“Be Strong,” the psycho woman said

â€Å"Stuart you must learn to look on the bright side.† What bright side? I'm a sixteen year old lad and my cat has just died. Big deal you might think. But you weren't the one in the washing machine, spinning round ten times a second! Poor cat. Dad thinks I'm mad. That's why he sent me to the psycho woman in the first place. Well she's a psychologist, and ok that wasn't the only reason. My real mom had an affair and ran away with the postman. He just happened to be my dad's brother, that's all. Which sent me â€Å"Off the rails.† Or so they told me. I mean I'm not a train. I kept getting into trouble at school. You know, mixing with the wrong people, skipping classes at school, Stealing sweets, that kind of thing. Nothing really. What did they expect? Me to just except my moms gone and that I probably wont see her again. Plus the fact we wont get our mail delivered any more! No, I shouldn't joke about it. There is a bright side! I'm laughing about it already. I've just realised I come from a broken home. Prison here I come! That was four months ago, and dads already got a new woman. ‘Ginger Gill!' Bet you can't guess what colour her hair is? There I go taking the mick again. Dad said I shouldn't: â€Å"It'll come back on you one day,† he bellows. Anyway I have a right, who calls there kid Stuart? I hate my name. After thinking long and hard, I have decided I am a tiny bit crazy. But only a bit. Who isn't? Talking of crazy people: we live in front of a once nice green field, in Cornwall. I say once because ‘travellers' moved in last week. Actually they are gypsies, but ‘travellers' is the more polite way to say they are scruffy, no-hopers. I'm too cruel. Also, of course that's what they call them on the news, so it has to be more polite. I kind of got talking to one of the gypsy girls, whilst walking my aunties dog, Bessie. She's around my age (the girl not Bessie!) and quite good looking. But also a bit weird. She can't pronounce her ‘R's', which is amusing. She was telling me about her grandmother, Rose. Or â€Å"Wose†, as she pronounces it. She said Rose could see into the future, and has been known to predict peoples' lives. Very likely. She thought I should see her grandmother, as she could help me, more than any head doctor could. As if I need help. She was fascinating I thought. That's a lie. It was boring. She was boring. The only thing she said that remotely interested me was that one of her other ‘gypo' relatives, held the world record for the loudest burp. Now that was fascinating! It was when I got home, that I really took what the girl had said to me in. (‘the girl'-I didn't catch her name! Oh well, ‘gypsy girl' will do.) Maybe Rose could help me? After all I would like a few questions answered: Where is my mom? How could she leave me? Why did Casper (the cat) get into the washing machine? Why doesn't ‘Ginger Gill' dye her hair? There I go again! And most importantly, why is abbreviation such a long word? The next day, I wagged school. The psycho woman is really helping, don't you think? Anyway I paid my gypsy friend another visit. This time I was introduced to her grandmother ‘Wose'. I mean Rose. I suppose I hoped she would be scruffy looking, with a crystal ball and a glass eye. But no, she looked pretty normal. As normal as a gypsy can look. Someone stop me! She was in her early sixties, I would say. She had long dark brown hair, covered in hair clips and beads. There had to be over one hundred. How did she hold up her head? She had a deep, manly voice, which was freaky. Disappointingly, both her eyes were real. I didn't have chance to speak to her, as she had a headache, and went to bed. I'd have a headache, with all those hair accessories on my head. Me and Crystal, that was her name, I discovered, spoke for hours after. Today she didn't seem so boring and dull. She said she hates living in a caravan. Who wouldn't? She told me that her mom had died of cancer the previous year, and really missed her. Which made me feel stupid. I was upset that my mom had left, and the cat had died, well killed. She made me realise I should be grateful for who I am and what I have. See I can be serious. Crystal had arranged for me to visit ‘Gypsy Rose', for one of her fortune-telling sessions. I really didn't know what to expect. What if she told me my mom had become a stripper and was living under the sea? Ok, so that was not exactly going to happen. But she could tell me somethings I don't want to hear. On the other hand, she could tell me Casper is ‘cat heaven's' answer to Brad Pitt. Either way I knew from tomorrow, my life would change. Who knows? I might even find out why abbreviation is such a long word!

The Hunters: Moonsong Chapter Twenty-Three

â€Å"I don't know how it got so late,† Elena said for the third time as they hurried down the path by the quad. â€Å"Bonnie and Meredith are probably worried about me.† â€Å"They know you're with me,† Damon said, pacing along unruffled beside her. â€Å"I don't think they'l find that comforting,† Elena said, and bit her tongue as Damon shot her an expressive look. â€Å"After al the time we've spent fighting side by side, they stil don't trust me?† he said silkily. â€Å"I'd be terribly hurt. If I cared what they thought.† â€Å"I don't mean that they think you'd hurt me,† Elena said. â€Å"Not anymore. Or that you wouldn't protect me. I guess they worry that you might †¦ might make a pass at me. Or something.† Damon stopped and looked at her. Then he picked up her hand and held it, running one finger down the inside of her arm, tracing the vein that led from Elena's wrist to her elbow. â€Å"And what do you think?† he asked, smiling gently. Elena snatched her hand back, glaring at him. â€Å"Clearly they have a point,† she said. â€Å"Knock it off. Just friends, remember?† Sighing deeply, Damon started walking again, and Elena hurried to catch up. â€Å"I'm glad you decided to come to the party with me,† she said eventual y. â€Å"It'l be fun.† Damon shot her a velvet-black glance through his lashes but said nothing. It was always fun to be with Damon, Elena thought, listening to the clicking of her own heels and watching her shadow grow and disappear as they walked beneath the streetlights. Or at least, it was always fun when Damon was in a good mood and nothing was trying to kil them, two circumstances she wished coincided more often. Stefan, sweet, darling Stefan, was the love of her life. She had no doubts about that. But Damon made her feel breathless and excited, swept up in something bigger than herself. Damon made her feel like she was special. And he was more easygoing than usual tonight. After Matt left, they'd searched the library some more, and then Damon treated her to chips and soda in the basement vending-machine room. They sat at one of the little tables and talked and laughed. It wasn't anything fancy or elegant, nothing like the parties he'd escorted her to in the Dark Dimension, but it was comfortable and fun, and when she looked at her phone, she was startled to see that more than an hour had passed. And now Damon even volunteered to come to a col ege keg party. Maybe he was trying to get along with her friends. Maybe they could real y be friends, once things somehow worked out between Stefan and him. Elena had reached this point in her musings when she suddenly got the unmistakable creepy-crawly feeling that she was being watched. The little hairs on the back of her neck stood up. â€Å"Damon,† she said softly. â€Å"There's someone watching us.† Damon's pupils dilated as he sniffed the air. Elena could tel that he was sending out questing tendrils of Power, searching for an answering surge, for someone focusing on them. â€Å"Nothing,† he said after a moment. He tucked his hand under her arm, pul ing her closer. â€Å"It could just be your imagination, princess, but we'l be careful.† The leather of Damon's jacket was smooth against Elena's side, and she held tightly to him as they stepped out into the road that divided the campus. Just across from them, a car that had been idling at the curb gunned its engine. Its headlights blazed on, blinding Elena. Damon's arms locked around her waist, squeezing the breath out of her. The car's tires squealed and it shot toward them. Elena panicked – oh God, oh God, she thought helplessly – and froze. Then she was sailing through the air, Damon holding her so tightly that it hurt. When they hit the grass on the other side of the road, Damon paused for a moment, adjusting his grip on Elena, and Elena peered back at the car, which had passed where they were standing a moment before and skidded back around in a U-turn. She couldn't make out anything, not what kind of car it was nor anything about the driver; behind the bright lights, it was just a hulking dark shape. A hulking dark shape that was veering onto the grass and coming back after them. Damon swore and yanked her onward, running rather than flying now, Elena's feet barely touching the ground. Her heart was pounding. She could tel Damon was hampered from using his ful speed by keeping Elena close. They dodged around the corner of a building and leaned against its wal , surrounded by bushes. The car hurtled by, then turned, its wheels leaving long skid marks, and lumbered back to the road. â€Å"We lost him,† Elena whispered, panting. â€Å"Annoy anyone lately, princess?† Damon asked, his eyes sharp. â€Å"I should be asking you that,† Elena retorted. Then she wrapped her arms around herself. She was so cold suddenly. â€Å"Do you think it could have been because of the Vitale Society?† she asked, her voice quavering. â€Å"Something about them and my parents?† â€Å"We don't know who or what could have been on the other side of that trapdoor,† Damon replied somberly. â€Å"Or maybe Matt†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Not Matt,† Elena said firmly. â€Å"Matt would never hurt me.† Damon nodded. â€Å"That's true. He's ridiculously honorable, your Matt.† He gave her a little wry sideways smile. â€Å"And he loves you. Everyone loves you, Elena.† He shrugged out of his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. â€Å"One thing's certain, though. If the driver of that car thought I was human before, he knows differently now.† Elena pul ed the jacket more tightly around herself. â€Å"You saved me,† she said in a tiny voice. â€Å"Thank you.† Damon's eyes were soft as he put his arms around her. â€Å"I wil always save you, Elena,† he promised. â€Å"Don't you know that by now?† His pupils dilated, and he pul ed her closer. â€Å"I can't lose you,† he murmured. Elena felt like she was fal ing. The world was being swal owed up in Damon's midnight eyes, and she was being drawn along with it, into the darkness. A tiny part of her said no, but despite it she leaned toward him and met his mouth with hers. Stefan tapped his fingers against the wal behind him, looked around at al the people jammed too close together: talking, laughing, arguing, drinking, dancing. His skin was crawling with anxiety. Where was she? Matt said he'd seen her at the library more than an hour ago, that she had been planning on coming to the party then. Making up his mind, Stefan began to push his way toward the exit. Maybe Elena didn't want him in contact with her right now, but people were dying and disappearing. It would be worth it to have her angry with him, as long as he knew that she was okay. He passed Meredith, deep in conversation with her friend, and said, â€Å"I'm going to find Elena.† He had the quick impression of her faltering, starting to reach out a hand to stop him, but he left her behind. He pushed open the door and stepped out into the cool night air. Campus security was stil by the door checking IDs, but they let him pass without comment, only interested in people trying to come into the party. Outside, the wind was rushing through the trees overhead and a crescent moon rode high and white above the buildings around him. Stefan sent his Power out around him, feeling for the distinct traces of Elena. He couldn't sense anything, not yet. There were too many people too close together here, and Stefan could only feel the tangled traces of thousands of humans, their emotions and life force mixing together in one great underlying buzz from which it was impossible for him, at this distance, to pick out any particular individual, even one as singular as Elena. If he had fed on human blood recently, it would have been easier. Stefan couldn't help thinking longingly of the way that Power had surged through him when he drank regularly from his friends. But that was when Fel ‘s Church needed his best defense against the kitsune. He wouldn't drink human blood just for pleasure or convenience. Stefan started walking quickly across the quad, stil sending out questing fingers of Power around and ahead of himself. If he couldn't locate Elena that way, he would head for where she was last seen. He hoped that, as he got closer to the library, his Power would pick up some hint of her. His whole body was thrumming anxiously. What if Elena had been attacked, what if she mysteriously vanished and never returned, leaving him with this strange distance as their last memory of each other? Stefan walked faster. He was halfway to the library when the distinctive sense of Elena hit him like a punch. Somewhere nearby. He scanned left and right and then he saw her. A terrible pain shot through his chest, as if he could actual y feel his heart breaking. She was kissing Damon. They were half hidden in the shadows, but their light skin and Elena's blond hair shone. They were focused only on each other, so much so that, despite his Power, Damon wasn't aware of Stefan's presence, not even when he walked right up to them. â€Å"Is this why you wanted to take some time apart, Elena?† Stefan asked, his voice sounding hol ow and distant. Final y noticing him, they broke away from each other, Elena's face pale with shock. â€Å"Stefan,† she said. â€Å"Please, Stefan, no, it's not what it looks like.† She reached out a hand toward him, then drew it back uncertainly. Everything seemed so far away to Stefan; he was aware that he was shaking, his mouth was dry, but it felt almost as if he was watching someone else in pain. â€Å"I can't do this,† he said. â€Å"Not again. If I fight for you, I'l just end up destroying us al . Just like with Katherine.† Elena was shaking her head back and forth, her hands stretched out toward him imploringly again. â€Å"Please, Stefan,† she said. â€Å"I can't,† Stefan said again, backing away, his voice thin and desperate. Then, for the first time, he looked at Damon, and a redhot rage slammed into him, overriding the numb distance instantly. â€Å"Al you do is take,† Stefan told him bitterly. â€Å"This is the last time. We're not brothers anymore.† Damon's face opened for a split second in dismay, his eyes widening, as if he was about to speak, and then he hardened again, his mouth twisting scornful y, and he jerked his head at Stefan. Very well, that gesture indicated, then get lost. Stefan stumbled backward, and then he turned and ran, moving with al the supernatural grace and speed at his command, leaving them far behind even as Elena screamed, â€Å"Stefan!†

Why trains are the best way to travel Essay

WHEN you travel long term you have plenty of time to ponder the big questions. Maybe that’s why philosophy and travel go so well together. You finally have the time to really think about what the hell Confucius and Plato were trying to get at†¦ Maybe that’s why I also love to travel by rail. Above all other forms of long distance transport, trains are my favourite. I’m comfortably sitting, watching a frozen landscape of farmland, forests and tiny villages fly by my window. Drifts of snow rise and fall like endless frozen waves as skeletal trees scratch at the sky across the distance, disappearing over the horizon, as the sun sets in a radiant arc of crimson fire. The world is bare, open and, above all else, interesting and full of wonder. This is what should make train rides important to travellers. Modern conveniences like email, smartphones and supermarkets have made life more efficient than ever before but in doing so something’s been lost. Don’t get me wrong, 2013 is the best time to be alive (ever!), but I do think we all could learn to appreciate ‘the journey’ a little more than we do. In modern life the journey has taken a definitive backseat to the destination. I put long distance train travel in roughly the same category as calligraphy, wax seals, orchestras and Shakespearean English. There may be more efficient, easier and faster ways to accomplish writing, making music or talking but the ‘romance of the journey’ makes these endeavours both interesting and valuable. The difference is not taking the journey for an inconvenience that’s in the way of getting somewhere, but rather in enjoying the journey for what it is. Flying is obviously more efficient in regards to time, but it lacks in journey aesthetics. Taking a commercial flight really doesn’t allow for much appreciation for a country’s’ aesthetics (unless you count Virgin’s flight attendants) . Another downside to flying is that planes are cramped, much like being a sardine in a can (only with less vegetable oil). There’s also the fact that you’re hurtling through the open sky at 800km/h in a hulking 500 tonne machine made of metal and plastic – maybe you can tell that I’m not a fan of flying. What about buses? Buses unfortunately are a necessary evil in the same way that McDonalds is a necessary evil at 3am on a Sunday morning. Buses, while often cheap offer neither efficiency or the journey experience and come a very distant third choice. Railroads are quite often cut through remote  wilderness far from highways and roads, giving you a sense of remoteness that’s hard to match with other forms of transportation, perfect for moments of quiet contemplation and reflection and often amplified by the beautiful scenery. There’s also the comfort factor to consider. If you’re the butt of beanstalk jokes, journeying by rail allows for more leg and shoulder room than a bus and a flight combined.

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Discussion Question - Assignment Example public health is the prevention, cure, and control of infectious diseases, improved sanitation, and reduced incidences of cholera, typhoid, tuberculosis, and sexually transmitted diseases (Novick, Morrow, & Mays, 2008). All these public health components are accounted for by the fifth great public health achievement in the textbook. This achievement has gone a long way in transforming the face of the contemporary society. Preventative and curative measures are in place to manage, control, and oversee public health development. On the same note, improved sanitation translates to a better quality of life. When the society leads a healthy life, there is less likelihood of public health crisis. This achievement, therefore, averts public health crisis by empowering the society to take control of its welfare. In conclusion, the above achievement is great because it accounts for the most basic components of a healthy society. Food, water, and shelter are influential as far as public health is concerned. With improved sanitation and reduced disease incidences in the society, people’s overall lifestyles exhibit high quality practices. This is undoubtedly a great achievement in the public health

Media and Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Media and Society - Essay Example The researchers used a survey sampling method and a panel design technique in which the same samples were observed at different points in time (Lowery and DeFleur, 1983) . Locational parameter was in Erie County in Ohio because it was culturally homogenous with a population of 43,000 being stable for 40 years. The people living in Erie County were all white and the farmers and the industrial labor force were evenly distributed. Thus, this would help in classifying the respondents. It was also relevant that the tri-media were present; 3 newspapers, 2 radio stations and all major network channels were represented. Importantly, Erie County had the record of deviating a little less from national voting pattern as far as the twentieth century was concern. During the study, there were 3,000 sampling respondents, 600 persons each for 4 stratified samples referred to as "panel" and 600 persons each also for the 3 control groups. Panel and control groups were used as there were qualms that th e process would greatly affect the results which eventually turned out to be the otherwise. There were several influential factors that could affect voters of Erie County and that included political index, religion, demography, socio-economic status and cross pressures among all others. There were three main patterns of change in cross pressure voting. According to the study, 28% were crystallizers (Lowery and DeFleur, 1983). They changed vote up to the last minute. On the other hand, 15% were waverers. Waverers were those whose decision pattern was like a wave. They started out with a clear decision then during the campaign period slowly changing sides but then later vote on their original choice. Finally, the party changers were self-explanatory and composed 8% of the samples. Cross pressure votes were simply a delay of the final decision of the voter. As such, potential voters whose low interest in the campaign and the cross pressure voters became media campaign targets. The challenge with media-mediated campaign was how to effectively deliver the message that a certain candidate was way far better than the others. The problem also lies on media exposure. How well-spread was the exposure. Surprisingly, radio comprised 50% of those surveyed when asked about the most important source of political information (Lowery and DeFleur, 1983). The media however, was a big contributor in political campaigning through three major patterns of influence; activation (awareness), reinforcement (continuing justification) and conversion (switch sides through persuasion). The two-step flow of communication stated that ideas and arguments would from the media to the opinion leaders then finally to the less active portions of the population. It was emphasized in this chapter the importance of mass media in influencing the voting behavior of the people. There maybe other factors that can affect any individual's vote but media-mediated campaign can greatly affect voter's decision up to the last second of the election period. Therefore, with all these political propaganda and strategy using mass media, Franklin D. Roosevelt won the political race. Chapter 5 Audiences for Daytime Radio Serials: Uses and Gratifications In the late 1930's, America

Is Existentialism Nihilistic Why or Why Not Essay

Is Existentialism Nihilistic Why or Why Not - Essay Example It is always linked with extreme skepticism and pessimism that condemns existence. Existential nihilism is based on the belief that the world is meaningless and has no purpose in that all existence in it such as pain or feelings are senseless. Therefore, existential nihilists such as Camus and Nietzsche regards feelings and thoughts as merely influence of prior causes (McBride 89). In a more elaborate sense, free will is denied. Further, they argue that existentialism is nihilistic because they believe that on this world, misery and suffering has dominated over pleasure while happiness has been elusive thus leaving mankind with the option of suicide as the only course to take. Existentialism can be said to be nihilism because it presents human life as ultimately meaningless and trivial. Friedrich Nietzsche argued that forceful effects will eventually destroy all religious, metaphysical beliefs, morals and accelerate the greatest crisis in history of human beings. Other existentialism nihilists such as Camus and Soren Kierkegaard argued that individuals had the responsibility of giving meaning to their lives despite of many struggles and distractions such as alienation, boredom, despair and absurdity (Cox 27). According to Nietzsche, there is no objective structure or order in the universe or world except that the order human beings give it. In addition, he argued that all values have no meaning and that human rationality is impotent. In this manner, he meant that every human belief is not true because there is no true or real world. Therefore, he proposes that in order for the world to exist, nihilism should be destroyed. Nietzsche argues that existential nihilism is absolute in that further scrutiny shows that highest values eventually devalues themselves. Inevitably, existential nihilism will present all loved and cherished convictions and truth as valueless. Therefore, such lack or collapse of relevance meaning and value of life will be the most destructive power or force in history, comprising a total assault on truth and nothing less than the crisis of humanity. Nietzsche analysis was real and accurate in that studies conducted on some cultures depicts some patterns of nihilism which shows some features of collapsing civilizations (McBride 57). Existential nihilism has the convictions that the life has no meaning in this sense; it argues that the world has no purpose by stating that existence in itself such as suffering, feeling and all actions is ultimately empty and senseless. For instance, it is argued that existential nihilism is a form or another and that has part of western realm from the beginning. It states that the life of deaths or mortal is so mean a thing or form as to be virtually un-life. For example, embodies similar type of extreme pessimism linked with existential nihilism. In ancient times, such pessimism may have reached its peak with Hegesis due to the fact that miseries outnumber pleasures, happiness is not possi ble to attain, and therefore, the philosopher argues that the best thing to do is suicide. In his argument, Jean-Paul Sartre ponders that existence precedes essence whereby he rules out any platform for establishing an essential or significant self or human nature. When illusion is abandoned, life is recognized to us as nothing thus leading to nothing else but existential horror and emotional anguish. In addition, existential nihil

Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 5

Philosophy - Essay Example America’s Visions Different continents in the world have dissimilar myths about human identity. For instance, in America, the first story is on Emergence, which states that all human being came from a different world and settled in the one they are currently living. The other world, which is the womb, is considered as the earth mother. This emergence is often referred to as giving birth. The midwife in this case is a female who is like a spider woman. In this emergence story, the male human beings are not featured anywhere. In this case, the formation of human beings is often done in dissimilar stages of growth and change. This is necessitated by inner forces in the womb, and finally the people emerge from a hole and eventually settle in their present homes. The ex nihilo story is found in many cultures, America included, which means â€Å"out of nothing†. Human identity is brought about by the thought of a creator who through his dreams and breath was able to form a hu man being. Through the creator’s bodily secretions, they believed that a being would be formed because of that. This is solely from within the creator who does not exist in the physical world. Another story is the world parent, which describes the union of two parents when they are both disjoined from one another. These two parents are referred to as the Sky and the Earth, which describes the male, and female respectively. ... East Asia In East Asia, and particularly Japan, their vision of human identity was similar to the American and Central Asian cultures. At first, there was chaos, and out of it came light that formed the sky. It later formed the earth. Both the sky and the earth formed various creations and it is at this time that the roots of two people Yang and Yin who were male and female respectively begun to grow in the sky and the earth. At this time both of them were united together and they started separating to create a man and another light brought another person who was like him and he taught him to make clothes to cover himself because he was naked. Another version is of how a bird was sent under the water to create a land inside the water where people can live. The bird then went splashing water apart with its feet at the same time creating the earth when people will live. They believe that their ancestor was a bear because of their hairy bodies. They also believe that two people a male a nd a female were sent to the earth and had a son from where they originated. Australia and the Pacific vision A vision on the Australian myths was about analyzing every animal and its features, which included why the emu has long legs, why the snake has no legs and the reason why the koala has no tail among others. They tell of the formation of the Milky Way and the migration of animals to Australia. They tell of how the first humans came into existence in the continent and how the beginning came into existence. They believed in a wondrous being that went all over the world creating trees, animals and everything in the world and lastly created human beings. African Vision In

Management Assignment(LAW) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Management Assignment(LAW) - Essay Example Charles Fried stated that persons entering into a contract are morally bound to keep it.*4 Therefore, a contract is equivalent to a written promise to deliver a service or goods in exchange for some consideration and fairness in transactions is the goal sought to be achieved in contract law. Traditional notions of laissez faire have been eschewed in modern contract law. In interpreting contracts and determining their validity, the courts have demonstrated that it is not the meaning a person actually intended to convey but what a reasonable person would have construed it as, which is referred to as the process of â€Å"objective interpretation.*5 In order that a contract be deemed valid, the parties to the contract must be clearly specified and the terms upon which the parties agree to conduct business must also be clearly laid out. In the case of Intel’s suppliers, the contract would therefore exist between Intel and the suppliers, since the engineers are in effect, acting on behalf of Intel and not as independent agents. This would however qualify as a bilateral contract since it involves the two parties: Intel via its engineers and the suppliers. In purchasing their supplies, the engineers functioning as Intel’s agents will be deemed to have made an offer for purchase of goods*6, which will not however be enforceable unless the suppliers have agreed and indicated their agreement through a written contract. An offer which is not communicated to the offerree will be deemed to be invalid or ineffective.*7 Therefore, assuming that Intel’s engineers have communicated their offer to the suppliers and there is a counter proposal made by the supplier in regard to the purchase price of the goods, this will be deemed to negate the original offer.*8 It is then up to the offerer to either agree with the counter proposal and indicate

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 122

Assignment Example Firstly, I would like to express my satisfaction with the writing of this play. Indeed, by composing it, Euripides was out to demonstrate his literary prowess. In his writing, the author effectively used the element of characterization. He made a good choice of characters that would make it much easier for him to deliver his intended message to the audience. Each of the characters was given a name and role that perfectly suits them. They include Medea, Jason, Children, Glauce, Creon, Aegeus, Messenger, Nurse and the Tutor. Each of these played a very significant role in promoting the continuity of the play and developing its themes. The interaction between the protagonist and other characters was quite impressive. The role played by characters like Medea and Jason helped in demonstrating how the Ancient Greek society was discriminative and bias towards the womenfolk. All these were clearly brought out by the manner in which the author empowered his characters. If it were not for them , the play would not have enjoyed an uninterrupted continuity. Besides, the play has adequately utilized the aspect of theme. In his composition, the author was very much concerned about a particular message he was intending to pass to his target audience. Apart from using appropriate characters to help in doing this, he chose a good setting that suits the play. Essentially, Corinth is one of the historical Greek cities that can be used to understand the Ancient Greek history by shedding more light on how the Greeks interacted amongst themselves and with their gods on the day to day basis. With characters like Medea as a protagonist, the author would not struggle to explore the themes of position of women in the society, love, pride and revenge. The theme of love was produced as a result of the love affair between Medea and Jason and later Jason and

Pros and Cons of Globalization Essay Example for Free

Pros and Cons of Globalization Essay Former CEO of Vodafone Group, Mr. Arun Sarin, at the 2009 Global Business Forum debated that there is a profound change occurring in the world today. The world is becoming more interconnected due not only to physical infrastructure but also the intellectual and software infrastructure that is being built; moreover, the way in that trade is being done today. For him, the United States is still the most powerful country in the world; however, if the country wants to have global excellence in the future, innovation is a most. Since its earliest appearance, about three decades ago, the term globalization has been used to describe a process, a condition, a system, a force, and an age. The term signifies a social condition characterized by the existence of global economic, political, cultural, and environmental interconnections and flows that make many of the currently existing borders and boundaries irrelevant. Globalization suggests dynamism best explained by the idea of change and the transformation of present conditions. In other words, globalization is an ongoing process rather than a static condition. According to Manfred Steger, author of the book: Globalization: A Very Short Introduction, globalization refers to a multidimensional set of social processes that create, multiply, stretch, and intensify worldwide social interdependencies and exchanges while at the same time fostering in people a growing awareness of deepening connections between the local and the distant. In the other hand, globalization is a complex and contradictory phenomenon that encompasses progress and degradation, opportunity and compulsion, freedom and restrictions. These countless contradictions are points of political contestation. Advantages of Globalization * Countries around the world have made the choice of establishing trade relationships with each other in order to improve their economy. Past hostile experiences were left behind, and globalization has announced an era of international peace and security. In addition, there has been propagation of democratic ideas among countries. * Countries have resolved to test free trade with some regions. Eliminating taxes, duties, and export/import quotas has allowed consumers to buy goods and services at a lower cost. * Globalization is encouraging the use of international connectivity such as the internet. Exchanging thoughts and ideas is helping interlink people around the world. * Several companies are investing in other markets providing better employment opportunities for skilled and unskilled labor all around the world. Globalization is helping in increasing the standard of living of the developing world; and at the same time is helping to reduce poverty. * Competition among different countries is leading to international innovation and quality goods. Consumers are benefited in the process because they get quality products at a cheaper rate and from a large variety available in the market. * Mutual trade has brought an understanding of the importance of protecting the environment and natural resources. Global environmental problems are being discussed. Disadvantages of Globalization * Many people from develop nations are losing jobs since corporations are outsourcing work to developing countries due to savings in cost of labor. There is a lot of pressure in the develop world; people are always under the threat of their job being outsourced. Outsourcing has resulted in unemployment. * Any sort of economic disruption in one nation will have a domino-effect on other nations that are closely related to that country in terms of trade and commerce. * Influence of local cultures and traditions will slowly start to wear down. Western ideas will impose over other cultures. * Globalization may lead to more environmental problems. A company may want to build factories in other countries because environmental laws are not as strict as they are at home. * Income distribution within countries is becoming less equal. The rich is getting richer and the poor is getting poorer. * Transnational integration and increased mobility has simultaneously strengthened and diminished the protection of individual rights and the dignity of individuals. Globalized markets have facilitated more monitoring of social conditions but have also opened up more opportunities for economic exploitation. Example of the pros and cons of globalization The Philippines is one of the countries in Asia that has been affected by the contradictions of globalization. The country is taking part in the process since it became part of the World Trade Organization in 1995. Globalization has allowed major changes in the nation like more labor, more Filipino foreign companies, high levels of education, and high per capita income. Philippines have four regions that globalization has targeted and these four are: liberalization, mobility of capital, technology, and management of organization through private and public sectors. Nevertheless, the Philippine state has failed in organizing a socioeconomic environment that would have prepared the country for global competition. Many Filipinos believe that globalization has done nothing for their country. And this is due to the poverty that has been becoming worse each year. The Philippines is still corrupt and still faces economic and political problems, therefore, the nation and its people does not trust the process of globalization. About 60% of the population lives in poverty and poverty levels are still increasing. The institutional framework of a country, its political culture and the quality of its leadership play an important role in fostering economic development and in promoting social welfare. For some, globalization can make the Philippines a better nation if the Philippine leaders get involve in allowing for more global trading and more foreign investors to the help boost the economy. And by accomplishing those goals, the Philippines should be able to reduce poverty levels. The Future of Globalization Globalization is transforming the structure of worldwide interaction and people are changing along with it. The positives aspects of globalization are becoming more significant than the negatives ones. In the long term, the world will be transformed into a more prosperous, democratic, and peaceful environment. This may means that cultural conflict and global chaos will occur in the short term but large economic growth and democratic governance will prevail in the long term. Globalization is making the way for free trade and international business. It is also improving communication around the world. The biggest advantage is that globalization has the potential to make the world a better place to live in. Globalization cannot be stopped; however, leaders should always be on the top of its spread and outcomes. Work Cited Steger, M. B. (2004). Globalization, a very short introduction. New York: Oxford University Press, USA. Retrieved from http://library.books24x7.com.dml.regis.edu/SearchResults.aspx?qdom=authorscol={all}qstr=Manfred B. Steger Hill, C. (2010). International business. (8 ed., Vol. 5). New York City NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin. Rupert, M., Solomon, S. (2006). Globalization international political economy. Rowman Littlefield Publishers INC.

The video Game Console Wars Essay Example for Free

The video Game Console Wars Essay Compare and contrast Nintendo’s marketing strategy for the Wii with Sony’s strategy for PS3. By the end of 2006, two game console industry giants, Nintendo and Sony had launched their respective new products; the Wii and PS3. Various marketing strategies were implemented by both rivals and this writing attempt to analyse common and differing elements. Similarly, both companies had a product differentiation strategy, with the aim of being distinctly set apart from their competitors by the viewing market.  However, different elements of this strategy were focused on by the firms. For instance, Nintendo differentiated via product form and design. Instead of the traditional controller where buttons are pressed, the Wii had a wireless motion-sensitive controller, which recognises the player’s arm movements. Thus, actions such as golfing, tennis and even dancing can be detected by the game. It is assumed that the rationale behind this is the fact that â€Å"new things and ways of doing things† always grab attention, whether good or bad. Thus, Nintendo’s aim would have been to gain the market’s attention and then convince them positively about the Wii. Conversely, Sony attempted to differentiate through performance quality. Heavy investment was made on a new processing chip and a laser diode, which would rev up the speed drastically and offer superior graphics quality. The video gaming industry prides itself on graphics; hence differentiating in this area may significantly increase demand. One believes however, that Nintendo’s product differentiation strategy had a stronger impact than Sony’s. This is because Sony followed the industry norm, of each new generation of machines being faster and more powerful than the preceding generation, as the case states. Thus, the market was already expecting the enhanced features, compared to the curiosity of a completely new game design by the Wii. With reference to the Ansoff Matrix framework, Nintendo implemented a marketing diversification strategy, whereby they offered a new product to new markets (in terms of untouched customer segments). Nintendo’s designers, according to the case, deliberately developed a machine that is simpler to use, since the complexity of current games appeal only to advance gamers.  This thus,  would allow market reach to a broader demographic of new segments, thereby beginning to challenge Sony’s market share dominance. For instance, males and female above and below the common age bracket of video game players may now demand the Wii. On the other hand, Sony implemented a product development strategy, by launching a new product in their existing market segment of customers, as the Ansoff theory advocates. Hence, Sony’s PS3 targeted their current customer segment for the PS2. A marketing strategy of Sony may have been to have first mover advantage, by launching in November 2006 in the United States before the Wii. Most studies indicate that the market pioneer gains the greatest advantage, however sometimes it can be risky and expensive. In Sony’s case, they would have easily been able to capitalise on the fans of the playstation and PS2 and new customers entering that market. Their downfall however was inadequate launch preparation and planning with regards to their diode technology, as mass production issues caused shortages. Thus, achieving the Christmas season’s full revenue potential was lost. Even though Nintendo was the second mover launching a month after in December, they had an international marketing launch strategy being executed. They made the Wii available in the United States, the Eurozone and United Kingdom. As a result, the benefits of being the first mover would have been gained in the Eurozone and United Kingdom. It is note d that Sony launched the PS3 four months after in Europe. Being the second to enter that market, Sony may have researched any problems Nintendo may have encountered and adjusted accordingly, for a smoother launch. Nintendo appears to have implemented a market-penetration pricing strategy. The Wii at a cost of $250 is 50% less than the 20-gigabyte PS3 (smaller hard drive machine). At this lower price, it is easier for the product to penetrate the market due to affordability in most segments. This aligns with the assumed company’s aim of maximising market share in the current and new segments. To achieve this, Nintendo ensured that the Wii was less costly to manufacture. Moreover, a higher sales volume may lead to lower unit costs and higher long run profits. Conversely, Sony is believed to have a market-skimming pricing strategy. The company invested $2 billion in technology, so this strategy aims at recovering the maximum amount of revenue to cover the high costs incurred in the early stages of the product life cycle. Additionally, S ony has a strong brand due to the success of their previous machines (PS2 and  playstation) and the high price assists in communicating the image of a superior product with quality.What is the key to the Wii’s popularity? The key facet responsible for the Wii’s popularity lies in the innovative design, which â€Å"calls to action† the player with physical movement. The writer views the wireless motion sensitive game console as a new, simple and fun method of gaming for all age groups. As a result, it may appeal not only to the traditional expert video game player like the PS3, but other individuals outside that segment. It thus makes marketing sense, if Nintendo promoted the game as a family requirement for cultivating an enjoyable, quality family time with members. It seems also a great game for various informal social events. Furthermore, since different types of games can be played, the Wii has the potential to appeal to a vast number of different market segments. For instance, The Wii Fit is an exercising game, where aerobics, yoga and other body strengthening activities can be done. Thus, the Wii Fit may have been positioned as a convenient way of losing or maintaining your weight, as it can be done in the comfort of one’s home and a more enjoyable method compared to simply following an instructor on a DVD. Likewise, sports fanatics may gravitate towards the Wii sports for the games of their interest. There also is the possibility of the Wii being used for rehabilitation after a stroke or injury, due to it body strengthen capabilities. It must be noted, that Nintendo’s international marketing strategy of launching in three distinct major areas, was a contributing factor towards the quick popularity gained. The areas were the United States, the Eurozone and the United Kingdom. This means that great strategic marketing focus had to be made on the different areas, to accommodate international cultural differences and legalities. As a result, Nintendo may have had to implement global product strategies for market adaptation in areas such as price, sales promotion, colours, labelling and advertising execution, to name a few. 3. Do you agree with Sony’s decision to incorporate a Blu-ray DVD player in the PS3. The writer agrees with the decision to incorporate a Blu-ray DVD player in the PS3.  Firstly, Sony is considered one of the market leaders in the consumer electric industry; where the brand is known for high quality and advance technology. Since the  consumer market started demanding more high definition TVs and viewing of DVD’s in high definition, it made good marketing sense to satisfy that need for high definition imagery in the video games, which ultimately reinforced the company’s brand. A â€Å"spin off† from this implementation of Blu-ray, is that the PS3 can actually be used by consumers to watch Blu-ray DVD movies, for those who may not own a Blu-ray DVD player. Thus, the value of the PS3 may increase, due to more product uses than the main function. Secondly, it was wise for Sony to include the Blu-ray DVD player in the PS3, due to their current product range developments. Sony had already launched the Blu-ray video format in their DVD players, thus the inclusion in the PS3 was a commendable and necessary marketing move, in order to keep as many products in the range up to date with the latest technological advancements. More importantly, this was a medium to push and promote the adoption of the Blu-ray in the market, reflecting strong strategic planning for profit maximisation. The draw back to the implementation however, was the issue of mass-production difficulties of the diode for the Blu-ray, resulting in shortages for the U.S holiday launch, as the case explains. Thus, it is assumed that there was a deficiency in proper operational planning and execution. This can be a critical concern with new product planning, since shortages can greatly impact forecasted revenue streams and significant opportunities may be lost. In Sony ’s situation, the launch was around the Christmas season, where many PS3s may have been gift considerations and individuals generally spend more on commodities at this time, due to Christmas bonuses and advances. Thus, Sony would not have been able to capitalise on this, due to low supply of machines. In the final analysis however, if Sony had anticipated any production issues to cause marginal temporary shortages at the launch, one is of the opinion that this is not drastic a problem enough, to decide forgoing the implementation of the Blu-ray. This is because consideration is given to the return on investment with the Blu-ray inclusion and the technological drive in the industry at large. The Blu-ray would have generated greater demand than the HD-DVD and take longer to become obsolete, thus having an extended life-span. Some industry observers have noted that the battle between HD-DVD and Blu-ray is reminiscent of the showdown between Beta and VHS videocassette  formats in the 1970s. What was the outcome? The videocassette showdown between Beta and VHS in the 1970’s mainly was a clear example of â€Å"listening and responding† to what the market wants. It began when Sony produced Bata, a video standard which had a recording time of 60 minutes. Almost one year later, JVC launched the VHS, which is another video standard that had a recording time of 120 minutes. The two videocassettes were different in size and completely incompatible. The VHS was cheaper than Beta; however the longer the recording time resulted in a degraded quality of image. The market nevertheless, wanted a longer recording time, which allowed for longer movies and football matched to be recorded. Sony held their end for more years supplying the more upscale market with the 60 minute high quality videocassettes, but eventually in the mid 80’s they had to offer videocassettes with a longer recording time to remain competitive. By then however it was too late and VHS already held dominance in the market. VHS won the battle and in 2002 the last Beta machine was produced. Sony’s mistake was not listening to what the market wants and not willing to compromise the quality to satisfy the market. The battle between HD-DVD and Blu-ray is quite similar, however this time Sony is not the defender, but the challenger. To forecast who the winner may be, the same underlying factor exists, regarding listening to the market and responding. The case explains of the continuous electronic industry’s upgrade towards high definition TVs and DVD movies. Thus, one can assume that consumers want a player which provides the greatest quality of high definition. A common element between HD-DVD and Blu-ray is that they have 1080 lines of resolution (the highest quality video playback possible) on their widescreen HDTV set, as the case shows. Thus, consumers are going to look for other factors which can determine which player provides better quality. Firstly, the fact that Sony’s Blu-ray technology is incompatible with Toshiba (assuming other rival products as well) and can only be used on Sony products, signals that Sony is trying to maintain a type of niche market, which in essence aims at guaranteeing that using Blu-ray technology on Sony products will produce the best quality. This is similar to what Apple does with their range of products. Secondly, over the years Sony has positioned and built their brand to represent â€Å"high quality† and thus brand loyalty is strong among customers in the electronic industry. Lastly, price sends  market signals and the common understanding is that high price tends to reflect high quality. The case states that Sony BDP-S1 and S300 cost $999.99 and $600 respectively, compared to Toshiba’s models ranging from $399.99 to $799.99. Thus the higher price of Sony can be assumed to have better quality. Conclusively, HD-DVD and Blu-ray battle is almost mirrored in Beta and VHS rivalry. VHS won the battle since they satisfied the market’s demand for longer recording time with the videocassette. With HD-DVD and Blu-ray, the market is assumed to want high quality on their high definition widescreen HDTVs. The writer believes that Sony with their Blu-ray technology would win the battle, given that they can reflect a better level of quality over Toshiba, through â€Å"non-1080 lines of resolution† factors.

Negative Impacts of Donald Trumps Wall

Negative Impacts of Donald Trumps Wall The Negative Repercussions of a â€Å"Yuge† Wall in America: U.S-Mexico Border Increasing border security has been an ongoing discussion in the United States for many decades, particularly in recent months since the 2016 election year. The elected president, Donald Trump, used this matter to garner supporters during his campaigning, and since elected, has still been a proponent with constructing a border wall between Mexico and the U.S. There is a notion from this perspective that with a higher and stronger border, undocumented immigration will halt and supposedly will allow America to be â€Å"great again†. The president elect initially sought for the funding of the wall to come from Mexico, nevertheless, that funding has now shifted to the U.S. Congress paying for it and claiming that Mexico in some form or another will reimburse the costs of the construction. Increasing border security through this â€Å"wall† however, will bring even greater conflicting issues such as environmental damage, increase the dangers of the lives of immigrants when a ttempting to cross, and unreasonable costs to create and sustain this wall.   The effects will negatively impact this nation’s reputation, building this wall is the wrong thing to do even though the â€Å"American thing to do† has been to increase border security. A group of people say a prayer, in Holtville, Ca. in a cemetery filled with unmarked graves of migrants who died in the desert trying to cross into the United States from Mexico.   (Photo Credit: ALEX PANETTA / THE CANADIAN PRESS) https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2016/08/28/donald-trumps-immigration-talk-faces-difficult-realities-at-mexican-border.html. Securing the Unites States border between Mexico has been a developing matter through history since the Treaty of Guadalupe was signed in 1848 that allowed the acquisition of new territory and the Rio Bravo becoming the political border line between these two countries. Movement through this border has always been present, shifting in its increase due to economic hardships whether in Mexico or United States such as the bracero program where the U.S. requested help from Mexican farmers to work their lands due to shortage of labor because of their involvement in World War II [1]. However, Mexican immigration did not end once the war was done. President Eisenhower administration executed the Operation Wetback, â€Å"a governmental campaign that forcibly repatriated 1 to 2 million Mexicans [whether undocumented or not]†[2]. Despite the force, immigration from Mexico and Central America has yet continued. Before the 1990’s, immigration crossings in the U.S – Mexico border had waves coming in through urban crossing points such as El Paso – Ciudad Juarez, San Diego – Tijuana, McAllen – Reynosa, etc. Nonetheless, the United States government implemented fence-buildings, closing off these urban crossings points, influencing a change of routes into dangerous points such as Arizona’s desert[3]. With putting up barriers at these points, â€Å"deaths in the border region have increased nearly 150% as migrants enter through more remote and rugged terrain† in the last decade and half [4]. Dead bodies of unknown immigrants have been found throughout these harsh geographic areas. As depicted in the picture, these graves show the sacrifice these immigrants will put their lives in[5]. The construction of this proposed wall, will unquestionably further the risks that immigrants will challenge when trying to cross to the United States, still placing themselves through deserts, underground tunnels, and even sea. These environmental situations have been counterproductive to the â€Å"securing†, alternatively, creating inhumane barriers for immigrants whose goal is to have a better life on the other side of the border. The proposed wall not only will create needless dangers to humans crossing attempts, but an environmental effect for the flora and fauna found and living in this region.   Wildlife had not been thought through when these fences were implemented having to only take account humans as the focus for these constructions, being â€Å"motivated by security concerns that are considered paramount over most other considerations†[6]. Since the border fences and security of the 1990’s, immigration crossings did not decrease but rather shifted from urban areas to the remote areas where the ecology is most concentrated[7]. Research has shown that the fence border that is suited between Mexico and the United States has indeed â€Å"disrupted movements and distribution of [for instance], animals such as the ferruginous pygmy owl and bighorn sheep and could isolate small populations of large mammals in Arizona, including black bears and pumas†[8]. By building the wall, it will disrupt evermore the ecology, inhibiting wildlife to move naturally within its natural habitat[9]. Environmental activists and communities have been vocal over the repercussions that the wall will bring to the environment and the dangers that the threatened and endangered species will have to face from this development. Species such as the ocelot and jaguarondi (wild cats) that â€Å"are tropical species at the northern limit of their natural habitat range, the barrier would †¦certainly expedite the disappearance of these species from the U.S.†[10]. However, the Trump administration has ignored these environmental consequences in recent news. Even so this avoidance has been seen during the early 2000’s, where â€Å"federal legislation adopted [to sideline] all environmental laws such as the Endangered Species Act† for the sake of not disrupting the â€Å"construction of the barriers†[11]. Protecting the environment and preserving species in their natural habitats allows for the ecosystem to flow accordingly, if disrupted, humans will be effected since they’re dependent as well to these natural habitats. It would be selfish and vicious for humans who coexist with these variety of species to construct an artificial border that will knowingly harm them.   Photo of alleged smuggler transporting a Central American family to along the border near Mission, Texas in July 2014, Photo Credit by: John Moore/Getty Images http://latinousa.org/2014/09/12/smugglers/. The wall project that will stretch 2,000 miles will evidently create more damage but as well be costly and ineffective[12]. $21.6 billion has been a recent cost projection for the construction, with perhaps putting the United States into more debt[13]. This billion-dollar wall will not stop undocumented immigration since those who enter the United States come in with visa and outstay their visit, [outnumbering] those who cross the border without permission[14]. This gives an example of the forthcoming ineffectiveness of this wall that these billions of dollars will go into when comparing it to today’s border fence that hasn’t necessarily stopped undocumented immigrants from coming from the south of the border. Another matter as well, as Josiah McC Heyman explains in their journal, â€Å"human smugglers have apparently kept ahead of the government, despite the post-1993 tactical shifts, added technology, and the buildup of forces†[15]. Such as the picture above, t hese human smugglers or coyotes as they have been named as, have found ways in the last two decades with smuggling unauthorized immigrants into the United States, despite the increase of money and labor that has been put for the â€Å"securing† of the U.S. – Mexico border since its construction in 1993[16]. Immigrant individuals or families will give thousands of dollars to these coyotes to sneak them across the border, putting their lives into these individuals’ hands for a better life than the one they had in their home country.   In addition, patrolling the extent of this 2,000-mile border wall will need additional border patrol agents. The Trump Administration is considering hiring another 5,000 agents, significantly increasing their budget to hire, train and maintain these agents, with an estimate of $328 million for 2017 and 1.884 billion dollars for the year of 2018[17]. Hiring these much personnel will not come easy, these patrol agent applicants must go through extensive training and tough exams where hiring them can take about seven months[18]. With shortening and easing the processes, however, could do more harm than good since they will not have the adequate training to patrol rough and dangerous terrain. Thus, building this wall as Trump has been consistently vocal about doing will only bring predicaments to the United States economic condition, since this proposed funding will not bring much triumph with stopping undocumented immigrants from coming into the country. With this wall, it would only reflect irrational money waste to the eyes of the national and international public, disregarding other departments such as education and health that would most benefit and outweigh the 20-billion-dollar funding for the greater future of the country. Most undocumented immigrants who are coming from Mexico, Central America and other South American countries are trying to flee either poverty or violence or even both. It is human nature for people to want to push forward with their lives to seek a better future for themselves and/or families even if it means putting their lives at risk for days in the harsh terrain that this border is located at. Building this massive wall will not stop immigrants from trying to go over, under, or around it, but rather do more harm to the environment, economy and people. The â€Å"American Thing Do† has been to spend billions of dollars to not necessarily â€Å"secure† our border, but rather to stop people from seeking the American Dream. This nation has been built by immigrants and no shape and form will people stop immigrating to this melting pot of a nation. It is in the nation’s interests to change its perspective on immigration, a comprehensive immigration reform and assist ance to these underdeveloped countries would do more justice for its self and other countries. Bibliography â€Å"Coyotes: Ten Things to About Smugglers.† September 12, 2014. http://latinousa.org/2014/09/12/smugglers/. Cohen, Deborah. Braceros: migrant citizens and transnational subjects in the postwar United States and Mexico. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina., 2011. Dear, Michael J. Why Walls Won’t Work: Repairing the US-Mexico Divide. New York: Oxford University Press., 2013. Donald Trump’s immigration talk faces difficult realities at Mexican border.† August 28, 2016. https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2016/08/28/donald-trumps-immigration-talk-faces-difficult-realities-at-mexican-border.html. Eriksson, Lindsay, and Melinda Taylor. â€Å"Impacts of the Border Wall Between Texas and Mexico.† TW Wall, Obstructing Human Rights: The Texas-Mexico Border Wall, (2008): 1-10. https://law.utexas.edu/humanrights/borderwall/analysis/briefing-The-Environmental-Impacts-of-the-Border-Wall.pdf. Gaskill, Melissa. â€Å"The Environment Impact of the U.S.-Mexico Border Wall: In the Rio Grande Valley, the barrier erected to keep out illegal immigrants is imperiling rare and endangered animal species.† Newsweek 166, no. 8 (February 26, 2016): 54-56. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, EBSCOhost. http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.libproxy.txstate.edu/eds/detail/detail?vid=1&sid=e9e51cd2e42c448e88d8cc5ac3624520%40sessionmgr4006&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#AN=edsgcl.443631894&db=edsgov. Gulasekaram, Pratheepan. â€Å"Why a Wall?.† UC Irvine L. Rev 2, no. 1(February 2012): 147-192. http://scholarship.law.uci.edu/ucilr/vol2/iss1/6/. Heyman, Josiah McC. â€Å"Constructing a Virtual Wall: Race and Citizenship in U.S.-Mexico Border Policing.† Journal of the Southwest 50, no. 3 (2008): 305-334. JSTOR Journals, EBSCOhost. http://www.jstor.org.libproxy.txstate.edu/stable/pdf/40170393.pdf?refreqid=excelsior:03dcbf2cfb793281ef5abf676db8e150. Hong, Kari. â€Å"The Costs of Trumped-Up Immigration Enforcement Measures.† Cardoza Law Review De Novo 2017, no. 119 (January 2017): 121-154. LexisNexis Academic: Law Reviews, EBSCOhost.   http://www.lexisnexis.com.libproxy.txstate.edu/hottopics/lnacademic/?verb=sr&csi=270077&sr=cite%282017%20Cardozo%20L.%20Rev.%20De%20Novo%20119%29. Hudak, John J., E. Kamarck, and C. Steinglein. â€Å"Hitting the wall: On immigration, campaign promises clash with policy realities.† Brookings (2017): 1-18. https://www.brookings.edu/wpcontent/uploads/2017/06/gs_06222017_dhs_immigration.pdf. Trouwborst, A., F. Fleurke, and J. Dubrulle. â€Å"Border Fences and their Impacts on Large Carnivores, Large Herbivores and Biodiversity: An International Wildlife Law Perspective.† Review of European, Comparative and International Environmental Law 25, no. 3 (November 1, 2016): 291-306. Scopus ®, EBSCOhost. http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.libproxy.txstate.edu/eds/detail/detail?vid=5&sid=a2835830314f4f338fb9f1660a8db1ff%40sessionmgr103&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#AN=edselc.2-52.0-84994893895&db=edselc.   Warren, Robert, and Donald Kerwin. â€Å"The 2,000 Mile Wall in Search of a Purpose: Since 2007 Visa Overstays Have Outnumbered Undocumented Border Crossers by a half a Million.† Journal on Migration & Human Security 5, no. 1 (January 2017): 124-136. International Security and Counter Terrorism Reference Center, EBSCOhost. http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.libproxy.txstate.edu/eds/detail/detail?vid=4sid=85afe9ae40a84fbbb240e5d3e1b4af09%40sessionmgr4006bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#db=tshAN=125223798. [1] Deborah Cohen, Braceros: migrant citizens and transnational subjects in the postwar United States and Mexico (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press., 2011): 1 [2] Ibid., 42. [3] Michael J Dear, Why Walls Won’t Work: Repairing the US-Mexico Divide (New York: Oxford University Press., 2013), 73. [4] Pratheepan Gulasekaram, â€Å"Why a Wall?,† UC Irvine L. Rev 2, no. 1(February 2012): 155, http://scholarship.law.uci.edu/ucilr/vol2/iss1/6/. [5] â€Å"Donald Trump’s immigration talk faces difficult realities at Mexican border,† August. 28, 2016, https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2016/08/28/donald-trumps-immigration-talk-faces-difficult-realities-at-mexican-border.html. [6] Arie Truwborst, Floor Fleurke and Jennifer Dubrulle, â€Å"Border Fences and their Impacts on Large Carnivores, Large Herbivores and Biodiversity: An International Wildlife Law Perspective,† Review of European, Comparative And International Environmental Law 25, no. 3 (November 1, 2016): 292, Scopus ®, EBSCOhost, http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.libproxy.txstate.edu/eds/detail/detail?vid=5&sid=a2835830-314f-4f33-8fb9-f1660a8db1ff%40sessionmgr103&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#AN=edselc.2-52.0-84994893895&db=edselc.   [7] Lindsay Eriksson and Melinda Taylor, â€Å"The Environmental Impacts of the Border Wall Between Texas and Mexico,† TW Wall, Obstructing Human Rights: The Texas-Mexico Border Wall, (2008): 8, https://law.utexas.edu/humanrights/borderwall/analysis/briefing-The-Environmental-Impacts-of-the-Border-Wall.pdf. [8] Melissa Gaskill, â€Å"The Environment Impact of the U.S.-Mexico Border Wall: In the Rio Grande Valley, the barrier erected to keep out illegal immigrants is imperiling rare and endangered animal species,† Newsweek 166, no. 8 (February 26 2016): 55, Opposing Viewpoints in Context, EBSCOhost, http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.libproxy.txstate.edu/eds/detail/detail?vid=1&sid=e9e51cd2-e42c-448e-88d8-cc5ac3624520%40sessionmgr4006&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#AN=edsgcl.443631894&db=edsgov. [9] Ibid., 55. [10] Eriksson and Taylor, â€Å"The Environmental Impacts,† 6. [11] Truwborst, Fleurke and Dubrulle, â€Å"Border Fences and their Impacts,† 292. [12] Robert Warren and Donald Kerwin, â€Å"The 2,000 Mile Wall in Search of a Purpose: Since 2007 Visa Overstays Have Outnumbered Undocumented Border Crossers by a half a Million,† Journal on Migration & Human Security 5, no. 1 (January 2017): 124-126, International Security and Counter Terrorism Reference Center, EBSCOhost, http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.libproxy.txstate.edu/eds/detail/detail?vid=4&sid=85afe9ae-40a8-4fbb-b240-e5d3e1b4af09%40sessionmgr4006&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#db=tsh&AN=125223798. [13] Ibid., 124. [14] Kari Hong, â€Å"The Costs of Trumped-Up Immigration Enforcement Measures,† Cardoza Law Review De Novo 2017, no. 119 (January 2017): 140, LexisNexis Academic: Law Reviews, EBSCOhost, http://www.lexisnexis.com.libproxy.txstate.edu/hottopics/lnacademic/?verb=sr&csi=270077&sr=cite%282017%20Cardozo%20L.%20Rev.%20De%20Novo%20119%29. [15] Josiah McC. Heyman, â€Å"Constructing a Virtual Wall: Race and Citizenship in U.S.-Mexico Border Policing,† Journal of the Southwest 50, no. 3 (2008): 316, JSTOR Journals, EBSCOhost, http://www.jstor.org.libproxy.txstate.edu/stable/pdf/40170393.pdf?refreqid=excelsior:03dcbf2cfb793281ef5abf676db8e150. [16] â€Å"Coyotes: Ten Things to About Smugglers,† September 12, 2014, http://latinousa.org/2014/09/12/smugglers/. [17] John J. Hudak, Elaine C. Kamarck, and Christian, Stenglein, â€Å"Hitting the wall: On immigration, campaign promises clash with policy realities,† Brookings (2017): 8-9, https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/gs_06222017_dhs_immigration.pdf. [18] Ibid., 8.

Deir El Medina Speech. -- essays research papers

Good morning/afternoon class, Deir el-Medina is one of Egypt's archaeological gems. Located in a little valley on the west bank across from Luxor are the well-preserved foundations of a village that was used for about 500 years during the New Kingdom. Its inhabitants included the workmen and artisans who constructed the New Kingdom royal tombs in the nearby Valley of the Kings. The name Deir el-Medina comes from the Arabic meaning "monastery of the town" because of the presence of a Ptolemaic temple nearby which was once used as a Coptic monastery. I have chosen to speak to you about the architecture in deir el medina. By its final stage approximately 70 houses stood within the village walls and 50 outside. Perhaps 600 people lived here by then. A wall surrounded the village approximately six meters high built of mud-brick. Gates were located at each end. The villages of Deir El Medina made up a special government department under the vizier of Upper Egypt, and were a select largely hereditary group of scribes, quarrymen, stonemasons, artisans, and labourers, who created the final resting place for their divine rulers. Most of the houses in Deir El Medina were built in a standard elongated design, 15 by 5 meters. They had rubble bases and mud brick structures, and shared walls like today’s terrace housing. Each of these houses would have the following features. Down several steps from the street was an entrance room, with niches for offerings, stelae and busts...

Nietzsche y el Cristianismo :: Spanish Essays

Nietzsche y el Cristianismo "2. El mundo verdadero, inasequible por ahora, pero prometido al sabio, al piadoso, al virtuoso ( «al pecador que hace penitencia »). (Progreso de la Idea: à ©sta se vuelve mà ¡s sutil, mà ¡s capciosa, mà ¡s inaprensible, -se convierte en una mujer [sie wird Weib], se hace cristiana...)". (1) El segundo movimiento de la conocida  «Historia de un error » del Crepà ºsculo de los à ­dolos es el texto que abre el espacio de nuestra reflexià ³n. Alrededor de à ©l, en su proximidad, otros textos se inscriben en esta misma là ­nea que pone los tà ©rminos  «mujer » y  «cristianismo » uno al lado del otro. Los temas son plurales y complejos, incluso en su anà ¡lisis independiente:  «Nietzsche y la mujer »;  «Nietzsche y el cristianismo ». Ambos recorren el camino entero del pensar del filà ³sofo; ambos pueden ser leà ­dos bajo la à ³ptica de la propuesta de un nuevo modo de pensar y hacer filosofà ­a. Cuanto menos permanece la pregunta, tambià ©n en relacià ³n con el primer problema. Nuestro propà ³sito en esta contribucià ³n es, sin embargo, sencillo y modesto. Consiste en ofrecer algunas notas alrededor del texto puesto delante y de los que con à ©l relacionamos, en el ensayo de alimentar el terreno de un debate. El relato de la  «Historia de un error » es cà ©lebre por ser una de las fabulaciones de Nietzsche mà ¡s atendidas por la crà ­tica, especialmente dentro del à ¡mbito de anà ¡lisis de la peculiar visià ³n del filà ³sofo de la historia de la filosofà ­a y de la cuestià ³n consiguiente del lugar que ocupa su propio pensamiento en la tradicià ³n metafà ­sica. La lectura de Heidegger subrayà ³ la importancia del fragmento sobre todo cuando se busca en Nietzsche un pensar mà ¡s allà ¡ de la mera inversià ³n del platonismo. (2) Mas, lo significativo para nuestro tema es cà ³mo, aun transcribiendo por entero el segundo momento del devenir de la  «idea », Heidegger omite todo comentario sobre la frase destacada por Nietzsche: "se convierte en una mujer". (3) Derrida hace notar la ausencia heideggeriana y construye su texto repensando lo no-pensado,  «la mujer » de Nietzsche. (4) Aunque no podemos aquà ­ reconstruir su anà ¡lisis, sà ­ queremos reconocerle nuest ra deuda, y destacar la nueva orientacià ³n que ha ofrecido a la historia de las interpretaciones del texto. Derrida anuncia: "No hay una mujer, una verdad en sà ­ de la mujer en sà ­"; (5) libera la mirada hacia el reconocimiento de la variada tipologà ­a presente en la obra de Nietzsche. En este caso, en la  «Historia de un error », la mujer como potencia  «castradora », en cuanto figura del cristianismo y del momento de la distancia de la verdad dogmà ¡tica, se opone a la instancia afirmativa de la  «mujer-vida ».

Race for the Super Bomb :: essays research papers

Race For The Super Bomb In 1945, America terrified the world by using the Atom Bomb in Hiroshima and later in Nagasaki. This fear of the most powerful weapon ever created started a cold war between America and Russia. These two great nations had started the race for the super bomb, which would have each country trying to out do the other for decades to come. The super bomb in which America and Russia were trying to build was in fact the Hydrogen Bomb. This bomb had an unlimited blast potential and for the country who possessed it unlimited power. The A-bomb’s explosion was based on the principal of fission (the splitting of atoms), however the H-bomb’s explosion was base on fusion (the coming together of atoms). In August of 1945 Russian President Stalin, turns up the nuclear project in Russia. He put Barria whom was in charge of the secret police, to head the Russian Nuclear program. An American scientist named Edward Teller solicited the American government to build the H-bomb. He was born in Hungary and had learned to fear the communists and the Russians. In April of 1946 the Super Conference was held. Klaus Fuchs was a scientist that worked for Teller at Los Alamos, he told the Russians how to build the A-bomb, and also about Tellers ideas of the H-bomb. He was arrested for spying for the Russians. By chance the America ns found out that there were traces of radioactive material in the air over Russia. They pieced together that Russia had the A-bomb they decided to go ahead with plans to build the super bomb. President Truman came to the conclusion that no matter how bad of a weapon the H-bomb was if was better if we had if first. America had lost some of its power and wanted to gain a new edge. General Curtis Lamay was put in charge of Strategic Air Command to protect America from the threat of nuclear war. Lamay was the ranking Air Force General over the Skies of the pacific and was the man for the job. His strategy was to have an abundant amount of bombers ready to strike every major city in the Soviet Union. He wanted everyone in the Army and Air Force to act as if war was not far away. The first H-bomb was detonated with the force of ten megatons, more that several hundred times the power of the A-bomb.

Gender Roles in North and South

Tierney Deggelman Morrissey Engl 209 October 1, 2012 Gender Roles in North and South It is no surprise that the novel North and South is one that frequently employs the literary style of placing two entities in juxtaposition as the very title coincides with the idea of comparison. Similarly, the chapter headings often mirror this literary style: â€Å"Masters and Men,† â€Å"Likes and Dislikes,† â€Å"Roses and Thorns†. The most significant of these comparisons is masculinity and femininity.Through the development of the novels female heroine Margaret Hale and through John Thornton’s perspectives of her, Emily Gaskell is in essence taking a stand against gender stereotypes and highlighting the underestimated value of female empowerment in Victorian society. Throughout the novel Margaret Hale proves herself to be a strong, outspoken, capable and irrepressible spirit. These descriptions of Margaret however were more likely to be attributed to men in this tim e, as they were viewed as the superior gender. Gaskell describes Margaret as â€Å"full of a soft feminine defiance, always giving strangers the impression of haughtinessâ€Å" (58).In attempts to draw attention to the fact that Margaret is out of the ordinary with a personality unlike most women of her time, Gaskell incorporates Mr. Thornton’s first impressions of her as well. â€Å"He almost said to himself he did not like her, before their conversation ended; he tried so to compensate himself for the mortified feeling, that while he looked upon her with an admiration he could not repress† (59). This passage is significant because it shows the discontent Thornton feels due to Margaret’s reluctance to conform to stereotypes of femininity.However, even with feelings of discontent, Thornton looks at her with admiration showing he cannot help but be captivated with her strong-minded manner. Perhaps this is Gaskell’s way of showing us that if breaking gend er stereotypes can be admired by a high class powerful man such as Thornton, then why cant it be admired by society as a whole? Another instance where Margaret demonstrates her unusual strength is in regards to her mother’s illness. When she finds out her mother is dying she decides to keep it from her father as she says, â€Å"He will not bear it as I can† (119).The instant she convinces the doctor to reveal the severity of her mothers illness marks the moment she takes on the role of authoritative figure in her family. The authoritative position in a family would again usually belong to a man but Margaret claims her father could not handle it and that she will have to step forward. Margaret’s strength through her mothers illness, taking power over her father is yet another characteristic of hers that’s advocates female empowerment. This is reinstated in the actual event of her mother’s death. Her eyes were continually blinded by tears, but she ha d no time to give way to regular crying. The father and brother depended upon her; while they were giving way to grief, she must be working, planning, considering† (230). This quote depicts Margaret acting as backbone for the family. She has allowed her family members to look to her for stability, which is extremely rare in a time where women were viewed as delicate. The most memorable demonstration of Margaret’s character is in the event of the strike when she comes outside of the Thornton household and steps in front of John Thornton.Margaret puts herself in a spot of grave danger in between Mr. Thornton and the strikers who are described as beastly, animalistic creatures who have lost all traces of their previous humanity. The stepping in front of Mr. Thornton symbolizes the crossing of his masculinity. In essence she is stating herself more masculine than Thornton by doing so. The irony of this situation is as she is preceding his masculinity, the very thing she ban ks on not getting hurt is gender. She thinks that as a woman she will not be subjected to any violence delivered by man.Margaret’s attitude toward her mother’s death and her approach to confronting the strikers shows her strong and brave character. Such character that contradicts the social norms of gender roles is attributed to the female protagonist in attempts to convey the author’s values of female empowerment. The fact that Mr. Thornton is not oppressive toward women instead attracted to Margaret’s challenging nature marks Gaskell’s attempt at getting readers to believe that women can be just as strong as their male complements despite what society says.

Pakistani Food Essay

As I exited the car, I could smell the fragrant chicken being cooked on barbeque like pits. I could see the smoke rise up into the sky. As we arrived to our seat, I thought to myself, ‘This place looks ghetto! ‘ Yes, the food smelt good, but being outside and eating on dirty tables, which stood on top of dirt, didn’t help my appetite. This made me sort of nervous about my first meal out in Pakistan. All this time, I remembered my cousin telling me to watch out because I was a foreigner and my stomach would take time to adjust to the different style of food. The waiter finally came around holding 6 glasses of water in one hand; it was truly a site to see. I noticed when he came that he didn’t bring a menu. My uncle asked him what was on the menu, immediately; he started reciting the whole menu. I was surprised. This was sort of unorthodox, but I went along and questioned him about the food with my excellent ability to speak Urdu (the common language in Pakistan). Well my uncle asked around to what each of us wanted. I finally decided on the Chicken Tikka, Seekh Kabob, and taking my uncles suggestion I tried Kata Kat. I could see flies swarming above me as I sat and waited for everyone to finish their order. Me and my cousin decided to walk around and see how they cooked the food. Kata kat is a very interesting dish. This was the first time I had actually seen it being made. Since this ‘restaurant’ is outdoors, and they cook all the food right in front of you, and it is customizable to your tastes. First they add the meat (though later I found out it’s not really meat, but all the organs including liver, kidney, brain, heart†¦) to a large hot pan. The oil is poured on with hesitation. Kata kat is not made for those who have cholesterol or heart problems. There is no fat free version to it. The steam is flowing from the meat, and the fire is crackling underneath. The cook throws the spices and herbs on, I’m surprised to see that no measuring cups are using. Only authentic and real herbs are used, no glass bottles with herb powder, only the real stuff. He feels the amount of spices needed, so each meal is essentially different then the previous. He brings out two small knife-life objects. These objects are special knives, which are used only in making Kata Kat. These knives are different than normal knives; the sharp edges are on the bottom of the knife, not the side. These knives are used vertically to hit and cut the meat and side-to-side to move and mix the meat. The cook begins to bang on the pan, first with the right, then with the left, creating a loud noise. This is where the name Kata Kat comes from, because hitting on the meat creates such a noise. He continues on making the racket smashing the bits and pieces of the meat into smaller and smaller pieces. The cook adds more spices to the mix; I can now see the sweat come down his face. The steam is right in his face, yet he does not back down. Tomatoes, ginger, and more spices are now added to the pan, now everything is stirred together; mixing, grinding and flavoring the ‘meat. ‘ The air is now filled with aromatic smells of different herbs and spices. The meal is almost ready, and I could hardly wait. The meal finally came. It was sizzling hot. I poured some coke in my cup and was ready to go. I could see the juices flowing from the food. I grabbed the bowl with had the Kata Kat in it and brought it toward my plate. I put 3 spoonfuls of it into my plate. I tore a piece of the bread that lay near me and dug into the food. As I brought the food closer to my mouth I could smell the blends of spices. When the Kata Kat touched my tongue, the flavors were unleashed. It slithered down my throat leaving me gasping for water. This stuff was spicier than I had thought. I immediately grabbed the coke and chugged it down. Being 10 years old at the time and not realizing that the coke actually makes it worse, I learned the hard way. I now looked quickly for a jug of water. I saw some at the end of the table and sprinted down. I took the jug and started chugging the water down. After I was able to extinguish the fire in my mouth, I looked up and saw everyone looking at me. They all began to laugh. That night, everyone joked about how I couldn’t handle the Pakistani ‘heat’.

Good to Great †by Jim Collins Essay

I found my reading of Good To Great by Jim Collins very informative and even entertaining. It is interesting to me his concepts and perceptions and how although when you read them they seem rather elementary and obvious, Mr. Collins is indeed an outside the box thinker/writer and it is because of his ease of explaining his concepts that the message simply comes across as easy. The main idea that is presented in this book is that â€Å"Good is the Enemy of Great. † At first glance I had to re-read the statement to make sure I understood it correctly. My immediate response was to understand it as all too often people, and business decision makers, have a simple goal of being good at what they do. Mr. Collins and his research team were able to whittle that idea down to a handful of concepts that although many have the perception are good, but don’t clarify their exact goals of greatness. The first concept of Good To Great was Level 5 Leadership. Companies may have great product, great sales, great marketing, etc. but what makes them better than Good? What makes takes them to the Great level? Their Leadership. During the research of this book Mr.  Collins and his team identified multiple characteristics these leaders had that lead their company above and beyond just the Good status. Of these the common factor I understood was that of humility and giving credit to his surrounding personnel. Keeping the focus off of â€Å"look what I did† but rather keeping the focus off them, but at the same time taking responsibility for the mistakes of the company as a whole that they were in charge of looking after. These personalities also showed a great level of commitment and loyalty to their companies and tended to have been promoted from within. Thus having a firm understanding of the culture of the company and knowing a long term goal of the company. Secondly the book introduced the concept of â€Å"First Who, Then What†. I related this concept to the phrase â€Å"Trimming The Fat†. Great leaders realize that if you’re only as good as your support, than you better get the right support in the right places. The Level 5 Leader would have to find those that could lead as well. If you have the right thinkers and decision makers in the right positions, then the â€Å"what† could be figured out. By having the right decision makers from the get go then the goal was already on its way to Great. By doing so you are training your supports to eventually be capable to take your place and instilling a long term succession of the company’s goals for great. The next concept given was Confront the Brutal Facts With Unwavering Faith. Expanding on having placed the right â€Å"Who† where it was most beneficial, it is equally important to stay focused no matter the difficult time. The chapter focused on sticking to your guns, having faith in your company, and seeing the obstacle though. This again focused on loyalty to the company. As time goes on and the tough time regains it’s momentum back into the right direction, Problem solving starts with asking the right questions. It’s more proactive to take control of our future than being reactive and leaving the destiny up to chance. Companies that were able to make it through the ups and downs of success on their way to Great. Another aspect was for these decision makers to be honest with them and be willing a capable of confronting the hard questions that perhaps they didn’t want the answer to. But, faced the brutal facts head on. Fourth is the â€Å"Hedgehog Concept†. This was probably my favorite concept and I think will be the most important lesson I will take and use in my career path. The comparison was stated, â€Å"The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing†. I think all too often it gets confused that if you’re in charge and making decisions you have to be the most knowledgeable person in that area. Remember though, especially in the totality of the emphasis of this book, you are not alone. In the chapter, Mr. Collins worded his idea this way, â€Å"The Hedgehog Concept is a turning point in the journey from good to great. It typically takes the right people willing to address the brutal facts over an extended period of time to get to the deep understanding of a Hedgehog Concept. What a great statement. It shows the level of determination, loyalty, and staying focused that you realize your true One thing. Then you expand on that One thing. It will set you apart from the field and past the Good threshold into the level of Great! â€Å"Culture of Discipline† was the next concept. One again focusing on hard work and staying focused on your goal of surpassing into the Great realm and not just staying there but forever raising the bar. Mr. Collins focused on the idea the in this sense discipline as a system. It involves the company in it’s entirety and making sure the companies â€Å"culture is filled with people committed to discipline in keeping to the standards. Each of these concepts builds on the one before it and this one is no different. Staying true to his â€Å"Hedgehog Concept† Mr. Collins also introduces his â€Å"Three Circles† concept. By focusing on keeping a Discipline in the company, it will help keep those involved with their eye on the prize of being able to find that one thing to be great at and to stay on top. Technology Accelerator was the idea to not let technology become a crutch of sorts. Technology is like any other tool and if used properly it will assist you in your success and getting here faster or with ease. Again, building on the concept before it also emphasizes to stay with your Hedgehog circles and keeping focused on them. Technology will not make you the best or most disciplined. It is a tool and should be used to accelerate your momentum into the right direction of your company’s goals, not be the creator of the momentum. Lastly â€Å"Flywheel and Doom Loop† was used to follow up. It’s a focus on being able to identify any and all aspects that take you away from the previous concepts. You should always be looking for ways to improve and stay ahead of the pack. The world of business is ever changing which keeps the bar separating Good from Great ever moving as well. Complacency is a â€Å"Good† trait. Having a system of check and balance working together with a cleaning house mentality will help to keep your company above that bar.

Vacant Chapter 3 Involved

â€Å"I can't tell you how much I appreciate this, Ethan.† She's wrapped tightly in one of my towels, and I feel a†¦ stirring. I wonder if she understands she's half-naked in front of a stranger. I try not to be obvious in my perusal of her form; her body is small, but her tits are high, round, and a little large for her frame, though no complaints. I briefly wonder what her nipples look like, and lick my lips but catch myself before my ogling turns creepy. â€Å"It's no problem,† I answer hastily, refusing to look further at her. I stop short before making my next statement. No matter how much I tell myself to mind my own business, I can't seem to help dispensing advice. â€Å"You know, you can't live without utilities, Emily.† I wonder where this girl comes from that she thinks living with no water or electricity isn't a problem; my level of concern is now elevated a notch or two. â€Å"I know, but – † she stops herself. â€Å"Yeah, I know.† I have this feeling that there's something off here, and I can't ignore the fact she seems to be without essentials. â€Å"I typically shower in the morning, so if you want to come over at night and shower until you get the utilities turned on, that's cool.† I turn away, wanting to give her privacy to dress because she needs to get dressed; I need her to get dressed. â€Å"So like, what do you do all day?† I can hear the snap of the elastic on her panties against her hip as she finishes putting them on. Shit, these duplex units are too small! Or is my hearing that good? I can't help the thoughts that run through my head. Thinking about her body is a complication I do not need or want. However, chiding myself doesn't stop me from picturing the slight curve of her hips, her shapely thighs, or perfectly muscled backside. â€Å"I go to work,† I snap, feeling guilty. Seconds later, her voice is right behind me. â€Å"Oh yeah? Where do you work?† Her tone is light and her remark impulsive. â€Å"I need to get a job.† I turn so we're face to face and she can see my eyes. Sometimes, emotion seeps out through the eyes. I don't want her to see any vulnerability in mine. Once you're seen as weak, people are quick to take advantage. â€Å"I work down at the grocery store.† She smiles and looks down. She doesn't want me to see her eyes. â€Å"That's really close, so I could walk there. You think they're hiring?† â€Å"Don't know.† I have to keep it uncomplicated. Expanding on my answers will only lead to pulging more than I intend to offer. We stare at each other for a few more seconds before I break the silence. â€Å"Well, I – â€Å" â€Å"Oh gosh, I'm sorry. I've done it again. You must have to get ready for your day. I come barging in here and ruin your routine!† â€Å"It's fine; I just have to take a cold shower before work.† The words are heavy in the air. They aren't meant as they sound as I'm sure she's used all the hot water in the small hot water tank, but after thinking about her showering and changing in my bathroom, perhaps a cold shower for another reason isn't a bad idea. â€Å"Yeah, okay. I'll see you later.† Great†¦ now, she thinks I'm a pervert. I don't see her for two days. . . And for 48 hours, I worry. – Don't get involved. Keep things simple. Take care of yourself! DAMN IT! It's 10 p.m., and I can't stand it anymore. I know something isn't right. No utilities, no furniture, wears the same clothes, and I can hear her. I hear the sobbing every night through the thin-ass sheetrock. â€Å"Emily,† I say in a slightly raised voice. Fucking non-existent walls. â€Å"Yeah?† she sniffles. â€Å"Can I come over?† The pause seems to go on forever before she answers. It's a â€Å"yes† mingled with sobs. Don't get involved. Keep things simple. Take care of yourself! It's too late. . . I sit on the edge of her mattress not knowing what to do. â€Å"Thanks for coming over. Nights†¦they're the hardest.† â€Å"Emily? What's going on? Tell me the truth. I'm not going to rat you out or anything.† I chance a look at her face and the fear is evident. I refuse to focus on her in her thread bare tank and panties. â€Å"You're not renting this place, are you?† I surmise aloud. I think I've known this for some time but just didn't want to admit it. Admitting it makes it real. Making it real means I'm stuck; I can't walk away now, realizing what I know. â€Å"Please! Please don't tell anyone!† She's frantic, on the edge of mania. I scoot closer in hopes of easing her. Not too long after I moved into my first group home, the baseball my father gave me when I was seven, got stolen. It was one of the few personal items I owned. A staff from the group home tried to comfort me when I discovered it was missing by hugging me and patting my hair. I attempt to mimic the same gestures for Emily, because it's the only comfort I know. She clings to me like a lost swimmer gripping a buoy in an endless sea. Finally, she quiets and the knot in my stomach comes back. I know I have to find out what's really going on. I need to press her for more information since it seems I'm intent on helping her. â€Å"Tell me.†