such NSAI Ds. According to John Vane (1927-2004), in his Nobel-winning works â€Å"the Mechanism of action of aspirin† he elevated that, most NSAIDs act as nonselective inhibitors by targeting enzyme cyclooxygenase (COX) (Bruera & Portenoy, 2009 p. 271). They achieve their goal by inhibiting both the isoenzymes cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). Most of this inhibition caused by NSAIDs is competitively reversible (although at fluctuating degrees of reversibility), except the mechanisms of aspirin, which is irreversible inhibition. COX more specifically works as it catalyzes the formation of prostaglandins and thromboxane from arachidonic acid (a compound that is derived from the cellular phospholipid bilayer by phospholipase A2). Prostaglandins act among other things as messenger molecules in the process of

Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 5

Art - Essay Example It makes individuals draw out the shape of an object and the viewpoint and the object determine shape. As individuals changes his or her view of the object, the contour also changes Option 1: Blind Contour To elaborate about my reflection, I went to the second floor of my balcony where I picked on the landscape I wanted to have a blind contour. I was having a lot of information, which I could see, as it comprised of staffs parking lots as well as residential houses. I observed the nature and the settlement of the neighborhood, which gave me insight information of what I should consider drawing. I stepped outside with my drawing brush and I wanted to airbrush what i was seeing. i did not having enough information on how to even airbrush the pictures I was seeing . It was difficult but not impossible using my arm to aid the drawing. If I wanted to move my hand, I would have with ease since I was prepared to do the drawing, as it was part of my class. As much as I was flexible and wante d to come up with an abstract figure, I had to follow the rules and be observant on what it entails. One of the things I imagined was never to move my arm when bowing. It was the first mindset to overcome to enable my hand to be free and for easy movement. I was not controlling my bow and I was simply controlling my drawing tools. During my initials stages, I was disappointed because the images I drew were very small and they did not reflect on what I wanted to have. My drawing focused on the transition of the sky and the trees. I took keen interest on the type of trees, the patterns of their trunk and ways of their droppings. On the side of the buildings, I had to recall the siding and the plants that grew next to them. As I observed on the Far East, there were around 6 trees in the foreground. I had the tendency of remembering what was in the environment, which consisted of the telephone posts and obscure details. When I settled to drawing, I resorted to blind contour as I loved i t and it was part of the instructions front the lecturer. I did not look at the paper and I had to draw the object in front of me. My experience during this drawing was that no matter what I did without looking at the paper, it looked awesome. This is because of the condition in which I drew the object; it was very pleasing to come out with as ketch as it is also not the same thing when you know exactly what you are doing. It was full of surprise coming out with a figure resembling what I was viewing. Throughout the picture, I would move my hands throughout the paper as I remember the details of what I was seeing. I could feel the paper edge though I initially had no idea in relation to that. My eyes were widely open as I was looking at what I was drawing, it was good for me to come up with such a drawing owing to the blind contour I was engaged in. The following is the first image I came out with. Option 2: Detail Reduction I chose the image, traced it source on a plain paper, and came with a complete composition like the one shown in the figure below. I chose the object because I am in love with nature more so animals. It was tempting to trace because my hand could not easily move on the paper as it could shift away from the paper. It was a good feeling tracing the images because it offered guidance since I was only to follow the laid framework and the layout. This was so easy and I could see the image I was tracing coming out. However, I was not always conscious of