The Return: Shadow Souls Chapter 38

â€Å"Talon! Uh – heel!† Elena shouted and began to race as fast as she could to get out of the room. This was strategy. Would the owl become even smaller so as to get through the door or would it destroy its sanctuary in order to stay on top of Elena? It was a good strategy, but it didn't amount to much in the end. The owl shrank to dart through the door, and then resumed gigantic size to attack Elena as she ran down the stairs. Yes, ran. With all of her Power channeled to her eyes, Elena leaped from step to step as Damon had before. Now there was no time for fear, no time for thinking. There was only time to turn over in her fingers a small, hard, crescent-shaped object. Shinichi and Misao – they did make it into her nest. There must be a ladder or something made of glass that even Damon couldn't see, in the flowerbed where Saber had stopped and barked. No – Damon would have seen it, so they must have brought their own ladder. That's why their trail ended there. They climbed straight up into the library. And they ruined the flowers in the bed, which is why the new flowers weren't doing so well. Elena knew from Aunt Judith, from her childhood, that transplanted flowers took awhile to revive and perk up again. Leap†¦jump†¦leap†¦I am a spirit of fire. I cannot miss a step. I am a fire elemental. Leap†¦leap†¦leap. And then Elena was looking at level ground, trying not to leap into it, but a prisoner to her body which was already leaping. She fell hard enough to numb one side, but she kept hold of the precious crescent clenched in a deathgrip in her hand. A gigantic beak smashed into glass where she had been a moment before she slid. Talons raked her back. Bloddeuwedd was still after her. Sage and his group of sturdy young male and female vampires traveled at the pace of a running dog. Saber could lead them, but only as fast as he himself could go. Fortunately few people seemed to want to instigate a fight with a dog that weighed as much as they did – that weighed more than many of the beggars and children they encountered as they reached the bazaar. The children crowded around the carriage, slowing them further. Sage took the time to exchange an expensive jewel for a purse full of small change and he scattered the coins behind the carriage as they went, allowing Saber free reign. They passed dozens of stalls and crossing streets, but Saber was no ordinary bloodhound. He had enough Power to confound most vampires. With perhaps only one or two of the key molecules stuck to his nasal membrane he could hunt down his goal. Where another dog might be fooled by one of the hundreds of similar kitsune trails they were traveling through, Saber examined and rejected each of them as being not quite the right shape, size, or sculpture. There came a time, though, when even Saber seemed defeated. He stood in the center of a six-way crossroads, regardless of traffic, limping slightly, and going in circles. He couldn't seem to choose a path. And nor could I, my friend, Sage thought. We've come so far, but it's clear they went on farther. No way to go up or dig down†¦Sage hesitated, looking around the crimson-colored wheel of roads. And then he saw something. Directly across from him, but to his left was a perfumery. It must sell hundreds of fragrances, and billions of scent molecules were deliberately being released into the air. Saber was blind. Not blind in his keen liquid dark eyes. But where it mattered he was numbed and blinded by the billions of scents that were being blown up his nose. The vampires in the carriage were calling to go on or go back. They had no sense of real adventure, them. They just wanted a nice show. And undoubtedly many had slaves who were recording the whipping for them so they could enjoy it at leisure at home. At that moment a flash of blue and gold decided Sage. A Guardian! Eh, bien†¦ â€Å"Heel, Saber!† Saber's head and tail drooped as Sage randomly picked one of the directions and had him race alongside the running vampire to get out of the thoroughfare and onto another street. But then, miraculously, the tail went up again. Sage estimated that there could not be even one molecule of the kitsune's scent left in Saber's nostrils now†¦ †¦but the memory of the scent†¦that was still there. Saber was once again in hunting mode, with head down, tail straight, all his Power and intelligence concentrated on one goal and one goal only: to find another molecule that matched the three-dimensional memory of the one in his mind. Now that he was not blinded by the searing smell of all those different concentrated odors, he was able to think more clearly. And thinking alerted him to slip in between streets, causing a commotion behind him. â€Å"What about the carriage?† â€Å"Forget about the carriage! Don't lose sight of that guy with the dog!† Sage, trying to keep up with Saber himself, knew when a chase was about to end. Tranquillit! he thought to Saber. He also barely whispered the word. He had never been certain if his animal friends were telepathic or not, but he liked to believe that they were, while behaving as if they were not. Tranquillit! he told himself. And so, when the huge black dog with the shining dark eyes and the man ran up the steps to one particular ramshackle building, they did it silently. Then, as if he'd had a pleasant stroll in the country, Saber sat and looked at Sage in the face, laughing-panting. He opened and closed his mouth in a silent parody of a bark. Sage waited for the young vampires to catch up with him before be opened the door. And, as he wanted the element of surprise, he didn't knock. Instead he smashed a fist with the Power of a sledgehammer through the door and groped for locks and chains and bolts. He could feel none. He did feel a knob. Before opening the door, and going into who knew what peril, he said to those behind him, â€Å"Any loot we take is the property of Master Damon. I am his foreman and it was only through my dog's skills that we have made it so far.† There was agreement, ranging from grumbling to indifferent. â€Å"By the same token,† Sage said, â€Å"whatever danger is in there, I face first. Saber! NOW!† They burst into the room, nearly taking the door off its hinges. Elena cried out involuntarily. Bloddeuwedd had just done what Damon would not, and lined her back with bloody furrows from her talons. But even as Elena managed to find the glass door to the outside, she could feel other minds surging to help sustain her, to lift and share some of the pain. Bonnie and Meredith were picking their way through huge shards of glass to get to her. They were screaming at the owl. And Talon, heroically, was attacking from above. Elena couldn't stand it any longer. She had to see. She had to know that this metallic-feeling thing that she'd picked out of Bloddeuwedd's nest wasn't some bit of filthy rubbish. She had to know now. Rubbing the tiny scrap of metal against the ill-fated scarlet dress, she took a moment to glance downward, to see crimson sunlight sparkle against gold and diamonds and two folded-back little ears and two bright green alexandrite eyes. The duplicate of the first fox key half, but facing the other way. Elena's legs almost gave way underneath her. She was holding the second half of the fox key. Hurriedly, then, Elena brought up her free hand and plunged her fingers down into the carefully made little pocket behind the diamond insert. It concealed a tiny pouch, specially sewn there by Lady Ulma herself. In it was the first half of the fox key, replaced there as soon as Saber and Talon had finished with it. Now, as she shoved the second half-key into the pocket with the first, she was disconcerted to feel movement in the pouch. The two pieces of the fox key were – what, becoming one? A black beak slammed into the wall beside her. Without even thinking, Elena ducked and rolled to escape it. When her fingers flew back to make sure that the pouch was tied up and secure, she was astonished to feel a familiar shape resting inside. Not a key? Not a key! The world was spinning wildly around Elena. Nothing mattered; not the object; not her own life. The kitsune twins had tricked them, had made fools of the idiot humans and the vampire who had dared to face up to them. There was no double fox key. Still, hope refused to die. What was it Stefan used to say? Mai dire mai – never say never. Knowing what a chance she was taking, knowing she was a fool for taking it, Elena thrust her finger again into the pouch. Something cool slipped onto one finger and stayed there. She glanced down and for a moment was arrested by the sight. There, on her ring finger, gleamed a gold, diamond-encrusted ring. It represented two abstract foxes curled together, one facing each way. Each fox had two ears, two green alexandrite eyes, and a pointed nose. And that was all. Of what use was a trinket like this to Stefan? It bore no resemblance to the double-winged keys shown in the pictures of kitsune shrines. As treasure, it was surely worth a million times less than what they had already spent to get it. And then Elena noticed something. A light shone from the eyes of one of the foxes. If she hadn't been staring at it so closely, or if she hadn't been by now in the White Waltz Ballroom, where colors showed true, she might not have noticed it. But the light was shining straight ahead of her as she turned her hand sideways. Now it was shining from four eyes. It was shining in exactly the direction of Stefan's prison cell. Hope rose up like a phoenix in Elena's heart, and took her soaring on a mental journey out of this labyrinth of glass rooms. The music playing was the waltz from Faust. Away from the sun, deep into the heart of the city, that was where Stefan was. And that was where the pale green light from the fox's eyes was shining. Riding high on hope, she turned the ring. The light winked out of both fox's eyes, but when she turned the ring so that the second fox was in line with Stefan's cell, it winked on. Secret signals. How long could she have owned a ring like that and done nothing if she hadn't already known where Stefan's prison was? Longer than Stefan had left to live, probably. Now she only had to survive long enough to reach him.

Modeling and Solving Inventory Control Problems Essay

Due to customer needs for stylish forms, new modern designs, special packaging or better product production, changes in the business environment influence engineering and logistic relations between companies and suppliers. IT technology plays a big part in solving issues concerning the process. Inventory control became today’s vital problem in management supplier demands. The aim of the article is to determine a supplier-stocking–producing policy that will make cost optimal stockpiling possible for an optimal length producing time horizon. The stochastic newsvendor model is a mathematical model in operations management and applied economics used to determine optimal inventory levels. A decision maker needs to decide how many units of limited-useful life products to order for a single selling period because the aim is to have an optimal-length producing time horizon. The optimal solution seen is characterized by a balance between the expected costs of shortage and surplu s. According to seasonality analysis, demands for products change greatly in a certain period, therefore run-out problem of nowadays has a great importance. By improving the models that is highly related in solving the problem, they optimized the cost function of the parameter, which does not remove the possibility of back-order and is applicable for an optimal time horizon. The handling of product run-out problems was solved by the developed model which arises from the seasonality of the real demand. By using the developed classical newsvendor model, the minimal number of required production cycles can be determined in a specific production time horizon as well as the optimal quantity that needs to be manufactured in the cycle. It is different with other models such as probabilistic model, economic batch quantity model, quantity discount model because it gets the optimal inventory level in its optimal length period.

Discussion Questions Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

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The Vassals - Essay Example Once life has become that way, we only need to live to the fullest, but when the right time comes, we even go to glory without notice. With them in place, you can not be a worried child at all. Most importantly, I was very much happy with the way they took the initiative to educate me and offer me the best they could. This is something that not all parents can do. Instead, it can only be done by just a few focused ones like my parents who knew that life is all about sacrifices. Anne my daughter! Be strong. We, as human beings, live in borrowed times. Everything that happens to us had been planned by God. The only thing we need to do is to thank the Almighty for whatever happens whether it is good or bad. After all, as a believer, you should not doubt that any unpleasant thing that happens to you has a purpose. It is meant to make you be stronger. Even Jesus Christ was tempted by Satan before He eventually emerged victorious over death. When I hear such utterances, I become the saddest on earth. Losing one’s parents to a murder is an experience which should not be taken lightly. No one can endure it. Neither can I. so, we need to react and show the world that we are discontent about this. Anne, you need not to plan evil. Two wrongs don’t make one right. I understand your pain, but you need to take heart. Planning to bad things against someone who has offended you is not the best thing to do. No anger should overcome you. Just be patient and humble. Know that life must continue regardless of whatever has

SUMMARY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

SUMMARY - Essay Example Alternatively a light meal on a fasting day may make this approach more viable. During Ramadan Muslims desist from eating between dawn and dusk. An assessment was conducted and its aim was to scrutinize the effects of fasting on behavioral and physiological variables in healthy subjects (Rocky, et al., .2004). It was noted that Ramadan fasting did not have any impact on the metabolism of proteins, lipids or carbohydrates. Some studies have however shown that this kind of fasting affects the circadian supply of body temperature, melatonin, glycemia, and cortisol. Occurrences of road accidents are high during this period a factor that can be attributed to Biological and behavioral changes common during Ramadan. Rocky et al., (2004) conducted a study, on the effect of alternative fasting on aerobic and anaerobic exercise performance in judo athletes, continuing their usual training. The results that obtained showed that the fasting had a small impact on aerobic performance. It was also observed that experienced athletes can preserve enough energy and train normal during the fasting period. Kumar & Kaur (2013) conducted a research on how dietary restriction negatively affected reproduction. The study was intended to explore the effects of negative energy occasioned by intermittent fasting on young female and male rats. It was noted that, changes in body weight, testeron and blood glucose showed the negative role of diet restriction on the reproduction of this animals. It was concluded that the fasting regimen negatively impacts reproduction in young animals, and this was also able to explain the basis of nutritional infertility. It was also noted that women who fail to eat enough food to match their energy expenditure often develop clinical cases of anorexia nervosa. Monica, et al., (2012) conducted a research to determine the level at which weight loss can be boosted if alternate fasting is combined with calorie restriction. The study examined the effects

Article Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Article Review - Essay Example Importance of forensic accounting is unquestionable because whenever the company suspects any form of fraud or misuse of fund, they rely on forensic accounting for conduction investigation and to find out the root cause behind the problem. So forensic accounting is one of the most relied tools that help in determining and also in controlling the problem. Forensic accounting follows certain well planed procedure to carryout the whole process of detection. At first the business structure has to be identified, and then an in-depth analysis has to be conducted for all companys date records. Such scrutinizing provides clues through with prevailing fraud and misconduct can be identified. This procedure also identifies any kind of irregularity related to assets and hence indicates fraud. The procedure of forensic accounting is efficient in conserving companys precious time and time and money. This technique it often used by strategists in identifying and preventing fraud or misuse of compan ys fund which may hamper the business. Many researchers have argued that the technique of fraud accounting is highly efficient in managing civil dispute that includes: Forensic accounting can provide assistance in probate cases, this technique is efficient in handling dispute that arise due to cases of over valuation or the cases of property division in between estates heirs. Forensic accountants are the experts which deal in disputes related to legal property problems. These experts are equipped with knowledge in the field of accountancy, auditing, evidence gathering, interviews, financial reporting system, and all other developments which are taking place in national as well international accounting sector. The forensic accountants are well trained for legal procedures and other court formalities. Forensic accounting is often used to get the true and Article review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1 Article review - Essay Example Shah notes in the article that the global financial crisis started in 2007; Shah also notes that the global financial crisis led to the closure of many financial institutions around the world (Shah, 2013). According to this article, following the global financial crisis, various governments had to bail out various financial institutions that were on the verge of collapse. Shah, however, notes that, although various governments bailed out various financial institutions that were at risk of closure, the problem of global financial crisis was mainly caused by the very financial institutions that sought bail out from the government. A critical view of this point by Shah shows that the financial institutions were indeed mainly to blame for the global financial crisis. This is because the lax lending standards of many financial institutions made many people unable to access loans and mortgages, leading to serious financial crisis. Fratianni and Marchionne support this view in their article â€Å"The Role of Banks in the Subprime Financial Crisis†. According to the two authors, it is the exorbitant lending rates of many financial institutions that mainly caused the global financial cr ises, besides the imbalances in international trade (Ratianni $ Marchionne, 2009). In this article, Shah claims that the global financial crisis did not affect the financial institutions only or only the rich nations, but it affected all individuals of every nation. This is because, according to Shah, the effects of global financial crisis trickle down to all people and affect individual’s livelihood. One of the main arguments advanced in this article is that, the financial crisis could have been avoided if financial institutions had adopted the current economic models. According to Shah, the global financial crisis has been caused by people’s negligence, especially the government failure to effectively control financial institutions. Shah argues in the article that states have

Effect of social network in today mass communication Research Paper

Effect of social network in today mass communication - Research Paper Example By using social networks as mass communication marketing tools, companies around the world are able to interact with their customers and advertise their products like never before. To understand how social media marketing works as a mass communication marketing tool, the importance of the Internet must be realized. â€Å"With nearly 260 million people using the Web on a regular basis in the United States alone, using the Internet has become a mainstream social activity. Consumers approach purchasing online differently, too, and as a result, you need to approach your marketing online differently as well,† (Singh, 2010). What Singh describes here is important to note. The number of users on the internet is astronomically high, and getting higher each day. As a result, the internet is seen as a perfect place to advertise products and utilize marketing practices, since such an audience is present. Social networks are crucial to this. According to a study conducted in June 2010, ne arly 80% of the United States internet population uses social networks (Heras, 2010). The top 10 social networks used as of March 2010 are Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Linkedin, Classmates, MyLife, Ning, LiveJournal, Tagged, and Last.fm, with Facebook receiving 133,623,529 unique visits daily and Last.fm receiving 3,473,978 unique visits daily (Nations, 2010). With the amount of time and the amount of people on social networks today, it has become not only important, but nearly necessary for companies to reach out to their online audience and extend their marketing plans to include them. Advertising to the online audience of a given company or brand is not the same as traditional advertising. â€Å"†¦advertising has traditionally been viewed as one way communication, delivered from the marketer using ads through some media vehicle to a receiver, the target audience. Thinking of advertising as one-way communication limits what is possible, particularly online,† (Tuten, 200 8). Social networks are all about communication: people getting in touch with long lost friends and family members, keeping in touch with the friends you already have, and in some cases, making new friends. From a business perspective, businesses must find a way to make themselves part of the communication. â€Å"Online, advertising becomes more about conversations, connections, and shared control and less about passive consumption of packaged content,† (Tuten, 2008). Brands join in on the communication by interacting with their customers using these social networks. On Facebook, brands create fan pages, where their brand can be â€Å"liked† by their customers. These fan pages have various ways in which they can engage customers to communicate. Many fans simply comment the fan pages, talking about a favorite product or an experience with the product. From there, the brand is responsible to monitor these comments and respond to them, with at least a simple thank you. Th e more they elaborate on their responses to comments, the more they can engage customers in conversation and develop a relationship between the customer and the brand. This can also be done by creating engaging status updates, where they encourage customers to share with them. This allows the customers to feel like they are contributing to a brand and that their voice is being heard. From there, it is largely in the customer’

Thomson company Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

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Hezbollah Essay Example for Free

Hezbollah Essay Hezbollah, Arabic for â€Å"Party of God†, is also known as Islamic Jihad for the Liberation of Palestine, the Organization of the Oppressed on Earth and as the Revolutionary Justice Organization (Global Security, p. 1). Hezbollah (also Hizbullah and Hizballah) is a Lebanese social, political and paramilitary organization founded in 1982. Hezbollah’s historical and political background was the Israeli Defense Force’s presence in Lebanon (1982-2000), the Lebanese Civil War (1979-1990) and the plight of Arab Palestinians, many of whom had fled to Lebanon, where their presence â€Å"changed the historical balance between Muslims and Christians† (Bennett, 2005, p. 214). In the war, Lebanon’s various religious communities vied for power and Hezbollah was established as by Shi’a to strengthen their traditionally weak political position, with help from Iran and Syria. Committed to making Lebanon an Islamic state, to the liberation of Israeli occupied territory (which it claims means dismantling the Israeli state) Hezbollah was named a terrorist organization by the USA in 1994. One scholar describes the organization, which has seats in Parliament and in the Cabinet, runs a large social welfare program, as â€Å"a moderate, mainstream political party† (Harik, 2007, p. xiv). Harik says that Hezbollah â€Å"is considered a legitimate resistance force all over the Arab and Muslim worlds† (p. 7).   Azani discusses Hezbollah as a â€Å"social protest movement† (2009, p. 1). This raises the question whether the US is correct to label Hezbollah a â€Å"terror organization† and why it does so?   Harik says that no one has ever proved that Hezbollah has ever attacked a civilian (p. xiv) or that it was responsible for attacks on US personnel (p. 193). In responding to these questions, what follows examines the history of the organizations, its aims, programs and activities and why the US regards it as a terrorist organization. The Shi’a in Lebanon Modern Lebanon was created after World War I, when the Great Powers defeated the Ottoman Empire and divided the Middle East among themselves as League of Nations mandates. These newly created states were to be given independence when they were considered ready for self-determination. The Lebanon became a French mandate. Lebanon was religiously diverse, with Christians in a small majority, followed by Sunni Muslims, followed by the Shi’a. Under four centuries of Ottoman rule, the Shi’a were suspected being Iran’s fifth column. Consequently, the community was â€Å"impoverished and underdeveloped† (Norton, 2009, p. 12). Under the French, an attempt was made to share power between the main communities. The Marionite were given the Presidency, the Sunni the office of Prime Minister, which left the Shi’a with the Speakership, a â€Å"position with far weaker constitutional powers† (Norton, p. 12). This was based on the 1932 census, which, says Norton, was â€Å"the last official census ever conducted in Lebanon† (p. 12). This arrangement continued after independence in 1943. The Shi’a community in Beirut was very small; most lived in the south and in the Beqaa valley. Azani says that the â€Å"political awakening† of the Shi’a began in the 1960s and 1970s, led by Imam Musa al-Sadr, â€Å"a Shiite cleric with the characteristics of a religious and political leader.† Born in Iran to a Lebanse family he studied at the great centers of Shi’a learning (p. 48). From 1959, al-Sadr was Mufti of Tyre and â€Å"in less than two decades he succeeded, with strenuous activity, charisma and high rhetorical ability, in organizing the Shi’a community, characterized for hundreds of years by passivity and isolationalism, and in mobilizing it into collective activity for the realization of social and political goals† (pp. 48-49). The influx of Palestinian refugees into South Lebanon upset the traditional power of the Shi’a elite in the region. The increasing politicization of Shi’a leaders in Iran impacted their role in Lebanon. From the 1970s, the number and influence of clerics increased, with al-Sadr and the future founder of Hezbollah, Sheikh Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah, leading a movement that wanted to bring about an Islamic revolution in Lebanon, following the Iranian revolution of 1979. The Lebanese Civil War and the founding of Hezbollah On the one hand, the Shi’a in Lebanon were finding their political voice, encouraged by co-religionists in Iran. On the other hand, the security situation in Lebanon was deteriorating. The tradition of good relations between communities was breaking down with Christians being depicted as pro-Israeli, while Muslims were aligned with the Palestinian cause. April 13, 1973 a Christian paramilitary group ambushed a Palestinian bus in retaliation for the killing of a Christian earlier that day (Bennett, 2005, pp. 213-5). Fighting began between different communities, Sunni, Christian, Druze and Shi’a. In 1976, unable to stop the fighting the President asked the Syrians and other Arab leaders to â€Å"end the war.† Bennett remarks that as a result of the civil war, the word â€Å"Shia† entered the Western vocabulary (p. 215). The revolution in Iran would reinforce the word’s presence in the media. It was in the context of the civil war that Hezbollah was founded. The Palestinian Liberation Army was raiding Israel from across the border. Al-Sdar mysteriously disappeared in August 1978 (Norton, 2009, p. 29). This led to Israel invading Lebanon in June 1982, and to Hezbollah’s formation. From the start, committed to liberating Palestine, Hezbollah also raided across the border. However, its immediate aim was to end Israel’s presence in Lebanon. Between spring 1983 and the summer of 1985, Hezbollah â€Å"launched an unprecedented wave of suicide bombings which included an attack on the US Embassy and US Marine branches in Beirut in October 1983 and the US Embassy annex in Beirut in September, 1984† followed by the taking of Western hostages, according to Global Security (p. 1). Hezbullah’s Aims and Structure The organization’s Consultative Council has 12 senior scholars at its head and a Directing Council under its Secretary-General.. The organization’s charter sets out three objectives: 1. to expel the Americans, the French and their allies definitely from Lebanon, putting an end to any colonial entity. 2. to submit the Phalanges [Christian militia] to a just power and bring them all to justice for the crimes they have committed against Muslims and Christians. 3. to permit all the sons of [Lebanese] people to determine their future and to choose in all liberty the form of government they desire. [Hezbollah] call[s] upon them all to pick the option of an Islamic government, which alone is capable of guaranteeing justice and liberty for all. Only an Islamic regime can stop any further attempts at imperialist infiltration (Richardson, 2006, pp. 83-4). Hezbollah and Israel From 1978, a UN force was deployed in Lebanon to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli forces under Security Council Resolution 425. However, it was not until 2000 that Israeli troops were completely withdrawn. Until then, Hezbollah carried out attacks on Israelis targets. After the withdrawal, Israeli continued to launch missile strikes and raids into Lebanon and Hezbullah â€Å"in retaliation, launched rocket attacks in Northern Israel on an almost regular basis† (Bajpai, 2006, p. 594). According to Global Security, Hezbollah â€Å"operates against Israel in four main way†: 1. brimging terrorists and collaborators through the border crossings usinf foreign documents. 2. setting up a terrorist organization inside Israel and Judea, Samaria and the Gaza strip. 3. cross-border operations – smuggling weapons and terrorists 4. financial support for Palestinian organixzations and groups. Others do not use the word â€Å"terrorist† but represent Hezbullah’s activities as legitimate resistance to Israel, which has defied UN Resolutions to withdraw from all occupied territory. Bajpai writes, â€Å"even after its formal withdrawal from Southern Lebanon in 2000, Israel engaged in frequent military incursions† (p. 594). In 2004, the UN called for the disbanding and disarming of all Lebanese militia (Resolution 1559). However, in the elections of 2005, Hizbollah won 14 seats (out of 128), and was awarded 2 cabinet posts. By 2008, Hizbollah had eleven out of thirty cabinet seats (Council on Foreign Relations, p. 1). In the 2009 election, it lost a seat but still received 10 seats in the 30 members Cabinet. Hartik says that Christians have supported Hezbollah, which makes it harder for â€Å"its enemies to float the fundamentalist stereotype of a raging gang of religious fanatics whose main aim was to put enemies of the faith to the sword† (p. 79). Other Christians are outspoken in criticizing Hezbollah as the stooge of Syria and Iran and as setting itself up as a state within the state (Azani, p. 231). As well as carrying out military or terrorist action, depending on the commentator’s perspective, it spends millions on welfare and education work, funded by Iran. In 2006, Hezbollah’s operatives crossed the Israeli border and captured two IDF soldiers. This came a month after Palestinian operatives had captured an Israeli soldier (Global Security, p. 1). In response, a 34-day war followed during which Israel launched air strikes, killing â€Å"56 citizens including 37 children† (Bajpai, 594). As a result of this war and Hezbollah’s resistance, its popularity within the Muslim world increased. The war ended with a UN brokered cease-fire and another Resolution calling for the disarming of all militia. Hezbullah did succeed in preventing a full-scale invasion. The Global Security report on Hezbollah states that in addition to funding from Iran and help from Syria, the organizatuon engaged in fund-raising around the world (p. 2). The report makes no mention of its extensive social program but the Council on Foreign Relations however describes it as a â€Å"major provider of social services† (Council on Foreign Relations, p 1.) Acts Attributed to Hezbullah In addition to the acts mentioned above, according to CFR, Hezbollah lists the 1985 hijacking of TWA flight 847 and the attacks in Argentine on the Israeli Embassy (1992) and on a Jewish community center (1994). Azani refers to links with other organizations across the globe. He lists an attempt to destroy US ships in Singapore in 1995 and arrests of members in 1997 for planning an attack in a US Embassy. The 9/11 Report said that Al-Qaeda operatives train at Hezbollah camps (p. 203). He refers to other arrests made in 1999 and in 2001 when plans to attack targets in South and North America were foiled.   He says that the global network is spread across forty countries and every continent, including Europe where activists have also been arrested. In Germany, two charities funding the organization were shut down (p. 205).   However, Hartik points out that while Western attention focuses on its â€Å"guerilla activities† in the Lebanon it is social welfare activities that attract support, making it in her view a â€Å"mainstream† organization. It has achieved more in this field, she says, than any other party (p. 81). On the other hand, it has refused to disarm. After 2001 and the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers in NY, the US has repeatedly asked Lebanon to shut Hezbollah down and to close bank accounts. Lebanon has refused to do this, claiming that Hezbollah is not a terrorist organization, which Syria also denies. Syria is one of four countries considered â€Å"state sponsors of terror† by the US State Department. In April 2010, reports began circulating that Syria had given SCUD missiles to Hezbollah. Syria denies this.

Soap Operas and the politics of everyday lives Essay Example for Free

Soap Operas and the politics of everyday lives Essay Language is use for communication and to convey our ideas. It can also be used as a social marker. It creates meanings and it is also considered as a source of power (Larson, :180). Power relations are also embedded in the langauge of soap operas. Soap operas are said to be reflections of reality, it mirrors the class struggle between the rich and the poor. It demonstrates how those who are in power easily manipulate the poor but later in the story the poor will be vindicated. This is the semantic dimension of language; solidarity and power assymetry of superior over inferior. Identification with both the hero and the heroine does not entail a cognitive choice, but draws upon a repertoire of unconscious process. Both is not a random object, but rather a particular commoditized human, routed through a system of signs with exchange value (Friedberg, 1990:109). To look at an object may mean various things in the subconscious mind, one is to grow like it by forcibly trying to imitate it. Working-class members are more inclined to identify with dramatic character, whereas people with higher cultural capital, including aesthetics, are more inclined to maintain a critical distance to the narrative. The ideological problematic of soap opera – the frame or field in which meanings are made, in which significance is constructed narratively – is that of ‘personal life’. More particular, personal life in its everyday realization through personal relationships. This can be understood to be constituted primarily through the representations of romances, families and attendant rituals – birth, engagements, marriages, divorce, and deaths. In Marxist terms this is the sphere of the individual outside waged labor. In feminist terms it is the sphere of women’s ‘intimate oppression’ (Brunsdon, 1997:58). The spectator is a person who experiences little, who feels that he [sic] is a â€Å"poor wretch to whom nothing of importance can happen,† who has long been obliged to damp down, or rather displace, his ambition to stand in his own at the hub of world affairs; he longs to feel and to act and to arrange things according to his desires†¦ And the playwright and the actor enable him to do this by allowing him to identify himself with a hero†¦ His enjoyment is based on an illusion. (Freud, 1990:89). By identifying with the person onscreen, the person is displacing oneself, which Freud suggests as â€Å"blowing off steam†. Identification with the actor serves the audience to make this an outlet for unfulfilled desires, by identifying with the performer, one would create a venue where the actor serves as a tool for the satisfaction of the viewer. The viewer puts himself in the actor’s place and relates with all the ups and downs that the actor experiences in his life. The actor’s success is also the fan’s success. Soap operas are usually criticized by the stereotypical and unrealistic manner in which they portray women, which confirms them more in their subordination in the society. According to Brunsdon, there was a feminist rejection of soaps which is in effect homologous with the traditional cultural contempt for soaps. This was followed by a certain reevaluation which coincides across the women’s movement of conventionally feminine skills such as embroidery and the admission of enjoyment in some of the pleasures of traditional femininity, like dressing up. ‘Heroine television’ is centrally about female characters living their lives, usually working both inside and outside the home, usually not in permanent relationships with men, sometimes with children, and trying to cope. Soap opera is not quite ‘heroine television’ but it was mainly attractive to feminists as an object of analysis because it was perceived to be both for and about women. The ‘personal is political’ is the most resonant and evocative claim of the 1970s western feminism. If the personal is political, if it is in the home, in relationships, in families, that women’s intimate oppression – or the oppression of women as women – is most consensually secured, then the media construction and representation of personal life becomes fascinating and an urgent object of study. If the traditional leftist critique of the media, with its structuring sense of class conflict, was drawn to the reporting of the public world – to industrial disputes, to the interactions of state and broadcasting institutions, to international patterns of ownership and control – emerging feminism scholarship had quite another focus. The theoretical impulse of feminism pushed scholars not to the exceptional but to the everyday. So the theoretical conviction that there was politics to everyday life and that women’s hidden labor in the home was essential to capitalism coincides with the actual generic distribution of women on television (Brunsdon, 1997:57). Television is very important in the struggle for meaning and representation, especially in the construction of daily life common sense. Television can fortify the existing cultural domination by presenting inequality as normal or contribute, in special cases, to subversion by providing discourses which present it as oppressive and illegitimate, or offering possibilities for alternative reading (Vink, 1988:124). In most soap operas, women are seen as commodities that are subordinate to men, yet women can kill in order to get the man she loves. The poor are manipulated to the rich man’s desires and are helpless to fight back. Women are subjected to physical violence or symbolic oppression. Thus, resonates male dominance in the society. Women as inferior entity while men are the superior ones (Larson, :185). In these lopsided relations, the poor are powerless against the people in power. This powerlessness further widens the gap between the rich and the poor. The use of language of a particular group can de attributed to their class position in the society. Social class can be a combinationof wealth, power and prestige. Likewise, it is also attached to individuals or group of individuals relationship to economic production. A persons class position is determined by their economic power (Labov, 1997:45). Because soap operas are viewed on primetime, which means that the whole family is able to watch since the children are back from school and the husband is back from work, soap operas have a bigger audience. They see on television acts rendered on the poor and females thus making the viewers docile and passive. Consequently, they refrain from doing things that are not supposed to be done by their class which is to assert their rights. Soap operas also justify violence and show that it is just part of normal occurrence. Thus it is accepted that women, poor and orphaned children may be maltreated, exploited or beaten up; men can beat up their wives and use alcohol as an excuse; and the privileged status of spoiled brats in convent uniforms give them a right to abuse household help. The treatment an authority imposes on everyday life seems to be so strong that people project it onto the speech of the characters and refer to them while placing themselves in a subordinate position in this fictive relationship (Fachel, 1985:216). Television, as a dominant cultural industry, plays a central role in imposing a view of this type of social world. The understanding of the power relations in society and of the categories necessary for them is the basis of political struggle which the powerful appropriate to themselves. Another effect of the television is that people can relate more to the celebrities than to their neighbors. Example of this is the death of Rico Yan which was given too much hype by the media. Most poor went out of their way to view his body as it lay in state. His death even surpassed that of National Artists who died almost the same week as the young actor. The people’s sympathy is even stronger for someone who they do not have ties with than with people form their own packages. Because a celebrity’s life is an open book, they know more about that person than their next-door-neighbors. In the Philippines, a person, an actor, can be voted in the highest position in the land. Because of extensive media mileage a person can get elected. An important factor is identification with the personality. In urban poor areas, people usually identify with someone they see on television as â€Å"one of them†. If the actor portrays roles as the hero of the masses, then this will be what people will remember off screen. They are voted because the people think that since they have already portrayed the role therefore they are presumed to have the background and experience regarding governance. Watching soap operas during prime time also contributes to the disintegration of families. These hours are the only time that members of the family are present in the households and should be the venue for family gathering during dinner. This should serve as the time to talk about what happen during the day, instead the members of the family are in front of the television watching soap operas. Instead of eating in the dining table, some members of the family eat in front of the television so that they would not miss a scene in the soap opera. The only time where they could talk and bond as a family is robbed by the viewing of telenovelas. Though soap operas can also contribute to the topics that are discussed, the things that happened in the soaps would be discussed to friends during the afternoons and not with the family members. After watching soap operas during prime time, it would be late in the evening that there is no more time to interact with one another. People can relate to the events in soap operas because somehow it is also what they are experiencing in their daily lives thus art reflects life. By watching telenovelas, they can pick up something that can somehow relieve the burden of their problems. But whether this can solve their problems is another story. Passivity and acceptance of their lot is the order of the day. It is precisely this confrontation between fiction and reality which can have a subversive effect: showing the viewer that reality can be different, that class and/or gender oppression are not natural but changeable. It is not only identification with telenovelas heroes or heroines, but also with the villains that can open the eyes of the viewers to the fact that life can be different. This can produce a suspension of the immediate attachment to the existing social world and is, as such, a first step in the process of emancipation, a precondition of collective action, based on a common identity (Vink, 1988:169). Soap opera viewers should be able to distinguish between reel and reality. Even if there are some celebrities with good credentials who can be elected for a public position, being an actor and the role that one portrays should not be the only factor why they are voted. Instead of portraying reality, media in this case shapes the perspective and view of people according what they media want to represent. Watching soap operas should also be limited because they create stereotypes and limit critical thinking among its viewers. Also, family disintegration would continue if members of the family would continue to ignore each other by watching television. The family is still the most important unit in a society. Instead of just identifying themselves with the actors and actresses in soap operas, the viewers should know that they can do better than just identify themselves with them. As individuals they also have the capacity to succeed on their own without just being satisfied by what their idol accomplishes because they can also do the same.

Knowledge and understanding of the term normative development

Knowledge and understanding of the term normative development The purpose of this writing is to demonstrate my knowledge and understanding of the term normative development. I will analyse Daniels (child I carried out my child study on) learning and development in relation to my knowledge and understanding of normative development by referring to the Early Years Framework Stage (EYFS) (Scottish Government, 2010). I will show evidence of my knowledge and understanding of two theorists, in which will relate in some way to Daniels learning and development. I will show how I supported and provided suitable learning opportunities for Daniel, by referring to all three visits. From this, I will evaluate and reflect on my ability to do this by using the Pre-Birth to Three Guidance (Learning and Teaching Scotland, 2010) and refer to my own experience and suggest some challenges for staff caring for babies in early childhood centres. Dryden et al. (2005) utters that every child is a unique individual and will develop at different times and in different ways throughout their life. Child development is holistic; a child cannot have cognitive development if they do not have language development. When a child develops, the development does not progress in one area and discontinues in another. (Doherty and Hughes, 2009) Normative development means stages of development that the majority of children of that specific age are expected to achieve. (Meggit, 2006). I will use the (EYFS) (Scottish Government, 2008) to illustrate Daniels (twenty four months old) stage in learning and development. The EYFS (Scottish Government, 2008) suggests that children aged between sixteen and twenty six months are expected to show signs of using one and two word utterances to express simple and more difficult messages. Daniel demonstrated this on all three visits, however was most evident on visit two when we went to the park. Daniel mainly used one word utterances, such as up, o (go), oggie (doggie), you. He endeavoured to use two word utterances on visit two and three when he said, the water and Nana you. I took pictures of toys and characters from his favourite programmes and put together a book to help support Daniels language development. Not only do children need to hear language being spoken to develop their language development but social interaction is needed also (Bruner, 1983 cited in Doherty and Hughes, 2008, p.311). A Language Acquisition Support System (LASS) (Bruner, 1983 cited in Doherty and Hughes, 2009, p.311) is a group of approaches used by parents/carers to further promote the development of language. This approach is where the adult speaks to the child at a more advanced level than the child is capable of creating on their own (Doherty and Hughes, 2009). On visit two, Daniel uses his hands to splash in the puddles and says to myself you. I used the scaffolding approach and responded by asking, Would you like me to use my hands to splash in the puddles with you? By using the scaffolding approach and asking Daniel if he would like me to join him, has helped me evaluate my practice by referring to one of the four key principles in the Pre-Birth to Three Guidance (Learning and Teaching Scotland, 2010) Res pect. I respected Daniels wishes about what he wanted to do; he made an informed decision by allowing me to accompany him in splashing in the puddles. (Learning and Teaching Scotland, 2010). Responsive care is another key principle and is defined as: building close relationships with children, being observant of them and meaningfully involved with them. (Learning and Teaching Scotland, 2010, p.23) I was tuned into Daniels wishes by observing him and reading his signals. By doing this, I noticed he was extremely engrossed with playing in the puddles. I went over and became involved in what he was doing by participating alongside him. Daniel then presented what most children of that age are expected to show between the ages of sixteen and twenty six months signs of looking for ways to get attention from others by pulling them into social interaction. (Scottish Government, 2008) Daniel also demonstrated he could use his growing physical abilities to make social interaction (Scottish Government, 2008) by using his hands and feet to splash in the puddles to obtain my attention. In accordance with the EYFS (2008) children aged between sixteen and twenty six months are expected to look to others for reactions which test what they know about themselves. (Scottish Government, 2008). This is clear on visit one when Daniel sat on his mothers knee, holding onto her hand, whilst he watched the television. John Bowlbys theory highlighted the significance of the attachment between children and their main guardian (Sayers, 2008). Daniel showed he had a strong attachment with his mother. Mary Ainsworth established the strange situation (Dryden et al. 2005, p. 78) where the baby and mother are in a room playing, the mother then leaves the room, leaving the stranger in the room with the baby. The majority of the time, this experiment resulted in the child being apprehensive and uneasy at their mothers disappearance. (Dryden et al. 2005). On visit one, Daniel showed signs of anxiousness when his mother left myself in the room with Daniel as she went to answer the door. Daniel also displayed on visits two and three that he can: Make choices that involve challenge, when adults ensure their safety (Scottish Government, 2008, p.31). I used Lev Vyostskys idea of the zone of proximal development (ZPD) (Pound, 2005, p.40) to support Daniels learning and development in this situation. The ZPD is the space between what a child can do by themselves and what they can do with the support of a person who is more skilful. (Pound, 2005). On visit two, Daniel indicated he wanted to go on the climbing frame by saying up. I assisted Daniel with his permission and ensured his safety by going up the climbing frame behind him. Visit three, Daniel also demonstrated this stage of development when he began to climb up the chute backwards at the swimming baths. I ensured Daniels safety by modelling how to go up chute the correct way and by holding his hand to climb the steps. I can relate my practice to the key principle Relationships in the Pre-Birth to Three Guidance (Learning and Teaching Scotland, 2010) as I strongly believe a connection was made between Daniel and I when I helped him climb up the climbing frame on visit two. Also, on visit three when I modelled and helped him climb the steps on the chute by holding his hand. A further key principle I can relate my practice to is Responsive care (Learning and Teaching Scotland, 2010) because I readily responded to what Daniel wanted to do, I believe Daniel began to trust myself and felt safe and secure when I assisted him. (Learning and Teaching Scotland, 2010) As previously mentioned, Daniel and his mother have a strong attachment. Daniel showed anxiousness when he was left in the room with myself on visit one when his mother went to answer the door. This could be a possible challenge for early childhood practitioners working with this age group as Daniel may take a while settling into nursery as his attachment with his mother is very strong. It is clear Daniel is still uncertain when being left alone with strangers myself on visit one. Other members of staff/adults may walk in and out of the room who Daniel do not know, which may result in him getting upset, which again could challenge practitioners. Consulting with Daniels mother, she informed me that Daniel has never attended play group but interacts well with Dion (Daniels mothers friends little girl). On visit one Dion came to visit Daniel and I observed how they interacted with one another. Before long, Daniel hit Dion because Dion wanted her wellington boot back. This may be a possible challenge for practitioners working with this age group as Daniel does not know at this stage how to play with other children because he has not had the experience. He also demonstrated aggressive behaviour towards Dion which may be a further challenge for practitioners. The adult to child ratio for under threes is one adult to five children. Daniel is an only child and thrives to gain adult attention. Daniels needs are responded to immediately by his family as he is an only child, it is certain from visit one if Daniel does not get what he wants he will cry. This may be a challenge for practitioners as each are responsible for five children and may find it difficult to respond to every childs needs. It has been said that parents are their childs main educator (Whalley, 2007) and is therefore extremely important to involve them in their childs learning and development (Ward, 2009). Throughout the child study, I involved Daniels mother through initial meetings to discuss Daniels interests, general information, his learning and development and what my next steps were in taking this further. Throughout the child study I respected and valued the information Daniels mother gave me in regards to Daniel. For children to develop successfully and reach their full potential, a strong positive relationship between parents, teachers and professional caregivers is essential (Hobart and Frankel, 2003, p.1) A relationship was built between Daniels mother and I as we both connected and came to agreements on suitable learning opportunities for Daniel. Trust was also created as Daniels mother allowed me to interact and devise appropriate learning opportunities for Daniels age and stage of development. (Learning and Teaching Scotland, 2010) In conclusion, References Doherty, J. Hughes, M. (2009) Child Development: Theory and Practice 0 -11 England: Pearson Education Limited Dryden, L. et al. (2005) Essential Early Years Abington: Hodder Arnold. Hobart, C. Frankel, R J. (2003). A Practical Guide to Working with Parents. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes Ltd. Pound, L. (2005) How Children Learn London: Step Forward Publishing Limited Learning and Teaching Scotland. (2010) Pre-Birth to Three: Positive Outcomes for Scotlands Children and Families: National Guidance. Glasgow: Learning and Teaching Scotland Scottish Government (2008) Practice Guidance for the Early Years Foundation Stage. Nottingham: Scottish Government Ward, U. (2009) Working with Parents in Early Years Settings Exeter: Learning Matters Ltd. Whalley, M and the Pen Green Centre Team. (2007) Involving Parents in their Childrens Learning (2nd Edition) London: Paul Chapman Publishing

Definition Essay - The Meaning of Love -- Expository Definition Essays

The Meaning of Love One can love a sister, a brother, a mother, a father, grandparents, uncles and aunts, cousins and friends, strangers, pets, the sunlight on a warm evening, reflecting through a prism, held by fishing line stuck to a little suction cup to a dusty window. You can love food from cake to roast beef, even those tiny individual candy bars that are never enough but just give you a taste of chocolate before you pop in the second one. One is able to love the feeling of carpet between toes or the tension in a hammocks string when you lay in that 'u' position swinging delightfully with each motion of your body. We can declare love for sounds coming from a stereo, love for that particular sound wave in coordination with other sound waves that make it to the inner ear as that thing we call music. Some of us love to feel a little pain, love feeling that edge of life that lets us know we're alive, nerves tingling with the sensation that something is not quite right, mind ablaze with the knowledge t hat the power to commit more pain or to stop it is in grasp. One might love a particular spot in the world, a city, a hill, a nook, a field of sunflowers swaying in the breeze. From flying an airplane at sound-breaking speeds or laying near comatose, the only movement the flipping of pages and the flitting of eyes as words are dragged into a brain to organize, recognize, and realize their meaning in correlation to each other. Love is all around us, continually exuding from ourself and others. When what someone does not love is near, or when it's something they hate, we are quick to learn it. The disgust in the face as a lump of food falls out of the mouth that tried something new or something forgotten. The shying away from a cer... ... anyone . . . then love must simply be everything else. For one, a scritch of fingernails across green blackboard is a loathsome, marrow scraping experience. For another, the drunken footsteps upon a staircase pounding higher and higher, closer and closer to the bedroom door. Maybe being touched on the nose or those little prickly seeds that hold on like velcro to anything they touch. At the same time another could love those little spiky balls, or enjoy owning drunken feet, the world a blur with head so heavy. Love is so ready to include that anyone is hard-pressed to find something the world excludes and places in a bin called "hate." So I ask you to love, to experience this feeling throughout every nerve of your body, every electric-impulse of a brain cell, every beat of your heart and blink of the eye. Because that's what love is to me. Simply everything.

romantic love :: essays research papers

I choose to describe the putative relationship between Adam and Caroline in the movie â€Å"Untamed Heart†. It starts off with Caroline in a just ending relationship where she is hung up on the guy that left her. Her friends call her on it and help her refrain from trying to repair it. This guy Adam is a hard working, quiet, shy, very shy especially around Caroline, because he has a serious infatuation about her. Every thing she does he studies. In the beginning of the movie it starts out that he has a deep infatuation with her. He even follows her home without her even knowing, until one day she was almost getting raped, and he saved her because of his infatuation for her. She bandaged him up in her woman caring way and he couldn’t even speak. He just stares at her with a blank look. He has analyzed all of her properties and likes his infatuation of her.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Nozick’s Chapter â€Å"Love Bond† he describes what romantic love is and what it is not. I thought this would be a good movie to relate it to because it’s a romantic love story, about a guy that has a serious infatuation of creating a we with Caroline, who is played by Marissa Tomei. Christian Slater plays the guy Adam. For the remainder of this essay I will refer to them by Adam and Caroline. I reinforce my view that Adam has an infatuation or crush on Caroline because he’s always thinking of her, watching her when she doesn’t know. He’s just daydreaming of the we he would like to create with Caroline. This relates to the way Nozick said, â€Å"Love, romantic love, is wanting to form a we with that particular person, feeling, or perhaps wanting, that particular person to be the right one for you to form a we with, and also wanting the other to feel the same way about you.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The guys that tried to rape her obviously had an infatuation with her, for her characteristics only, her looks. Which turned out to be very unhealthy, but gave Adam his chance to prove his love for Caroline. He rescues her then takes her home to her house. She learns of his infatuation of her after this, which seemed to spook her but she knew it was in a sincere caring way. But I mean following her home, and it took him awhile to get the courage to save her from being raped exposing his infatuation.

How have human activities shaped the landscape between Prawle Point and Start Bay?

On day two, we analysed the human home settlements found in the villages of Hallsands, Beesands and Torcross. The whole aim of doing this was to find how these man made homes and settlements have affected the land at each village, and how other human activities have affected these settlements vulnerability to coastal damage, as how the natural coastline has developed due to this. We also looked at how these settlements have used man made sea defences t help protect them from coastal attacks. Route Firstly, here is the route we took along the coast from Start point (red) to Torcross (green), passing both Beesands and Hallsands along the way. Hallsands – Description When we visited Hallsands we noticed that it was had very small population, with little human settlements which were all near each other. Hallsands also had many narrow rough roads throughout the village and was ear the shore. Hallsands – History Between the years 1894-1903 the shingle beach close to Hallsands was lowered by 1.4m, due to the continuous taking of the shingle to build the dockyards at Plymouth. This made the village of Hallsands extremely vulnerable and open to floods from the waves of the sea. In 1917 a storm with 10m waves destroyed the now unprotected village of Hallsands which was no longer protected by the defensive beach it once had. Hallsands – Present Sea defences Since the destructive storm of 1917 Hallsands has created new man made sea defences to ensure is constantly protected from future storms. You can see present day evidence of this when visiting Hallsands as it now has rip-rap, groups of large rocks stacked together, which break up strong waves and the energy they contain whilst they travel, reducing the impact when they hit these rocks. Beesands – Description Compared with Hallsands, the village of Beesands had more human settlements dispersed throughout its land, with large areas of space between them, although thy were all generously within the same perimeter. Like Hallsands however, Beesands also had various narrow roads and is located near the shore. Beesands – History The village of Beesands is continuously vulnerable to flooding due to its beach having a lack of shingle moving northwards along the coastline, by long shore drift. There is no new source of shingle as its origins are 40km out in Start Bay. Beesands – Present Sea defences In the village of Beesands rip-rap was put down to help defend against the sea waves, but was quickly eroded and in 1992 a sea wall was built, along with gabions, which still stands today. The sea wall works by pushing the wave back on itself therefore breaking the impact of the wave and the energy it carries, Gabions work similar to rip rap meaning the also break up the energy of the wave and reduce its impact in the collision. Tocross – Description Tocross, like Beesands also had a larger amount of human settlements which were found generally close to each other. However, tit was easily noticeable that the houses were pointing at different angels and varied in different shapes ad seizes. Also, compared to both Beesands and Hallsands Torcross was further away from the shore, although still near. Torcross – History In 2001, a destructive storm occurred near the village of Torcross and the continuous collision of waves, due to its vulnerability damaged the road along Slapton sands. Torcross – Present Sea defences Like Beesands, the village of Torcross choose to build a sea wall after the destructive storm to help protect against sea waves in the future. This still stands today and can be seen when visiting the village. Sea Defences – Disadvantages Although these man made sea defences provide secure safety for many years to these human settlements within the villages, they come with a disadvantage of being incredibly expensive, which can therefore weaken the overall economy of the village itself. You can see the scale of how expensive these defences are when calculating the cost of the rip-rap and sea wall found at Beesands. Below is the calculation of the cost of these sea defences: Rip-rap Rip-rap = à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3,000 per metre Length of Rip-rap = 254metres Cost of Rip-rap in Beesands – à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3,000 x 254 = à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½762000 Seawall Seawall = à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3500 per metre Length of Seawall = 254metres Cost of Seawall in Beesands – à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3,500 x 254 = à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½889000 Gabions Gabions = à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½100 per metre Length of Gabions = 254metres Cost of Gabions in Beesands – à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½100 x 254 = à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½254000 Value of property Now we know the full cost of the sea defences found in Beesands we need to find whether these sea defences are actually worth the money provided they protect these homes. To find this we need to calculate the cost of all the properties found in Beesands and compare it the cost of the sea defences'. Below is the calculation for the value of these properties found in Beesands: Residential Properties Residential properties = à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½150,000 per floor 25 houses (2 floors each) Cost of residential properties – à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½150,000 x 50 = à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½750,000 Commercial Properties Commercial properties = à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½170,000 per floor 4 businesses (3x2floors, 1x1floor) Cost of commercial properties = à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½170,000 x 7 = à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1190000 Overall cost of sea defences = à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1905000 V Overall cost of properties = à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1940000 As you can see the cost of the sea defences in Beesands appears to be worth the safety of the properties which are there, although there is only a à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½35,000 difference in the values of the sea defences compared to the value of the properties. This means that although the sea defences aren't costing more then the settlements which are there, the overall economies of Beesands would be affected by the costs of it. The Future Although for now Beesands, Hallsands and Torcross are generally protected from minor occurring storms, the face major dilemmas on what they will need to do to help protect them in the future. This will be determined by two major factors. Ageing Population The first is the increasingly ageing population dispersed throughout Britain. In the years to come more and more people will be retiring and face the possibility of moving nearer to the coast. If this were to happen then the village will need to consider whether they will gain enough money to support the village with more sea defences. Global Warming The second major factor is global warming. With the frequency of occurring storms continuously increasing will the village be able to protect itself from the increasing occurring storms in the future. Possibilities There are two major possibilities that these three villages could consider to do. The first is to simply stop spending money on sea defences and allow nature to take its course, possibly resulting in many storms and therefore floods to the village. The second is to continue spending money on further sea defences although they cant be sure how successful they will be and for how long. My Conclusion I personally think that the villages should invest in further sea defences even though they will cost the economy of the villages dearly. This is because if they chose not to invest in the defences and admit defeat then these villages will eventually be completely destroyed and lost forever; therefore these sea defences are vital in securing the long term protection of these settlements. I also think that even though sea defences seem extremely expensive and someone people may think they are not worth it, if there are no sea defence mechanisms at all to protect these settlements then there will be no hope at all for these settlements to survive from whatever they are exposed to in the future.

Philosophical Views Comparison Essay

The ancient Greek philosophers Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. Socrates believed in human learning and reasoning. He enforced humans to understand their limits to reason with themselves about their actions. Aristotle was born in third century B. C.. He believed in Purity of Soul achieved by our daily actions and habits. Plato’s main work is written in the form of dialogues with Socrates. However, his work with laws or rules does not involve Socrates or has a very small part of him given in them. Let us study different spheres of their work below. Methods of Acquiring Knowledge : Aristotle – His ways of acquiring knowledge involves both induction and deduction. Aristotle believed in the provision to reason alone with oneself. He gave much more emphasis and value to the knowledge gained by senses. He believed in knowledge gained by experiences as they put us in a dilemma to think about our situations and actions. Socrates – He has divided his education theory in five basic parts – I. Theory of Value – What is worth learning? What are the goals? II. Theory of Knowledge – What is the real meaning of Knowledge? How is it different from beliefs? III. Theory of Human Nature – What is a Human Being? How is it different from other species? What are his limits? IV. Theory of Learning – What is the meaning of learning? How are skills and knowledge acquired? V. Theory of Transmission – Who is to be taught? What is the curriculum going to be? Plato – He worked on a basic structure formation for acquiring knowledge. The first way is to acquire knowledge through senses and experiences. Then, the second is to reason the knowledge acquired by experiences. Then to acquire ‘true knowledge’ by reasoning to oneself in an ethical way. Aristotle, being a student of Plato gave much more value to the education gained though senses and experiences. While Socrates developed a learning theory to understand the basic structure of education and its importance. Important of Thinking – Aristotle believed in rationalizing our thoughts in an ethical way to learn to follow ethics in our daily lives in our habits. He pursed thinking and reasoning to acquire real knowledge based upon the metaphysical truths and laws. Socrates emphasized on understanding human behavior on the basis of their actions. He explained in his theories that we do not tend to do evil, if we are aware of its evil nature. He worked on understanding and directing his studies to help us reason our behavior with logical reasoning. Plato gave his theories in the form of dialogues explain the importance of logical thinking and reasoning to oneself. He gave various situations in his dialogues to explain how to logic and reason to ourselves alone to understand the higher truths. Existence – Aristotle believe in existence in terms of its essentiality. He believe of being a ’qua being’ or ’wisdom’ or ’theology. His Metaphysical conclusion over existence is for any identity to exist is directly related to its essentiality (Cohen, S. Marc. , 1978a. 31: 387-405). Socrates taught that this real subject world is neither to generate or decay. It is to be in existent as it has been. Plato defined existence in two different forms. One is what we can see in the form of its appearance, and the other form is what we cant see. Key Ideas of Aristotle – 1. Perfection is not an act, but a habit. According to Aristotle, we adopt our habits by doing the same act over and over again. If we are practicing bad habits, we will bring them in our life as habits and vica-versa. He said that it is important to practice what is right to create a habit of doing right in our lives. 2. Importance of Education. He was aware of changes that be brought by us in our lives by education. Hence, he used to tell others to spend time reading and learning about life and its rules. 3. Education Creates Wisdom in personality – Aristotle said that a layman hearing a concept for the first time would create an opinion of his own reasons with the concept itself, while an educated person would listen and work the concept in his mind first to understand its deeper meaning. Education makes a person wise enough to think more than to argue more over a concept or topic. 4. Thoughts Create Things – Even if we are not aware of the fact that our negative habits are also manifesting something in our lives, they do as we are thinking them over and over. Key Ideas of Socrates – 1. No one desires Evil as a primary desire. Socrates believed that evil is a force that becomes a desire due to several reasons. Its is important for a human being to renationalize his thoughts and desires to move towards good deeds only. 2. No one does wrong willingly – Socrates gave this idea describing that when people are involved in evil, they are not aware of it. They take their steps believing it is a part of life. At times, they are even proud of what they do even when it is evil. 3. All virtue is knowledge – Socrates was aware of the divine weight of education as well. Education is like a cure for the soul from suffering evil desires. He promoted education in people to understand the ‘right’ and ‘wrong’, as they are given in the universe, not to form their own beliefs. 4. Virtue is all that is required for true happiness – He believed in the purity of soul and education is the only way to keep our soul flawlessly pure. He taught that it is not necessary to discuss your thoughts with other people only. The real capability is to rationalize our own thoughts to conclude the righteous. Education can help the best in this rational practice. It is can purify our thoughts and give us the real and pure ideas to live. Key Ideas of Plato – 1. The Weak fights for Equality – Plato states in his philosophies that strong does not fight for his level in the society. He just asks for what he wants and achieves it, while a weak uses the Law to fight for equality. 2. No one willing does wrong – Plato focuses on the theory of saving our characters from the controllers of the society. 3. Education – He has also given deep philosophical notes over importance of education. He states that education is the way to be logical and rational in our actions. We will find similarities in their very basic philosophical beliefs, for example, Education is the most emphasized area of their philosophical teaching. Each of them has written about importance of education in one’s life and how it leads to pure happiness of soul. However, we will also find certain clear differences among their work. Plato was focused for laws and rules about society. While Aristotle devoted his life to understand human and to guide them towards righteous actions purification of soul. Socrates has given remarkable theories in understanding core human nature and reasons for their actions. References – Bostock, D. , 1994. Aristotle: Metaphysics Books ? and ?. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Cohen, S. Marc. , 1978a. â€Å"Essentialism in Aristotle. † Review of Metaphysics 31: 387-405.

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The American Revolution is one of the most important eras in American history. It was the period that fashioned the American society and influenced the making of the constitution in readiness for the conceived independence. It refers broadly to the war fought by the 13 American states against his majesties army in a bid not only to reject the influence of the English parliament over American land but also to severe all forms of allegiance to Britain.There were many factors that led to the war yet it was clear that such recourse was inevitable due to the growing American society and the difference in ideologies between the leadership in American and that in Britain. One of the main issues that led to the war and consequent declaration of independence is the British imposition of higher taxes over the American Brits as passed by British parliament. Americans felt that since they did not have any representation within that parliament, then such a move was unconstitutional.The British ne eded to raise money and therefore decided that colonies must pay more as a cost of their upkeep by the British Empire. The American leadership tried to have those decisions lifted by appealing to the king since although hey did not recognize parliament authority over them, they still felt that they owed their allegiance to the king. However, the king did not intervene but instead called them rebellious and declared war on the.Another reason is the fact that the British Empire had made legislations restricting trade thus leading British traders to benefit more form trade than their American counter parts a move that was greatly resented. This in turn slowed growth in America and led to its leadership agreeing that a drastic measure was important to redress this situation. Another factor that led to the revolution was a shift in ideologies influenced by thinkers like Locke whose ideologies in liberalism led to the growth of a republican mood and a strong distaste to values that oppres sed some while benefiting others.Furthermore, most felt that Britain was corrupt and unfair which fuelled a need to break away in order to establish a state that recognized certain rights of the people to decide the direction their country took. These and many more factors, including the Boston massacre led congress to declare America’s independence from British rule and thereby starting the American revolutionary wars. The war was won by the Americans with the help from the French armies and navy and later more help from Spain and the Netherlands (Cohen, 2004).Andrew Jackson’s popular brand of politics was a distinct break from the previous administrations. Why was it different? What was his legacy for both good and bad? Support your answer with specific examples. Andrew Jackson was the 7th president of the United States of America and the last to have been a captive of war. He has a rich history which together combined to make him one of the most important men in the American history. He was known for being a tough man both as an administrator and as an army commander.He was born third born of a family of Irish immigrants and was born in South Carolina. His birth of an immigrant family is simply another testament to the great opportunity that America is since it offers people, from all background the chance to realize their dreams; no matter how ambitious they might be. Jackson’s military carrier started when he was fourteen when he joined the army as a courier which saw him captured by the British and consequently lost his brother as a result of that imprisonment.He later went on to distinguish himself as a military commander rising to the rank of major general due to his heroic act in the Battle of New Orleans defending the country against British attack. It is clear from observing Jackson’s history that he was a very determined man and his endeavors earned him popularity among the people. In the 1824 elections he lost to Adams although he had won the popular vote but congress chose the former since the Electoral College could not decide on one man to lead the nation.This election might have called in question the prudence of an electoral system of elections that runs against the feelings and decisions of the majority and that installs a leader voted for by the minority. Such a move might be seen to be contrary to the fundamental pillars of democracy that America so holds dear and might even run contrary to the provisions of the constitution that guarantees certain rights to individuals. This is because the decisions of the majority should reflect the greater good and to have such a decisions quashed by a small group of citizens is simply not right.Traditional democrats including Jefferson differed greatly with jack son on several fronts. They opposed increased federal strength fearing that it might lead to a centralization of power by the federal government. They also opposed plans for the formation of a central bank to offer regulations to all other banks and in doing so preferred that states retain most powers over their affairs. They also opposed plans to have a large national army and navy. They also favored low tariffs probably one of the areas that Jackson concurred with an opinion greatly opposed by the federalists.Jackson found the Democratic party after he broke off from the one led by Adams after he lost the election to Adam. Unlike his former allies, he favored a strong army probably because he had a good military carrier. However, his controversial life was because of his support for slavery and the Indian removal which is a contradictory to the bills of right and the American constitution. It is curious to note that as president he would be expected to defend the constitution yet he had shown his oppositions against such fundamental issues raised by the very constitution he would be expected to uphold.Nonetheless, the splinter Democratic Party he helped to make would co me to dominate American politics for many decades to follow a trend that continues even to today (Ward, 1962). During the first half of the 19th century, America became increasingly industrialized. It is important to understand what the industrial revolution was in order to relate it to how it affected the American society in the early 19th century. The industrial revolution first started in Britain in the 18-20th century and there were great changes in the area of agriculture, transport, industry and manufacturing and in the transport sector.These changes were experienced in other parts of the world including America and they changed society completely. The initial stages of the revolution saw an end to manual and animal labor and an adoption of machines in farming and in other sectors. The pioneering industries included textile, transport and the mining and development of metal including iron. The industrial revolution in America set the country on a course to become the greatest economic power in the face of the planet with wealth and industries unmatched by none.There are many factors attributed to America’s rapid industrialization among them being presence of capital, vast resources that could be used in industries and the presence of fast and reliable transport system to aid in trade. Before the 18th century American relied on primitive agricultural methods for it’s agricultural out put. However, the revolution changed all this and great technological advancement led to better and innovative methods to farm lands and more advance machines to be used in the production of various outputs.This led to the growth of other sectors, creation of employment and an increase in the per capita income of the people fuelling growth in all sectors. There are many factors that are credited with accelerating the pace of industrialization in American during this period. Firstly, there was not adequate labor to work in the utilizations of the vast resources f ound in American pushing efforts to create machinery that would make work effective and easier. Secondly, America was endowed with many rivers that could be used to transport products and also as sites for building mills and many other industries.Other inventions that accelerated industrialization included the steam engine that made transportation faster and the cotton gin that brought huge profits to plantation owners. Another factor that helped greatly to increase trade in this period was the building of roads and canals to improve transport within the country especially to those states that were landlocked. The invention of the steam engine was used to manufacture steam boats that revolutionized travel.Furthermore, steam engines were used on trains which saw the building of a rail way line that connected various parts of the country easing movement of people and goods. The invention of thee telephone and telegraph would also prove to be a major factor contributing greatly to the development of service sectors like banks. Lastly the presence of oil in the country was a contributing factor since oil provided useful products in the homes for lighting and in industries for lubricating machines. It would later become even more useful with the invention of the combustion engine.The industrial revolution not only saw many Americans acquire land but also improved the way they farmed increasing their output greatly. This is because they stopped relying on manual labor and used machinery that helped them keep the soil fertile while reducing the cost of production. Industries provided jobs for people and led to growth of urban centers whereby companies were based and suburbs were people lived. The great technological developments continued in many sectors including arms which saw an improvement in the status of the army (Hudson, 1992).The causes of the Civil War are many and complex There are many causes of the American civil war but three reasons stand out as the maj or causes. The American civil war was fought during the period 1861-1865 and was caused by the secession of the southern Sates for the union. It pitted Jefferson Davies commanding the confederate forces against the union forces under the guidance of the president Lincoln. The first reason is the issue of slavery since many differed on the issue depending on which part of the country one came from.Most northerners were against slavery since they claimed that it went against the constitution that identified that all men are born equal and all had certain rights guaranteed them by the constitution. They therefore could not understand how people calling themselves Americans and subject to the same constitution could own other people and thereby contradict the constitution in such a blatant manner. In this regard they were agitating for an end to slavery a motion that was not well received in the south.The southern economy was dependent on agriculture and Southerners felt that they neede d slaves to work on their large plantations. The election of Abraham Lincoln as president was the last straw for the southerners since they saw it as a clear move of bad things to come since Lincoln was one of the staunch supporters of the motion to abolish slavery. Lincoln and congress however tried to avert the problem by not formulating immediately a law ending slavery but instead drafted one stopping the spread of it.Southerners felt that if the growth of slavery was stopped hen slavery would die slowly and the effect would still be the same. Furthermore, Northerners gave States powers to hold referendum whereby citizens chose whether those states should keep slaves or not. Another factor that caused the civil war is the economic differences between the South and the north and the various legislations passed by Northern legislators to benefit them in the expense of Southerners. The North depended more on industries and service industry while the South depended largely on agricul ture especially in cotton.This largely meant that need for labor in the form of slaves was increasing and this in turn polarized the two sides of the country against each other. Furthermore, most merchant ships form the south exported cotton and returned with finished products from Europe. Most of those products were similar to those made I the northern part and hence northerners felt that they should purchase from them and not import them . This led to the formulation of higher taxes on imports in order to force them to purchase them from their northern counterparts and this angered them since these products were more expensive.Another important factor that led to the civil war was the debate of whether to have a strong federal government since most in the south favored strong states with a weak federal government. They felt that they should have the power to make their own regulations and have the authority to veto federal laws that they felt were not good for their states. They a lso felt that they should have the right to secede from the union and form independent countries if their populace felt so.However, the president and the north saw this as rebellion and could therefore not grant them such a request (Catton & McPherson, 2004). These reasons led to the Confederate states launch a secession war against the north for the right to self governance. As the war progressed Lincoln freed all the slaves held by the South a move aimed at strengthening support for the union and stopping Britain from intervening in the war. The end of the war saw a great period of reconstruction that saw great involvement by federal and state governments.With the end of the war came an end to slavery and an upholding of the constitutional provision that â€Å"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. † We ho ld these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of HappinessThe issue of human freedom has been an important subject from time immemorial and hence the presence of the phrase â€Å"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal† in the American constitution. There are several factors that led American leaders among them Thomas Jefferson to include this provision in the declaration for independence since their efforts to win America’s independence from Britain was motivated by a need for governance that respects the rights of the people.There are several factors that led America to fight for its independence but most of the included a need to stop British parliament from imposing its legislative authority over the American people. Most importantly was the act by British parliament to pass a law increasing tax over the American Britons a move that many felt was a violation of their sovereign rights since many felt that America owed its allegiance to he king but was not subject to legislations by the British parliament.Furthermore American leaders during the time preceding the declaration of independence felt that all people have certain natural rights which cannot be taken from them. These rights guarantee people certain rights conferred upon them which cannot be surrendered to the state and which allows men to decide their lives. Natural rights were argued from many schools of thought with religion playing a major part in leading to believe and adoption of the same in the constitution. Furthermore, natural rights could b traced to Britain whereby they were used to challenge the divine powers of kings and therefore remove kings who ruled unjustly.Therefore, the acts of Britain to dictate various laws upon the American public and levy taxes on them were considered to be breach of such rights since natural rights prohibited a party to gain while causing pain, harm or misery to the other. In this regard, the American constitution after independence went ahead to grant American citizens certain rights that could not be surrendered to the state and clarified that any law made in contradiction to these provisions would be void. This philosophy continued to grow and influence American society in years to come and this was evidence with the thirteenth amendment that abolished slavery.The issue of slavery was always a very controversial issue all over the world with many questioning the morality of some forcing others to work for them and be subject to their control. The Amendment was preceded by the emancipation proclamation by Abraham Lincoln during the civil war and was aimed at ruining the economy of those states which were trying to leave the union. As expected, the move won the Lincoln administration support from foreign nation especially the United Kingdom and dim inishing the rebellious state’s chance of recognition.However, the proclamation only freed slaves from Southern sates and it became necessary to enact a law ending slavery in the whole country. In this regard, it became illegal for any person to force any person to involuntary servitude guaranteeing the rights of all citizens to liberty. However, the end of slavery was not the end of problems related to minor groups who were mainly blacks in the American society. They were treated as second rate citizens and they did not have most of the rights enjoyed by the white majority.Though they were no longer slaves they were forced to work under deplorable conditions for their white employers and the same time receive meager earnings as the price of their labor. They were not allowed to vote since they were considered minority citizens and most were even subjected to violence and were not given access to justice to redress these violations of the rights. The American constitution gua rantees that all men are born equal and therefore guaranteed rights that cannot be denied them and this led minority groups to fight against such breach of constitutional guarantees.The situation escalated in the 20th century when segregation became widespread with black citizens not allowed to use white citizen’s facilities. These meant that minority groups were discriminated upon in employment, were not allowed in various establishments, and had separate schools with their white counterparts. This pushed these minority groups deep into poverty, a condition that will continue to be a big factor to the living stands of black people later on in the future.However, the 1900’s were an era of great civil movements that saw the granting of voting rights to all minority groups including women. The subsequent amendment to the constitution wanted to clarify that since the constitution clearly spelt that all people have certain unalienable rights, then any discrimination based on gender or race was contrary to the provisions of the constitution. Therefore, various governments continue to ensure that laws made do not infringe on the laws of individuals with the court reviewing laws and removing those that violate citizen’s rights.On the international arena, the adoption of the bill of rights have helped lead to more rights and freedoms for people all over the world (Vorenburg, 2001). References Catton, B. & McPherson, J. (2004). The Civil War. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Cohen, S. (2004). British supporters of the American revolution, 1775-1783. Boydell press. Hudson, P. (1992). The Industrial Revolution. Oxford Publisher. Ward, J. (1962). Andrew Jackson. New York: Oxford Publishers. Vorenberg, M. (2001). Final freedom. New york: Cambridge university press.