Essay on Propoganda, Advocacy and Yellow Journalism

The Martians are coming. American jobs taken by Illegal Immigrants. USDA needs to enforce stricter regulations on cattle feed. Each headline could be found in todays news. When putting together a story, the interpretation of facts depends on how the facts are presented or the assumptions made by the journalist. It would be inaccurate to suggest or imply that the press and the media are always responsible and truthful. After all, stories with sensational headlines or titles that greatly stir our emotions tend to get the most notice. We must learn to recognize the methods by which news is camouflaged so we can discern fact from fiction Every time we turn on a radio or television, open a book, magazine or newspaper someone is trying†¦show more content†¦Industrialization had revolutionized the newspaper industry allowing machines to print thousands of papers in a night, providing publishers with the ability to provide more newspapers (Campbell 2001). Hearst and Pulitzer found attention grabbing, sensational headlines sold more papers.This began the brand of reporting known as yellow journalism. These publishers were credited with starting the Spanish American War due to their exaggeration and inflammatory headlines (Campbell 2001). Although, yellow journalism became the term for this practice of sensationalism and sometimes outright lies, yellow journalism was derived from a cartoon strip called the Yellow Kid (see picture 1). First published in Pulitzers New York World it then moved to Hearsts New York Journal. Critics coined the phrase yellow journalism to describe the special non smear yellow ink and the significance of the comic strip (Yellow Journalism 2005) Yellow journalism was characterized not only by its exaggeration but its layout. Multi column headlines, page one banners, Front page treatment of stories, illustrations, photographs, maps, the tendency to rely on anonymous sources and the eager indulgence of self promotion were other qualities inherent to yellow journalism (Campbell 2001). National Enquirer, The Star and The Globe are familiar tabloids (see picture 2). They are the most flagrant models of yellow journalism and the most recognized

Essay on Propoganda, Advocacy and Yellow Journalism

The Martians are coming. American jobs taken by Illegal Immigrants. USDA needs to enforce stricter regulations on cattle feed. Each headline could be found in todays news. When putting together a story, the interpretation of facts depends on how the facts are presented or the assumptions made by the journalist. It would be inaccurate to suggest or imply that the press and the media are always responsible and truthful. After all, stories with sensational headlines or titles that greatly stir our emotions tend to get the most notice. We must learn to recognize the methods by which news is camouflaged so we can discern fact from fiction Every time we turn on a radio or television, open a book, magazine or newspaper someone is trying†¦show more content†¦Industrialization had revolutionized the newspaper industry allowing machines to print thousands of papers in a night, providing publishers with the ability to provide more newspapers (Campbell 2001). Hearst and Pulitzer found attention grabbing, sensational headlines sold more papers.This began the brand of reporting known as yellow journalism. These publishers were credited with starting the Spanish American War due to their exaggeration and inflammatory headlines (Campbell 2001). Although, yellow journalism became the term for this practice of sensationalism and sometimes outright lies, yellow journalism was derived from a cartoon strip called the Yellow Kid (see picture 1). First published in Pulitzers New York World it then moved to Hearsts New York Journal. Critics coined the phrase yellow journalism to describe the special non smear yellow ink and the significance of the comic strip (Yellow Journalism 2005) Yellow journalism was characterized not only by its exaggeration but its layout. Multi column headlines, page one banners, Front page treatment of stories, illustrations, photographs, maps, the tendency to rely on anonymous sources and the eager indulgence of self promotion were other qualities inherent to yellow journalism (Campbell 2001). National Enquirer, The Star and The Globe are familiar tabloids (see picture 2). They are the most flagrant models of yellow journalism and the most recognized

Essay on Propoganda, Advocacy and Yellow Journalism

The Martians are coming. American jobs taken by Illegal Immigrants. USDA needs to enforce stricter regulations on cattle feed. Each headline could be found in todays news. When putting together a story, the interpretation of facts depends on how the facts are presented or the assumptions made by the journalist. It would be inaccurate to suggest or imply that the press and the media are always responsible and truthful. After all, stories with sensational headlines or titles that greatly stir our emotions tend to get the most notice. We must learn to recognize the methods by which news is camouflaged so we can discern fact from fiction Every time we turn on a radio or television, open a book, magazine or newspaper someone is trying†¦show more content†¦Industrialization had revolutionized the newspaper industry allowing machines to print thousands of papers in a night, providing publishers with the ability to provide more newspapers (Campbell 2001). Hearst and Pulitzer found attention grabbing, sensational headlines sold more papers.This began the brand of reporting known as yellow journalism. These publishers were credited with starting the Spanish American War due to their exaggeration and inflammatory headlines (Campbell 2001). Although, yellow journalism became the term for this practice of sensationalism and sometimes outright lies, yellow journalism was derived from a cartoon strip called the Yellow Kid (see picture 1). First published in Pulitzers New York World it then moved to Hearsts New York Journal. Critics coined the phrase yellow journalism to describe the special non smear yellow ink and the significance of the comic strip (Yellow Journalism 2005) Yellow journalism was characterized not only by its exaggeration but its layout. Multi column headlines, page one banners, Front page treatment of stories, illustrations, photographs, maps, the tendency to rely on anonymous sources and the eager indulgence of self promotion were other qualities inherent to yellow journalism (Campbell 2001). National Enquirer, The Star and The Globe are familiar tabloids (see picture 2). They are the most flagrant models of yellow journalism and the most recognized

Whispered Research Proposal Services Secrets

Whispered Research Proposal Services Secrets The 30-Second Trick for Research Proposal Services The goal of proposal writing is to persuade others your topic should be investigated. The proposal will also check at the amount theory of money and the way that it is related to hyperinflation. It should be such that, anyone can understand it easily. Writing a proposal might be a tedious and complicated undertaking, especially if asking for a grant. It is quite easy to eliminate the thread of a great research proposal because of deficiency of skill. If you believe it to purchase research proposal you need to pay lots of money, you're right. At times, you might not be up to select the research proposal writing challenge as a result of some difficulties. In the event you prefer to compose your research proposal and need a small help to begin, we additionally have research proposal writing guides which may be of assistance to you. As soon as you place your purchase, it goes to the work board. The review is going to teach you all you will need to understand and then you're able to place your purchase confidently. As you purchase a customized research proposal from our writing service, you get your private purchase page where it's possible to track the order progressing when required. Today, you can request the sample service for an additional fee of $5. The Research Proposal Services Trap Unlike a dissertation, it does not expect an individual supervisor. The student who's writing a research proposal should look closely at the structure of the paper and the explanation of the selection of the topic. A person who has never written a sample research title proposal can come across lots of difficulties while writing such sort of a paper for the very first time. To conclude, writing a research proposal is a complex undertaking. Searching the web to obtain an idea on how best to compose your own proposal is good, but it could never be sufficient. Because of a great number of frauds and scams, some folks still feel that it's not worth to ask online writing services to supply them with qualitative research proposal help. Make your very first order at this time and find the help you need whenever possible. The Tried and True Method for Research Proposal Services in Step by Step Detail Do not be concerned about any problem you've got in regard to the research proposal. The conclusion includes the bri ef overview of the research proposal. It is possible to even choose the prospects of your research for a range of developmental processes. Don't stress yourself out because it's possible to purchase a research proposal from us and rest confident that the outcome will fulfill your expectations! You must remember that a research proposal is a significant assignment which could affect your upcoming career. A research proposal assists the reader to evaluate the benefits and drawbacks of the proposed research. It is an important part of a research paper. After that, every research proposal desires an abstract. Advancing your educational career is the most crucial goal it's possible to achieve. Developing your research proposal can be absolutely the most difficult part of a research undertaking. Superior nursing research project proposal isn't a fantasy. The Death of Research Proposal Services The increased part of online companies offers research proposal writing help that may be either partially or fully refunded whenever there is something a customer is not entirely pleased with. Our company has invested a good deal of resources in selecting and developing its group of writers to be able to guarantee that it ends up with just competent writers to supply services to its clientele. With the best academic writers and researchers you can be certain our service will always figure out how to deliver a top quality perfect service each time. The ideal Research proposal writing services guarantee decent excellent work.

International Accounting Foreign Direct Investment

Question: Discuss about theInternational Accountingfor Foreign Direct Investment. Answer: Accounting Issues Confronted by Besserbrau AG The variety of international accounting issues confronted by Besserbrau AG is as follows; Foreign direct investment: With rapid growth and expansion in China, Besserbrau AG should account for FDI. They are under the obligation to adopt to accounting standard so that they can convene the requirements in China. The company should exchange the profits derived from their subsidiary, BB Pijio from GAAP of China to GAAP of Germany. Having FDI in China Besserbrau AG would be under double taxation together by Chinese government and by German government upon the profits derived by them (Hoskin, et al., 2014). The ultimate objective is to lower the sum of taxes occurred in order to maximise its after tax cash flows. Hedges of Foreign Exchange Risk: Besserbrau AG can lower their contact to overseas exchange risk by setting up the requirement that of enabling the foreign customers to pay for products in Euros. Alternatively it can purchase the foreign currency provides them with the option of selling in the predetermined exchange rate. Financial reporting of foreign operations: Besserbrau AG has its head quarter in Bavaria and conducts its trading activities on London Stock Exchange; the company is under the obligation of preparing the financial statements in compliance with the states accounting standard (Oliver, 2014). Sales made to foreign customers:Besserbrau AG ships its products to China and this lead to the problem of currencies since both the nations have different set of currencies. In order to account for its shipment, it is necessary for Besserbrau AG to convert the Chinese Yuan sale and receivables into the German Euros. Reference List: Hoskin, R.E., Fizzell, M.R. Cherry, D.C., (2014).Financial accounting: a user perspective. Wiley Global Education. Oliver, K., (2014). Balance Sheet Presentation under IAS 1 and US GAAP.

The Tragedy That Redefined My Purpose free essay sample

The journey to discovering oneself does not always come easy. From a young age, I had a strong sense of who I was to become, but a tragic incident forced me to redefine myself.Now, as a high school senior, having demonstrated my ability to conquer one of life’s greatest challenges, the boulder that stood before me is far behind. Growing up, I lived and breathed figure skating. There was nothing in this world that filled my heart with such joy. I sacrificed everything in the attempt to become the next Olympic medalist, spending twenty-four hours a week at the rink, all year long, practicing my skills. During the school year, my nights consisted of staying at the rink after hours to brush up on my technique, and cramming in homework until midnight. Having no social life or interests beyond skating, my devotion earned me first place medals in nearly every competition, and ultimately, my shot at making the Olympic trials. We will write a custom essay sample on The Tragedy That Redefined My Purpose or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Unfortunately, at my final show, my blade got caught in a rut, causing me to fall and fracture four vertebrae. After several x-ray and MRI scans, the spine specialist made clear the disheartening reality that returning to my sport, or any impact sport for that matter, was permanently out of the question. My aura of happiness turned into a state of melancholy. The pain in my spine was agonizing, and even the most basic daily tasks became difficult. My life was a huge puzzle and I was the missing piece. With my passion being taken away, I had little sense of who I was. After eight months of mental and emotional suffering, something had to change. After all, I had not even tried a single new activity, but rather wasted my days sitting around in misery. Summoning my limited strength, I pushed to rediscover myself, the same way I exerted myself to becoming an Olympian during tough practice sessions. I began the process by putting my energy into local community service projects. By volunteering as a swim instructor and summer reading assistant for children, I grasped an idea of who I wanted to become. After a few months, I devoted time to develop my talents in the arts. The ability to express my emotions through pieces of music and different characters gave me the freedom to let go of my past and start over. From countless hours of practicing an Italian opera song and performing solos at local events, I stepped out of my comfort zone and reestablished confidence. I was not merely surviving, but truly living. Sometimes, simply trying to push huge boulders out of one’s path does not work. When this happens, one must either stay stuck behind them forever, or try to climb over. My injury was an enormous boulder that failed to prevent me from reaching success. It not only demonstrated my ability to work hard in difficult situations, but led me to become the motivated and optimistic person I am today.

Privateers in the War of 1812

Privateers in the War of 1812 Privateers were captains of merchant ships legally sanctioned to attack and capture ships of enemy nations. American privateers had played a useful role in the American Revolution, attacking British ships. And when the United States Constitution was drafted it contained a provision for the federal government to authorize privateers. In the War of 1812, American privateers played a major role, as armed merchant ships sailing from American ports attacked, seized, or destroyed a great many British merchant ships. The American privateers actually did much more damage to British shipping than the U.S. Navy, which was greatly outnumbered and outgunned by Britains Royal Navy. Some American privateer captains became heroes during the War of 1812, and their exploits were celebrated in American newspapers.   Privateers sailing from Baltimore, Maryland were especially aggravating to the British. London newspapers denounced Baltimore as a nest of pirates. The most significant of the Baltimore privateers was Joshua Barney, a naval hero of the Revolutionary War who volunteered to serve in the summer of 1812 and was commissioned as a privateer by President James Madison. Barney was immediately successful at raiding British ships on the open ocean and received press attention. The Columbian, a New York City newspaper, reported on the results of one of his raiding voyages in the issue of August 25, 1812: Arrived at Boston the English brig William, from Bristol (England) for St. Johns, with 150 tons of coal, ; a prize to the privateer Rossie, commodore Barney, who had also captured and destroyed 11 other British vessels, and captured the ship Kitty from Glasgow, of 400 tons and ordered her for the first port. The British naval and land attack on Baltimore in September 1814 was, at least in part, intended to punish the city for its connection to privateers. Following the burning of Washington, D.C., British plans to burn Baltimore were thwarted, and the American defense of the city was immortalized by Francis Scott Key, an eyewitness, in The Star-Spangled Banner. History of Privateers By the dawn of the 19th century, the history of privateering stretched back at least 500 years. The major European powers had all employed privateers to prey upon the shipping of enemies in various conflicts. The official commissions which governments gave to authorize ships to operate as privateers were generally known as letters of marque. During the American Revolution, state governments, as well as the Continental Congress, issued letters of marque to authorize privateers to seize British merchant ships. And British privateers likewise preyed upon American ships. In the late 1700s, ships of the East India Company sailing in the Indian Ocean were known to have been issued letters of marque and preyed upon French vessels. And during the Napoleonic Wars, the French government issued letters of marque to ships, sometimes manned by American crews, which preyed upon British shipping. Constitutional Basis for Letters of Marque The use of privateers was considered an important, if not essential, part of naval warfare in the late 1700s when the United States Constitution was written. And the legal basis for privateers was included in the Constitution, in Article I, Section 8. That section, which includes a lengthy list of Congressional powers, includes: To declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules concerning captures on land and water. The use of letters of marque was specifically mentioned in the Declaration of War signed by President James Madison and dated June 18, 1812: Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That war be and is hereby declared to exist between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the dependencies thereof, and the United States of America and their territories; and the President of the United States is hereby authorized to use the whole land and naval force of the United States, to carry the same into effect, and to issue private armed vessels of the United States commissions or letters of marque and general reprisal, in such form as he shall think proper, and under the seal of the United States, against the vessels, goods, and effects of the government of the said United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the subjects thereof. Recognizing the importance of privateers, President Madison personally signed each commission. Anyone seeking a commission had to apply to the secretary of state and submit information about the ship and its crew. The official paperwork, the letter of marque, was extremely important. If a ship was captured on the high seas by an enemy ship and could produce an official commission, it would be treated as a combatant vessel and the crew would be treated as prisoners of war. Without the letter of marque, the crew could be treated as ordinary pirates and hanged.

15 Quotes for a Best Man Wedding Toast

15 Quotes for a Best Man Wedding Toast If you have been asked to be the best man at a wedding, you have a wide variety of responsibilities. Some of them (like planning and attending a bachelor party)Â  are a lot of fun; others (like handling the rings) can be tricky. Perhaps the most intimidating of all your tasks will be the ritual of raising a best man wedding toast to the couple. It is said that fortune favors the brave. So instead of thinking up creative excuses to give the legendary best man wedding toast a slip, why not use a few of the following quotes to let the best man win? 15 Fun, Funny, and Sincere Quotes to Use in Your Best Man Wedding Toast As you choose quotes, be sure they really reflect your relationship with the happy couple and their personalities. Will they enjoy fun or funny quotes? Or are they more likely to appreciate a sincere and caring message? The quote you choose can set the tone for your toast. AnonymousIts not as great a day for the bride as she thinks. Shes not marrying the best man. Robert FrostIts a funny thing that when a man hasnt anything on earth to worry about, he goes off and gets married. Allan K. ChalmersThe grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for. Diane SolleeAny fool can have a trophy wife. It takes a real man to have a trophy marriage. Timothy Titcomb, J. G. HollandThe most precious possession that ever comes to a man in this world is a womans heart. David LevesqueYou know you are in love when you see the world in her eyes, and her eyes everywhere in the world. Rabindranath TagoreHe who wants to do good, knocks at the gate: he who loves finds the door open. Michel de MontaigneMarriage is like a cage; one sees the birds outside desperate to get in, and those inside equally desperate to get out. Brendan FrancisA man is already halfway in love with any woman who listens to him. Mark TwainAfter all these years, I see that I was mistaken about Eve in the beginning; it is better to live outside the Garden with her than inside it without her. Ronald ReaganThere is no greater happiness for a man than approaching a door at the end of a day, knowing someone on the other side of that door is waiting for the sound of his footsteps. Saint AugustineInsomuch as love grows in you, so beauty grows. For love is the beauty of the soul. Antoine de Saint-ExuperyLove does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction. SophoclesOne word frees us of all the weight and pain of life: That word is love. Emily BronteWhatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.

Page 463 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Page 463 - Essay Example The aspect of setting proposals requires prior understanding of what is needed. NSF provides information regarding its requirements and offers so much information regarding the increased productivity and the quality of ideas that will meet the inherent needs of the organization as a whole. Most people will have to get clarity and this will be essential because it will provide NSF with an easy time while going through the requests. Another thing that NSF attains by having these guidelines out is the ability of the audience to understand the persuasive nature of an argument based on the culture required within the company. In most cases, people present arguments that do not portray any requisite understanding of the language and culture present in the organization (Markel, 2012). It allows its clients to make better judgments when making choices as well as create precise proposals that can meet the desired working platforms within the organization. Like any serious organization, it is always important to stick to scholarship and proper rules of attribution. This essential part of the proposal gains more emphasis by the fact that research misconduct will be construed if the authors other than the major authors do not receive any acknowledgment. By creating such guidelines, it allows people to understand that relevant proposal writing skills need to be prevalent and people have to work on establishing the requirements beforehand. The important thing is to use experiences to benefit the intended topic and subject of concern, as well as mediate between the audience and the committee making the grant decisions (Markel, 2012). This process involves a lot of skills and identifies the main purpose of getting the grant. The lack of such details would see the grant proposal thrown out, something that might jeopardize the chances of getting any such attributes in the

Law - Employment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Law - Employment - Essay Example This large segment of the workforce (sometimes referred to as 'atypical' or 'economically dependent workers') includes agency workers, casuals and freelancers. The issue is especially significant from the industrial relations point of view since economically dependent workers do not generally benefit from the protections granted to employees both by law and collective bargaining, including provisions on health and safety, information and consultation, working time, vocational training and social protection. In addition, they do not have the benefit of trade union representation. The real question from the standpoint of atypical workers appears to be; do they have, in effect, an implied contract of employment The contract of employment is accepted to be the basis of any actual employment relationship in the UK. Hence, it effectively becomes the principles of contract law that define every aspect of employment law. The courts, however, have consistently viewed the employment relationship as essentially different from most contracted relationships. This is essentially due to the fact that there is normally a distinct inequality in the actual bargaining power in such a relationship.1 Nearly one third of all individuals in the UK have working arrangements that are prone to difficulties when establishing employment status according to legal tests. These workers commonly fall between definitions of 'employee' and 'self employed' but are generally classified for legal purposes as 'self-employed'. According to Greene2, in the UK context they are most commonly termed (although not official classifications) as: 'dependent self-employed': workers who are classified as self' employed but who are often reliant on one employer 'false or bogus self-employed': an individual who objectively speaking is an employee but who, for reasons connected to the evasion of regulatory legislation is described as self-employed by themselves and/or by their employer 'borderline self-employed': an individual whose legal status (employee or self-employed) is unclear.3 The category of workers affected by this situation is broad, ranging from low paid manual workers to high-paid information technology staff, journalists and creative professionals. A worker defined as 'self employed' is usually barred from employment protection law, although they do pay lower rates of income tax and can claim back certain expenses against tax. Studies indicate that the majority of such workers in the UK are in Establish Employee Status 4 traditional job sectors (rather than high-paying creative and IT sectors). Their work is often characterised by less employment protection.4 Often these ambiguous training opportunities, increased risk of accidents, uninsured losses, longer hours and less working arrangements are compatible with those considered 'non standard', including casual, zero hours, home, agency, portfolio and freelance

Ethiopian Egyptian peasant Essay Example for Free

Ethiopian Egyptian peasant Essay I. Introduction In any civilization the peasants are always the backbone of the economy. They were the ones who produced the food needed for survival and commerce and lend labor to build great empires. By the sweat of their brow they toil and labor in the land unceasingly. The fruit of their labors not only sustain the economy but also enabled the ruling monarch or leaders to live, if not luxurious, then at least comfortable lives. However, in spite of the peasants’ backbreaking labors and the importance of their job in any civilized society, the royalty or appointed rulers did not reward their efforts accordingly but sadly down through the centuries subjected the peasants to so many abuses and neglect. This paper will specifically discuss the relationships existing between the rulers/ government to the Ethiopian and Egyptian peasants before the 1800’s. It can be seen that the relationship was more on dictatorship made possible through religious, physical and intellectual enslavement. Naturally, such a relationship subjected the peasants to poverty  Ã‚   and hardships. II. The Egyptians Peasants Like the rest of the ancient world, the Egyptian people lived an agricultural life. Such a life seemed so far removed from the common stories heard about Egypt; the glory of its treasures and pyramids. Egypt’s glorious past connotes an image of ancient Egyptians living more advanced, luxurious lives, as if all they do was to gather treasures   and eat in abundance; well, in some sense they are true, but only for their rulers, noble families, and priests. The rest of the Egyptian population of long ago, especially before the 1800’s, were poor peasants who have to rely on the predictability of the Nile flooding to plant and harvest crops. The peasants (fellahin) however, were very much connected to the glories of Egypt for it was their â€Å"constant, persevering, unacknowledged, often despised, and always ill-rewarded toil as tiller of the land that made possible all the achievements of Egypt ensuring for it a leading position among the nations of preclassical antiquity.† Needless to say, it was the sweat of the fellahin that   produced the great pyramids, jewelry and treasures to Egypt, that   provided the luxurious living of their Pharaoh and ruling families and that made possible all of   Egypt’s military conquest, commercial expansion and influence and prestige abroad( Donadoni 1). III. Relationship of the Fellahin to their Pharaoh / government The relationship of the Fellahin to the Pharaoh/ government was more of a dictatorship; a religious, physical and intellectual enslavement that was carried on for almost three historic centuries. Like other early civilizations, Egypt had their own specific class system. At the top of the class stood Pharaoh and his royal family, then directly next to him were the priests and priestess, and then below them were the nobles who fought Pharaoh’s war. A small percentage of merchants, artisans and scribes made up the next rank. Then occupying the bottom of the ladder is the majority of the population, the fellahin. In ancient Egypt, Pharaoh was regarded as both a god and leader. Belief in the Pharaoh’s divinity and immortality developed during the reign of Menes around 3100 B.C. who by then establishes the first dynasty of rulers. Since then providing for their Pharaoh’s present and afterlife increasingly became the business of his subjects. This belief had become a tool to religiously enslave the fellahin, who paid their taxes without much complaint and  Ã‚   were then always called upon to build tombs and pyramids for the next life of their Pharaoh. The fellahin of the past thought it rather unseemly to disobey their Pharaoh in view of his divinity (Perry 46). It is very amusing to note that the Egyptians correlate the Pharaoh’s divine power to the flooding of the Nile River. They believed that the Pharaoh had the power to control the flooding of the Nile, that it was him who was responsible for the regular floods that would water Egypt’s land and make it possible to have a prosperous agriculture. A prosperous agriculture increases the Pharaoh’s popularity among the fellahin for it  Ã‚   means that they have food to eat. No one then dares to anger their â€Å"divine† Pharaoh for it would mean famine (Butler 2007). Then to ensure that their Pharaoh will have a comfortable journey in the afterlife the fellahin built enormous tombs and pyramids for him (Perry 47). Some historians argued that the building of these enormous monuments was done through unpaid labor; others believed that they were paid in doing this task. Whichever is the case, it could not be denied that the Egyptian peasants were expected to perform the job during the time when Egypt’s land was flooded and the labor was exacted through a religious persuasion. In view of most ancient civilizations, leading the people to believe that their rulers were of divine origin was an effective way to make them obey their ruler’s rules, whether it was justifiable or not. It was a form of religious enslavement, taking advantage over the subjects fear or reverence of a Divine Being. After a religious enslavement, it would then be fairly easy to enslave the fellahin physically. For three historic centuries, the fellahin sustained the economy of Egypt. Practically from birth to death, they spend their whole lifetime in tilling the land irregardless of who the owners were (more often than not there was always a change in land ownership in certain periods of their life span). In theory, the Pharaoh owned all the land in Egypt but in practice he allowed them to be looked after by temple priests and landlords. Nevertheless, taxes were compulsory. The fellahin were assigned a plot of land from which to grow barley and wheat. Before harvest the season tax assessors would dutifully inspect the ripening crops. They would routinely measure the fields every year, comparing yields for each time interval. They would then calculate the area under cultivation, test the samples of the grain and based from the issue of the receipts of the seeds being utilized judge the quality of the crop, whether it yielded as was expected. The tax collector would then proceed to make an estimation of the outcome of the harvest and then imposed a 20% tax. With them using such technique, it would be impossible for the fellahin to fool them. And at the same time it provided an added pressure for the part of fellahin to attain such an expected calculated yield. When harvest time came, the winnowed grain was measured into baskets or sacks, and the scribes then enters the picture, ever ready and eager to count and record the quantity of the baskets or sack before they were stored in the granaries. Afterwards, the scribes and granary officials’ mathematical mind began to work by â€Å"calculating the capacity of a granary and hence the value of the grain stored within it, and the comparative values of bread and beer based on the cost of their ingredients†. Those who were unable to pay or were delayed in their payments were subjected to capital punishment. Such ancient information was gleaned by historians through the paintings on the walls of the tombs of the kings. Farmers were seen being beaten because of their failures to comply in taxation (Parson 1995). Another example of fellahin physical enslavement was attained through the corvee. While waiting for the harvest, the peasant men were expected to do the corvee. A corvee is â€Å"a system of forced, unpaid state service, exacted from the peasants for specific tasks such as construction and maintenance of roads, irrigation canals, dikes and sluices, the erection of large buildings, temples, pyramids, army duty, and mining or stone working in the quarries†( Parson 1995). Pyramid building was the most physically taxing of all for it involved the hard labor of excavating stone blocks, hauling stones to the site and setting them, masonry work, painting and sculpting (Perry 47). It is pretty obvious that the reason why it was easy for the rulers to religiously and physically enslave the fellahin was because of their illiteracy. In most, if not all civilizations, illiteracy was the greatest tool of the powerful rulers for intellectual enslavement for they were able to hide reality and truth from their subjects. The proof of the illiteracy of the fellahin can be observed by their inability to leave no written records of themselves; their thoughts, aspirations, cares and dreams. Knowledge about them were made possible only through the vivid portrayal of epigraphic sources such as paintings, reliefs and texts found in the walls of the tombs of their wealthy rulers or Pharaohs .Some passages that tell about their lives were written sometime in the Middle and New kingdoms in literary compositions of the scribes and also by classical authors such as Herodotus (Parson 2005). The teaching of reading and writing was exclusively reserved for the children of wealthy families who were expected to take on political responsibilities in adulthood. Most teaching was performed by scribes, whose work was hereditary (Perry 47). A prime example of intellectual enslavement can be illustrated by how the priest fooled the fellahin with their scientific knowledge. The priest knew that the year consisted of  Ã‚   365 and  ¼ days,   through it they can predict with accuracy the flooding of the Nile River. They hide this knowledge from the rest of the Egyptians, specifically the illiterate fellahin. They pretend to warn the fellahin of an impending flooding a few days before it actually occurred. The priest would then offer to perform certain rites (with payments of course!)   while the illiterate fellahin stood ready to temporarily remove their homes, equipment and cattle from the area that would be flooded. The priests must have a good laugh when the fellahin would admire them for their â€Å"divine powers†, of having the ability to know in advance the flooding of the Nile. The knowledge of the priest in science and the ignorance of the fellahin enabled the priests to exploit the illiterate peasants for three centuries (Perry 49). The plight of the ignorant fellahin was a good lesson to learn from through the eyes of history. Knowledge is indeed very important for it enabled the literate one to detect and avoid the pitfalls of  Ã‚   exploitation and abuses. III. Ethiopian peasants Like the rest of the ancient world, the economy of Ethiopia was based on subsistence agriculture, with an aristocracy that consumed the surplus. Due to number of causes (which is going to be discussed later) the peasants lacked incentives to either improved production or to store their excess harvest; as a result they lived from harvest to harvest. The Ethiopian peasants in pre-1800 were largely engaged in agricultural and pastoral jobs under a feudal landowner or nobility. The   poor plight of the peasants were being made   worse by the fact that their country was vulnerable to outside invasion, primarily because   Ethiopia is situated in the path of the Islamic and Christian conquest to Africa. Moreover, they had to contend with civil conflicts. As result, there life was not stable and development was virtually absent. Aside from arm conflicts, they were also faced to battle periodic droughts. Nevertheless, the peasants can be counted upon to support the state to battle any outside opposition even at the cost of their own lives. IV. Relationship of the Ethiopian Peasant to their Rulers / government Ethiopia’s long history of foreign and civil wars had established a tyrannical dictatorship relationship between the Ethiopian peasants and their rulers. Dictatorship was brought about by religious, physical and intellectual enslavement. Like most ancient civilization, the Ethiopian Empire emerged in the same way as the ancient empires throughout the world which was through feudalism or serfdom. In feudalism, landowners allowed peasants to work in their land and then exact tributes or taxes from them. The beginning of the Ethiopian feudalism was in 600 A.D upon the establishment of Aksumite Kingdom. The largest landowner of all was of course the imperial family, and then next to him were the high nobility, then down to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Extensive ownership of lands was also based on kinship or tribes (Lipsky 238). Peasants at times can claim lands but they were not recognized as its rightful owners. More often than not, the Emperor or rulers will confiscate these lands to be awarded to thousands of civil and military bureaucrats in gratitude to their loyalty and service (Marcus 3). Tributes and taxes were exacted by the wealthy landowners or nobility from the peasants on their estates. Payment of taxes was through in kind and in labor, as well as in gold and primitive money, such as cloth and salt. When the Emperor allowed the tribute or tax to be given to nobilities, the nobles in turn must pay the Emperor through provision of military aids. It was a known fact in the ancient world that an Ethiopian Emperor can gather a vast army out of the peasants (Pankhurst 179). In order to exercise a strong hold on the peasants the nobility burdened the peasants with debt that can only be repaid by forced labor. In this way, it can be literally said that the nobility controlled the lives of the peasants. Control can be described in such a way that the peasants cannot kill a cow (even though it is his own) unless he informs the landowner. Aside from that the nobles or landowners so ill-treat the peasants that the latter purposely did not maximize the production capabilities of the land. They only produce what was needed for survival. Still, the end losers were the peasants because thy continued to live in abject poverty while the landowners and nobles continued to live comfortable lives because of the never ending extraction of taxes and tributes (Pankhurst 230). The nobility retained also their strength by making it a duty for some men to enlist in his military service. This is especially crucial at times when the Emperor would seize his land to be given to another. In times of war, the taxes increased in order to support the needs for warfare. The taxes can be so high and unreasonable that they can be described as â€Å"taxing the peasants to death†. In other words, it is the peasants who had to bear the burden of the military activities. Ironically, in spite of their hard labors the Emperor or rulers had the guts to confiscate the land owned by the peasants in order to be given to thousands of civil and military bureaucrats.   This state of affairs continued for centuries, so that it was not surprising if thousands of peasants lost their land and subsistence. With the decline of the dynasty in the 1700’s, Years of the Princes sets in characterized by a very unstable political condition in Ethiopia. The nobility fought each other to claim the throne. At this time, in most countryside, most individuals could claim but not own land, and one’s holding depended on personal position, age influence, soil fertility, competing claims, and the political situation. If there was a smart noble who can could contrive a genealogy convincing enough to acquire land on the basis of descent, then the poor peasant would be in danger of losing his prized plots. In other words, there was no security for land tenure for the peasant. In view of the instability of the political system of Ethiopia at this time, even the nobles can lose their lands. The peasants were then plunged into much deeper poverty for neither peasant nor the nobles was willing therefore to invest or improve the land (Marcus 1986). Before 1800’s as Europe was on its way top building an empire through colonization, Ethiopia was forced to create modern army and transportation system to help deploy it. The costs associated with such improvements could only come from increased â€Å"tribute† from the peasants. Another dictatorship on Ethiopian peasants was achieved through religious enslavement. Religious wars between Moslems and Christians from 1300-1700 AD had placed the peasants in a very pathetic state, amidst a ruined country they were pushed back and forth across the land like pawns. The Ethiopians had always been proud of their ancestry of which they traced back to King Solomon, the King of Israel. They have always adapted a Christian religion some sixteen centuries ago, and this religion was safeguarded by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. The clergy of this church had been careful to instill to the Ethiopians that they were the â€Å"chosen ones†. They have rallied the peasants to fight against any form of religious aggression, especially by the Islamic conquerors and even inspired them to subdue the Islamic neighboring countries. This could only mean of course that the peasants had to engage in military warfare. By their sweat and their blood they had to defend their religious causes. It is not hard for the Emperor or their rulers to enlist them to military service as they themselves were consumed of their supposed Messianic purposes. Because of ongoing external and internal conflicts, the peasants had come to place a high value on personal courage, independence, self-reliance and self-assertiveness; they were lead to believe that the man who possesses those virtues had a divine favor. It must be remembered however, that the peasant’s loyalties were based on personalities rather than in any form of political ideologies. They believed that at the highest political level all political authority â€Å"has religious sanction which endows the ruler with divine status. Government was only instrumental to back up their claim (Lipsky 323). The last tyrannical dictatorship was done through intellectual enslavement. Like Egypt, the inhabitants of Ethiopia comprise a group of illiterate individuals. For a pre-1800 Ethiopia, two reasons can be pointed out why this was so. First, there were many languages and dialects in existence in Ethiopia and for most of them they have no written alphabets. And aside from that the clergy and the nobility had tried to put them in the dark so they were not keen on educating the peasants lest they lose their religious and political hold on them (Lipsky 89). V.Conclusion The history of the Ethiopian and Egyptian peasants at the hands of their ancient rulers is a sad one. In spite of their loyalties and hard work, they were treated unfairly and taken advantage of. Instead of gratitude, the rulers opted to adopt a dictatorial attitude towards them. Dictatorship was effectively carried out through religious, physical and intellectual enslavement. In other words, because of their ignorance, the nobility tricked them into believing that they were divine and as a consequence it was only fitting for the mortal peasants to serve them by means of provision and labor.

Coping Mechanisms in Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five Essay

People react differently to tragedies: some mourn, some speak up, and some avoid the sorrow. In Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut suggests the danger and inhumanity of turning away from the discomfort by introducing Billy Pilgrim as someone who is badly affected by the aftermath of the Dresden bombing, and the Tralfamadorians as the aliens who provide an easy solution to Billy. It is simpler to avoid something as tragic as death, but Vonnegut stresses the importance of confronting it. Vonnegut, like many artists, expresses his ideas through his creations. The significance of art is not confined to helping and inspiring the general public; the process of creating art also becomes another form of coping mechanism for artists. In Slaughterhouse-Five, Vonnegut expresses one of his ideas by focusing on the emotional impact of wars, instead of historical details. Because of this, Slaughterhouse-Five has received criticism for not being an accurate account of the Dresden bombing. There is no cause and effect in the book, not even a climax that is common to making it a good work of fiction. Vonnegut puts together the novel with small episodes and scatters them throughout the book without an actual timeline – the readers are traveling with Billy being spastic in time, living in the past, the present, and the future. It is, after all, not a history book but a science fiction novel. Vonnegut clarifies the logic of the novel’s style through the Tralfamadorians, who explain to Billy the layout of their books: â€Å"There is no beginning, no middle, no end, no suspense, no moral, no causes, no effects. What we love in our books are the depths of many marvelous moments seen all at one time† (Vonne gut 112). It is clear that the Tralfamadorians... ... Vonnegut, Kurt. Slaughterhouse-Five. New York: Dial. 2009. Print. Vees-Gulani, Suzanne. â€Å"Diagnosing Billy Pilgrim: A Psychiatric Approach to Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five.† Critique 44.2 (2003): 175-84. Print. Rackstraw, Loree. â€Å"The Vonnegut Cosmos.† The North American Review 267.4 (Dec. 1982): 63-67. JSTOR. Web. 25 Sept. 2011. Simpson, Josh. â€Å"‘This Promising of Great Secrets’: Literature, Ideas, and the (Re)Invention of Reality in Kurt Vonnegut’s God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, Slaughterhouse-Five, and Breakfast of Champions Or ‘Fantasies of an Impossibly Hospitable World’: Science Fiction and Madness in Vonnegut’s Troutean Trilogy.† Critique 45.3 (2004): 261-71. Print. Grace, Gillian. â€Å"Music for a broken city: The Cellist of Sarajevo is a novel-length lament of war.† Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. CBC, 22 April. 2008. Web. 28 Sept. 2011.

Bite Me: A Love Story Chapter 8

8. Being the Chronicles of Abby Normal, in the Double-doomed Doghouse of Despair Do the condemned in hell know the suffering that is a whole day of mom-guilt heaped like steaming piles of bat guano upon my spiky magenta coif? (I went with magenta spikes with electric violet tips to express my outrage at being dragged from my home and imprisoned with the cruel Mombot and my crapacious little sister, Ronnie.) Evidently, Mother feels that we were too young to move in together only a week after meeting, and live in a stolen apartment with two of the undead and their stupid amounts of cash. Although she doesn't really know about the undead or the cash parts, but she made her point. ‘Kayso, I had like put on my red tartan wedding gown with the black veil and resolved myself to an all-day power-pout in the corner of the living room, coming up only to text Foo messages of my agony of missing him and change the channel and whatnot, when Jared called from the land-line at the love lair. So I'm all, â€Å"Speak, corpse-fluffer.† And Jared is all, â€Å"OMFG! The Countess is out, and she was naked, but now she's not, and she totally got blood all over your leather corset, and you have to come right now because the rats are freaking out and we need a hacksaw and a file.† And I'm all, â€Å"Uh-oh.† And Jared is all, â€Å"I know. I know. OMG! OMG!† And I'm all, â€Å"Is she pissed?† Sounding way more chill than I felt. And Jared pauses for a second like he's thinking it over, then he's all, â€Å"She's wearing your clothes and there's blood running all down the front of her and she's nodding and showing her fangs and shit.† So I'm like getting some perspective now-like when you're a kid and you think it sucks that you have to eat hydrogenated peanut butter on your PBJ, and then you see one of those starving commercial kids with the flies in their eyes, who don't even have a sandwich-and you're all, â€Å"Well, that sucks.† ‘Kayso, I'm thinking that maybe being under restriction in the mother unit's Fillmore stronghold isn't so bad when compared to having the Countess busting out her wrath on you for imprisoning her in bronze. So I'm like, â€Å"Sucks to be you, Jared. Byez.† And I offed my phone. So like five minutes go by, which I spend in my corner going, â€Å"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit,† and whatnot, and the land-line rings. And Ronnie is all, â€Å"Are you going to get that?† from her room. And I'm all, â€Å"I didn't even know it was hooked up.† And she was all, â€Å"It's probably Mom checking up on you, so you might as well get it.† And I'm all, â€Å"Ronnie, answer it or I will murder you in your sleep and dump your body in the Bay.† And she's all, â€Å"‘Kay.† Then, â€Å"It's for you. It's some girl named Jody.† And Ronnie is all standing there with her shaved head and her nonexistent hip thrown out, like â€Å"So there, ho.† And I'm all, â€Å"Fucksocks!† And I take the phone and I'm like, â€Å"Hi, I have amnesia and don't remember anything for the last two months!† Because what do you say to someone who you had bronzed? And the Countess is all, â€Å"Abby, I'm not angry.† Which was a total lie, because I could hear that she was angry. She had that â€Å"I'm not angry† mom voice, even though she's only, like, twenty-six in real years. â€Å"So you're not going to kill me?† â€Å"We'll talk. Right now I need you to get a power drill and a hacksaw with extra blades and come to the loft.† And I'm all, â€Å"I don't know where to get stuff like that, and Foo's at work, and I'm on restriction, and I have to go to school tomorrow. I have a test, so I totally can't cut class, and besides, what do you need that stuff for?† And she's all, â€Å"Find the tools and come now. Tommy is stuck in the statue and we need to get him out.† And I'm thinking, Oops. But I'm chill and I'm like, â€Å"Can't he get out the same way you did?† And the Countess is all, â€Å"Tommy doesn't know how to turn to mist. That's how I escaped, but Tommy has been trapped in there for-how long, Abby?† â€Å"Oh, like a couple of days. It's all so foggy, after the head trauma.† Then I hear her saying, like, â€Å"Jared, come over here. I want Abby to hear your neck snap.† â€Å"Okay, like five weeks. Fuck, Countess, overreact much?† â€Å"Come now, Abby.† And she just clicks off. So I text Foo: COUNTESS OUT, NEED HACKSAW PWRDRILL NOW And he's all: WTF? WTF? WTF? OUT? WTF? ACE HARDWARE, CASTRO ST (I know. Four WTFs! Foo has deep intellectual curiosity. Last week he quizzed me for twenty minutes on what it was like to have a clitoris. I just kept saying â€Å"nice.† I know, I'm such a tard, I couldn't think of anything else. I so have to learn French. They have like thirty-seven words for clitoris. They're like snow to Eskimos, only you know, harder to build an igloo out of.) ‘Kayso, I text him: KTXBYE †¹3 And I tell Ronnie to tell Mom that I think I got some anthrax on my toothbrush and I have to go to Walgreens to get a new one so I'll be right back. Then I put on my jacket with the sun warts, in case of vampyre kitties and whatnot, and I take the F car up to Castro Street and go to Ace Hardware. And I'm totally feeling the animosity coming off the Builder Bob guy in the red apron, and I'm like, â€Å"What? You've never seen a wedding dress?† And he's all, â€Å"No, I love the dress, the jacket, the whole ensem is fabulous.† And I'm like, â€Å"Really? Thanks. Your apron rocks. I need a hacksaw and a power drill.† And he's all, â€Å"What's it for?† And I'm all, â€Å"You want a note from my mom? A fucking hacksaw and a power drill. I'm on a schedule.† And he's all, â€Å"I asked because we have over thirty different kinds of power drills.† And I'm like, â€Å"Oh. I need to release my Dark Lord from the bronze shell in which I imprisoned him.† And he's, â€Å"Oh, you should have said so.† And he leads me to the drill boutique and I picked out a red and black one that matched my dress, and Bob picked out a hacksaw which totally clashed, but I didn't want to hurt his feelings, so I said it was trs beau, which is French for sweet. ‘Kayso, as I'm paying for my stuff, I go, â€Å"So, why are you guys still open at midnight?† And Bob goes, â€Å"Well, you know how it is, you never know when someone is going to need to free their dark lord in the middle of the night, or tie him up.† And I'm all, â€Å"Ewww.† Because I do not go for that shit. I am only into S and bondage as it applies to wardrobe. I tried cutting myself to express my heartbreak over Tommy (Lord Flood) rejecting me, but OMFG it hurts like flaming fuck. I mean, I'm into self-mutilations as much as the next person-I have eight piercings and five tattoos, some that hurt like double flaming fuck to get, but that was professional, and you can blame someone. In fact, I know a guy in the Haight who will tattoo you for free if you're a girl and you keep yelling at him the whole time, which, it turns out, isn't that hard to do when someone is poking you with an electric needle. When he did my bat wings I screamed at him so much I lost my voice for two days. ‘Kayso, I took the F car across town and the three blocks from Market to the loft, but like holding the button on my sun wart jacket in case I got ambushed by Chet and his vampyre kitty pals, because I totally can't run in my wedding dress because the buckles of my motocross platforms get caught in the lace, so it's like, stand and fight or die, bitches! But no vamp kitties came. Anyway, I make it to the loft and I come in all, â€Å"Hey Countess, here's your drill!† All Carebear-on-crack-perky, although that might have been a mistake, because it's a proven fact that it's easier to murder the perky. And I'm sort of, WTF vampyress? Because she's not her normal self, which is like hemophiliac hawt, but she's like printer-paper pale. And I totally ignore the fact that she's wearing one of my long skirts and my black bustier without even asking, and it's bustiering her way more than it does me, which is kind of rude. And I'm all, â€Å"Countess, are you okay? You look kind of pale.† And Jared is all, â€Å"You should have seen her before she drank those blood bags.† And I'm suddenly feeling all poop on a stick, because it's obvious that she's all gone snowflake because she's been locked up without feeding. So I'm like, â€Å"Sorry. I just wanted you guys to be together for eternity, and it didn't sound like that's how it was going to happen.† And she's like, â€Å"Later, Abby.† And she just takes the tools from me and goes over to the statue and starts drilling and sawing and whatnot. So I'm like, â€Å"How did you get out?† And she's all, â€Å"Rat boy was dancing and nicked the casting with his dagger.† And Jared's all, â€Å"I wasn't dancing. I had some espresso and I was telling them my novel and I lost my balance on your stupid boots.† And I'm all, â€Å"You can't give him caffeine, Countess. His aunt gave him a hundred-dollar Starbucks card for Christmas and we had to have an intervention.† And Jody pauses and looks back at me, her eyes looking all emerald-like, because except for her hair, she has no color in her face and she's like, â€Å"Tommy didn't know how to turn to mist, Abby. I never had a chance to teach him before you bronzed us. He's been trapped in here, fully conscious, for five weeks.† And I'm like backing away, because I've seen the Countess pissed off before, like when the Animals kidnapped Tommy and she had to kick their asses to get him back, but now she's all jaw tightened like she's keeping herself from tearing my arms off or something. So I sort of feel for the button on the cuff of my sun jacket. Not like I was going to fry the Countess, because I wouldn't do that, but just for security. And she just snaps her hand out and before I can move she's pulled the battery out of my inside pocket and ripped off the wire leads. I mean like faster than you can blink. So I'm like, â€Å"I wasn't going to light it up.† And she's all, â€Å"Just to be safe.† But I'm not feeling safe. And I can tell that Jared isn't feeling safe because he's sort of sniffling like he's going to start crying. And Jody is sawing on the bronze like a crazy person-on the side where she used to be, so she doesn't cut Tommy-and finally she has, like, enough sawed away that she can pull a piece away and look in. And she's all, â€Å"Tommy, we're going to get you out of there. I have to be careful, but I'll get you out of there soon.† And Jared is like, â€Å"Do you need a flashlight?† And Jody is like, â€Å"No, I can see.† And Jared is all, â€Å"Is he dead?† And right then Jody snaps a hacksaw blade and goes, â€Å"Well of course he's dead, he's a vampyre.† And I'm all, â€Å"Duh? Tard.† As I hand Jody another blade. I have to say, that for someone with super powers and immortality, the Countess kind of sucks ass with tools. I guess the dark gift doesn't include home improvement skills. ‘Kayso, after about an hour the Countess pulls a big piece off the statue, revealing Tommy's face and torso and whatnot, and he's just stuck there, not moving, not opening his eyes, and even whiter than the Countess, kind of a light bruise-blue color. And Jared is all, â€Å"He dead?† And Jody is like kind of between a scream and a sob, and she's like, â€Å"Get me another blood bag, Jared. And Abby, where the fuck are my clothes?† And a little blood tear runs down her cheek. And I'm like, â€Å"Uh-oh.† Because now I realize why she's wearing my clothes. When Foo and I moved in we put all of Tommy and Jody's clothes in vacuum bags under the bed. So I'm like, â€Å"What do you want to wear, Countess? I'll get it. I mean, you can wear my stuff any time you want, because I am your faithful minion, but you have been endowed by your creator with significantly more boobage and junk in the trunk than me, no offense, and my stuff doesn't exactly fit you. No offense.† And Jared is all, â€Å"She had your Emily hoody on over that but it got blood all over it.† Not helping at all. â€Å"Hey, who wants a latte?† And the Countess snarled at Jared, full frontal fangs and all. And Jared jumped back and turned his ankle. And I'm like, â€Å"Oh shit!† And she barks, â€Å"Blood!† And Jared and I are all, â€Å"Coming right up. Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit.† And I bring her the bag of blood and she tears it open with her teeth and just pours it over his lips and in his mouth and nothing happens. And Jody is crying and getting louder and Jared and I are getting more and more freaked out and even all the rats in their little boxes are freaking out and running around in circles and whatnot. And finally Tommy's eyes pop open, and they're like crystal blue, like ice, not like eyes, and he screams, and I swear to fucking zombie Jebus, the whole wall of windows in the loft just shattered in the frames. So Jared and I are all bent over in the corner, covering our ears, and Tommy comes flying out of the statue. You can hear his leg bones cracking like pretzels as he pulls them out, but he scurries on his hands, knocking rats and furniture every which way, coming right at me, fangs first. And I go to reach for the button on my sleeve, but he's on me, biting my neck. He's so strong it's like trying to fight a statue, and I can hear Jody screaming, and the skin on my neck tearing in shreds. And my vision is like tunneling down to dark, and I'm thinking, I'm fucking dying? What the fuck's up with that? Then there's this loud clang, like a bell, and I feel Tommy pulled off me. And light sort of comes back on. I can see the Countess standing there, holding Foo's stainless-steel floor lamp like it's a lance, and she's obviously just smacked Tommy with it hard enough to knock him off of me. But instead of going at her, he comes scurrying right back at me, smearing blood all over the floor and everything. And the Countess catches him by the neck from behind and swings him around and out through the broken windows, and the metal frames and everything go with him. So there's the scream again, and I'm holding my neck, and I sort of crawl to the big hole that used to be the front wall of the loft, and Tommy is in the middle of the street below, naked, in a big splash of metal and glass, and he's like crawling up the side of a car to his feet. And Jody's beside me. And she's all, â€Å"Tommy! Tommy!† But he's limping off down the alley across the street, walking like his legs are still broken, but maybe healing or something as he goes, but hurting like holy-fuck. So Jody takes my head and turns it to the side and pulls my hand away from the bite. And I feel like I'm going to pass out. But she bends down and licks my neck, like three times, then puts my hand back on the wound. â€Å"Hold that. It'll heal in a second.† Then she shook me and was all, â€Å"Now, where the fuck are my clothes?† And I'm all, â€Å"Under the bed. Vacuum bags.† I think I passed out then, because next thing I remember, the Countess is standing there in jeans and boots and her red leather jacket, and she's stuffing bags of blood into my biohazard messenger bag. And she's all, â€Å"I'm taking this.† And I'm all, â€Å"‘Kay.† Then I'm like, â€Å"You saved me.† â€Å"I'm taking half the money, too,† she said. I'm all, â€Å"You can't go. Where will you go? Who will take care of you?† â€Å"Like you did?† she says. â€Å"I'm so sorry,† I said. And she's all, â€Å"I know. I have to find him. I brought him into this. He never wanted any of this. He just wanted someone to love him.† So she starts to leave, without even saying good-bye, and I'm all, â€Å"Countess, wait, there's vampyre cats.† And she stops. And she turns all, â€Å"Whaaaa?† And Jared is all nodding and going, â€Å"Really. Really.† And I'm, â€Å"Chet turned a bunch of kitties into vampyre kitties. They attacked the Emperor last night and they ate a meter maid.† And she was all, â€Å"Oh, for fuck's sake.† And I'm all, â€Å"I know, I know.† Then she was gone. And Jared was like in the middle of catching some escaped rats and he's all, â€Å"You guys are going to totally lose your security deposit.† Jody is just gone. Gone. On her own in the night. It's like Lord Byron said in that poem â€Å"Darkness.† Darkness had no need Of aid from them- She was the Universe. I'd like to go bone my sister now. I'm paraphrasing.

Mental Health Parity Act of 1996 Essay

The law allowed an increased cost exemption, which stated that employers that can demonstrate a one percent or more rise in costs due to parity implementation will be allowed to exempt themselves from the law. The Mental Health Parity Act did not include rules for service charges, designations for the number of inpatient hospital days or outpatient visits that must be covered, coverage in connection with Medicare or Medicaid, restrictions on a health insurance plan’s ability to manage care, and coverage for treatment of substance abuse or chemical dependency. I do not think that the Mental Health Parity Act was successful, because there are many people still in this world who don’t have insurance have to pay more than what people with insurance do. Even some people with insurance have to pay a lot out of pocket for services. Even when it was still in act, it only took effect to people with major disabilities. This left most of the population having to pay for many of the services themselves.

Singapore Facts, History, and Description

Singapore Facts, History, and Description A bustling city-state in the heart of Southeast Asia, Singapore is famous for its booming economy and its strict regime of law and order. Long an important port of call on the monsoonal Indian Ocean trade circuit, today Singapore boasts one of the worlds busiest ports, as well as thriving finance and services sectors. How did this tiny nation become one of the worlds wealthiest? What makes Singapore tick? Government According to its constitution, the Republic of Singapore is a representative democracy with a parliamentary system. In practice, its politics have been completely dominated by a single party, the Peoples Action Party (PAP), since 1959. The Prime Minister is the leader of the majority party in Parliament and also heads the executive branch of government; the President plays a mostly ceremonial role as the head of state, although he or she can veto the appointment of top-level judges. Currently, the Prime Minister is Lee Hsien Loong, and the President is Tony Tan Keng Yam. The president serves a six-year term, while legislators serve five-year terms. The unicameral parliament has 87 seats and has been dominated by PAP members for decades. Interestingly, there are also as many as nine nominated members, who are the losing candidates from opposition parties who came closest to winning their elections. Singapore has a relatively simple judicial system, made up of a High Court, a Court of Appeals, and several types of Commercial Courts. The judges are appointed by the President upon the advice of the Prime Minister. Population The city-state of Singapore boasts a population of about 5,354,000, packed in at a density of more than 7,000 people per square kilometer (almost 19,000 per square mile). In fact, it is the third-most densely populated country in the world, following only the Chinese territory of Macau and Monaco. Singapores population is highly diverse, and many of its residents are foreign-born. Just 63% of the population are actually citizens of Singapore, while 37% are guest workers or permanent residents. Ethnically, 74% of Singapores residents are Chinese, 13.4% are Malay, 9.2% are Indian, and about 3% are of mixed ethnicity or belong to other groups. Census figures are somewhat skewed because until recently the government only allowed residents to select a single race on their census forms. Languages Although English is the most commonly used language in Singapore, the nation has four official languages: Chinese, Malay, English, and Tamil. The most common mother tongue is Chinese, with about 50% of the population. Approximately 32% speak English as their first language, 12% Malay, and 3% Tamil. Obviously, written language in Singapore is also complex, given the variety of official languages. Commonly-used writing systems include the Latin alphabet, Chinese characters and the Tamil script, which is derived from Indias Southern Brahmi system. Religion in Singapore The largest religion in Singapore is Buddhism, at about 43% of the population. The majority are Mahayana Buddhists, with roots in China, but Theravada and Vajrayana Buddhism also have numerous adherents. Almost 15% of Singaporeans are Muslim, 8.5% are Taoist, about 5% Catholic, and 4% Hindu. Other Christian denominations total almost 10%, while approximately 15% of Singapores people have no religious preference. Geography Singapore is located in Southeast Asia, off the southern tip of Malaysia, north of Indonesia. It is made up of 63 separate islands, with a total area of 704 kilometers square (272 miles square). The largest island is Pulau Ujong, commonly called Singapore Island. Singapore is connected to the mainland via the Johor-Singapore Causeway and the Tuas Second Link. Its lowest point is sea-level, while the highest point is Bukit Timah at the lofty elevation of 166 meters (545 feet). Climate Singapores climate is tropical, so temperatures do not vary much throughout the year. Average temperatures range between about 23 and 32 °C (73 to 90 °F). The weather is generally hot and humid. There are two monsoonal rainy seasons- June to September, and December to March. However, even during the inter-monsoon months, it rains frequently in the afternoon. Economy Singapore is one of the most successful Asian tiger economies, with a per capita GDP of $60,500 US, fifth in the world. Its unemployment rate as of 2011 was an enviable 2%, with 80% of workers employed in the services and 19.6% in industry. Singapore exports electronics, telecommunications equipment, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and refined petroleum. It imports food and consumer goods  but has a substantial trade surplus. History of Singapore Humans settled the islands that now form Singapore at least as early as the 2nd century CE, but little is known about the early history of the area. Claudius Ptolemaeus, a Greek cartographer, identified an island in Singapores location  and noted that it was an important international trading port. Chinese sources note the existence of the main island in the third century  but provide no details. In 1320, the Mongol Empire sent emissaries to a place called Long Ya Men, or Dragons Tooth Strait, believed to be on Singapore Island. The Mongols were seeking elephants. A decade later, the Chinese explorer Wang Dayuan described a pirate fortress with mixed Chinese and Malay population called Dan Ma Xi, his rendering of the Malay name Tamasik (meaning Sea Port). As for Singapore itself, its founding legend states that in the thirteenth century, a prince of Srivijaya, called Sang Nila Utama or Sri Tri Buana, was shipwrecked on the island. He saw a lion there for the first time in his life  and took this as a sign that he should found a new city, which he named Lion City- Singapura. Unless the big cat was also shipwrecked there, it is unlikely that the story is literally true, since the island was home to tigers but not lions. For the next three hundred years, Singapore changed hands between the Java-based Majapahit Empire and the Ayutthaya Kingdom in Siam (now Thailand). In the 16th century, Singapore became an important trading depot for the Sultanate of Johor, based on the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. However, in 1613 Portuguese pirates burned the city to the ground, and Singapore vanished from international notice for two hundred years. In 1819, Britains Stamford Raffles founded the modern city of Singapore as a British trading post in Southeast Asia. It became known as the Straits Settlements in 1826  and then was claimed as an official Crown Colony of Britain in 1867. Britain retained control of Singapore until 1942  when the Imperial Japanese Army launched a bloody invasion of the island as part of its Southern Expansion drive in World War II. The Japanese Occupation lasted until 1945. Following the Second World War, Singapore took a circuitous route to independence. The British believed that the former Crown Colony was too small to function as an independent state. Nonetheless, between 1945 and 1962, Singapore received increasing measures of autonomy, culminating in self-government from 1955 to 1962. In 1962, after a public referendum, Singapore joined the Malaysian Federation. However, deadly race riots broke out between ethnic Chinese and Malay citizens of Singapore in 1964, and the island voted in 1965 to break away from the Federation of Malaysia once more. In 1965, the Republic of Singapore became a fully self-governing, autonomous state. Although it has faced difficulties, including more race riots in 1969 and the East Asian financial crisis of 1997, it has proved overall a very stable and prosperous little nation.

Single Displacement or Substitution Reaction

Single Displacement or Substitution Reaction A single displacement reaction or substitution reaction is a common and important type of chemical reaction. A substitution or single displacement reaction is characterized by one element being displaced from a compound by another element.A BC → AC B A single displacement reaction is a specific type of oxidation-reduction reaction. An element or ion is replaced by another in a compound. Single Displacement Reaction Examples An example of a substitution reaction occurs when zinc combines with hydrochloric acid. The zinc replaces the hydrogen:Zn 2 HCl → ZnCl2 H2 Here is another example of a single displacement reaction: 3 AgNO3 (aq) Al (s) → Al(NO3)3 (aq) 3 Ag (s) How To Recognize a Substitution Reaction You can recognize this type of reaction by looking for a trade between one cation or anion in a compound with a pure substance in the reactants side of the equation, forming a new compound in the products side of the reaction. If, however, two compounds appear to trade partners, then youre looking at a double displacement reaction rather than a single displacement.

Crime Scene Investigation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Crime Scene Investigation - Essay Example In particular, the paper considers three data sets - paper forms, labelled buttons and speech recognition data - and investigates how comparative study of these found at a crime scene can assist in the preparation of the irrefutable warrant. It uses a methodology based on the advice of experts and one that is not very singular in itself. It finds that such methodology, though not exclusive to the paper, is sufficient basis for establishing the three data sets - paper forms, labelled buttons and speech recognition data - as reliable and integral enough to subsequently establish an irrefutable warrant. It is true that it is not always to be expected that these data sets alone can be the sole basis for such warrants but it is firmly established that these data sets, in association with other data sets found on the crime scene, if comprehensive enough, can certainly assist most admirably in establishing an irrefutable warrant, establishing an irrefutable basis for the exhibits and the su bsequent claim. This paper investigates how evidence collected from a crime scene can be successfully collated to point at the criminal/criminals and get positive conviction where such convection is justified under existing laws. When an incident that can be considered as criminal under existing laws is reported an investigation proceeds in which an examination of the crime scene commences and includes such diverse activities as selection, collection and analysis of evidence and this evidence is subsequently related to person/persons in such a manner that they stand accused of the aforementioned criminal act. Essentially, a claim is made based on the data (evidence) that argumentatively proposes to prosecute the person/persons that stand accused by it (Baber et al, 2006). During crime scene investigations, crime scene investigators collect data (also known as exhibits in legal parlance) in an ideally objective and unbiased manner. In an adversarial legal system where defendant parties contend claim s brought by prosecutors vigorously it is highly essential that such data be of high integrity and reliability if the claim is expected to fructify into a conviction (Baber et al, 2006). This integrity and reliability of data is technically termed as warrant and if there is any serious doubt over the warrant there is subsequently serious doubt over the legitimacy of either the data or the claim, both of which can be called into question on the basis of a dubious warrant (Baber et al, 2006). In the adversarial legal system, the defendant parties will strive to disprove the warrant in three manners: 1. discredit the manner in which the exhibit was collected or analysed (point doubt at the warrant); 2. seek discredit over the very nature of the exhibit (point doubt at the data); and 3. seek discredit over the interpretation presented (point doubt at the claim). (Baber et al, 2006) Thus, it is essential that the warrant be absolutely foolproof so that none of these