Studying Abroad or Studying At Home Essay

Studying abroad has become very fashionable for many residents. Many students seek the opportunities to study overseas to create a bright future and achieve childhood dreams. People who prefer to leave their home and study abroad seemed to be searching for educational satisfaction over their entire desire. Homesickness and culture shock besides unsafe environment are only a few problems of what an expat may face. It is believed that students shouldn’t leave their home to study abroad. The first reason why we should encourage students to pursue education locally is that a student studying locally doesn’t need to learn how to speak the local language of the foreign country that’s because they already known it. This will help avoid any communication problems between the students and their surroundings. Students can mix and blend with fellow classmates and teachers with ease. Moreover, students would be closer to home, being able to see and communicate with their loved people. Learning to live without a family is difficult and hard to cope with especially if someone was far alone from friends’ support and help. Another reason why a student shouldn’t leave their homeland to study abroad is the difficulties of moving. Studying locally is not as expensive compared to studying overseas. Students would not need to rent apartment as they can stay in the house they have been living in. Winter clothing, which also costs a lot of money, is not needed for those who are planning to study in western side. Local calls are also far cheaper than international calls for people who study outside of their country. More important, as a foreign student, students will experience distinct traditions and customs from that of their homeland and influence by their behaviors and norms. Students sometimes encounter with cultural shock. In different country things can be different than our habits. It is difficult  to get used to live in a foreign country. Traditions, habits and people are different and besides this it takes time to learn what their traditions and habits are. Culture shock also causes student not to be social and feel homesick. Students might miss their environment, family and friends. The opponents argue that studying abroad has many advantages, such as the advanced courses and developed approaches and facilities and the glory name of the western universities. They think that could expand student outlook and autonomy. However, local universities have encouraged students to study at home by opining international and famous worldwide university branches in its land. Furthermore, these universities branches are not less significance than the main branch in its original country. The counterarguments may think that speaking the language is better when someone lives between native people of the language. However, governments established many numbers of language institutes whose crew exclude native speakers. To conclude, studying locally is the best choice for students who are looking for satisfactory ad high level of education. People should be proud of pursuing education in homeland universities, where the difficulties of alienation can be avoided. By studying locally, there is no need to speak the language and moved on, only to enjoy studying among your loved people and to live dreams.

You Suck: A Love Story Chapter 4~5

Chapter Four Red and White and Dead all Over Rapoc stuffing and chicken feathers lay in great, fluffy drifts across the room, along with the shreds of their clothing, the futon cover, pieces of a fuzzy, Muppet-skin rug, and the crushed remains of a couple of cheap-ass Pier 1 paper lanterns. Sparks crackled from the bare wires over the breakfast bar, where the pendulum light fixtures used to hang. The loft looked as if someone had thrown a hand grenade into the middle of a teddy-bear orgy and the only survivors had had their fur blown off. â€Å"Well, that was different,† Jody said, still a little breathless. She was lying across the coffee table, looking out the window at a streetlight from an upside-down angle, naked except for one sleeve of her red leather jacket. She was smeared with blood from head to toe, and even as Tommy watched, the scratches and fang marks on her skin were healing over. â€Å"If I'd known,† Tommy said, panting, â€Å"I'd have grown a foreskin a long time ago.† He lay across the room where she had thrown him, sprawled on a pile of books and kindling that had once been a bookshelf, also smeared with blood and covered in scratches – wearing only a sock. As he pulled a pencil-sized splinter of bookcase out of his thigh, Tommy thought that he might have been a little hasty about yelling at Jody for turning him into a vampire. Although he couldn't really remember much of it, he was pretty sure he'd just had the most amazing sex ever. Apparently what he had read about vampire sex being all about drinking the blood and nothing else – it was just another myth like the changing into a bat and the inability to cross running water. â€Å"Did you know that was going to happen?† Tommy asked. â€Å"I had no idea,† Jody said, still on the coffee table, and looking more to Tommy every minute like a murder victim, except that she was talking, and smiling. â€Å"I was going to make you buy me dinner and take me to a movie first.† Tommy chucked the bloody bookcase splinter at her. â€Å"I don't mean did you know we were going to do it, I mean did you know that it was going to be like that?† â€Å"How would I know that?† â€Å"I thought maybe the night you spent with the old vampire†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Jody sat up. â€Å"I didn't do him, Tommy, I just spent the night with him trying to find out about how to be a vampire. And his name is Elijah.† â€Å"Oh, so now you're on a first-name basis.† â€Å"Oh, for the love of God, Tommy, would you stop thinking? You're taking what was an amazing experience and sucking all the life out of it.† Tommy fidgeted on his pile of rubble and started to pout, but winced when he tried to push out his lower lip and it caught on his fangs. She was right. He'd always been like that, always overthinking, overanalyzing. â€Å"Sorry,† he said. â€Å"You have to just be part of the world now,† Jody said softly. â€Å"You can't put everything into categories, separate yourself from experience by putting words on it. Like the song says, let it be.† â€Å"Sorry,† Tommy said again. He tried to push the thoughts out of his head, closed his eyes, and listened to his heartbeat, and Jody's heartbeat coming from across the room. â€Å"It's okay,† Jody said. â€Å"Sex like that does sort of beg for a postmortem.† Tommy smiled, his eyes still closed. â€Å"So to speak.† Jody stood up and crossed the room to where he was sitting. She offered him her hand to help him up. â€Å"Careful, the back of your head is kind of stuck in the dry wall.† Tommy turned his head and heard plaster cracking. â€Å"I'm still starving.† She pulled him to his feet. â€Å"I'm feeling a little drained myself.† â€Å"My bad,† Tommy said. He could remember now, her blood pulsing into him, at the same time that his was pulsing into her. He rubbed a place on his shoulder where the punctures from her fangs hadn't quite healed yet. She kissed the spot he was rubbing. â€Å"You'll heal faster when you've had fresh blood.† Tommy felt an ache, like a sudden cramp in his stomach. â€Å"I really need to eat.† Jody led him into the bedroom, where Chet the huge cat was cowering in the corner, hiding unsuccessfully behind the wicker hamper. â€Å"Wait,† Jody said. She padded back out into the great room and came back a few seconds later wearing what was left of her red leather jacket (really more of a vest now) and her panties, which she had to hold together on one side where they'd been torn off. â€Å"Sorry,† she said, â€Å"I'm not comfortable being naked in front of strangers.† Tommy nodded. â€Å"He's not a stranger, Jody. He's dinner.† â€Å"Uh-huh,† Jody said, nodding and shaking her head at the same time, making her appear like a bloodstained, bobble-head doll. â€Å"You go. You're new.† â€Å"Me? Don't you know some superanimal hypnotism to call him to you?† â€Å"Nope. Go get him. I'll wait.† Tommy looked at her. On top of the blood that streaked and smeared her pale skin, there were gobs of futon stuffing stuck to her here and there, as well as white chicken feathers in her hair from one of the exploded cushions. He had feathers and cat hair stuck to his chest and legs. â€Å"We're going to have to shave him first, you know?† Jody nodded, not looking away from the huge cat. â€Å"Maybe a shower first.† â€Å"Good idea.† Tommy put his arm around her. â€Å"But just washing. No sex!† â€Å"Why, we already lost the cleaning deposit?† â€Å"Those shower doors are glass.† â€Å"Okay. But can I wash your – â€Å" â€Å"No,† she said. She took his hand and dragged him into the bathroom. It turned out that superhuman vampire strength came in handy when shaving a thirty-five-pound cat. After a couple of false starts, which had them chasing Chet the huge shaving-cream-covered cat around the loft, they discovered the value of duct tape as a grooming tool. Because of the tape, they weren't able to shave his feet. When they were finished, Chet looked like a big-eyed, potbellied, protohuman in fur-lined, duct-tape space boots – the feline love child of Golem and Doddy the house elf. â€Å"I'm not sure we needed to shave all of him,† Tommy said, sitting on the bed next to Jody as they considered the bound and shaven Chet on the floor before them. â€Å"He looks creepy.† â€Å"Pretty creepy,† Jody said. â€Å"You'd better drink. Your wounds aren't healing.† All her scratches, bruises, and love bites were completely healed, and except for a fleck of shaving cream here and there in her hair, she was as good as new. â€Å"How?† Tommy asked. â€Å"How do I know where to bite him?† â€Å"Try the neck,† Jody said. â€Å"But sort of feel around for a vein with your tongue before you bite, and don't bite hard.† She was trying to sound confident in her instructions, but she was in unexplored territory as much as he was. She was enjoying teaching Tommy about the particulars of vampirism, just as she enjoyed teaching him how to do grown-up human things like how to get the power and phone turned on in the loft – it made her feel sophisticated and in charge, and after a series of boyfriends for whom she had been little more than an accoutrement, whose lifestyles she had affected, from heavy-metal anarchists to financial-district yuppies, she liked being the pacesetter for a change. Still, when it came to teaching him about feeding on animals, she couldn't have been winging it more if she really could turn into a bat. The only time she'd ever considered drinking animal blood was when Tommy had brought her two large, live snapping turtles from Chinat own. She hadn't been able to bring herself to even try biting into the armored reptiles. Tommy had named them Scott and Zelda, which hadn't helped. Now Zelda was functioning as a lawn ornament in Pacific Heights and Scott was encased in bronze and standing next to the old vampire in the great room. The biker sculptors downstairs had bronzed them, which is what had given Tommy the idea to bronze Jody and the old vampire in the first place. â€Å"Are you sure this is okay?† Tommy said, bending over Chet the huge shaved cat. â€Å"I mean, you said that we were only supposed to hunt the sick and the weak – the black auras. Chet's aura is shiny and pink.† â€Å"It's different with animals.† She had no idea if it was different with animals. She'd eaten a moth once, whole – snatched it out of the air and downed it before she could think about it. She realized now that there were a lot more questions she should have asked Elijah when she had had the chance. â€Å"Besides, you're not going to kill him.† â€Å"Right,† Tommy said. He put his mouth on Chet's kitty neck. â€Å"Like thith?† Jody had to turn away to keep from laughing. â€Å"Yeah, that looks good.† â€Å"He tathes like thaving cream.† â€Å"Just go,† Jody said. † ‘Kay.† Tommy bit and started to moan almost immediately. Not a moan of pleasure, but the moan of someone who has his tongue stuck on the ice-cube tray in the freezer. Chet seemed strangely calm, not even struggling against his kitty bonds. Maybe there was something to the vampire's power over his victims, Jody thought. â€Å"Okay, that's enough,† Jody said. Tommy shook his head while still feeding on the huge shaved cat. â€Å"Tommy, let off. You need to leave some.† â€Å"Nu-ih,† Tommy said. â€Å"Stop sucking the huge cat, Tommy,† Jody said sternly. â€Å"I'm not kidding.† She was kidding, a little bit. Tommy was breathing hard now, and a little color had come into his skin. Jody looked around for something to get his attention. She spotted a vase of flowers on the night-stand. She pulled out the flowers and tossed the water on Tommy and the huge cat. He kept feeding. The cat shuddered but otherwise remained immobile. â€Å"Okay, then,† Jody said. It was a heavy, stoneware vase, something Tommy had picked up to hold some apology flowers he'd brought her from the grocery store where he worked. He'd been good that way, sometimes bringing home apology flowers before he'd even done anything to apologize for. Really, you couldn't ask for more than that from a guy – which is why Jody slowed to half speed as she brought the vase around in a wide arc that ended with it smacking Tommy in the forehead and knocking him back about six feet. Chet the huge shaved cat yowled. Miraculously, the vase did not break. â€Å"Thanks,† Tommy said, wiping the blood from his mouth. There was a crescent-moon-shaped dent in his forehead that was rapidly filling in, healing. â€Å"Sure,† Jody said, staring at the vase. Great vase, she thought. Elegant, fragile porcelain was all well and good for the collector's case or the tea party, but for the girl who finds herself in need of a vessel that can deliver a wallop, Jody was suddenly sold on the sturdy value of stoneware. â€Å"Tastes like cat breath,† Tommy said, pointing to Chet. The punctures from Tommy's fangs had already healed. â€Å"Is it supposed to?† Jody shrugged. â€Å"What's cat breath taste like?† â€Å"Like tuna casserole left out in the sun for a week.† Being from the Midwest, Tommy thought everyone knew what tuna casserole tasted like. Having been born and raised in Carmel, California, Jody knew it only as something eaten by the extinct people on Nick at Nite. â€Å"I think I'm going to pass,† Jody said. She was hungry, but not cat-breath hungry. She wasn't sure what she was going to do about feeding. She couldn't very well try to live off Tommy anymore, and regardless of the rush and the sense that she was serving nature's cause by taking only the weak and the sick, she didn't like the idea of preying on humans – strangers anyway. She needed time to think, to figure out what their new life was going to be like. Things had been happening too quickly since Tommy and his friends had taken down the old vampire. She said, â€Å"We should get Chet back to his owner tonight if we can. You don't want to lose your driver's license – we may need a valid ID to rent a new place.† â€Å"A new place?† â€Å"We have to move, Tommy. I told Inspectors Rivera and Cavuto that I would leave town. You don't think they'll check?† There had been two homicide detectives who had followed the trail of bodies to the old vampire, and ultimately the discovery of Jody's delicate condition. She'd promised them that she'd take the old vampire and leave town if they'd let her go. â€Å"Oh yeah,† Tommy said. â€Å"That means I can't go back to work at the Safeway either?† He wasn't stupid, she knew he wasn't stupid, so why was he so slow to see the obvious? â€Å"No, I don't think that would be a good idea,† Jody said. â€Å"Since you're going to pass out cold at sunrise, just the way I do.† â€Å"Yeah, that'd be embarrassing,† Tommy said. â€Å"Especially when sunlight hits you and you burst into flames.† â€Å"Yeah, there's got to be company policy against that.† Jody screamed in frustration. â€Å"Jeez, kidding,† Tommy said, cringing. She sighed, realizing that he'd been goofing on her. â€Å"Get dressed, cat breath, we don't want to run out of dark. We're going to need some help.† Out in the great room, the vampire Elijah Ben Sapir was trying to figure out exactly what was going on around him. He knew he had been constrained – bound inside a vessel, and whatever held him was immovable. He'd even turned to mist, which relieved his anxiety somewhat – there was an ethereal mind-set that accompanied the form, it took concentration to not let yourself just float off in a daze – but the bronze shell was airtight. He could hear them talking, but their comments told him little except that his fledgling had betrayed him. He smiled to himself. What a foolishly human mistake to let hope triumph over reason. He should have known better. It would be days before the hunger was on him again, and even then, without any movement, he could last indefinitely without blood. He could live a very, very long time constrained like this, he realized – it was his sanity that would suffer. He decided to stay in mist form – drift as in a dream at night, sleep like the dead during the day. This way, he would wait, and when the time came, and it would come (if nothing else, living for eight hundred years had taught him patience), he would make his move. Chapter Five The Emperor of San Francisco Two in the morning. Normally, the Emperor of San Francisco would have been tucked in behind a Dumpster with the royal guard snuggled around him for warmth, snoring like a congested bulldozer, but tonight he had been undone by the generosity of a Starbucks froth slave in Union Square who had donated a bucket-sized Holiday Spice Mochaccino to the cause of royal comfort, thus leaving the Emperor and his two companions jangled, wandering the wee hours on a nearly deserted Market Street, waiting for breakfast time to roll around. â€Å"Like crack with cinnamon,† said the Emperor. He was a great, boiler tank of a man, an ambling meat locomotive in a wool overcoat, his face a firebox of intensity, framed with a gray tempest of hair and beard such as are found only on gods and lunatics. Bummer, the smaller of the troops, a Boston terrier, snorted and tossed his head. He'd lapped up some of the rich coffee broth himself, and felt ready to tear ass out of any rodent or pastrami sandwich that might cross his path. Lazarus, normally the calmer of the two, a golden retriever, pranced and leapt at the Emperor's side as if it might start raining ducks any minute – a recurring nightmare among retrievers. â€Å"Steady, gents,† the Emperor chided. â€Å"Lets us use this inopportune alertness to inspect a less frantic city than we find in the day, and determine where we might be of service.† The Emperor believed that the first duty of any leader was to serve the weakest of his people, and he made an effort to pay attention to the city around him, lest someone fall through the cracks and be lost. Clearly he was a loon. â€Å"Calm, good fellows,† he said. But calm was not coming. The smell of cat was tall in the air and the men were jacked on Java. Lazarus barked once and bolted down the sidewalk, followed closely by his bug-eyed brother-in-arms, the two descending on a dark figure that lay curled up around a cardboard sign on the traffic island at Battery Street, beneath a massive bronze statue that depicted four muscular men working a metal press. It had always looked to the Emperor like four guys molesting a stapler. Bummer and Lazarus sniffed the man beneath the statue, sure that he had to have a cat concealed among his rags somewhere. When a cold nose hit a hand, the Emperor saw the man move, and breathed a sigh of relief. With a closer look, the Emperor recognized him as William with the Huge Cat. They knew each other to nod hello, but because of racial tensions between their respective canine and feline companions, the two had never become friends. The Emperor knelt on the man's cardboard sign and jostled him. â€Å"William, wake up.† William groaned and an empty Johnny Walker Black bottle slid out of his overcoat. â€Å"Dead drunk, perhaps,† said the Emperor, â€Å"but fortunately, not dead.† Bummer whimpered. Where was the cat? The Emperor propped William up against the concrete base of the statue. William groaned. â€Å"He's gone. Gone. Gone. Gone.† The Emperor picked up the empty scotch bottle and sniffed it. Yes, it had recently held scotch. â€Å"William, was this full?† William grabbed the cardboard sign off the sidewalk and propped it in his lap. â€Å"Gone,† he said. The sign read I AM POOR AND SOMEONE STOLE MY HUGE CAT. â€Å"My deepest sympathies,† said the Emperor. He was about to ask William how he had managed to procure a fifth of top-shelf scotch, when he heard a long, feline yowl echo down the street, and looked up to see a huge shaved cat, in a red sweater, heading their way. He managed to catch hold of Bummer and Lazarus's collars before they darted after the cat, and dragged them away from William. The huge cat leapt into William's lap and the two commenced a drunken reunion embrace that involved quantities of purring, baby talk, and drool, enough that the Emperor had to fight down a little nausea at the sight of it. Even the royal hounds had to look away, the two realizing instinctively that a maudlin and shaved, thirty-five-pound cat in a red sweater was clearly above their pay grade. There was just no doggy protocol for it, and presently they began to turn in circles on the sidewalk, as if looking for a good place to feign a nap. â€Å"William, I believe someone has shaved your cat,† said the Emperor. â€Å"That would be me,† said Tommy Flood as he came around the side of the traffic island, scaring the bejeezus out of everyone there. A pale and delicate hand reached out from behind the island, grabbed the collar of Tommy's coat, and snatched him back around the corner as if he were a rag doll. â€Å"Tommy?† called the Emperor. The big man stalked around the concrete art bunker. Bummer and Lazarus had headed back down the street toward the waterfront, as if they had just seen a particularly fetching porterhouse steak hopping around down there that needed to be investigated. The Emperor found his friend C. Thomas Flood, held tight in the clutches of his girlfriend, Jody Stroud, the vampire, who had her hand pressed tightly over Tommy's mouth and was furiously giving him noogies with the knuckle of her other hand. There was a hollow popping each time she connected, and muted cries from Tommy. â€Å"Jody, I must insist that you unhand the young man,† insisted the Emperor. And she did. Tommy twisted out of her grasp. â€Å"Ow!† Tommy said, rubbing his head. â€Å"Sorry,† Jody said. â€Å"Couldn't be helped.† â€Å"I thought you were going to leave the city with that fiend,† said the Emperor. He had been there, with the royal hounds and Tommy's crew from the Safeway, when they'd done battle with the old vampire at the St. Francis Yacht Club. â€Å"Well, yes, of course. He left already and I'm going to join him,† Jody said. â€Å"Just like I promised Inspector Rivera. But I wanted to make sure that Tommy was going to be all right before I left.† The Emperor liked Jody, and had been a little disappointed when he found that she was a bloodsucking fiend, but she was a pleasant girl nonetheless, and had always been generous with treats for the men, despite Bummer's dropping into yapping fits in her presence. â€Å"Well then, I suppose that will have to do,† said the Emperor. â€Å"It appears that our young writer does require some adult supervision before being set loose on the City.† â€Å"Hey, I do okay,† Tommy said. â€Å"You shaved the cat,† said the Emperor, raising a wild eyebrow that looked like a gray squirrel with a Mohawk. â€Å"I – uh, we were testing him out, to see if I should get a cat to keep me company after Jody leaves.† He looked at Jody, who nodded enthusiastically while trying to look wide-eyed and sincere. â€Å"And†¦ and,† Tommy continued, â€Å"I was chewing some bubble gum, you know, the kind that you can blow really big bubbles with – well, long story short, before I knew it, Chet had lunged at one of my bubbles and was completely covered with bubble gum.† Jody quit nodding and just stared at him. â€Å"So you shaved him,† the Emperor added. Now it was Tommy's turn to nod and look sincere. â€Å"Regrettably.† Jody was nodding again, too. â€Å"Regrettably,† she echoed. â€Å"I see,† said the Emperor. They certainly seemed sincere. â€Å"Well, the sweater was considerate.† â€Å"My idea,† Jody said. â€Å"You know so he doesn't get chilled. It's actually my sweater. Tommy washed it and put it in the dryer, so it's a little too small for me.† â€Å"And don't think it was easy getting a cat that size into a sweater,† Tommy said. â€Å"It was like trying to dress a ball of razor wire. I'm cut to ribbons.† He pushed his sleeves up to expose his forearms, which were distinctly not cut to ribbons. They were, in fact, unmarked, if a little pale. â€Å"Well, good show, then,† the Emperor said, backing away. â€Å"The men and I will be on our way, then.† â€Å"Do you guys need anything, Your Majesty?† Jody asked. â€Å"No, no, we have been most fortunate this evening. Most fortunate indeed.† â€Å"Well, take care, then,† Jody said, even as the Emperor backed around the corner and headed up the street. She can be deceptively pleasant for a blood-drinking agent of evil, the Emperor thought. Bummer and Lazarus were almost out of sight, four blocks ahead. They had known, the rascals. The Emperor was disgusted with himself, leaving William there like that, at the mercy of the fiends. There was no telling what they might do, the two of them, but he felt fear chilling his spine and he couldn't make himself turn around. Perhaps they wouldn't hurt poor William. After all, they had been sweet children in life, both of them. And even in her current state, Jody had shown a certain quality of mercy by waiting until now to turn Tommy. Still, he had a city he was responsible for, and he could not shirk that responsibility. It was a long walk to the Marina Safeway, but he had to reach it before the night crew left. As knavish as they might be, they were the only people in his city who actually had experience hunting vampires. â€Å"Bite him,† Tommy said. He was standing over the huge cat guy, who had passed out again under the statue. Jody shook her head and shuddered. â€Å"He's filthy. Don't tell me you can't smell that.† Since she'd become a vampire, she'd only experienced nausea when she tried to eat real food, but she was nauseated now, despite the hunger grating in her core. â€Å"Here, I'll clean off a spot.† Tommy fished a tissue out of his coat pocket, licked it, and cleaned a spot on William's neck. â€Å"There. Go for it.† â€Å"Yuck.† â€Å"I bit the cat,† Tommy said. â€Å"You said yourself that you were starving.† â€Å"But he's hammered.† Jody said. She was taking little steps in place like a little kid who has to pee. â€Å"Bite him.† â€Å"Quit saying ‘bite him. I don't think of it like that.† â€Å"How do you think of it?† â€Å"I don't really think of it. It's sort of an animal thing.† â€Å"Oh, I see,† Tommy said. â€Å"Bite him before some cops come along and take him away and you miss your chance.† â€Å"Ewww,† Jody said, kneeling beside William. Chet the huge cat looked up at her from William's lap, then put his head down and closed his eyes. (Blood loss had mellowed him.) Jody pushed William's head aside and reared back with her mouth open wide as her fangs extended. She closed her eyes and bit. â€Å"See how easy that was,† Tommy said. Jody glared at him without letting go, her breath rasping through her nose as she fed. She thought, I should have hit him harder when I had the chance. Finally, when she felt she'd taken enough to sustain her, but not enough to hurt the huge cat guy, she pulled away, sat down, and looked up at Tommy. â€Å"You've got a little – † Tommy gestured to the corner of her mouth. She wiped her mouth with her hand, came away with a little lipstick and a little blood. She looked at William's neck. It's was sort of a dirt-gray color, with a white spot rimmed in lipstick. The punctures from her fangs had already healed, but the lipstick sort of stood out like a target. She reached over and wiped the lipstick off with her palm, then wiped her palm off on the huge cat's sweater. Chet purred. William snored. Jody climbed to her feet. â€Å"How was it?† Tommy asked. â€Å"How do you think it was? It was necessary.† â€Å"Well, I mean, when you used to bite me it was kind of a sexual thing.† â€Å"Oh, right,† Jody snapped. â€Å"I planned all this because I wanted to fuck the huge cat guy.† She was feeling a little light-headed for some reason. â€Å"Sorry. We should get him off of Market Street,† Tommy said, â€Å"before he gets robbed or arrested. He's got to have some of the money left. That much alcohol would have killed him.† â€Å"The hell do you care, writer boy? You shaved and ate his cat. Or was that a sexual thing?† She was definitely feeling light-headed. â€Å"That was a mutual – â€Å" â€Å"Oh, bullshit. Bite him. See how sexual it is. Get a taste of that down-home human hemoglobin goodness, Tommy. Don't be a wuss,† Jody said. Well, he was being a wuss. Tommy stepped back. â€Å"You're drunk.† â€Å"And you're being a wuss,† Jody said. â€Å"Wuss, wuss, wuss.† â€Å"Help me. Take his feet. There's a sheltered alcove over by the Federal Reserve building across the street. He can sleep it off there.† Jody bent to take the guy's feet, but they seemed to move as she reached for them, and when she corrected, she missed, and fell forward, catching herself so that she was on all fours with her ass in the air. â€Å"Yeah, that worked,† Tommy said. â€Å"How about you take Chet and I'll carry the huge cat guy?† â€Å"Whadever, Mr. Wussyman,† Jody said. Maybe she was a little tipsy. In the old days, prevampire days, she'd tried to stay away from alcohol, because it turned out that she was sort of an obnoxious drunk. Or that's what her ex-friends had told her. Tommy picked up Chet the huge cat, who squirmed as he held him out to Jody. â€Å"Take him.† â€Å"You are not the head vampire here,† Jody said. â€Å"Fine,† Tommy said. He slung Chet under his arm and, in a single movement, scooped up the huge cat guy and threw him over his shoulder with the other arm. â€Å"Careful crossing the street,† Tommy called back to her as he crossed. â€Å"Ha!† Jody said. â€Å"I am a finely tuned predator. I am a superbeing. I – † And at that point she bounced her forehead off a light pole with a dull twang and was suddenly lying on her back looking at the streetlights above her, which kept going out of focus, the bastards. â€Å"I'll be back to get you,† Tommy called. He's so sweet, Jody thought.

Philosophical Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Philosophical Ethics - Essay Example Illegal immigration is a divisive topic and it can be termed as a substantive disagreement. This is because it can be studies using facts and arguments can be made based on the research findings. In the case of illegal immigration, the numbers are clear on the negative impacts that illegal immigration has on the population. On the other hand, the research is clear on the negative of illegal immigration on the immigrants (Ferrell and John 29). In other words, the illegal immigrants suffer when the US government and citizens ignore them. The issue on whether illegal immigration is right or wrong is a subjective truth owing to the fact that there is no universal truth on the issue. This is owing to the fact there is no principle that terms the issue as being right or wrong. There are various reasons why one side supports illegal immigration while the other side rejects it. First, there were over 11 million immigrants in America and this issue has continued to divide the opinions of the US citizens to date (Ferrell and John 31). Supporters of this issue claim that immigration results to increased diversity in the American population which can have numerous benefits. Americans can learn new things from the immigrants. Secondly, the high number of immigrants results to an increase in the labor force. This means that the industrial sector can easily access workers and which results to improved performance in the economy. In an addition to an increase in workers, immigrants provide cheaper labor since they are always to work for less. Immigrants take up the jobs that the US citizens look down upon. Some of these jobs include gardening, plumbing and babysitting. All these jobs play a pivotal in the economy and lead to efficiency in the country’s opera tions. Supporters of immigration note that immigrants are motivated and share positive values that are in line

Classic Hollywood Cinema Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 1

Classic Hollywood Cinema - Essay Example This essay prompts readers to revise Bordwells contention in a certain way. Movies have an emotional appeal that transcend gender, because these movies both demonstrate the second-class status of women in society, although Citizen Kane (1941) has shown womens subtle struggles in fighting their patriarchal society. In Citizen Kane (1941) and Shane (1953), men are the more powerful and stronger gender than women. Through a subjective camera, Welles makes the audience feel that they are breaking and entering a mans innermost property, with the â€Å"No Trespassing† sign framing the psychological intrusion into Kanes most-prized property, the Xanadu estate. Welles combines camera tilt with lap dissolves to shoot the high gate and focus on the large steel â€Å"K† sign on top of the gate. This sign stands for Kanes perception of himself as a human being and a â€Å"man,† where he is superior to his women and the people around him. In Shane, Joe (Van Heflin) and Shane work together on the ranch. They swing their axes together, as if in the harmony of brotherhood and masculinity. Their control over their environment also indicates their control over society. Through alternating shots, Stevens depicts the strength of men in the physical and psychological sense. Shane further demo nstrates the patriarchal culture of the setting through the rough-and-tumble way that men resolve their conflicts. During this time, law and order do not concretely exist yet, because America is in its â€Å"becoming† stage. The West is divided, where ranchers and homesteaders, or â€Å"squatters† as ranchers call them, are in conflict over property rights. They cannot resolve their land dispute over rational discussion, since they hate to give concessions to each other. They desire a zero-sum game, where one wins and other loses. This kind of thinking is a facet of realism, where anarchy drives

Topics in Physical Chemistry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Topics in Physical Chemistry - Essay Example The understanding of chemical equilibrium has also advanced by different research studies thereby bringing new knowledge. Through exploration of different studies on the topic, this paper presents current study from peer reviewed journals and how research advance the studies in chemical equilibrium and its application. The use of computer simulations in the study of simple and long chain chemical reactions has also beenexplored. Finally, the paper explores the law of thermodynamics and how it applies to chemical equilibrium. Introduction Chemical reactions involve reactants and interacting under certain conditions to produce a product. It refers to the process of transforming a set of chemical compounds or substances to another or others with totally different identities. It involves the changes of the position of electrons with regards to formation or breaking of the bonds while the original elements always remain the same. Since there is no change in the original elements present, a chemical reaction can always be represented by an equation. Reagents or reactants are the initial substances that participate in a chemical reaction thus during a chemical reaction, there is always a change. This is because the new products exhibit different properties. New products may have differences with regard to physical, biological or chemical properties depending on the nature of chemical reaction. Chemical reaction equation must have the starting materials (reactants), conditions for reaction, intermediate products and finally the end products. However, there are certain chemical reactions that are very simple and do not need to pass through the intermediate product in order to get to the final product. In a chemical equation, we may have two different types of chemical reaction as well. Chemical reaction that takes place according to concentration and temperature at a specific rate is called non spontaneous while one that require no other conditions except thermal energy is known as spontaneous. This principle forms the basis of calculating the rate of reaction as well as managing it. In this respect, non spontaneous reaction is very slow and thus requires an additional energy or catalyst to increase its rate. Objective of the Study The objective of this study is to explore different literature and explore the current studies in chemical equilibrium. This paper aims at exploring studies in academic journals mainly focusing on equilibrium constant and its application in different industries. Chemical Reaction Chemical reactions can be well illustrated by chemical equations. Chemical equations consist of two or more reactants on the left side and the resultant products of that particular reaction on the right side. An arrow at the middle of the equation always represents the direction of reaction which can be either to the right or to the left depending on the conditions. It is therefore important to note that most chemical reactions are reversible r eactions. This is often represented by a double arrow which points on the both sides. The meaning of this is that products can also produce reactants depending on the concentrations and certain conditions. aA + bB cC + dD Irreversible reactions aA + bB cC + dD Reversible reactions The above equations shows the basic principle of a chemical reaction where A and B substances react to produce C and D substances. However, a, b, c and d

Business Growth and Sustainability Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Business Growth and Sustainability - Assignment Example Holding the tournament on campus would cut costs and maximize profits. In addition, it would provide a ready market base that would go a long way to achieve great results within the shortest time possible. The tournament would address the business objectives, whilst significantly reducing the running costs. Its success was focused on its leadership and management position, which turned it into a goal-oriented adventure. The sales process was flexible and accommodated consumer needs and changing market trends. Table of Contents 1.0 Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦... 1 1.1 Overview of Make an Impact†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 1 1.2 The Product – Fifa 12†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 2 1.3 The Business†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 2 1.4 Short term aim†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦... 3 2.0 Market†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 3 2.1Market Size†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. ... 5 4.0 Risks†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 6 5.0 Finance†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 8 6.0 Growth†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 8 INTRODUCTION: 1.1 Overview of Make an impact. For the make an impact week, the team was set the task of creating an idea to generate funds for charity during university time. The team decided to hold a Fifa 12 tournament as its project. It had to promote and market the idea around campus and raise money for a char ity at the end of the week. The group carried out the task efficiently and met all its objectives, which were set at the start of the Make an impact week. The basis for the idea worked well in terms of generating quick profit with a low starting up cost, which was its main advantage. Make an impact week was intended to develop strategies for establishing a business idea that would attain and maintain realistic growth. The team held a tournament aimed to increase sales of Fifa 12 tickets as fast as market conditions would allow. The project emphasized the focus of strategic planning that enables a business to grow forward. This focus includes public relations, public image, labour relations, advertising and promotion, political lobbying and flowing with the stream (Daems, 2006, p. 157). 1.2 The Product – Fifa 12 Fifa 12 is a game that is fun, competitive and socially interactive. It was a feasible idea for fundraising as it brought people together without trying too hard. The idea of the FIFA tournament was arrived at after thorough

Juvenile Offenders and Re-offending Rates Literature review

Juvenile Offenders and Re-offending Rates - Literature review Example There have been global trends in treatment of juvenile offenders. Until the 1970’s, juvenile offenders were punished for their crimes, but it was recognized that their age was to be considered. The 1980’s then witnessed a rise in punishment approach to juvenile offenders.4 Since 2000, risk factors have been used to determine which communities have a higher probability of producing juvenile offenders.5 These communities are then encouraged through central policymaking to eliminate these factors.6 However, recent approach implies elimination of crime rates and strict punishment of the committed crimes.7 It does not apply rehabilitation or concern with re – offending rates. Such system, inspired by the American system of policing, punishing and shaming juvenile offenders has been applied in the UK ever since the 1990’s.8 Globalization has been blamed for such a development. According to the critics, globalization has promoted neo – liberalism and indiv idual responsibility, which results in blaming the juvenile offender.9 As a result, juvenile incarceration rates are high in the UK relative to other countries. ... Scotland in Europe.12 One reason is lower age of criminal responsibility, which leads to more juveniles being prosecuted and awarded custodial sentence.13 There is a disconnection between the central government and local agents. In the UK, non – custodial sentence is preferred and promoted by the policymakers.14 Social Enquiry Reports (SER), which are written by social workers and stand at disposal to judges and sheriffs, promote the prescribed policy. However, the judges mostly misinterpret the recommendations, or decide to disregard them.15 The government on one hand aims to punish the crimes, but on the other hand prevent them. As a result, such action might also be misinterpreted by some judges. Local communities also affect the implementation of central government’s decisions. In South – West of the UK, one in ten sentences is custodial sentence, whereas in West Midlands one in five community sentences are custodial sentences.16 Such an approach by judges an d communities changes the impact of governmental policies and decisions.17 As a result, England and Wales experienced decreasing rates of juvenile re – offending, even though these decreases are slight. According to the Ministry of Justice report from 2010, Between April 2009 and March 2010, there were approximately 110,000 juvenile offenders. 18 Less than 38,000 of them were re – offenders. Thus, the re – offending rate was 33.3 per cent, and the average number of re – offences for these individuals was 2.79. 19 There was a 0.4 percentage point decrease in re – offending rate of juveniles since 2000, though risk assessment of the juvenile offenders indicates high probability of re – offending.20 In Australia, a mild system, re – offending rates are visibly lower for non – custodial

Poor staff recruitment at Qatar Airways Research Paper

Poor staff recruitment at Qatar Airways - Research Paper Example Qatar Airways is a major competitor in the global airline industry. The firm’s success in the global market has been highly related to the quality of its customer services. However, it seems that in the future the firm will have to face severe challenges as of its recruitment process. Up today, the firm’s recruitment process has been quite simple, incorporating two key phases: a recruitment event and an interview. The firm arranges recruitment events of 3 different types: for cabin crew positions, for flight deck crew positions and for other positions in general. The review of the firm’s recruitment process in regard to all the above positions leads to the following assumption: the recruitment process of the organization is quite simple, not securing the identification of appropriately skilled candidates. Indeed, as described in the firm’s website the recruitment process of the firm consists the following sub-processes: the candidate who is interested in a pplying for a particular position comes to one of the firm’s recruitment events; the candidate needs to be appropriately dressed and have a CV. In each recruitment event, candidates meet the firm’s HR managers and give their CVs. At the next level, successful candidates are asked to pass an interview. However, no reference is made to the firm’s criteria in regard to the success of candidates in the first phase of the recruitment process, i.e. the recruitment event; also, the criteria for passing the interview are not mentioned. It seems that in the particular organizations HR managers are highly based on their own perceptions for evaluating the appropriateness of candidates for a particular position. In this way, the firm’s recruitment process can be negatively criticized, as of its failure in promoting diversity, equality and fairness.

Letters to Editor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Letters to Editor - Essay Example ly opposing the message relayed in the original publications, these letters appear as an avenue for readers to express their opinions that contradict the information relayed by editors. The main purpose of these letters is to give responses to previous publications on sports-related issues on the newspaper. These letters are directed to the editor who relates to the publications attracting reactions through the given letters. To make reference to the publications, the writers of the letters give the titles of the publications and the dates they appeared on the newspaper, similar to referencing in academic writing. Thus, the writer needs not to give the message relayed in the publication but gives personal reaction outright. This style differs from general writing where an introduction, perhaps giving a summary of the message in the original publication and the objective of the current task, would be given to put the task into context. This difference could make readers of the â€Å"Letters to the Editor† not to have the requisite background information. As such, it could cause a failure in understanding the objective of the letter. However, it is clear that the letters critique, with a majority seemingly criticizing, the message relayed in past

The Search for Spiritual Identity in Adolescents Essay Example for Free

The Search for Spiritual Identity in Adolescents Essay It’s a puzzle with us trying to find the right fit, size and shape where the pieces will fit to make us whole. So we begin by growing, and developing, and learning and moving, and thinking and tasting, and touching and testing, and hugging and loving! We go through different stages of growth and growing, and learning and maturing and changing and aging and ultimately death. This writer believes we are searching for our spiritual identity. The NIV Bible says that the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being. Man’s spiritual identity comes from God! Jesus was about twelve years old according to the NIV Bible when he began his quest for spiritual identity. Luke 2:49 reads: Why were you searching for me? he asked. Didnt you know I had to be in my Fathers house? After a female egg becomes fertilized by a male sperm it becomes a zygote. This living organism is a product of each parent’s chromosomes. This zygote begins a two week period of rapid cell division which eventually becomes an embryo. Eventually, this embryo will become a living being which was produced and created by its two parents. This child’s physical identity comes from his parents! I use the term parent’s very loosely because I am aware that his identity comes from his bloodline or his genes. I am making a point. By far the most provocative theory of identity development is Erik Erikson’s. It was Erikson who first understood how central questions about identity are to understanding adolescent development. Erikson’s fifth developmental stage (identity versus identity confusion) says during this time adolescents (between the ages of eleven to young adult hood) are faced with who they are, what they are all about and where they are going. Erikson framed the best of maturity in the ego identity of what he called the moral-ethical, spiritual human. This human is one with a horizontal, earthly identity and a vertical, transcendent identity, meaning an identity both religious and spiritual that embraces non-physical manifestation. As adolescents search for their spiritual identity researchers have found that various aspects of religion are linked to positive outcomes in adolescents. Religion has been proven to play a role in adolescent’s health and whether or not they engage in problem behaviors (Cotton amp; others, 2006). For example, in a recent national random sample of 2000 11-18 year olds, those who were higher in religiosity were less likely to smoke, drink alcohol, use marijuana, not be truant in school, not engage in delinquent behavior and not be depressed as compared to their counterparts with lower religiosity (Sinha, Cnaan, amp; Gelles, 2006). The initiator of the Baha†i movement, Baha†Ã¢â‚¬ u â€Å"llah in 1863 believed that there were seven mystical stages to human development and he believed as does most Muslims today that human development is closely linked to religious development. He referred to those stages as â€Å"The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys†. They are: * The Valley of Search * The Valley of Love * The Valley of Knowledge * The Valley of Unity * The Valley of Contentment * The Valley of Wonderment * The Valley of the True Poverty and Absolute Nothingness He believed that one has not truly developed unless he has entered in or experienced each of hese stages. During my years of adolescence I was considered somewhat of a spoiled child. My mother sent me to a modeling school to become a trained runway model. By the time I was 13 I have performed in more than 100 different fashion shows in and around Michigan, Illinois and New York. Needless to say my environment consisted of my peers b eing much older than myself. I was constantly traveling and partying and dating older men. When I would return home I would become angry with my mother because she forced me to attend church. Church was always the center of our home. My mother was the secretary at our church for over forty years so we were always there. It seemed as if we were preparing our clothes for church 7 days in advance. So I ravished the opportunity to be out of town or on a modeling assignment on Sundays. When were taught to pray daily, morning, noon and night. My mother always told us the story of Daniel in the bible who prayed three times a day every day. And that is what she expected of us. I was a typical teenager who thought it was a waste of time. By the time I was 16 years old I became pregnant. My worst nightmare had come true. I remember my mother telling us that we should always pray. I began to pray daily asking God to show me how to tell my mother that I had ruined my life. I can almost remember the calm that would come over me whenever I was in prayer. Soon I realized that if God could listen to me and love me and allow that peace to come over me that there really was a God, an everlasting father and a true friend. I got the courage to talk to my mother and tell her how sorry I was and confess to God about the things that I had done knowing that they were not His will. This was the beginning of my transformation. My search had just begun. This began to give me answers to all of my seeking and questioning of myself, my world, my purpose. This bought purpose and stability into my life. Today I can say that I am a Minister of the Gospel and I do not believe I would be where I am not had not I gone through the experience of searching, seeking and finding during my adolescent and young adult years. This is just my story, no theory, just the facts. As man seeks and searches for his spiritual identity his mortality also surfaces. The NIV Bible allows us a peek into ourselves in I Corinthians 13:12, for now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully. As we are seeking to understand adolescent behavior we must remember that they are seeking and searching for who they are and whose they are. During this search they shall encounter experiences that they may not understand, they may even become people that you don’t understand, but with patience, love, guidance, education and prayer you can help them become the person they are looking for and want to become. Sometimes we as parents forget that our children not only need to be educated in the ways of the world and how to become successful healthy, productive adults but they also need to be taught about their spirit man. That part of them they cannot see but they can project in their life style. The part of them that no one else can even know or understand. The loving giving life that was breathed into them by the lover of their soul. The concept of a higher being. The ability to know and to understand that they have to answer to someone greater than themselves. The knowledge of understanding that life does not just revolve around them. This seeking and searching has a beginning but should never have an end. James Fowler believed that one had to go through 6 stages of Faith in order to find their own spiritual identity. | Stage| Description| Simplified version by M. Scott Peck| Stage 1| Intuitive-Projective| This is the stage of preschool children in which fantasy and reality often get mixed together. However, during this stage, our most basic ideas about God are usually picked up from our parents and/or society. | I. Chaotic-Antisocial| People stuck at this stage are usually self-centered and often find themselves in trouble due to their unprincipled living. If they do end up converting to the next stage, it often occurs in a very dramatic way. | Stage 2| Mythic-Literal| When children become school-age, they start understanding the world in more logical ways. They generally accept the stories told to them by their faith community but tend to understand them in very literal ways. [A few people remain in this stage through adulthood. ]| | | Stage 3| Synthetic-Conventional| Most people move on to this stage as teenagers. At this point, their life has grown to include several different social circles and there is a need to pull it all together. When this happens, a person usually adopts some sort of all-encompassing belief system. However, at this stage, people tend to have a hard time seeing outside their box and dont recognize that they are inside a belief system. At this stage, authority is usually placed in individuals or groups that represent ones beliefs. [This is the stage in which many people remain. ]| II. Formal-Institutional| At this stage people rely on some sort of institution (such as a church) to give them stability. They become attached to the forms of their religion and get extremely upset when these are called into question. Stage 4| Individuative-Reflective| This is the tough stage, often begun in young adulthood, when people start seeing outside the box and realizing that there are other boxes. They begin to critically examine their beliefs on their own and often become disillusioned with their former faith. Ironically, the Stage 3 people usually think that Stage 4 people have become backsliders when in reality they have actually moved forward. | III. Skeptic-Individual| Those who break out of the previous stage usually do so when they start seriously questioning things on their own. A lot of the time, this stage ends up being very non-religious and some people stay in it permanently| Stage 5| Conjunctive Faith| It is rare for people to reach this stage before mid-life. This is the point when people begin to realize the limits of logic and start to accept the paradoxes in life. They begin to see life as a mystery and often return to sacred stories and symbols but this time without being stuck in a theological box. | IV. Mystical-Communal| People who reach this stage start to realize that there is truth to be found in both the previous two stages and that life can be paradoxical and full of mystery.

Trend and effects of global immigration

Trend and effects of global immigration Trend and Effects of Global Immigration Immigration is a major political issue in the United States. Elections are won or lost based on candidates position on immigration reform. According to a 2008 Gallup Poll most people in the United States believe that immigration should be decreased. (Gallup, 2010) However, according to the same poll, since 2005 whites and blacks feel that immigration should be decreased. Conversely, the data shows that Hispanics believe immigration should be increased. In contrast, since 2005 whites, blacks and Hispanics all believe that immigration is a good thing for this country. Still, while whites and blacks believe that immigrants cost tax payers too much, yet Hispanics believe that immigrants do not cost tax payers too much. All those who responded to the Gallup Poll believe that immigrants are willing to take the low-paying jobs that Americans dont want (Gallup, 2010). While Gallup data provides insight only to trends in the United States, data from the Ogranisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) provides a snapshot of the reality of immigration around the world. OECD data shows that since 2005 foreign populations have increased in the majority of countries tracked. The greatest increases in foreign workers are in the United States, C anada, Italy, New Zealand, and Spain (2009). Trends The migration of people is not a new phenomenon. History shows that people have migrated since ancient times (Mueller, 2007). [M]igrations are not an isolated phenomenon: movements of commodities and capital almost always give rise to movements of people state Castles and Miller (as cited in Ryan, 2007). The Gallup data illustrates a trend in public opinion in the United States that immigration should be decreased (2010), yet internationally, including United States, OECD data shows a trend that actual immigration is steadily increasing each year (2009). The increase in immigration suggests another trend in the job market in which low paying jobs in this country are taken by immigrants, which supports the Gallup report stating that while there are many reasons for migration, the universal desire of all is to get a good job (Clifton, 2007). Historically, immigrants were poor males that were mostly unskilled. These men immigrated generally for economic reasons to send money back to their families (Ryan, 2007). Since 1970 the profile of an immigrant has evolved to include females who choose to migrate for a variety of reasons including family reunification, improved quality of life for their children and good jobs (Ryan, 2007; Piper, 2006; Horton, 2008; Clifton, 2007). Since 1980 women outnumber male immigrants in countries such as Australia, the United States, and Canada (Ryan, 2007). Impact of Immigration To the extent that people migrate to reunite their families, get a good job, or improve their financial situation, migration is beneficial to the individual. However, the ultimate benefits of migration come at a cost. For example, Mexican women often migrate to provide ideal lives for their children, influenced by their perceptions of the . . . classic Western ideals of childhood as a space protected from adult burdens and the sphere of monetized relationships . . . (Horton, 2008). In their quests to provide perfect lives for their children, these mothers are separated from their children for months or even years at a time in order to earn enough money to transport their children across borders. Separations are often longer than expected because of increased post-9/11 border enforcement. The cost for these mothers is the deterioration of their relationships with their children. To ensure that their children do not forget, them they send gifts to their children such as toys, candy and clothes. For the children left behind the cost for them is, ironically, at the expense their childhoods. For example, eldest daughters are left to mother younger siblings. Children left behind sometimes feel abandoned, which fosters anger at their absent mothers. These children may also suffer emotionally at the insults of classmates who make fun of them because their parents have migrated to another county (Horton, 2008). Additionally, depending on how they enter a country (i.e., as refugees, asylum seekers, or trafficked) and the jobs they perform (i.e., domestic labor, sex work, service industry work, unskilled labor), many women remain undocumented, which suggests that immigration numbers are even higher than reported (Piper, 2006). The economic impact of migration influences society both positively and negatively. Sending countries benefit from unemployment relief and substantial income through remittances from emigrants (Ryan, 2007). Yet, sending countries also suffer from the loss of skilled workers. (The US National Intelligence Council, 2001) Receiving countries benefit from a new workforce of skilled and unskilled laborers who fill the jobs the younger generation entering the workforce typically does not want. Unfortunately, employers whose businesses depend on skilled labor often take advantage of illegal workers with low pay, long hours, poor conditions, and work law violations. Yet without these workers many of these businesses would fold. Paradoxically, as the need for skilled workers increases, migrant workers will begin to demand higher wages as companies compete for their skills (Hemme, 2006). According to Clifton, all countries will compete for the key commodity that creates jobs: brain gain. Brain gain is defined as a citys or countrys attraction of talented people whose exceptional gifts and knowledge create new business and new jobs and increase that citys or countrys economy (2007). These human mega talents and their supporting employees impact their local economies through their purchasing power. They also impact their countrys GNP through the production of their companies goods. While countries that are able to attract the mega-talents reap the ultimate economic benefits (Gallup estimates one talented star per $100 million of GNP), conversely the countries from which the talent leaves suffer severe brain drain through the lack of skilled workers in health, aviation, mining, shipping and port operations (Clifton, 2007). Conclusion In my professional experience, I have witnessed the effects of immigration on education. There is tremendous benefit to students and districts in the sharing of diverse cultures and languages. However, increased enrollment of children whose parents may not pay taxes places a significant financial burden on school districts because of the need to hire additional teachers and provide meals and transportation. Districts realize a decrease in attendance revenue when migrant families return to their sending countries for extended periods of time. Because of language barriers, districts must provide more bilingual teachers, administrators and paraprofessionals to ensure communication with migrant parents and students. Equally important, test scores suffer because of language barriers and disparity in educational standards of the sending country and receiving district. Migration will continue, but the destinations chosen will ultimately depend on where people can get a good job (Clifton, 2007). Dramatic increases in immigration are predicted in the United States, Europe, Asia and Latin America triggered by violent conflicts, economic crises, and natural disasters (The US National Intelligence Council, 2001). Globalization and democratization will make such dramatic increases difficult to control. Mass migration from Mexico, Cuba and Haiti to the United States will be the result of poverty and political unrest (U.S. National Intelligence Council, 2001). Nations must heed these trends and predictions, prepare their infrastructures and develop plans to attract brain gain to ensure economic success for their citizens. REFERENCES: Hemme, B R(Summer 2007).Global migration as a solution to worker shortages in industrialized economies.Forum on Public Policy: A Journal of the Oxford Round Table, RetrievedFebruary 23, 2010,fromAcademic OneFileviaGale: Horton,S..(2008). Consuming Childhood: Lost and Ideal Childhoods as a Motivation for Migration.Anthropological Quarterly,81(4),925-943. Retrieved February 23, 2010, from Research Library. (Document ID:1616811601). Piper, N.(Spring 2006).Gendering the politics of migration (1).International Migration Review,40,1.p.133(32).RetrievedFebruary 23, 2010,fromAcademic OneFileviaGale: http://find.galegroup.com.ezproxylocal.library.nova.edu/gtx/start.do?prodId=AONEuserGroupName=novaseu_main Ryan, Jan. (2007). Globalization and migration in the 21st century: looking back into the future. Forum on Public Policy: A Journal of the Oxford Round Table. Retrieved February 23, 2010, from Academic OneFile via Gale: http://find.galegroup.com.ezproxylocal.library.nova.edu/gtx/start.do?prodId=AONEuserGroupName=novaseu_main The US National Intelligence Council on Growing Global Migration. (Documents).Dec 2001 Population and Development Review,27,4.p.817(3).RetrievedFebruary 23, 2010,fromAcademic OneFileviaGale: Gallup. (2010). Immigration. Retrieved from http://www.gallup.com/poll/1660/Immigration.aspx#3

Eric Fischl: A Journey Through His Life. Essay -- Art

The beauty of art really is in the eye of the beholder. Art is a diverse as the people who create it. Some of the most famous art comes from some of the least expected places and people but, their journey is what seems to make it incredible. From the suburbs of Long Island, New York to Haight-Ashbury, San Francisco during the Hippie movement in the 1960’s brought about one of the most influential, internationally acclaimed artists, Eric Fischl. This paper will go through his dysfunctional upbringing, his art education and teaching, his many accomplishments and how he became one of the most famous figurative artists of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Eric Fischl was born in 1948 in New York City. His own biography states â€Å"Fischl’s suburban upbringing provided him with a backdrop of alcoholism and a country club culture obsessed with image over content.†(Eric Fischl: Biography) In an interview with Fischl, when asked about his upbringing and he states â€Å"I grew up in an upper, middle class, American family in the suburbs of long island. My father was a salesman and went to the city every day. My mother was a housewife who had a severe drinking problem and so the family was in a dysfunctional state when I was growing up.†(Davis) Although he dropped out of high school and lived the hippie lifestyle for a while he eventually moved to Arizona and attended college in Phoenix. (Davis) In 1972, Fischl went back to California to attend the California Institute for the Arts from which he earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts. Two years later he ended up in Halifax, Nova Scotia teaching painting at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. After just a year, in 1975, he had his first show at Dalhousie Art Gallery. Three years la... ...Print. Fischl, Eric. Bad Boy. 1981. Eric Fischl: Early Paintings. Eric Fischl Studios, 2010. Web. 23 Mar. 2012. . Fischl, Eric. Krefeld Project: Bathroom Scene 2. 2003. Eric Fischl: Krefeld Project. Eric Fischl Studios, 2010. Web. 23 May 2012. . Fischl, Eric. The Bed, the Chair, Jetlag. 2000. Eric Fischl: The Bed, the Chair... Eric Fischl Studios, 2010. Web. 23 May 2012. . HUGHES, ROBERT. "Art: Discontents of the White Tribe." Editorial. TIME 30 May 1988. Time Magazine. Time, 30 May 1988. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. . Louise Blouin Media. "In the Studio: Eric Fischl." Art+Auction 11 Jan.

Country vs. Culture Essay example -- Culture

America is a land based on freedom. This freedom is for every individual no matter their race or culture. Our society has surpassed many judgments and concerns that these demographic differences had created in the past. These differences had previously led to a great amount of cultural diversity through the act of discrimination among our nation. America, as a country, has now opened opportunities for individuals to work and interact in environments which were previously unsuited. USA Today surveyed a minority group in 2005 and found that over one third of corporate culture embraces diversity (El Nasser). They have opened doors to expand numbers that are now reaching around 41% of minorities working at all levels of companies and 37% of minorities at senior management (El Nasser). America has allowed cultural views of religion and other lifestyle beliefs and values to be an individual’s choice. They have also given a vast amount of freedom to different ethnic and religious groups throughout the past decades. A number of individuals along with various groups have taken advantage of these freedoms in unacceptable and illegal ways and given a lesser punishments for their actions. There have been cultural cases surrounding the acts of rapes and murders, for example, where a defendant was given 5 years of probation for murder and another individual was given 120 days in prison for murder (Phillips). These sentences can be compared to the 10 or more years charged for a ‘normal’ murder case or the average 11.8 years in prison for an individual convicted of rape ("Title 18 Crimes and Criminal Procedure"). The freedom this country is based on should not be shaken by the cultures coming in, but this country should stand beside ... ...the English Courts." Modern Law Review. 66.4 (2003): 510-531. Web. 28 Mar. 2012. . Reddy, Sita. "Temporarily Insane: Pathologising Cultural Difference in American Criminal Courts." Sociology of Health and Illness. 24.5 (2002): 667-687. Web. 1 Apr. 2012. . United States. Justia US Law. Title 18 Crimes and Criminal Procedure. Justia, 2010. Web. . Valladares, Rene. Culture Clash: Cultural Issues in Criminal Defense. District of Nevada: Juris Publishing Inc., 2007. 424-466. eBook. www.fd.org/pdf_lib/culture_clash.pdf. Willing, Richard. "Courts Asked To Consider Culture." USA Today 25 May 2004, n. pag. Web. 2 Apr. 2012. http://www.usatoday.com/educate/college/casestudies/Multicultural.pdf.

Acunpuncture: an Overview Essay

What is Acupuncture? How does sticking a bunch of needles into your body make you feel better? Is this stuff for real? These are all questions I’ve asked myself, and have heard from others over the years. Acupuncture is a system of complementary medicine that involves pricking the skin with needles. It’s used to alleviate pain and to treat various physical, mental, and emotional conditions; is one of the key components of Traditional Chinese Medicine; and is among the oldest healing practices in the world. In a 2007 Consensus Development Conference, The National Institute of Health determined that â€Å"According to the traditional Chinese medicine approach, stimulating specific acupuncture points corrects imbalances in the flow of qi through channels known as meridians. † Acupuncture can be dated back thousands of years, and as with any topic that old, there is a plethora of information available, and it sometimes can be hard to decipher. After researching the topic, and because of the context of the assignment, I narrowed my focus down to three specific areas: theory, which covers qi, meridians, and acupuncture points; history, which can be broken down into antiquity, middle history, and the modern era; and lastly the length, diameter, and material of needles. The basis of acupuncture deals with manipulating the flows of qi throughout the body. According to Daoist principles, qi is the active principle forming part of any living thing, and it is the central underlying principle in both Traditional Chinese Medicine and martial arts. The literal translation of â€Å"qi† is breath, air, or gas; however, it is frequently translated as â€Å"life energy†, â€Å"life force†, or â€Å"energy flow. † In A Clinical Introduction to Medical Acupuncture, the authors, Aung & Chen, state, â€Å"Traditional Chinese medicine distinguishes not only one but several different kinds of qi. In a general sense, qi is something that is defined by five â€Å"cardinal functions. † These cardinal functions are what keep the body alive. The first function qi provides is keeping the body, especially the limbs, warm during cold temperatures. The energy from it heats the blood, the extremities, and allows us to live and our biological processes to take place. Qi also enables the actuation of the biological processes such as breathing, sweating, it controls the nervous system, and most importantly the circulation of all the body fluids such as blood in its vessels. Qi also provides containment of those fluids in their proper spot; it keeps blood, sweat, urine, and semen from leaking or excessive emission. We know now that food broken down by the digestion process, and that various enzymes convert it into blood, nutrients, and that there’s a process for making the air we breathe into oxygen for our lungs. The ancient Chinese believed that qi did the transformation of food, drink, and breath into qi, blood, fluids, and the transformation of all of the latter into each other. The last function provided by qi, is defense against the Six Essences. The Six Essences are allegorical terms sometimes used to describe disharmony patterns in the body and their names are derived from environmental elements that were thought to pattern, or mimic, the symptoms. The first of the Six Essences is Wind, which is characterized by rapid onset of symptoms, wandering location of symptoms, itching, nasal congestion, â€Å"floating† pulse; tremor, paralysis, or convulsion. The second of the Essences is Cold, which manifests itself in cold sensations, aversion to cold, relief of symptoms by warmth, watery/clear excreta, severe pain, abdominal pain, contracture and hypertonicity of muscles, (slimy) white tongue fur, and hidden, string-like, or slow pulse. Fire (or heat) is the third of the Essences. Its symptoms are recognizable by aversion to heat, high fever, thirst, concentrated urine, red face or tongue, yellow tongue fur, and a rapid pulse. The last three Essences are Dampness, Dryness, and Summerheat; the symptoms of which are, respectively, sensation of heaviness, fullness, and symptoms of Spleen dysfunction; dry cough, mouth, throat, lips, skin, stool, and nosebleeds; and either heat or mixed damp-heat symptoms. In order fulfill its functions, qi has to steadily flow from the inside of the body to the â€Å"superficial† body tissues of the skin, muscles, tendons, bones, and joints. It is assisted in its flow by â€Å"channels† referred to as meridians. Traditional Chinese Medicines identifies twelve â€Å"regular† and eight â€Å"extraordinary† meridians. (Aung & Cheng, 19-20) At various points along the meridians, are acupuncture points. The number of points has varied considerably over time. Initially they were considered to number 365 acupuncture points, symbolically aligning with the number of days in the year; however, the modern total, while once considered 670, has been subsequently expanded due to more recent interest in auricular (ear) cupuncture and the treatment of further conditions. These acupuncture points are mainly, but not always, found at specified locations along these meridians and acupuncturists use the points to manipulate the qi and restore harmony and balance to the body. Though most of these points are found along the meridians, there is a second group of points, called extraordinary points, which are found outside the meridians and are credited with special therapeutic properties. Examples of these are the pressure points in the webbing between the thumb and forefinger, just inside the arch of the foot, the temples, and the anterior base of the neck. Lastly, a third category of acupuncture points called â€Å"A-shi† points have no fixed location but represent tender or reflexive points appearing in the course of pain syndromes. The history of acupuncture can be broken down into three distinct eras: that of antiquity, which goes back to its origins; its middle history dating, from the early 11th century through the 1800’s; and the modern era, which picks up in the early 20th century. The precise start date of acupuncture’s use in China and how it evolved from early times are uncertain; however, there are a myriad of theories and explanations as to how it came about. One explanation is that soldiers wounded in battle by arrows were believed to have been cured of chronic afflictions that were otherwise untreated. Another is the sharpened bian shi stones found in China, which evidence suggests the practice may date back to the Neolithic or Stone Age (Acupuncture in Medicine 10: 92–9). There have also been hieroglyphs found dating from the Shang Dynasty, which ran from 1600 through 1100 BCE. It is believed that Korea was the second country acupuncture spread to outside of China, and in 1023, the emperor of China ordered the production of a bronze statuette depicting the meridians and acupuncture points then in use. The practice of acupuncture lost a lot status after Song Dynasty. In the 16th century, Portuguese missionaries were among the first to bring reports of acupuncture to the West, and a Dutch surgeon traveling in Asia described the practice in both Japan and Java; however, in China itself the practice was increasingly associated with the lower-classes and illiterate practitioners (Barnes, 58–9. The middle era of acupuncture came to an end in 1823, when an edict from the Emperor banned the practice and teaching of acupuncture within the Imperial Academy of Medicine, as unfit for practice by gentlemen-scholars. The modern era of acupuncture came in to being around the time of the Chinese civil war, 1927-1949. Early Chinese Communist Party leaders ridiculed T raditional Chinese Medicine, claiming that it worked against the party’s dedication to science as the way of progress. Chairman Mao reversed that position, and rewrote its theory in order to make it fit into the Chinese political doctrine. Acupuncture gained attention in the United States when President Richard Nixon visited China in 1972, and his delegation was shown a patient undergoing major surgery while awake; however, it was later found out patients were chosen because they had naturally high pain tolerance, were indoctrinated into the method, and were on morphine IV’s which were claimed to have been essential nutrients and fluids. The greatest exposure in the West came after a New York Times reporter received acupuncture in Beijing for post-operative pain in 1971 and wrote about it in his newspaper column. From there, the first legal acupuncture center was opened in Washington D. C. in 1972, and in 1973, the IRS declared acupuncture was allowed to be deducted from taxes as a medical expense. The last aspect of acupuncture, and arguably the most essential, is the needle. While there are certain methods that do not involve needles, most of them do. The needles have evolved over the years, originally starting out as bone, or stone; now, however, most of the acupuncture needles are made of stainless steel, with some cultures using copper. Needles vary in length ,between 13 to 130 millimeters (0. 5 in to 5 in. ), with shorter needles used near the face and eyes, and longer needles in more fleshy areas, and range in diameter from 0. 16 mm (0. 006 in) to 0. 46 mm (0. 018 in), with thicker needles used on more robust patients. After this brief overview of acupuncture, I’ve answered a lot of my own questions and concerns with acupuncture The three aspects of acupuncture theory are qi, meridians, and acupuncture points. It long history has unknown origins, and edict from Chinese Emperor banned teaching in academy, but it brought back my Chairman Mao, and made popular in America by a reporter in the 70’s. Needles are mostly made of stainless steel, and they vary in length, and diameter,

Friendships Need Care

â€Å"Friendships need care.† I should've listened to this before I got into a fight with my best friend. She thought I was stealing her friends, but I wasn't. I got really infuriated at her and decided that she was actually stealing my friends. My friend thought I was stealing her friends so I got really mad at her for assuming that because I was the one who made those friends and then introduced her to them. She got mad at me because I was â€Å"stealing† her friends. Getting into a fight with my best friend was one of the saddest moment of my life because she was my first friend, she always comforted me, and I had the best moments with her. One reason it made it much worse is that she was my first friend. She stood up for me. Whenever someone was malicious to me, she stood up for me. When I came into the school, she was the one who made me her friend When I came to this school, I thought everybody had already made friends, but she was the one to make me her friend. She made me feel befriended. She made me feel befriended when I was lonely. Next is another reason why this situation was so sad. Another reason it was so depressing is that she always comforted me. When I was sad, she always comforted me. She sat down next to me and started making me laugh. When a teacher or someone hollered at me, she stood up for me. When someone shouted she either, talked to me at recess or she yelled at them. When I got into a fight with someone, she helped me talk through it with them. Next is another reason why it was so dark. The last reason that it was sad to get into a fight with her is that I had my greatest moments with her. I did the Revolutionary War in 5th grade. In 5th grade, we both went on a field trip together. We celebrated Halloween together for 2 years. The first year it was at my house and the second year was at her house. Lastly, we had many reminiscences together. We had tons of playdates and some sleepovers. This fight was so bitter because of all these parts and more. As this essay shows, getting into a fight with one of my best friends was one of the saddest moments in my life because she was my first friend, she always comforted me, and I had the best moments with her. In conclusion, â€Å"Friendships need care†.

How Socio-Economic Classes Contributed to Events in 1800 Europe Essay

Described as â€Å"the divine distribution of men into different ranks, and at the same time uniting them into one society† (Gladstone, 1896), the socio-economic class order formed the structure and foundation of society in Europe. Consisting of three distinct entities and with a strong correspondence between economic prosperity and social standing, it would also serve as the backdrop for which historical phenomena would occur. Europe’s social order was not just the environment in which these events would materialize, but also a fundamental causal factor in three notable events; The French Revolution (1789-1799), The French Revolution of 1848 and Britain’s Industrial Revolution (1750 onwards). However, the origins of these events were also contingent upon other circumstantial factors. The roots of the first French revolution, arguably, are in The Enlightenment; the period of the philosophers. New philosophies advocating human rationality came to form by the mid 1700’s and were propelled into popular thought after the isolated, and highly charged, Jean Callas incident . Philosophers like Voltaire found the perfect vehicle in this incident to question the arbitrary use of power so prevalent in French society. The monarchy and the presence of the Social Order soon came into question. Across Europe, cafes sprung out to host discussion centered on the common theme of reason. Society cleaved toward enlightened ideas of rationality, equality and liberalism, leading to the growing questioning of the existing monarchial power structure. Alternative political ideologies for the state, from personalities like Rousseau and Locke, sprouted and undermined the legitimacy of the monarchy. While The Enlightenment is responsible for creating pressure from society against the monarchy, these ideas would have been impotent without suitable ground. The socio-economic categorizing of European society is a more fundamental cause of the first French Revolution because it provided this ground. The rigidity of the social order in late 17th century France accounts for the origins of the first French revolution. In theory, the social divisions were permeable and promoted mobility (Roberts, 1997). Across Europe, titles and estates could be purchased and so also, the privilege of the nobility. However the reality was often different. In light of booming trade, the demand for titles from the French bourgeoisie and returning nobility outstripped the number permitted by the social order . Furthermore, while the bourgeoisie enjoyed increasing economic power and could live equally, if not exceedingly, extravagant lives as the nobility, the social order shut this community out from the benefits of social privilege . This was exacerbated by the nobility’s stress on privilege in response to the new Bourgeois economic threat. The system’s disregard of merit in place of hereditary, and the fundamentally irrational social construct sowed discontentment within the second and third estate, where the ideals of enlightenment; rationality and equality, would find willing subscribers. Riding on the resentment toward society’s order and fuelled by The Enlightenment’s ideas did the French Revolution tear its way through to the Bastille. While the first French revolution was understandably a social battle, one could argue that the revolution of 1848 was born out of opposition to economic factors than on society’s social construct. The time leading up to 1848 was a time of gradual industrialization for France. Its products; rapid urbanization and changes in economic practices, broke familiar social patterns of the working class. For instance, the commercial system was rewritten by doing away with the cottage industry and previously public lands, privatized. Added to this, a burgeoning population, severe industrial and agricultural depressions in 1846 and Louis-Phillipe’s inaction in alleviating rural and urban poverty culminated to create great peasant discontent. The economic change that accompanied its deterioration galvanized the working class, triggering the third French revolution in 1848; aptly, also known as a Worker’s Revolution. However, it is artificial to separate economics from social class since there is a correspondence between social hierarchy and wealth. They are, after all, aptly named â€Å"socio-economic† classes. In analyzing yet another French revolution, an important observation to make is the persistence of Europe’s social order. Though the 1830 revolution delivered another great blow to the old social order (Magraw, 1987), and promised equality in opportunity and economic liberalism manifest in the abolishment of seigneurial practices for all, much had remained the same. Succinctly captured by Cobban’s argument that ‘it [did] not matter whether we [called] it aristocracy or bourgeoisie† , the cleaving of the aristocracy and bourgeoisie shows an adaption, not an eradication of the social order. The aristocracy kept to their ranks by continuing their distinctive politics and marriage practices (Magraw, 1987). Since most engaged with capitalism, they were mostly able to maintain their privileged lifestyle and control of much of the land . The Bourgeoisie continued to thrive, especially under the â€Å"Bourgeois King† and even went as far as to convert their wealth into land ownership. This neo-feudalism masquerading as the product of laissez faire economic practices, and the continuation of aristocratic dominance came at the expense of the working class. Thus did the working class continue in their economically disadvantaged positions. Their economic dependence on the old order’s aristocracy, had merely been replaced with a dependence on remnants of the same old order and a new Bourgeois one. The social order is a more fundamental account for the workers revolution, since it was responsible for creating the economic grievances of the working class which became the fuel for the 1848 revolution. The European social order again features as a causal factor in Britain’s Industrial Revolution. It is the very hierarchical nature of the class system that functioned as the engine for the Industrial Revolution. The industrial entrepreneurs of Britain, the main thrust for the innovation that characterized the revolution, took hold of Britain’s mineral resource advantage to affect rapid development. The motivations behind entrepreneurship are traced back to the make-up of society. Since social privilege was linked with economic wealth, successful merchants strived to purchase titles and convert their wealth into social status (Briggs, 1979). In this way, the extravagance of noble life, held in high regard, could be emulated. However, it is admittedly reductionistic to exclusively use the quest for noblehood to account for an entire revolution. Coupled with the desire for social advancement were also ideas from The Enlightenment and The Scientific Revolution; laissez faire economic practices and technological advancement respectively. Society as a whole was geared toward revolutionary development, equipped with the necessary ideology and possessing the necessary scientific capability. Nonetheless, the power of science and the power of thought would have remained a means without an end if not for the existence of Europe’s social class as the motivation to individuals for conomic advancement. Furthermore, the narrow elite which feature in Europe’s social order meant that there was a prolific number from the working class available for cheap employment and indeed, were the working class called upon for this. By 1850, more than 50% of the population were living in towns and city to work in factories and city-bound industries. The abundance of cheap labor comes from the old social order’s narrow top and wide base, and it sustained and accelerated industrialization to revolutionary measures. Thus, we trace back the origins of the Industrial revolution to socio-economic classes. Social hierarchical ascension was the motivation, and the demographic make-up, the sustenance. Evidently, the causality of the three historical events covered is not monolithic. Though the contributing factors are layered and many, the role of socio-economic class is central. Its rigid, persistent and hierarchical institution shaped the motivations of humanity and in doing so, account for the origins of major events in History.

Ntu Career

Score: 120 out of 120 points (100%) 1. award: 10 out of 10 points Which of the following valuation measures is often used to compare firms which have no earnings? Price-to-book ratio P/E ratio Price-to-cash flow ratio Price-to-sales ratio 2. award: 10 out of 10 points When Google's share price reached $475 per share Google had a P/E ratio of about 68 and an estimated market capitalization rate of 11. 5%. Google pays no dividends. What percentage of Google's stock price was represented by PVGO? 92% 87% 77% 64% 3. award: 10 out of 10 points A firm is expected to produce earnings next year of $3. 00 per share.It plans to reinvest 25% of its earnings at 20%. If the cost of equity if 11%, what should be the value of the stock? $27. 27 $50. 00 $66. 67 $70. 00 g = . 25 x . 20 = . 05; P = 3. 0/(. 11 – . 05) = 50. 00 4. award: 10 out of 10 points The free cash flow to the firm is reported as $198 million. The interest expense to the firm is $15 million. If the tax rate is 35% and the n et debt of the firm increased by $20 million, what is the market value of the firm if the FCFE grows at 3% and the cost of equity is 14%? $1,893 billion $1,893 billion $2,497 billion $2,585 billion $3,098 billion FCFE = 198 – 15(1 – . 35) + 20 = 208. 5. Value = 208. 25/(. 14 – . 03) = 1893. 5. award: 10 out of 10 points If a firm has a free cash flow equal to $50 million and that cash flow is expected to grow at 3% forever, what is the total firm value given a WACC of 9. 5%? $679 million $715 million $769 million $803 million Total value = 50/(. 095 – . 03) = 769. 23 6. award: 10 out of 10 points A firm has a stock price of $54. 75 per share. The firm's earnings are $75 million and the firm has 20 million shares outstanding. The firm has an ROE of 15% and a plowback of 65%. What is the firm's PEG ratio? 1. 50 1. 25 1. 10 1. 00 7. award: 10 out of 10 pointsAce Frisbee Corporation produces a good that is very mature in their product life cycles. Ace Frisbee Corporation is expected to pay a dividend in year 1 of $3. 00, a dividend in year 2 of $2. 00, and a dividend in year 3 of $1. 00. After year 3, dividends are expected to decline at the rate of 2% per year. An appropriate required return for the stock is 8%. Using the multistage DDM, the stock should be worth __________ today. $13. 07 $13. 58 $18. 25 $18. 78 8. award: 10 out of 10 points Caribou Gold Mining Corporation is expected to pay a dividend of $4 in the upcoming year. Dividends are expected to decline at the rate of 3% per year.The risk-free rate of return is 5% and the expected return on the market portfolio is 13%. The stock of Caribou Gold Mining Corporation has a beta of -0. 50. Using the CAPM, the return you should require on the stock is _________. 2% 5% 8% 9% 9. award: 10 out of 10 points You are considering acquiring a common share of Sahali Shopping Center Corporation that you would like to hold for one year. You expect to receive both $1. 25 in dividends and $35 f rom the sale of the share at the end of the year. The maximum price you would pay for a share today is __________ if you wanted to earn a 12% return. 31. 25 $32. 37 $38. 47 $41. 32 10. award: 10 out of 10 points Each of two stocks, A and B, are expected to pay a dividend of $7 in the upcoming year. The expected growth rate of dividends is 6% for both stocks. You require a return of 10% on stock A and a return of 12% on stock B. Using the constant growth DDM, the intrinsic value of stock A _________. will be higher than the intrinsic value of stock B will be the same as the intrinsic value of stock B will be less than the intrinsic value of stock B more information is necessary to answer this question award: 11. ward: 10 out of 10 points If a firm increases its plowback ratio this will probably result in a(n) _______ P/E ratio. higher lower unchanged unable to determine 12. award: 10 out of 10 points If a stock is correctly priced then you know that ____________. the dividend payout ratio is optimal the stock's required return is equal to the growth rate in earnings and dividends the sum of the stock's expected capital gain and dividend yield is equal to the stock's required rate of return the present value of growth opportunities is equal to the value of assets in place