The Modern Identity Of The United States Of America

The modern identity of the United States of America is predicated on the notion that â€Å"all men are created equal.† However, behind the idealism of aphorisms such as these found in America’s founding documents exists the truth of the American situation: that â€Å"equality† has exceptions. In the eyes of Thomas Jefferson and other framers, â€Å"all men† were white landowners. The dichotomy of equality for â€Å"all men† and the third estate was a feature of democracy in America for centuries and a defining characteristic of the American South in particular. The belief in race based dichotomy was perpetuated by the landed gentry of the South, the political elite, to the masses, establishing the rise of a conservative base in the latter half of nineteenth century which hindered black civil rights for decades and defines the enduring qualities of the Southern political ethos to this day. Alexis de Tocqueville, in his book Democracy in America, states that while the â€Å"[settlers] found themselves in analogous situations...they governed themselves on different principles.† In the settlement of the Southern colonies of North America in the 1600s, an aristocratic society began develop from the cultivation of crops. Land formed the basis of the aristocracy, which was supported by privilege from birthright and inheritance (Serow). As plantations began to develop, their owners became the upper echelon of Southern society, around which the majority of political activity was centered. Powerful voicesShow MoreRelatedOverseas Chinese and Chinese People Essay1615 Words   |  7 PagesAmerican-Chinese America is a nation consisting of people from different areas with multiple cultures. As a result, lots of Americans have their ancestors in other countries. Even though they are called â€Å"Americans†, they have a special identity, that is, hyphenated Americans actually. Chinese-Americans have been one of the large groups of hyphenated Americans since a long time ago. This passage mainly observes the living conditions of Chinese-Americans in America and tries to analyze how the hyphenationRead MoreEssay On Cultural Identity1156 Words   |  5 PagesDevelopmental Psychologists have long professed the importance of developing one’s own identity. This identity should have many aspects which are largely independent of one another. These can include a spiritual identity, a political identity, and a cultural identity. It is for this reason that when Americans should ask themselves: What is American? To probe this question we should not only consult ourselves, but consult the great writers of our nation’s genesis. In my piece: â€Å"Letters from An AmericanRead MoreRacial Identity : Early American History1440 Words   |  6 PagesAustin Dubble Professor Carol Jenkins Politics of Identity 7 September 2014 Racial Identity in Early American History The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines identity as â€Å"the qualities, beliefs, etc., that make a particular person or group different from others† (MWD). In other words, the characteristics which makes a person unique is the identity that they associate with. Black, white, Indian or Latino; gay, lesbian, bisexual or straight; man, woman or transgender; young, middle aged or old; ChristianRead MoreLatin Americ A Great Deal Of Progress1340 Words   |  6 PagesAlthough Latin America has experienced a great deal of progress since the first modern movements in the 1920s, contemporary international artist from Latin America still has a tough road ahead of them before they can separate their work from their roots in the eyes of the international community. 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Barthes, From Mythologies. - 830 Words

Barthes, From Mythologies 1. Photographs are texts that can be analyzed. a. When looking at photographs of elected officials, information can be gleamed that capture the spirit of politics. 1. Some elected officials strive to send the message that they are like their constituents. 2. Others strive to capture their motives, family life, mental and other circumstances in these pictures to encourage people to vote for them. b. A photograph is like a mirror in that individuals look at them to find likeness, although types of delegates differ. 1. Some elected officials stand for social status and respectability. 2. Others represent thought and action. 3. The last are good-looking and represent health and vitality. c. All of these conventions of photographs are signs that must be analyzed for their significance. 2. When thinking about the author, one must consider who is speaking. a. The author is a figure in society that emerged during the Reformation. b. The author hold s a place in literature history through biographies of writers, interviews, magazines, and other forms of publications. 1. Explaining literary work requires an understanding of the man or woman who has produced it. 2. Even within fiction, the voice of the author is present and delivering information to the reader. c. Though the author still holds power, some critics have attempted to reduce the power of the author. 1. Instead ofShow MoreRelatedMyth Functions As A Source Of Expression In Our Lives,1497 Words   |  6 Pageslife. Campbell often states that the relevance of mythology is to recognize it in real life. Things can often shift from story telling to a relevance of something that is actually occurring in ones life. I really take to the passage of Campbell when he suggests, â€Å" young people just grab this stuff. Mythology teaches you what’s behind literature and the arts, it teaches you about your own life. It’s a great, exciting, life-nourishing subject. 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This definition suggestsRead MoreEssay about Semiotic Analysis of a Advertising Image1457 Words   |  6 Pages For my semiotic analysis I chose to talk about a commercial for ‘Be delicious’ from Donna Karan New York to demonstrate how advertising generates its meanings, construct the image and behaviors ideology in order to attract customers. ‘Semiology provides the analyst with a conceptual toolkit for approaching sign systems systematically in order to discover how they produce meaning’ (Bawer et. all, 2000: 227). Advertising is one of the typically elements used for a convincing presentation productRead More TV MYTHS Essay1585 Words   |  7 Pagesprograms have become the history of many cultures. 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Other artifacts in this particular image are not directly related to the space program, but were objects collected during this timeframe and represent childhood mementos, such as the display case of pop culture trinkets known as Rat Finks, often traded among boys playing on the school yard or during our bus ride to and from school. In above

Workplace Monitoring Processes of Physical Agents And Its Impact

Question: Discuss about the Workplace Monitoring Processes of Physical Agents And Its Impact. Answer: Identification of the physical agents and its impact Fiber, dusts and particulates are the most common physical agents generated in the workplace (Jargot and Melin 2013). However over exposure of these materials will cause in the lung diseases, asthma and respiratory disorders. This is due to the reason that, dusts particles are minute and cannot be avoided. Another physical agent is the light. Continuous exposure to the high beam of lights such as kind of rays will create vision problem of the employees. Their eyes as well as skin can be affected due to it. Employees may get developed skin rashes and other skin diseases along with impact on their visionary power. Noise is also very common in any workplace and in the case of manufacturing such as car parts, it will be more. However, over exposure of the employees in noisy scenario will create hearing problem for the employees (Qiu, Peng and He 2013). Along with that, headache and irritation may also happen among them. Presence of machines will obviously create vibrations, which will cause nerve issues of the employees. This is due to the reason that, continuous exposure to the vibration will cause irritation on the body and will affect the nervous system. Regulatory requirements Germany is having stringent regulations and standards in terms of safety and health of the workers in their workplace. Organizations operating in Germany should adhere to the council directive of 89/391/EEC in improving their health and safety arrangements. On the other hand, health and safety laws of Germany follow the approach of the standards of European Union and International bodies (Paul and Huber 2015). The car parts manufacturing company should comply with the standards being laid by the German Occupational and Safety Act or Arbeitsschutzgesetz. This act states the basic and key principles to be followed in terms of the steps o be taken by both the employee and employer. Measurements and sampling process The car manufacturing part industry consists of series of process that will have to be executed in order to develop the product. The technological advancement has eased the work for the control engineers within the organization. All the processes in industrial organizations have become automated and the control department constantly monitors the processes. This has enabled them to keep all the processes to optimal position. Dust particles having a diameter less than 100m will cause health issues by damaging the internal organs. PCE instruments will be used to measure the number of dust particles (Phadke and Thorp 2017). This will measure the number of crystalline silica particles, metal dust, fibers and plastic dust. The PCE- PCO could be connected to a large display in the control room, which will measure air pressure, temperature, and relative humidity. These consist of using sensors and transducers where the sensors will sense the changes and the transducer will transmit the readi ngs of the sensors to the control room. Initially, primary data will have to be collected with questionnaires mainly close ended. The sampling of these data will be based on simple random sampling. Randomization of the data is the main principle used where all the participants will have equal opportunity of being chosen (Schilling and Neubauer 2017). This data will be interpreted quantitatively throughout the study but qualitative analysis will also be conducted for gathering more information about the issues faced by the industrial process. The qualitative data will be collected through open-ended questionnaire and non-probabilistic sampling will be used. Monitoring equipments The different types of monitoring equipment used are dust-monitoring equipments, air quality monitoring equipments, Air temperature measurement equipments and humidity measurement equipments. The dust particles will be measured in m where if the particle size is less than 100 m then it will cause damage to the internal organs such as lungs. The air quality is measured in microgramsper cubic meter (g/m3) parts per million (ppm) or parts per billion (ppb) (Darwish et al. 2018). The unit of measurement of air temperature is Celsius or Fahrenheit whichever is programmed into the machine. This will also depend on the degree of temperature that will have to be measured. Therefore, identifying the temperature range is essential so that measurement becomes easier. Humidity of air measured in grams of water vapor percubicmeter volume of air. However, using this equipment pose minimum amount of risk if all the procedures are followed. This would include keeping combustible material away from the measurement units. Moreover, as most of the modern instruments are digitalized they can be auto calibrated form the control room (Petite 2015). However, contingencies occur many times where there is problem in the sensor and transducer so manual calibration and maintenance options are there. The devices will be regularly calibrated to maintain their accuracy and precision. The level of risks of using these equipment is less unless safety procedures are followed. Ensuring health and safety In order to ensure my own health and safety while collecting data for analyzing the present situation, protective gears will have to be used. This will consist of the use of special body suits, shoes and gloves. The excess amount of dust within the atmosphere may lead to explosion, therefore while accessing areas of high contamination protective gears are essential. Impact of environmental condition on measurements The measurements of instruments are optimal within a certain degree of temperature, air pressure and air density. While installing the devices, it has to be taken into consideration the factors under which the instrument will provide valid measurements (Brauer 2016). Therefore, protective measures will have to be taken to maintain the surrounding environment, which can be monitored through the control room. Interpretation and evaluation of the monitoring process The monitoring process consists of use of digital equipments to measure the present pollution level in the factory. The devices will provide alerts if the level of pollution is higher than the given range. Therefore, based on the readings necessary actions will have to be taken. This will consist of identifying the most polluted zones within the factory and then evaluation of the effective measures that will be taken. Then, all the equipments in the polluted zones will be checked to identify their conditions. The equipments in very bad conditions will have to be replaced and others will be cleaned and maintained. References Brauer, R.L., 2016.Safety and health for engineers. John Wiley Sons. Darwish, Z.A., Kazem, H.A., Sopian, K., Alghoul, M.A. and Alawadhi, H., 2018. Experimental investigation of dust pollutants and the impact of environmental parameters on PV performance: an experimental study.Environment, Development and Sustainability,20(1), pp.155-174. Jargot, D. and Melin, S., 2013. Characterization and validation of sampling and analytical methods for mycotoxins in workplace air.Environmental Science: Processes Impacts,15(3), pp.633-644. Paul, R. and Huber, M., 2015. Risk?based Regulation in Continental Europe? Explaining the Corporatist Turn to Risk in German Work Safety Policies.European Policy Analysis,1(2), pp.5-33. Petite, T.D., Sipco Llc, 2015.Systems and methods for monitoring and controlling remote devices. U.S. Patent 8,964,708. Phadke, A.G. and Thorp, J.S., 2017.Synchronized phasor measurements and their applications(Vol. 1). Springer. QIU, J.S., PENG, Y.Q. and HE, X.P., 2013. Pre-assessment of occupational hazards in punching and welding project of a vehicle manufacturing.Occupation and Health,20, p.023. Schilling, E.G. and Neubauer, D.V., 2017.Acceptance sampling in quality control. Crc Press.

WordPress Migration Services Everything You Need to Know

There are few things worse than discovering that your WordPress hosting provider is not up to your standards, especially if youre new to their service. If you find yourself in this situation, employing one of the many WordPress migration services available and jumping ship is a solid plan. While its not the only reason for migrating your site, its a pretty common one.Over time, the community around our favorite CMS has rallied to develop several WordPress migration services – both free and premium – to make this process as painless as possible.In this piece, well introduce you to four services – two free and two premium – and help you to decide which one is right for you along the way. However,  before we get to that, lets talk a bit about WordPress migrations and the most common causes behind them:What is a WordPress migration?Simply put, a WordPress migration is the process of moving a  WordPress install from one server to another without affecting i ts functionality.  There are several reasons why you  would want to go ahead with this, such as:Moving to a better hosting provider. In this context, better could mean anything –  for example,  lower prices or  faster loading times.Pushing  a local WordPress site  to a live server.Moving a site from a subdomain to the main directory.If you fall into any of these categories, and have put off migrating your site because the process sounds complicated, were here to show  you otherwise! Lets take a look at four of the best WordPress migration services available.The best free WordPress migration toolsThe two free tools featured below are manual solutions for migrating WordPress sites. Although theyre  free, both of them are solid  solutions if youre comfortable with migrating your site.1. Duplicator Duplicator WordPress Migration Plugin Author(s): Snap CreekCurrent Version: 1.3.22Last Updated: September 12, 2019duplicator.1.3.22.zip 98%Ratings 17,714,312 Downloads WP 4.0+Requires Duplicator is a WordPress plugin that  enables you to do two things: create a copy – or duplicate – of your site, then install it somewhere else. After installing the plugin, youll find a new Duplicator tab on your WordPress dashboard.  Its here you create and administer your duplicates (or packages), and the process is simple.Each new package includes  an installer, enabling you to set it up elsewhere using a process similar to WordPress five-minute install  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ without the need for Duplicator on your new site.Key featuresProvides you with a list of past copies, and enables you to create new duplicates quickly.Scans your site both before and after the process to ensure it went smoothly.Creates scheduled backups and uploads them to the cloud (via the  premium version).Why you should use DuplicatorDuplicator keeps the migration process simple (which is ideal for first-timers), and runs its own diagnostics to ensure your site is copied over correctly.2. All-in-One WP Migration All-in-One WP Migration Author(s): ServMaskCurrent Version: 7.8Last Updated: October 1, 2019all-in-one-wp-migration.7.8.zip 94%Ratings 24,859,128Downloads WP 3.3+Requires All-in-One WP Migration offers similar functionality to Duplicator, albeit with some slight differences. The plugins  functionality is spread across three sections within its admin screen –  Export, Import, and Backups. The first enables you to create copies of your site, the second handles  uploads, and the third provides a safety net in case your host doesnt play nicely with big files.Moving your site is as simple as installing WordPress on your new server, setting up this plugin, then  using the Import function.Key featuresEnables you to upload your copy via the dashboard, or through File Transfer Protocol (FTP) using its Backup option.Excludes some components from the migration process, such as themes and plugins, if set.Tested extensively across many popular hosting providers.Why you should use All-in-One WP MigrationThis plugin is perfect for users who  dont want to mess around with separate installation scripts, such as Duplicators. All-in-One WP Migration enables you to handle the entire moving process without leaving your dashboard.The best premium WordPress migration servicesUnlike the above tools, the following two WordPress migration services take the entire process off your hands in exchange for a fee. This doesnt necessarily make them any better than a free tool – its simply a matter of convenience and budget. Lets take a look!1. Valet.ioFormerly known as WP Valet, this company rebranded itself to Valet.io partly to shed their image as just a WordPress migration solution. Theyre still one of the most renowned names in the migration business, but they also offer a plethora of management services including security monitoring, premium plugin support, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) audits, and more. Theyre basically a one-stop shop for WordPress users who need any kind of assistance.Key featuresValet.io  can handle WordPress migrations on any scale.They offer plenty of secondary services, including marketing, design, web development, and big-picture strategizing.Why you should use Valet.ioValet.io is the perfect solution for users who need a professional migration service, and are interested in receiving ongoing assistance for their WordPress-related projects.PriceThey handle rates on a case-by-case basis – youll need to get in touch with them for a consultation.2. FantaskticFantasktic is a company dedicated mostly to WordPress migrations. They can even help you migrate your non-WordPress site to a self-hosted WordPress setup in some cases.In addition, they also offer non-migration  support services related to any bugs you encounter  while using WordPress. In fact, when the company launched back in 2013 it was devoted solely to bug fixing, so theyre experienced in a wide variety of areas.Key featuresRegular migration usually takes up to 72 hours – without any downtime.Handles migrations from non-WordPress sites to self-hosted WordPress.Post-migration support, including bug fixes.Why you should use FantaskticWhile Fantasktic offers a whole host of WordPress support services, their primary business lies in migrations. Theyre a good choice for users who just need to get a site up and running  without any hiccups.PriceWordPress migrations start at $99 for a single install, and their support services are priced on a case-by-case basis.ConclusionA WordPress migration is similar to moving into a new apartment – its not necessarily that complicated, and you could  hire people to do it for you, but it always presents a hassle. Fortunately, all of  the WordPress migration services  weve covered in this post are well up to the task. Lets recap:Duplicator (free): A tool to create and redeploy copies of your website, including a dia gnostic process.All-in-One WP Migration (free): This tool enables you to migrate WordPress sites directly  from your dashboard.Valet.io (requires a consult): This migration service doubles as a premium solution for all kinds of WordPress-related services.Fantasktic ($99): A simple migration service with fixed fees.Have you ever had to use any of these WordPress migration services? Share your experiences with us in the comments section below!

Wwi - Total War Essays - Economic Warfare, Politics,

Wwi - Total War By 1939 France and Great Britain had declared war on Germany. Germany had invaded Poland and was working towards European domination while on the other side of the globe Japan had launched a massive attack on China and Korea and was steadily moving over the Pacific in an attempt to gain complete control over Greater East Asia. Italy was attempting to conquer the Mediterranean and was, thus far, triumphant. All was being broadcast globally on the radio. This was becoming a war unlike any in the 20th century, even the First World War couldn't compare to this gruesome fight against fascism, communism and world domination. For the first time ever there was a war on nearly every continent and ocean as well as every head and heart. This essay will examine how the media, economic and militaristic mobilization as well as the ideological opinions contribute to the view of the world being engrossed in what has now been called the last noble war. This war characterized itself by the complete mobilization of man and his

Free Essays on Comparing Cultures

Chapter Summaries – Ruggiero’s Thinking Critically About Ethical Issues Chapter 5 – Comparing Cultures - Ruggiero’s main purpose in this chapter was to examine and destroy the theory of cultural relativism, therefore opening up one’s ability to judge what others do outside their own culture. - The basic flaw in cultural relativism exists because there are so many divisions in human race and culture, to be able to classify them in any one group. - There are divisions in race, religion, sex, skin color, class level, education, location, and sexual orientation just to name a few of a seemingly endless list. - To try to solely identify oneself as American would be variable, because there are as Ruggiero lists a variety of this category; i.e. African American, Irish American, Italian American, Asian American (p.45) - The multiculturism movement is highlighted as affecting â€Å"scholarly discussion of cultures and subcultures.† (p.45) - Inside the topic, Differences Among Cultures, Ruggiero highlights the ideas that different cultures have different ideals of what is right and wrong. Some of the instances in which this is demonstrated are: monogamy and polygamy, sex before marriage, and homicide. - Attention is also given to different tribes in which they share beliefs about life which are contrary to standard western belief. Specific attention is given to the Dobu Islanders off the coast of New Guinea; within this culture the principle of living was â€Å"cheat your neighbor.† This was given a name, wabuwabu. Also mentioned is the Ik tribe, in which the central aspect of life was the self, and to do whatever was necessary to live without positive attention. Anger and pleasure in the next person’s agony was encouraged. - In Interpreting the Differences, the term cultural relativism is discussed; cultural relativists believe that it is unscholarly and wrong to judge a culture outside one’s own. They believe tha... Free Essays on Comparing Cultures Free Essays on Comparing Cultures Chapter Summaries – Ruggiero’s Thinking Critically About Ethical Issues Chapter 5 – Comparing Cultures - Ruggiero’s main purpose in this chapter was to examine and destroy the theory of cultural relativism, therefore opening up one’s ability to judge what others do outside their own culture. - The basic flaw in cultural relativism exists because there are so many divisions in human race and culture, to be able to classify them in any one group. - There are divisions in race, religion, sex, skin color, class level, education, location, and sexual orientation just to name a few of a seemingly endless list. - To try to solely identify oneself as American would be variable, because there are as Ruggiero lists a variety of this category; i.e. African American, Irish American, Italian American, Asian American (p.45) - The multiculturism movement is highlighted as affecting â€Å"scholarly discussion of cultures and subcultures.† (p.45) - Inside the topic, Differences Among Cultures, Ruggiero highlights the ideas that different cultures have different ideals of what is right and wrong. Some of the instances in which this is demonstrated are: monogamy and polygamy, sex before marriage, and homicide. - Attention is also given to different tribes in which they share beliefs about life which are contrary to standard western belief. Specific attention is given to the Dobu Islanders off the coast of New Guinea; within this culture the principle of living was â€Å"cheat your neighbor.† This was given a name, wabuwabu. Also mentioned is the Ik tribe, in which the central aspect of life was the self, and to do whatever was necessary to live without positive attention. Anger and pleasure in the next person’s agony was encouraged. - In Interpreting the Differences, the term cultural relativism is discussed; cultural relativists believe that it is unscholarly and wrong to judge a culture outside one’s own. They believe tha...

The Notebook Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Notebook - Research Paper Example This particular scene, â€Å"It’s Not Over,† appears in the second half of the film and again is on the water, a realistic setting. The couple, Noah and Allie, has been separated for seven years, but now they are reunited and spend an emotional weekend reacquainting themselves with the reasons they fell in love years ago and discovering the twists in events that have kept them apart. The water is not red this time, nor is the water calm, but choppy and the wind blows through young Allie’s hair. It begins to rain and she tries to protect herself with a dish towel, which clearly isn’t going to help as the rain becomes a torrent. Noah laughs at her flimsy attempt to protect herself from the downpour. As in the opening scene of the film, in â€Å"It’s Not Over,† there are the elements of a rowboat and a lake. In the opening scene, however, the waters are peaceful, suggesting a calm situation, for now. The general coloring of the film’s opening scene is in red tones, suggesting that the calm and peace is not meant to last, but that the characters will experience turbulence at some point. In the film’s opening, the adult Noah, played by James Garner, is rowing the boat on the red, but calm waters. The red color cast on the water is also used later in some of the clothing worn by Allie. As the film unfolds, we learn that the color red is symbolic of Allie’s very passionate nature which strongly impacts their relationship. The reunited lovers are happy on the water, but as the storm ensues and they reach the dock, unexpressed emotions gush forth and Allie asks Noah why he never wrote to her. The sky is dark and windy, and the lovers becoming soaked. The weather’s elements all invoke the emotional climax of the scene. We see in the scene’s tranquil beginning, the lovers in their boat. It is across the lake from the camera, a widescreen shot showing the characters in

The Elements Of Job Design. Management Support and Turnover Ratio Essay

The Elements Of Job Design. Management Support and Turnover Ratio - Essay Example While, structuring the job process of an organization, job design considers certain elements which include job rotation, job engineering, job enlargement and job enrichment. Job rotation can be defined as the process of changing the tasks of the employee after certain periods of time in order to reduce the boredom of the employees along with providing new tasks or posts. Job engineering can be stated as the process of designing the working environment according to the prevailing organizational objectives and employees’ requirements. Job enlargement can be described as the process of introducing innovative tasks similar to the assigned tasks. Contextually, job enrichment can be explained as the process of motivating employees by indulging them into the organizational decision making process along with providing certain responsibilities (Scribd. Inc., 2012). With reference to the elements considered in the process of job design, it can be stated that with the assistances of job design an organization can ensure better job retention. This is because the elements help to identify the exact skills of the employees and in relation to the identification of skills the tasks for the employees are assigned. Furthermore, it also helps the organization to satisfy and to motivate the employees to work better along with ascertaining better retention scenario within the organization. Additionally, job design facilitates the organization to innovate new job profiles along with promoting the employees according to the performances to reduce the boredom or monotonic condition that might arise out of work (Scribd. Inc., 2012). If You Have Ever Left A Job Because Of Misalignment With Organizational Goals Or Leadership, Or If You Know Someone Who Has Done So, What Were Areas Of Misalignment That Drove The Decision To Leave The Job? Could Management Have Prevented the Exit, And If Yes, How? From a scenario of personal experience, it has been derived that a person left his job due to certain misalignments that occurred with the organizational goals. The misalignments that have been identified include lack of opportunity for progression or growth and unequal wage structure. After recognizing the problems that led to employee turnover, it can be stated that the organization had the potential to manage or prevent the circumstance. With due consideration to the situation, an organization can

Flexural Test For Glass Fibre Reinforced Polymer Coursework

Flexural Test For Glass Fibre Reinforced Polymer - Coursework Example After that a flexural test will be done using a three point bending method. The main objective of this experiment is to expand the knowledge about the GFRP and its behaviour. Glass fibre reinforced unsaturated polyester (GFRP) were subjected to water immersion tests to know the results of the water absorption on the mechanical properties. 20 specimens with 10cm long of GFRP were used to this experiment, measuring their weight under different types of water and temperatures. Salt water and normal water was under 20c and 60c temperatures. The weight of these specimens was taken during a different time periods. The weight of the GFRP specimens was increased slightly in both types of water for a few days until it was stable. After that a flexural test (three point bending test) was done on these GFRP specimens. (H Dhakal, Z Zhang, M Richardson, 2006) Equipment 1: Water absorption test The absorption of water for the Glass fibre-reinforced polyester (GFRP) remains the key mechanism for de grading mechanical property in this experiment. A water bath machine as in the figure (ten) and two cups of glass as on the figure (eleven) were used in this experiment. The water bath has 6oc water and the two cups were at 20c water temperature. The weights of one single specimen from each group were taken in a different time periods.     ... Group 1 and 2 were in two jars marked with A and B as on the figure (thirteen). Jar A was containing fresh water and jar B was containing salt water. The 2 jars were inside a water bath machine at 60c water temperature. Group 3 and 4 were in two cups of glass marked with A and B as on figure (eleven). Cup A was containing fresh water at 20c and cup B was containing salt water at 20c as well. Every group has five specimens. The weights of one single specimen from each group were taken in a different time periods using a sensitive scale as on figure (fourteen). At the first day the weight was taken every hour for 6 hours. After that the weight was taken once every day until the weight is settled. At the end the flexural test was done for all the specimens and every specimen has its own flexural graph. Figure thirteen: jars at 60c temperature Figure fourteen: sensitive scale Results and Discussion: Water absorption test Water absorption test were conducted by immersing the GFRP specimen s in de-ionised water and salt water. The water bath machine at 60c was containing 2 groups, group 1 was in A jar containing a normal water and group 2 was in B jar containing a salt water. Groups 3 and 4 were at 20c in a glass cups group 3 was in A glass cup containing a normal water and group 4 was in B glass cup containing a salt water. The immersion for the specimens into the water was totally for 144hr. after immersion for 1hr, one specimen from each group were taken out of the water and all surface water was removed with a clean soft dry cloth. The specimens were weighed regularly at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 24, 48, 72, up to 144hr. ( H Dhakal, Z Zhang ,M Richardson ,2006) After immersion the GFRP specimens into the water for a week at ambient temperature at 60c and 20c, all

The Parallel Paths of Overprotected and Neglected Children

The Parallel Paths of Overprotected and Neglected Children Commercials and posters flood our daily lives by projecting images of helpless children who are in desperate need. Many people are aware of the children living in poverty, orphans, and abusive households. The media portrays neglected children who suffer from malnutrition, starvation, and the absence of love. In return, the advertised organization seeks for a small contribution of a dollar a day to help make a childs life better. However, what about the child who endures the exact opposite of neglect? Less attention is veered towards the silent abuse of parents who control their child to the extreme that they are actually hindering their development and performance by not allowing their child to grow and experience life healthily. Does a child who is overly cared for and overly protected by their extremely overprotective parent still possess a better life than the child who is neglected? Or is the overprotected child just as helpless as the neglected? Significance: The children today are the future and faces of tomorrow. A childs future is greatly influenced by his or her parents. A parent who is abusive restricts a child from possessing a healthy lifestyle and developing healthy relationships with other individuals. However, a parent who is over controlling will limit a child from developing essential skills necessary to govern and direct their own life in a positive and healthy manner. Yet many fail to acknowledge this and assume that parents are just being loving and caring; emotions that all parents and guardians are expected to express. Therefore, many people do not listen to these children and believes that their problems are not as severe as the children who suffer from physical or verbal abuse. This is significant to human development because many children suffer from the limitations their overprotective parents impose and do not have access to the same amount of help and assistant as children with abusive parents. Problem Statement: Through my research, I hope to raise public awareness of this silent abuse. Most importantly, I hope to reach out to parents who are over controlling, as well as abusive, and have them place their childs interests before their own. If a parent, who is over protective of their child, cares about their child deeply, then they should care more about their childs wellbeing rather than their own personal desires and expectations of their child. Literature Review: Parents who overprotect their child to the extreme can prevent their child from acquiring the basic fundamental skills of life. As a result, the child can become emotionally handicap and rely on his or her parent throughout their life. As stated by Cossentino, children in this situation are not able to develop a knowledge of independence and remains bound to the parent while the parent is bound in a cycle of overprotection (The Overprotected Child). This dangerous cycle leaves the child and parent bonded together in such a way that it is unhealthy for both members. The child relies on their parent immensely that the parent is responsible to attend to every single matter of the childs life; from basic chores, resolving a conflict, to communicating with acquaintances of the child. This often stifles the growth and development of a child, who cannot live without authority. Thus, the parent cannot leave this cycle because the parent raised the child in this manner. Children lack a knowledge of resolving conflicts and have a high chance of being rejected by their peers due to low confidence and an inability to stand up for oneself (Cossentino). With parents always protecting them, the child will never be aware of how to stand up for oneself and is unable to confront the realities of life. These children have the inability to be very social among others besides their own parents, which causes them to develop a low self-esteem as well as low self-confidence. The inability to make decisions on his or her own can cause a child to be unprepared for the future and is unable to live without a parent or authority figure. As stated by Cossentino, children will lack life-experiences of decision making, life skills, age appropriate freedom, and conflict resolution. An overprotected child becomes bound to a parent in a way that is similar to how a baby is bounded to its mother for the rest of its life. The child is completely unprepared for freedom and responsibility, finding it hard to exercise self-discipline and is more vulnerable to getting emotionally hurt. As argued by Guthrie and Matthews, Overprotecting parents can lead children to develop Peter Pan Syndrome (No More Push Parenting, 44). The Peter Pan Syndrome affects people who do not want or feel unable to grow up. In other words, people with the body of an adult but the mind of a child. Peter Pan was a fictional character who refused to grow up and had a never-ending childhood. Those with this syndrome do not know how or do not even want to stop being children and start being adults. These people are unable to grow up and take on adult responsibilities; they see the adult world as very problematic and glorify being a child, which is why they want to stay in that state of privilege. Children who have been neglected on the other hand are in complete control of their life and are forced to survive on their own. Neglected children do not have an authority figure and may be more likely to replace the unknown feeling of love with hate and anger. Children tend to try and please their parents to gain affection. However, when they cannot please their parents, they become filled with rage and take their anger out destructively (Nguyen). The violence neglected children seek for may be towards other individuals or other substances, but for some, they seek to hurt themselves. Children repress rage only to become depressed and suicidal (Watkins, A3). These children possess a great amount of emotion built up inside them that it becomes unbearable and hard to deal with. Thus, they try to fill the void of love in their life with other things or someones acceptance. As Andron stated, Children with low self-esteem search for someones acceptance, which usually winds down a damagin g path eventually set up for death or become life-threatening (23). More than likely, they fall under peer pressure or experiment with drugs and alcohol, anything to make them feel accepted. Because they lack a knowledge of what is normal or who to trust, they are more vulnerable to perpetrators and are often abused by their peers. One form of violence an individual may express is through school. For example, the University of Texas massacre in Austin left 18 dead while the Columbine High School took a death toll of fifteen, and the highest toll of thirty-three lives was the Virginia Tech massacre (Watkins, A3). When an individual commits a crime, he or she is questioned for the reason of their action. However, few people turn to the parents or even glance at the childs home life. Children turn to destructive manners for coping as a way to test if their parents really care for them or not (Nguyen). By hurting oneself, an individual tests the love of a parent, or to see if anyone else bothers to really care. Many parents are incapable of seeing the damaging effects of placing their own needs before their childs. They fail to see the atmosphere and living situation they created and forced their child to endure. Most importantly, they fail to treat and raise their child healthily. By overprotecting to the extreme, a parent not only shields a child from pain, but also robs the child of their adulthood by keeping them from developing friendships, intimate relationships, and independent skills along their journey of life. Thus, through neglect, a child is forced to learn how to survive through life on their own without the protection of a parent, without the love and guidance a parent has to offer, and without the comfort of a real family. Therefore, what is worse: overprotection or abandonment? Methodology: By listening to the personal stories of my volunteered subjects, I hope to obtain data that reflects whether or not both children, who are on opposite ends of the spectrum, share the same difficulties. The individuals I will choose will be children and their parents who reside in Cambodia. Cambodia is a poverty-stricken country and the home to many neglected children who roam the streets begging for food. Sadly, because of this, it will not be difficult to find a neglected child to speak with. The difficulty will be trying to find the parent or guardian of the neglected child and persuading him or her to share their own personal story. In addition, families who are wealthy have higher expectations for their children and try to mold their child into what they want by controlling every aspect of their childs life. Because of this, I will listen to the stories of a child is in a more well-off family and his or her parents story .

The Epa: Can It, Will It Save Our Environment? :: essays research papers

The EPA: Can It, Will It Save Our Environment? Pollution of our environment is an issue that concerns each and every one of us. "The threat of environmental degradation now looms greater than the threat of nuclear war." Patrick Henry said, "I know no way of judging the future but by the past." In the past man has trampled on the environment. "The word 'ecology' means 'a study of home.'" It means discovering what damage man has done, then finding ways to fix it.The Environmental Protection Agency is trying to fix our home, the planet Earth. Destruction of forests, land degradation, atmosperic contamination, and water scarcity are some of the major environmental problems. In 1970, the EPA was created by President Nixon to protect the public health and environment. The cancer-causing DDT was banned in 1972 and was found accumulating in the food chain. The use of lead in gasoline was phased out in '73 which caused lead levels to drop 98%. In '74 the agency required drinking water to be physically and chemically treated. CFCs were banned in '78 and a nation-wide toxic waste site cleanup program was developed in 1980. The EPA then evacuated Times Beach, Montana for dangerous levels of dioxin in soil, which was then criticized for its heavyhandedness and arrogance. Charges of mismanagement and undue political influence caused the head of the EPA to resign in '83. "The deputy director resigns because of charges of making a 'hit list' of employees to be hired, fired, or promoted because of political leanings. The former head of the toxic waste cleanup is found guilty of perjury and obstructing congressional inquiry. A regulation requiring treatment of hazardous wastes before disposal underground was made in 1984." The spill of the Exxon Valdez caused the Environmental Protection Agency to be ctiticized for slow response in '89. Texas Eastern Gas Pipeline was fined $15 million for the contamination of PCB at 89 sites in '90. They were also required to pay $750 million in cleanups. "The EPA then develops the new Clean Air Act which required states to demonstrate progress toward meeting national air quality standards for harmful pollutants such as smog and carbon monoxide." The EPA issued a report in 1990 ranking the most serious threats to the environment and to human health. The highest-risk problems to human health are air pollution, exposure to toxic chemicals, and pollution of drinking water. In '91, $25 million in fines was given by Exxon Corporation and Exxon Shipping and the U.S. and Alaskan governments received $100 million. They also estimated a $900 million redemption fund.

Reflective Portfolio Essay

1) Introduction: In this portfolio, I shall reflect on number of intrapersonal and interpersonal competencies relevant for my professional performance. Reflective learning is an important element of effective performance as research (Brockbank & Mcgill, 2012) has demonstrated that reflective style of learning leads to improvement in a variety of dimensions. While reflecting myself, I am specifically focusing on Emotional Intelligence and Conscientious using Jackson’s hybrid model of learning and conflict resolution to show my interpersonal skills. With a range of questionnaires I answered, it is revealed that I am most deficient in these skills. Moreover I shall assess my socio-cultural implications as a part of a team as well as an individual. Research shows that regardless of my professional occupation, these characteristics are important in shaping my personal life. Through the portfolio my aim is to improve on these key characteristics which are lacking and reflected in my current professional profile. I shall attempt to improve on my self-conceptualization and goals to develop my influence tactics and improve my scores. It shall also help in building good relationships, making rational decisions and consider conflict situation. After achieving such high standards I shall be a successful student and acquire a strong personality to shape my career. 2) Intrapersonal Effectiveness 2.1) Jacksons Model Chris Jackson’s hybrid model of learning in personality strongly argues that individual’s drive as an emotional, goal oriented, conscientious or a deep learning person is what makes him a strong sensation seeker (Jackson, 2005Í ¾ 2008). Jacksons model of learning (Jackson,2005) aims at uniting biological, socio ­cognitive and experiential theories of personality (Jackson, 2005Í ¾ 2008). All the three together make out a perfect outcome of an individual’s profile in accordance to the best way for them to learn (2009c). According to Jackson the level of sensation seeking can create functional or dysfunctional outcomes (Jackson, 2005). Functional outcomes are positive where learners re-express their sensation seeking by socio-cognitive construct such as emotional intelligence and conscientiousness while the dysfunctional outcomes lead to poor job performance and negative results (O’Connor & Jackson, 2008; Jackson, 2011b). To reach my professional goal, th e ability to carve functional outcomes in me and not let the dysfunctional be a hindrance to my achievements will be important and valuable. 2.2) Results According to my Learning Style Profiler (LSP), I am a strong sensation seeker which shows that I have an urge to learn new things and gain knowledge from new experiences (Jackson, 2009c). I am a moderate goal achiever, moderately conscientious and probalby a deep learner. But on the contrary my emotional intelligence makes me dysfunctional. Yet overall I am a Functional learner and my instinctive drive for learning creates opportunities and re-expresses myself to achieve positive outcome (Learning Style Profiler, 2013). The results perfectly illustrate my profile. I have been striving hard and strong to study abroad. I have been giving many entrance exams to live my dream (high sensation seeker). I got rejected and yet kept applying to best of the universities worldwide (moderately goal oriented). The worst part of mine was always losing hope and depending on others for better outcomes (low emotional intelligence). At times all I used to do is make conscientious improvements on my St atement of purpose and prepare a better profile to submit (conscientious). I used to take advices, read knowledgeable materials, and kept trying for the best results (deep learner). 2.3) Emotional Intelligence According to Jacksons hybrid model (Jackson,2005), I have a very low score on my emotional intelligence(EI) scale. A low score in EI leads to lack of autonomy and avoidance of risk taking activity often leading to lessons not learnt from mistakes. So due to lack of risk taking ability and dependence on other people, working as a professional I may face problems being a follower and not showing logical ability to work out decisions(Goleman, 1995). Moreover lack of emotional intelligence wont create a drive in me to tackle situational dillemas and fight out problems, I shall always be afraid to do so (Goleman, 1995). To overcome this greviances I should residue to change. Certain things I shall plan to do are as follows: Physical act of writing is linked to emotional memory and heart, so planning early in the day would reslt in strong output of thoughts (Sterrett, 2000). Looking at situations differently and taking time to analise situations (Sterrett, 2000). 2.4) Sensation Seeker The best part of my personality has been my sensation seeking. I have always been engaged in learning new activities and been part of doing something new. This is what makes me unique. A bad sensation seeker is not only a dysfunctional professional but also a person with behavioral deficiencies (Zuckerman, Delaware, Newart, DE, & US). Being a good sensational seeker I have the advantage to take over and construct Emotional Intelligence deficiencies (Jackson, 2005a; Jackson et al, 2009). Therefore positive outcomes are achieved. 2.5) SMART Goals Goals are perceived, planned and then achieved. The SMART way to achieve goal refers to: S specific M measurable A attainable R   realistic T   timed My goal as a professional has always been expansion of my family business (specific). I plan to help my dad with it after my graduation and sour new heights of success (timed). Furthermore to be a part of it, I need to be worthy of it (realistic). Experience and training for the same will rather prove to be the best way to gain the knowledge for the same (attainment). I  shall timely plan an internship after my graduation and apply my knowledge to the practical business world (timed and measureable). This shall lead to achievement of my goal in a SMART way. Consequently I shall meet all the SMART criteria’s. 2.6) Social and Cultural Implications While assessing myself at my workplace the most noticeable thing was the age. There were people likely much older to me. Their talks and way of living never correlated to mine (Woods & Scinarini, 1995). The fact was I wasn’t mature enough to be a part of them (Hofstede, 1997). The best outcome for this could be I can think of ways and means to be a part of their daily interests so I can mix with them and increase my workplace effectiveness. 3) Interpersonal Effectiveness When measuring my stance in an organization, what I first look into is the interpersonal effectiveness. A way in dealing this common issue where there are differences between the people working together, conflicts which arise due to implications such as different race, caste, gender and upbringings (Lin, Wang, Shi & Chang, 2005) is death with interpersonal effectiveness to lead the organization efficiently. 3.1) Dutch Test for Conflict Handling The Dutch Test for Conflict Handling is a useful tool to measure the best way in which an individual can resolve conflict (McShane, Olekalns & Travaglione, 2013). It consists of questionnaires which simplify if the manager can make best use of one of the following: Yielding- Managerial ability to take unilateral decisions completely towards others wishes. The decisions involve giving up your wishes (McShane, Olekalns & Travaglione, 2013). Compromising- Consistency to find an outcome which suits the either of the party or finding the equally valued gains. Forcing- The self yielding decision which involves winning over the arguments and conflicts for others expenses. Problem Solving- The better way to resolve issues through mutually corresponding to either parties benefits. Avoiding- A way to escape from conflicts by representing low concern towards it and suppressing it. 3.2) Results and Analysis After taking the Dutch test I came with an out with an outcome of considering  yielding as my most effective method of conflict resolution. My results in the Dutch test were as follows: Yielding 18 Compromising 13 Forcing 10 Problem Solving 15 Avoiding 17 The scale suggested that I am best at yielding and avoiding conflicts. Moreover I have moderate skills to compromise, force or solve problems. I have a tendency to yield or avoid conflicts because they lead to disagreements which makes me feel uncomfortable (McShane, Olekalns & Travaglione, 2013). This is inconsistent with my self-concept as I rather approve myself to get along with everyone (McShane, Olekalns & Travaglione, 2013). Yet being moderate at handling conflicts by other styles, I tend to use different ways to solve issues in different situations. I used situational tactics while working in the group for the BSB124 Group Presentation. I used to always yield and agree at what my group members said and performed according to their wishes whenever there were any arguments, justifying my yielding and avoiding style. But when we came down the line on the presentation day, I forced my fellow mates to put add a bit to my part as it wasn’t apt. Hence showed my compromising a nd forcing style to handle the situational conflict. They had to agree to my decision. 3.3) Conflict Resolution The conflict resolution style I used would be classified as collaborating by Thomas and kilman’s (1974) conflicting resolution styles model. Collaborating refers to pooling of individual needs and goals towards a common goal. This style is useful when you need to bring together a variety of viewpoints to get the best solution, when there have been previous conflicts in the group, or when the situation is too important for a simple  trade-off (Thomas & Kilman, 1974).The reason I used this style because it consistently yields the best results. Although it takes time but it gives the best result. In my group there were certain times when there used to be an argument regarding the content of the presentation, collaborating was the best way to solve the conflict as all team members would collaborate with each other and conclude to a single decision. To be effective in taking decisions and dealing with my colleagues I need to use a more appropriate conflict resolution style as collaborating takes time to plan and get executed which leads to less effective workplaces (Landa-Gonzalez, 2008). If facing a similar situation again a compromising or avoiding strategy may be more effective. 3.4) Social and Cultural Implications While working in group for the presentation, I got noticed by everyone in my team. I was the only international student to be dealt with. They seemed awkward with me at the start and left me away in discussions. After doing a bit and contributing to my team they realized that I could pose a great help indeed. They helped me out over factors such as public speaking to be efficient enough for the show time. Moreover, they were inclined towards me because I brought diversity in the group and suggested ideas which were differently thought of. They added their knowledge to my thinking and made a worth watching scenario at the presentation day. They taught me how to build relationships while working in groups and gain experience by contributing towards team spirit For what I had always been thinking a negative impact in working in groups was made my strength. I was very impatient while dealing with my fellow members but as time elapsed I understood that building relationships regardless of the social background is a beneficiary for me as well the other person. From now onwards I shall always look forward for relationship-building group work. 3.5) Goal Setting Working as a part of a team, I shall look forward towards attainment of SMART criteria through team effectiveness. While pursuing my family business I shall look forward to formulate plans so there remains cooperativeness amongst family members working as a whole in the business. Furthermore I shall also look into the differences in opinion between me and the  experienced people and handle conflicts with proper problem solving techniques. This will lead to organizational integrity and achievement of goals. 4) Conclusion I have analyzed and reflected upon my experiences in BSB124 Working in Business, evaluated my intra and interpersonal effectiveness, set SMART goals and identified my weaknesses. In the intrapersonal section, I used Jackson’s learning profiler to know my strengths and weaknesses, reflected upon them, gave examples to support the motion and analyzed my weaknesses to set SMART goals and achieve them. While in the interpersonal section I found the best way I can resolve conflicts and work effectively in groups to achieve group goals. I have learnt that interpersonal effectiveness runs from intrapersonal. So I have put a part of my SMART goals in section 3.5 to link my individual effectiveness to group abilities. I have also mentioned social and cultural implications which I wasn’t aware of. By improving on this competencies and becoming more aware of them, I will look forward to develop a better professional within me and achieve my goals. References Brockbank, A., & Mcgill, I. ( 2012, July 03). Facilitating Reflective Learning: Coaching, Mentoring and Supervision. Cymeon Pty Ltd. (2013). Learning Styles Profiler (LSP). A Personal Report Providing Information on Your Functional Learning Style. Retrieved October 25, 2013 from www.cymeon.com. Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional Intelligence. New York: Bantam Books. Hofstede, G. H. (2001). Culture’s consequences: Comparing values, behaviors, institutions, and organizations across nations. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage Publications Jackson, C. (2009, June 25-29). Using the hybrid model of learning in personality to predict performance in the workplace. Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Jackson, C. J. (2005). An applied neuropsychological model of functional and dysfunctional learning: Applications for business, education, training and clinical psychology. Jackson, C. J. (2009c, June). Using the hybrid model of learning in personality to predict performance in the workplace. Paper pres ented at 8th IOP Conference, Sydney, Australia Jackson, C. J. (2011b). How sensation seeking provides a common basis for functional and dysfunctional outcomes. Journal of Research in Personality, 45(4), 29-36. doi:10.1016/j.jrp.2010.11.005 Landa-Gonzalez, B. (2008). To assert or not to assert: Conflict management and occupational therapy students. 22, 54-70. Retrieved from http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07380570802244464 Lin, X., Wang, C., Shi, Y., & Chan, K. (2005). Conflict handling styles in international joint ventures: a cross-cultural and cross-national comparison. Management International Review, 45(1), 3-13. Retrieved from: http://www.mir-online.de/ McShane, S., Olekalns, M., & Travaglione, T. (2013).Organisational behaviour. (4th ed., pp. 354-355). Australia: McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd. Sterrett, E. A. (2000). The Manager’s Pocket Guide to Emotional Intelligence. Amherst, USA. Retrieved from http://site.ebrary.com/lib/qut/docDetail.action Thomas, K., & Kilman, J. (1974). Conflict and conflict management. Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/job.4030130307/abstract ;jsessionid=73E232B2382E1F2CAD020D017857CB63.f02t04?deniedAccessCustomisedMessage=&userIsAuthenticated=false Woods, R. and Scinarini, M. (1995). The cornell hotel and restaurant administration quarterly. 36(3), 18-23. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0010880495969327

Heterogeneous Definition (Science)

Heterogeneous Definition (Science) The word heterogeneous is an adjective that means composed of different constituents or dissimilar components. In chemistry, the word is most often applied to a heterogeneous mixture. This is one which has a non-uniform composition. A mixture of sand and water is heterogeneous. Concrete is heterogeneous. In contrast, a homogeneous mixture has a uniform composition. An example is a mixture of sugar dissolved in water. Whether a mixture is heterogeneous or homogeneous is largely dependent on the scale or sample size. For example, if you look at a container of sand, it may appear to have evenly distributed particles (be homogeneous). If you viewed the sand under a microscope, you might find unevenly distributed clumps of different materials (heterogeneous). In materials science, specimens may consist entirely of the same metal, element, or alloy, yet display heterogeneous phases or crystal structure. For example, a piece of iron, while homogeneous in composition, might have regions of martensite and others of ferrite. A sample of the element phosphorus might contain both white and red phosphorus. In the broader sense, any group of dissimilar objects may be described as being heterogeneous. A group of people might be heterogeneous with respect to age, weight, height, etc.

The Battle of the Somme Essays

The Battle of the Somme Essays The Battle of the Somme Essay The Battle of the Somme Essay Source A is an extract of comments made by Jack Cousins on atelevision interview years after the war. Youll find the barbed wire infront of the German trenches blown away. However it had just been thrown about and got tangled even more. This source is fairly reliable and it is determined by this statement. This source gives the impression that the battle should not have been fought because as Jack Cousins stated wrong information was given, so the battle was wrong as soldiers were not fully prepared for the things they faced. Source B was written by a historian, B.H Liddle Hart, for a book in 1972. This source is from endless research and interviews. German machine gunners had perfected to a three minute drill because the first day didnt go well, this statement is also fairly reliable and the source is written by a historian, this gives its more reliablity. However this source again shows the battle should not have been fought as Germans had better weapons and could use them affectively as the British had poor and obsolete weaponry which makes it unfair and a one sided battle. The Germans had a better prospective of winning. Also soldiers on the British side were mislead by their commanding officers. Source C was written by a well known historian A.J.P.Taylor, for yet another book in 1979. Agian his information came from endless research and his own knowledge. German machine gunners had perfected to a three minute drill this statement is more than likely true as the first day didnt go well for either side. The historian is well known for his accurate information on topics like the war so this source is fairly reliable. However whether the battle should have been fought or not cannot be determined by this source, this source just shows that the Germans were more prepared for what they faced, than the British army. Source D is Russel Bradshaw, a soldiers account of the crossing of no mans land. This source could be reliable because of his first hand knowledge of it, but it could still be inaccurate. Because it is his own opinion of the instructions to cross no mans land at a slow pace he could be biased and could have given incorrect information. Because this source may not be that reliable the descision on whether it should have been fought or not is hard to determine, because it could be a biased opinion. However if a descision had to be made it would agree that the battle should not have been fought because the crossing of no mans land at a slow pace could have been suicide. Source E is a frame from the Britsh official film of the Battle of the Somme, shown in cinemas in August 1916. This piece of film is definately a piece of propaganda as it will not show the full horrors of war because it could cause uproar within the nation. Also any single man standing over the top, as shown in the frame, would have been shot almost instantly. This piece of film could not be seen as reliable because it is a piece of propaganda, however the rest of the film would obviously have some elements of truth. But this piece of film agrees that the battle should not have been fought because if the government had to hide the truth, the truth must have been bad for it not to be shown to the public. Source F is a cartoon of a fist representing the Brtish army punching Kaiser Wilhelm on the nose, printed on the 2nd July 1916 in a British newspaper. The headline read the day goes well for our patriotic heroes. This cartoon is also a piece of propaganda, fake information given to protect the British public from the truth of not doing so well on the first day. As source N shows the first day didnt go well as 19,420 men were killed on the first day. This source also agrees that the battle should not have been fought because the great loss of men on the first day, they had to hide it from the british public, as it could cause uproar and people would refuse to fight so their morales were kept high so more men would join to fight and without the men, the battle could not have been fought well enough to win. Source G is a statement on the Battle of the Somme written in a letter to General Haig, from Lloyd George in 1916. It talks about how well everything was going and how good the plans were, i can say that the heartening news of the last few days has confirmed our anticipation and hopes that the tide has now turned in our favor. In this quote he is really optimistic about it all because the war is still going on he has to protect the nation from the truth. This source is reliable because it has come from Lloyd George but it is not reliable because the war is still going on and he has to le to stop uproar throughout the nation. So this source states that everthing is good but this is not true but his statement agrees that the battle should have been fought because everything is going well and it is helping to gain a better prospective of winning the war. Source H is also a another statement made by Lloyd George but, after his fall from Prime Minister. A statement from his book published 1933-39. This source states how bad it actually was and Lloyd Georges opinion of it all had changed, he talks about it is claimed that the Battle of the Somme destroyed the old German army by killing off its best officers and men. It killed off far more of our best. This statement is very reliable as he does not have to lie anymore because the war is over and he is not Prime Minister anymore so he can say what he likes. So this source agrees that the battle should not have been fought as it went really bad for the British and many good men were killed. Source I is an extract from a letter writen by Lord Bryce on the the 29th July 1916. He visited the Fourth Army Headquarters, a chateau and park in France. Haig and Rawlinson, Battle Director and Commander-in-Chief at the time seemed to believe the German forces were coming to their last legs. Germans had few reserves, even German officer prisoners doubt escape of defeat. These statements Are acked up by Source J but the two officers did exagerate to make themselves look good to the politician. The politician had never been to the front lines himself so he was an easy subject to mislead. This source is and isnt reliable because of the two officers exageration and because of their knowledge of the front lines. But this source agrees that the battle should not have been fought as if they had to exagerate to make it sound as if everything were fine it couldnt have been going that well so the battle should not have been fought. Source J is an extract from a letter home from a German officer in August 1916, he was later killed in October. This German officer talks about how Ghastly life was on the front lines and how the village of Martinpuich that was once quiet and peacful was now a region of horror and despair. This meant the Germans werent doing well so the British obviously were,so this source does agree with source I . It is very reliable as it has come from a German telling us that the British were doing well. This Source also agrees that the battle should not have been fought as it was causing horror and despair. Source K is information taken from Haigs despatchon the 23rd December 1916. At thos time the Battle of the Somme had finished for over a month. Haig set his objectives after the Battle had finished but they still might have been achieved. The objectives were threefold: 1) To relieve pressure on Verdun. 2) To assist our allies in other theatres of war by stopping any further transfer of German troops from the western front. 3) To wear down the strength of the forces opposed to us. Haig would have definately acheived these objectives as he set them after the war he would have based them on things that had been achieved throughout the battle. This source is reliable as these were official documents concerning objectives. This source alone cannot determine an answer to whether or not the battle should have been fought. As it just states what objectives were set. Source L is an extract from a report sent to the British Cabinet by Haig December 1919. This source is information on the effects of the Battle of the Somme. Haigs opinion of the effects were practically beaten men, thoroughly tired of the war. These both prove Objective three was acheived as forces opposed were being worn down. This source is reliable as these are also extracts from officail documents. This source agrees that the battle should have been fought as it plays a great part of the eventual defeat of Germany. Source M is an extract from a German Generals book published 1919. This source talks about the British and how well they were doing. But because it came from a German General it can be believed, because why would he lie after the war has finished and it is the British he is supporting. Entente worked their way further into German lines this statment is in comparison to all three objectives, because if the Entente worked their way into German lines it was wearing down the enemy so more men would have to be sent there, thus relieving pressure on Verdun and stopping the further transfer of troops. This Source is reliable as it came from a German. This source also agrees that the battle should have been fought because again it played a great part in the eventual defeat of Germany. Source N are the figures of men lost on the first day and the total losses by the end of the battle. 1st July 1916, 19,420 British killed, by the end of the battle in total of all sides 1,070,000 dead. The battle only lasted for 5 months and so many lives were lost in such a short space of time. This source is reliable as they are official figures, this source agrees that the battle shoud not have been fought as so many men lost their lives in the short amount of time of 5 months. In conclusion from analysing thoroughly the sources and information provided it would seem that the morgority of the sources would agree that the battle should not have been fought for various reasons. However a final descision will never be made as there are so many points to be analysed and discussed. No-one will ever come to a conclusion because everyone has different opinions.

Financial and Mortgage Services Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Financial and Mortgage Services Industry - Essay Example Furthermore it will give us an external environment overview of the strategic tools used to understand market growth or decline, business position, potential and direction for operations. The Basel II Regulations are expected to reshape the entire financial services industry by creating new classes of competitors based on their risk-measurement and value-measurement technologies. These guidelines pose serious threats to both real estate lending by commercial banks and the viability of the entire industry since higher capital charges could reduce available capital for commercial real estate. [5] Sarbanes-Oxley developed a private, nonprofit corporation, to ensure that financial statements are audited according to independent standards. It also holds chief executives and chief financial officers directly responsible for the accuracy of financial statements. The law seeks to rule out conflicts that would make securities analysts less than objective and gives board audit committees rather than CEOs or chief financial officers full control of auditors. [3] The new regulations for mutual funds to have 75% independents in the board of directors and have an independent mutual fund chairman of the board represent one of the most drastic changes. These rules will require the search and hiring of new members to meet the regulations as a result, a shortage of potential candidates may be experienced. These regulations can be good or bad for a company depending on the quality of decisions taken at the time of appointing new directors and chairperson. [7] Hedge Funds Regulations With the increasing growth of hedge funds in the market, the regulations to monitor them are becoming more practical in the near future. [6] Regulations for New Entrants Some regulations regarding the minimum capital requirements for a company act as a barrier to new firms trying to enter the industry. Along with this investment and technological input costs are difficult to meet for these new entrants. [6] Economic Forces Federal Interest Rate Hikes The changing of the fund rate has the most impact on short-term rates. The raising or lowering of this rate will affect interest rates on mortgages, credit cards, and home equity lines of credit. When the target rate is raised, consumers pay more interest. When the rate is lowered, they pay less. These rate hikes will also affect credit cards since credit card interest rates are tied to the prime rate, which is subject to the actions of the Fed. As the rate increases tend move slowly to credit cards because issuers re-price cards once a quarter, the rate increase will be seen in the near future. [8] Declining Personal Savings Rate In September 2005, the personal saving rate as a percentage of disposable income was negative implying US consumers spent more than 100% of their monthly post-tax income. This decline in savings can be bad for the economy as there will be lesser investment and the financial sector can suffer. [4] Compliance Costs for Small Firms U.S. businesses

Health Risks and Benefits Associated with Energy Drinks Essay

Health Risks and Benefits Associated with Energy Drinks - Essay Example Unfortunately, due to the interchangeable use of the words â€Å"sports drinks†, and â€Å"energy drinks†, these young consumers are exposing themselves to the adverse effects of overindulging in the latter. In addition, the lax regulatory policies also make it easier for younger consumers to access energy drinks. In response, some institutions have called for stringent regulations that prohibit the sale of such products in schools. Discussed below are the health risks and perceived benefits associated with intake of energy drinks.   One of the main ingredients used to make energy drinks is caffeine. Caffeine is a highly addictive substance; as such, its use in the manufacturing of any food or beverage is likely to result in users’ addiction to the consumed substances. There are two major categories of energy drinks, alcoholic and non-alcoholic energy drinks. A high percentage of consumers of energy drinks are unaware of the adverse health risks associated with the consumption of non-alcoholic energy drinks, as they operate under the assumption that the alternative form (alcoholic energy drinks) poses a greater danger. Research by various scholars contradicts this assumption stating,†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦caffeine’s neuropharmacology effects might play a role in the propensity for addiction† (Arria & O’Brien 2012, p.601). Reissig et al. (2009, p. 4-6) postulate that lack of regulatory oversight resulting from lax regulatory requirements especially in countries such as the US increases childr en and adolescents’ vulnerability to developing caffeine related disorders, which include caffeine intoxication.

The Oppressive Legislature and the Actions of the British Essay

The Oppressive Legislature and the Actions of the British - Essay Example Many members of the clergy were torn as to which side they should choose. In some parts of the country, religion flourished, under the banner that God with the â€Å"Patriots† side. John Butler, a writer for the Department of the Interior, discussed that other churches and denominations suffered losses in attendance and, like the Anglicans, had to begin shutting their doors.1 The Quakers were by nature pacifists. They were opposed to any kind of acts of violent warfare. However, they entirely supported the colonists when they boycotted British goods. To the Quakers, this was an acceptable form of non-violent, peaceful resistance. Some Quakers were accused of being loyalists but generally, they considered themselves to not be a part of the revolution. Minorities at the time faced difficult challenges, as well. African American slaves found themselves on both sides of the revolutionary war. Many fought on the side of the â€Å"Loyalists.† However, the reasons were most likely based on the fact that the British offered to free those slaves that abandoned their â€Å"Patriot† masters. Native Americans were, also, caught in a difficult position. The Native Americans were already focused on trying to save their homeland; they hardly wanted to be caught in between the British and the Americans. They aimed to remain uninvolved in the warfare. However, eventually, the tribes were forced to make the choice. An article, in association The National Endowment of the Arts, explained that this ultimately ended with different tribes on different sides of a war that was not  theirs.

Thy Womb Essay Example for Free

Thy Womb Essay A charming and majestic chain of islands straddling peacefully between Sulu Sea and Celebes Sea in the southwestern Philippines is the exotic Tawi-Tawi province. It is one of the southernmost parts of Philippines, which have become infamous for being the site of warring government and the Muslims terrorists. The people are peace-loving and they live there harmoniously. Their houses are built on silts near the seashore. The place is surrounding with families who are lack of needs, and they are surviving in the rain or shine weather in their everyday lives. Their culture was also shown in the movie. The wedding celebration there is very different as we celebrate the wedding here. Giving dowry to the family they want to marry and hospitality is part of their culture. The man is negotiating to the family of the woman they want to marry, not only once, but anytime they want to get married as long as they have dowry that they will give to the family of they want to get married. Although the woman, doesn’t love the man, the man can marry her as long as her family approved the wedding. Shaleha, the character portrayed by Nora Aunor is indeed the most interesting for me. It’s very unusual to see a wife go searching for another lady to be his husband’s second wife. Shaleha truly shown that her love for her husband, Bangas-An, was fascinating. She has gone to some hardships just by knowing that her husband might really turn his back to her. As I seen in the movie, there are some problems that the government should focus to improve their place. Some problems are the people have not enough clothings and their houses which reside in the sea is not safe for them especially to the children; and also they are lack in the terms of security and medical because when Bangas-an shoot a gun, there’s no justice occur and his wife, Shaleha cure it with leaves. The government should took action these problem for the sake of the people. The government should also enhance the infrastructure base of the province and improve accessibility, and generate more jobs for the people. Thy Womb is a movie that is worth watching for. This movie indeed tells the reality of living. The reality in which people do have different cultures as well as their way of living that was affected by the things or events in their surroundings. This reality is also experienced by us in our lives but in different circumstances. Upon watching it, it shown in the movie the goodness of the people in South. I was amazed in the people there how they approach each and every one. Eventhough they all suffer in poverty, they managed to give help with the other people. Also, my heart felt pity to the some olds are undressed and working despite of their ages. After I watched it, I conclude some values that were essentially portrayed, like the undying love of Shaleha to her husband Bangas-An, the couple’s faith and persistence to really make it up to the dowry required by the other family is strongly portrayed as the couple willingly sell their things and asked help from the other communities. I greatly admired Director Mendoza for bringing great honor to the people and for showing the beauty of Tawi-Tawi. I hope that the other Filipinos will appreciate his efforts as well.

Influence of Societal Expectation in Hunger and Siddhartha Essay exampl

Societal expectations play momentous roles in character development in Hamsun’s Hunger and Hesse’s Siddhartha. Societal expectations derive from the origins of the individuals in the society who create authority and code of conduct for the people to obey and follow (based on their own morals). Both novels uncover the character development of the protagonists yet the authors approach these themes in different manners. Hamsun follows the hero’s path through an unforeseen destiny of solitude and weariness allowing the hero to find no place among the society. His journey of struggle within the society faces the hero to make certain decisions that readers question as either rational or irrational decisions. Whereas in Hesse’s, the hero accepts the transformation from an aesthetic Siddhartha to a more self conscious character basing his needs on the materialistic pleasures. Siddhartha’s influence from the environment enables him to feel and un derstand his present surroundings of a society leading to his ultimate motive of Self realization and to break the cycle of life and achieve ultimate happiness. Hamsun’s hero, the unnamed narrator in the novel Hunger, is a struggling character, always contemplating over his ideas and actions and often losing his sense of reality to his own illusionary world of his conscious â€Å"my deranged consciousness ran away with me and sent me lunatic inspirations† . The effect of having to create a character struggling within his own decision making skills has the audience to believe the protagonist has in a breaking point between sanity versus insanity. Yet under the society of Christiniana, under certain laws and rules that are to be followed, Hamsun creates a paradoxical character, ... ... through a chaotic state. Yet in Hunger it is portrayed that human nature always strives to be in communities, but when a society is formed, there are always certain individuals as outcasts like the protagonist, who tend to fall under the influence of its society’s expectations. Their strive to have a place in the society follows up working too hard to reach the expectations of earning money for a materialistic value in the society, therefore allowing the protagonist to go in a state of insanity. Siddhartha follows society as a materialistic living and a need, the protagonist allows himself to go through against materialistic living, following the expectations of the society. He allows the materialism of earning money and have physical pleasures to reach his own journey to reach enlightenment through experience of having to understand how to let it out of his Self.

A Dirty Job Chapter 5

5 DARKNESS GETS UPPITY Hey, Ray,† Charlie said as he came down the steps into the storeroom. He always tried to make a lot of noise on the steps and usually fired a loud and early â€Å"hello† to warn his employees that he was coming. He'd worked a number of jobs before coming back to take over the family business, and had learned from experience that nobody liked a sneaky boss. â€Å"Hey, Charlie,† Ray said. Ray was out front, sitting on a stool behind the counter. He was pushing forty, tall, balding, and moved through the world without ever turning his head. He couldn't. As a San Francisco policeman, he'd caught a gangbanger's bullet in the neck six years ago, and that was the last time he'd looked over his shoulder without using a mirror. Ray lived on a generous disability pension from the city and worked for Charlie in exchange for free rent on his fourth-floor apartment, thus keeping the transaction off both their books. He spun around on the stool to face Charlie. â€Å"Hey – uh – I wanted to say that, you know, your situation, I mean, your loss. Everybody liked Rachel. You know, if I can do anything – â€Å" It was the first time Charlie had seen Ray since the funeral, so the awkwardness of secondary condolences had yet to be forded. â€Å"You've done more than enough by picking up my shifts. Whatcha working on?† Charlie was trying desperately to not look at the various objects in the shop that were glowing dull red. â€Å"Oh, this.† Ray rotated and pushed back so that Charlie could see the computer screen, where there were displayed rows of portraits of smiling, young Asian women. â€Å"It's called Desperate Filipinas dot-com.† â€Å"Is this where you met Miss LoveYouLongTime?† â€Å"That was not her name. Did Lily tell you that? That kid has problems.† â€Å"Yeah, well, kids,† Charlie said, suddenly noticing a matronly woman in tweed who was browsing the curio shelves at the front of the store. She was carrying a porcelain frog that was glowing dull red. Ray clicked on one of the pictures, which opened a profile. â€Å"Look at this one, boss. It says she's into sculling.† He spun on his stool again and bounced his eyebrows at Charlie. Charlie pulled his attention from the woman with the glowing frog and looked at the screen. â€Å"That's rowing, Ray.† â€Å"No it's not. Look, it says she was a coxswain in college.† Again with the eyebrow bounce, he offered a high five. â€Å"Also rowing,† Charlie said, leaving the ex-cop hanging. â€Å"The person at the back of the boat who yells at the rowers is called the coxswain.† â€Å"Really?† Ray said, disappointed. He'd been married three times, and been left by all three wives because of an inability to develop normal adult social skills. Ray reacted to the world as a cop, and while many women found that attractive initially, they expected him eventually to leave the attitude, along with his service weapon, in the coat closet when he arrived home. He didn't. When Ray had first come to work at Asher's Secondhand, it had taken two months for Charlie to get him to stop ordering customers to â€Å"move along, there's nothing to see here.† Ray spent a lot of time being disappointed in himself and humanity in general. â€Å"But, dude, rowing!† Charlie said, trying to make it all better. He liked the ex-cop in spite of his awkwardness. Ray was basically a good guy, kindhearted and loyal, hardworking and punctual, but most important, Ray was losing his hair faster than Charlie. Ray sighed. â€Å"Maybe I should search for another Web site. What's a word that means that your standards are lower than the desperate?† Charlie read down the page a little. â€Å"This woman has a master's degree in English lit from Cambridge, Ray. And look at her. She's gorgeous. And nineteen. Why is she desperate?† â€Å"Hey, wait a minute. A master's degree at nineteen, this girl is too smart for me.† â€Å"No she's not. She's lying.† Ray spun on the stool as if Charlie had poked him in the ear with a pencil. â€Å"No!† â€Å"Ray, look at her. She looks like one of those Asian models for Sour Apple Flavored Calamari Treats.† â€Å"They have that?† Charlie pointed to the left side of the front window. â€Å"Ray, let me introduce you to Chinatown. Chinatown, this is Ray. Ray, Chinatown.† Ray smiled, embarrassed. There was a store two blocks up that sold nothing but dried shark parts, the windows full of pictures of beautiful Chinese women holding shark spleens and eyeballs like they'd just received an Academy Award. â€Å"Well, the last woman I met through here did have a few errors and omissions in her profile.† â€Å"Like?† Charlie was watching the woman in tweed with the glowing frog, who was approaching the counter. â€Å"Well, she said that she was twenty-three, five feet tall, a hundred five pounds, so I thought, ‘Okay, I can have fun with a petite woman.' Turns out it was a hundred and five kilos.† â€Å"So, not what you expected?† Charlie said. He smiled at the approaching woman, feeling panic rise. She was going to buy the frog! â€Å"Five foot – two-thirty. She was built like a mailbox. I might have gotten past that, but she wasn't even twenty-three, she was sixty-three. One of her grandsons tried to sell her to me.† â€Å"Ma'am, I'm sorry, you can't buy that,† Charlie said to the woman. â€Å"You hear the expression all the time,† Ray went on, â€Å"but you hardly ever meet anyone really trying to sell his own grandmother.† â€Å"Why not?† the woman asked. â€Å"Fifty bucks,† Ray said. â€Å"That's outrageous,† the woman said. â€Å"It's marked ten.† â€Å"No, it's fifty for the grandmother Ray is dating,† Charlie said. â€Å"The frog is not for sale, ma'am, I'm sorry. It's defective.† â€Å"Then why do you have it on the shelf? Why is it marked for sale? I don't see any defect.† Evidently she couldn't see that the goofy porcelain frog was not only glowing in her hands, it had started to pulsate. Charlie reached across the counter and snatched it away from her. â€Å"It's radioactive, ma'am. I'm sorry. You can't buy it.† â€Å"I wasn't dating her,† Ray said. â€Å"I just flew to the Philippines to meet her.† â€Å"It is not radioactive,† the woman said. â€Å"You're just trying to jack up the price. Fine, I'll give you twenty for it.† â€Å"No, ma'am, public safety,† Charlie said, trying to look concerned, holding the frog to his chest as if shielding her from its dangerous energy. â€Å"And it's clearly ridiculous. You'll note that this frog is playing a banjo with only two strings. A travesty, really. Why don't you let my colleague show you something in a cymbal-playing monkey. Ray, could you show this young woman something in a monkey, please.† Charlie hoped that the â€Å"young woman† would win him points. The woman backed away from the counter, holding her purse before her like a shield. â€Å"I'm not sure I want to buy anything from you wack jobs.† â€Å"Hey!† Ray protested, as if to say that there was only one wack job on duty and he wasn't it. Then she did it, she quickstepped to a rack of shoes and picked up a pair of size-twelve, red Converse All Stars. They, too, were glowing. â€Å"I want these.† â€Å"No.† Charlie tossed the frog over his shoulder to Ray, who fumbled it and almost dropped it. â€Å"Those aren't for sale either.† The tweed woman backed away toward the door, holding the sneakers behind her. Charlie stalked her down the aisle, taking the occasional grab at the All Stars. â€Å"Give them.† When the woman butt-bumped into the front door and the bell over the jamb jingled, she looked up and Charlie made his move, faking hard left, then going right, reaching around her and grabbing the laces of the sneakers, as well as a scoop of big, tweedy ass in the bargain. He quickstepped back toward the counter, tossed the sneakers to Ray, and then turned and fell into a sumo stance to challenge the tweed woman. She was still at the door, looking as if she couldn't decide to be terrified or disgusted. â€Å"You people need to be put away. I'm reporting you to the Better Business Bureau and the local merchants' association. And you, Mr. Asher, can tell Ms. Severo that I will be back.† And with that, she was through the door and gone. Charlie turned to Ray. â€Å"Ms. Severo? Lily? She was here to see Lily?† â€Å"Truant officer,† Ray said. â€Å"She's been in a couple of times.† â€Å"You might have said something.† â€Å"I didn't want to lose the sale.† â€Å"So, Lily – â€Å" â€Å"Ducks out the back when she sees her coming. The woman also wanted to check with you that the notes for Lily's absences were legitimate. I vouched.† â€Å"Well, Lily is going back to school, and as of right now, I'm back to work.† â€Å"That's great. I took this call today – an estate in Pacific Heights. Lots of nice women's clothes.† Ray tapped a piece of notepaper on the counter. â€Å"I'm not really qualified to handle it.† â€Å"I'll do it, but first we have a lot to catch up on. Flip the ‘Closed' sign and lock the front door, would you, Ray?† Ray didn't move. â€Å"Sure, but – Charlie, are you sure that you're ready to go back to work?† He nodded to the sneakers and frog on the counter. â€Å"Oh, those, I think there's something wrong with them. You don't see anything unusual about those two items?† Ray looked again. â€Å"Nope.† â€Å"Or that once I took the frog away from her, she went right for a pair of sneakers that are clearly not her size?† Ray weighed the truth against the sweet deal he had here, with an apartment and under-the-table income and a boss that had really been a decent guy before he went 51/50, and he said, â€Å"Yeah, there was something strange about her.† â€Å"Aha!† said Charlie. â€Å"I just wish I knew where I could get a Geiger counter.† â€Å"I have a Geiger counter,† Ray said. â€Å"You do?† â€Å"Sure, you want me to get it?† â€Å"Maybe later,† Charlie said. â€Å"Just lock up, and help me gather up some of the merchandise.† Over the next hour Ray watched as Charlie moved a set of what seemed randomly chosen items from the store to the back room, directing him to under no circumstances put them back out or sell them to anyone. Then he retrieved the Geiger counter that he'd obtained on a sweet trade for a stringless oversized tennis racket and tested each item as Charlie instructed. And, of course, they were as inert as dirt. â€Å"And you don't see any glowing or pulsating or anything in this pile?† Charlie asked. â€Å"Sorry.† Ray shook his head, feeling a little embarrassed that he was witnessing this. â€Å"Good first day back to work, though,† Ray said, trying to make it all better. â€Å"Maybe you should call it a day, go check on the baby, and make that estate call in the morning. I'll box this stuff up and mark it so Lily won't sell or trade it.† â€Å"Okay,† Charlie said. â€Å"But don't throw it out, either. I'm going to figure this out.† â€Å"You betcha, boss. See you in the morning.† â€Å"Yeah, thanks, Ray. You can go home when you finish.† Charlie went back to his apartment, checking his hands the whole way to see if any of the red glow from the pile of objects had rubbed off on them, but they seemed normal. He sent Jane home, fed and bathed Sophie, and read her to sleep with a few pages from Slaughterhouse-Five, then went to bed early and slept fitfully. He awoke the next morning in a haze, then sat bolt upright in bed, eyes wide and heart pounding when he saw the note sitting on the nightstand. Another one. Then he noticed that this time it wasn't his handwriting, and the number was obviously a phone number, and he sighed. It was the estate appointment that Ray had made for him. He'd put it on the nightstand so he wouldn't forget. Mr. Michael Mainheart, it read; then upscale women's clothing and furs, with a double underline. The phone number had a local exchange. He picked up the note, and under it was a second piece of notepaper, this one with the same name, written in his own handwriting, and under it, the numeral 5. He didn't remember writing any of it. At that moment, something large and dark passed by the second-story bedroom window, but by the time he looked up, it was gone. A blanket of fog lay over the Bay and from Pacific Heights the great orange towers of the Golden Gate Bridge jutted through the fog bank like carrots from the faces of sleeping conjoined twin snowmen. In the Heights, the morning sun had already opened the sky and workmen were scurrying about, tending yards and gardens around the mansions. When he arrived at the home of Michael Mainheart the first thing Charlie noticed was that no one noticed him. There were two guys working in the yard, to whom Charlie waved as he passed, but they did not wave back. Then the mailman, who was coming off the big porch, drove him off the walkway into the dewy grass without so much as an â€Å"excuse me.† â€Å"Excuse me!† Charlie said, sarcastically, but the mailman was wearing headphones and listening to something that was inspiring him to bob his head like a pigeon feeding on amphetamines, and he bopped on. Charlie was going to shout something devastatingly clever, then thought better of it, for although it had been some years since he'd heard of a postal employee perpetrating a massacre, as long as the term â€Å"going postal† referred to anything besides choosing a shipping carrier, he felt he shouldn't press his luck. Called a wack job by a complete stranger one day and shouldered off the sidewalk by a civil servant the next: this city was becoming a jungle. Charlie rang the bell and waited to the side of the twelve-foot leaded-glass door. A minute later he heard light, shuffling steps approaching and a diminutive silhouette moved behind the glass. The door swung open slowly. â€Å"Mr. Asher,† said Michael Mainheart. â€Å"Thank you for coming.† The old man was swimming in a houndstooth suit that he must have bought thirty years ago when he was a more robust fellow. When he shook Charlie's hand his skin felt like an old wonton wrapper, cool and a little powdery. Charlie tried not to shudder as the old man led him into a grand marble rotunda, with leaded-glass windows running to a vaulted, forty-foot ceiling and a circular staircase that swept up to a landing that led off to the upper wings of the house. Charlie had often wondered what it was like to have a house with wings. How would you ever find your car keys? â€Å"Come this way,† Mainheart said. â€Å"I'll show you where my wife kept her clothes.† â€Å"I'm sorry about your loss,† Charlie said automatically. He'd been on scores of estate calls. You don't want to come off as some kind of vulture, his father used to say. Always compliment the merchandise; it might be a piece of crap to you, but they might have a lot of their soul poured into it. Compliment but never covet. You can make a profit and preserve everyone's dignity in the process. â€Å"Holy shit,† Charlie said as he followed the old man into a walk-in closet the size of his own apartment. â€Å"I mean – your wife had exquisite taste, Mr. Mainheart.† There was row upon row of designer couture clothing, everything from evening gowns to racks, two tiers high, of knit suits, arranged by color and level of formality – an opulent rainbow of silk and linen and wool. Cashmere sweaters, coats, capes, jackets, skirts, blouses, lingerie. The closet was shaped like a T, with a large vanity and mirror at the apex, and accessories on each wing (even the closet with wings!), shoes on one side, belts, scarves, and handbags on the other. A whole wing of shoes, Italian and French, handmade, from the skins of animals who had led happy, blemish-free lives. Full-length mirrors flanked the vanity at the end of the closet and Charlie caught the reflection of himself and Michael Mainheart in the mirror, he in his secondhand gray pinstripe and Mainheart in his ill-fitting houndstooth, studies in gray and black, stark and lifeless-looking in this vibrant garden. The old man went to the chair at the vanity and sat down with a creak and a wheeze. â€Å"I expect it will take you some time to assess it,† he said. Charlie stood in the middle of the closet and looked around for a second before replying. â€Å"It depends, Mr. Mainheart, on what you want to part with.† â€Å"All of it. Every stitch. I can't stand the feel of her in here.† His voice broke. â€Å"I want it gone.† He looked away from Charlie at the shoe wing, trying not to show that he was tearing up. â€Å"I understand,† Charlie said, not sure what to say. This collection was completely out of his league. â€Å"No, you don't understand, young man. You couldn't understand. Emily was my life. I got up in the morning for her, I went to work for her, I built a business for her. I couldn't wait to get home at night to tell her about my day. I went to bed with her and I dreamed about her when I slept. She was my passion, my wife, my best friend, the love of my life. And one day, without warning, she was gone and my life is a void. You couldn't possibly understand.† But Charlie did. â€Å"Do you have any children, Mr. Mainheart?† â€Å"Two sons. They came back for the funeral, then they went home to their own families. They offer to do whatever they can, but†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"They can't,† Charlie finished for him. â€Å"No one can.† Now the old man looked up at him, his face as bereft and barren as a mummified basset hound. â€Å"I just want to die.† â€Å"Don't say that,† Charlie said, because that's what you say. â€Å"That feeling will pass.† Which he said because everyone had been saying it to him. As far as he knew, he was just slinging bullshit clichs. â€Å"She was – † Mainheart's voice caught on the edge of a sob. A strong man, at once overcome by his grief and embarrassed that he was showing it. â€Å"I know,† Charlie said, thinking about how Rachel still occupied that place in his heart, and when he turned in the kitchen to say something to her, and she wasn't there, it took his breath. â€Å"She was – â€Å" â€Å"I know,† Charlie interrupted, trying to give the old man a pass, because he knew what Mainheart was feeling. She was meaning and order and light, and now that she's gone, chaos falls like a dark leaden cloud. â€Å"She was so phenomenally stupid.† â€Å"What?† Charlie looked up so quickly he heard a vertebra pop in his neck. Hadn't seen that coming. â€Å"The dumb broad ate silica gel,† Mainheart said, irritated as well as agonized. â€Å"What?† Charlie was shaking his head, as if trying to rattle something loose. â€Å"Silica gel.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"Silica gel! Silica gel! Silica gel, you idiot!† Charlie felt as if he should shout the name of some arcane stuff back at him: Well, symethicone! Symethicone! Symethicone, you butt-nugget! Instead he said, â€Å"The stuff fake breasts are made of? She ate that?† The image of a well-dressed older woman macking on a goopish spoonful of artificial boob spooge was running across the lobes of his brain like a stuttering nightmare. Mainheart pushed himself to his feet on the vanity. â€Å"No, the little packets of stuff they pack in with electronic equipment and cameras.† â€Å"The ‘Do Not Eat' stuff?† â€Å"Exactly.† â€Å"But it says right on the packet – she ate that?† â€Å"Yes. The furrier put packets of it in with her furs when he installed that cabinet.† Mainheart pointed. Charlie turned, and behind the large closet door where they had entered was a lighted glass cabinet – inside hung a dozen or so fur coats. The cabinet probably had its own air-conditioning unit to control the humidity, but that wasn't what Charlie was noticing. Even under the recessed fluorescent light inside the cabinet, one of the coats was clearly glowing red and pulsating. He turned back to Mainheart slowly, trying not to overreact, not sure, in fact, what would constitute an overreaction in this case, so he tried to sound calm, but not willing to take any shit. â€Å"Mr. Mainheart, I appreciate your loss, but is there something more going on here than you've told me?† â€Å"I'm sorry, I don't understand what you mean.† â€Å"I mean,† Charlie said, â€Å"why, of all the used-clothing dealers in the Bay Area, did you decide to call me? There are people who are much more qualified to deal with a collection of this size and quality.† Charlie stormed over to the fur cabinet and pulled open the door. It made a floof-tha sound that the seal on a refrigerator door makes when opened. He grabbed the glowing jacket – fox fur, it appeared to be. â€Å"Or was it this? Did the call have something to do with this?† Charlie brandished the jacket like he was holding a murder weapon before the accused. In short, he thought about adding, are you fucking with me? â€Å"You were the first used-clothing dealer in the phone book.† Charlie let the jacket drop. â€Å"Asher's Secondhand?† â€Å"Starts with an A,† Mainheart said, slowly, carefully – obviously resisting the urge to call Charlie an idiot again. â€Å"So it has nothing to do with this jacket?† â€Å"Well, it has something to do with that jacket. I'd like you to take it away with all the rest of it.† â€Å"Oh,† Charlie said, trying to recover. â€Å"Mr. Mainheart, I appreciate the call, and this is certainly a beautiful collection, amazing, really, but I'm not equipped to take on this kind of inventory. And I'll be honest with you, even though my father would be spinning in his grave for telling you this, there is probably a million dollars' worth of clothes in this closet. Maybe more. And given the time and space to resell it, it's probably worth a quarter of that. I just don't have that kind of money.† â€Å"We can work something out,† Mainheart said. â€Å"Just to get it out of the house – â€Å" â€Å"I could take some of it on consignment, I suppose – â€Å" â€Å"Five hundred dollars.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"Give me five hundred dollars and get it out of here by tomorrow and it's yours.† Charlie started to object, but he could feel what felt like the ghost of his father rising up to bonk him on the head with a spittoon if he didn't stop himself. We provide a valuable service, son. We are like an orphanage to art and artifact, because we are willing to handle the unwanted, we give them value. â€Å"I couldn't do that, Mr. Mainheart, I feel as if I'd be taking advantage of your grief.† Oh for Christ's sake, you fucking loser, you are no son of mine. I have no son. Was that the ghost of Charlie's father, rattling chains in his head? Why, then, did it have the voice and vocabulary of Lily? Can a conscience be greedy? â€Å"You would be doing me a favor, Mr. Asher. A huge favor. If you don't take it, my next call is to the Goodwill. I promised Emily that if something ever happened to her that I wouldn't just give her things away. Please.† And there was so much pain in the old man's voice that Charlie had to look away. Charlie felt for the old man because he did understand. He couldn't do anything to help, couldn't say, It will get better, like everyone kept saying to him. It wasn't getting better. Different, but not better. And this fellow had fifty more years in which to pack his hopes, or in his case, his history. â€Å"Let me think about it. Check into storage. If I can handle it, I'll call you tomorrow, would that be all right?† â€Å"I'd be grateful,† Mainheart said. Then, for no reason that he could think of, Charlie said, â€Å"May I take this jacket with me? As an example of the quality of the collection, in case I have to divide it among other dealers.† â€Å"That would be fine. Let me show you out.† As they passed into the rotunda, a shadow passed across the leaded-glass windows, three stories up. A large shadow. Charlie paused on the steps and waited for the old man to react, but he just tottered on down the staircase, leaning heavily on the railing as he went. When Mainheart reached the door he turned to Charlie, extending his hand. â€Å"I'm sorry about that, uh, outburst upstairs. I haven't been myself since – â€Å" As the old man began to open the door a figure dropped outside, casting the silhouette of a bird as tall as a man through the glass. â€Å"No!† Charlie dove forward, knocking the old man aside and slamming the door on the great bird's head, the heavy black beak stabbing through and snapping like hedge clippers, rattling an umbrella stand and scattering its contents across the marble floor. Charlie's face was only inches from the bird's eye, and he shoved the door with his shoulder, trying to keep the beak from snapping off one of his hands. The bird's claws raked against the glass, cracking one of the thick beveled panels as the animal thrashed to free itself. Charlie threw his hip against the doorjamb then slid down it, dropped the fox jacket, and snatched one of the umbrellas from the floor. He stabbed up into the bird's neck feathers, but lost his purchase on the doorjamb – one of the black talons snaked through the opening and raked across his forearm, cutting through his jacket, his shirtsleeve, and into the flesh. Charlie shoved the umbrella with all he had, driving the bird's head back through the opening. The raven let out a screech and took flight, its wings making a great whooshing noise as it went. Charlie lay on his back, out of breath, staring at the leaded-glass panels, as if any moment the shadow of the giant raven would come back, then he looked to Michael Mainheart, who lay crumpled on his side like a stringless marionette. Beside his head lay a cane with an ivory handle that had been carved into the shape of a polar bear that had fallen from the umbrella stand. The cane was glowing red. The old man was not breathing. â€Å"Well that's fucked up,† Charlie said.