Friday, December 27, 2019

Things Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe And The Perks Of Being...

â€Å"Be who you are and say what you feel. Because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.† - Dr. Seuss. Suess’s quote can be interpreted as advice to be yourself and not try too hard to please other people. Trying to satisfy everyone is impossible and will only lead to self-destruction and demolition as a result of not being who you are and instead being who others want you to be. In the novels Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe and The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, both authors demonstrate that human instinct is to please others, however that normally ends in pain; this is shown through Okonkwo, Nwoye, and Charlie’s actions. Okonkwo, from Things Fall apart, revolves his whole life around showing people he is strong, which leads to self-destruction. He starts to feel the need to be important when his father, Unoka, was a joke to the village and seen, as Achebe writes, â€Å"Unoka in his day was lazy and improvident and a debtor.† (Achebe, page 4) to show how the people viewed him. True, that he was unlike other men in the village and did not take much seriously; however he did enjoy the little things, â€Å"He loved this season of the year, when the rains had stopped and the sun rose every morning with dazzling beauty...And he loved the first kites that returned with the dry season.† (page 5). Unoka did not care what other people thought, and he was content with his life. Once, Unoka had gone to consult the Oracle to find out why he always had aShow MoreRelatedThings Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe868 Words   |  4 PagesThings Fall Apart Author of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky wrote, â€Å"Things change. And friends leave. Life doesn’t stop for anybody† (Change). Change is inevitable to people at least once in their lives. While change can be intimidating, change can be both positive and negative in different aspects. The title of â€Å"Things Fall Apart† suggests the change that is to occur through the story and that most things cannot last forever. Titles of any work of literature hold valuable significance

Thursday, December 19, 2019

Nonverbal Communication Involves The Processes Of Encoding...

Nonverbal communication involves the processes of encoding and decoding. Encoding is the act of generating the information such as facial expressions, gestures, and postures. Decoding is the interpretation of information from received sensations from previous experiences. Nonverbal communication between people is communication through sending and receiving wordless cues. It includes the use of visual cues such as body language, distance and physical environments/appearance and of touch. It can also include chronemics and oculesics. Even eye contact and the actions of looking while talking and listening, frequency of glances, patterns of fixation, pupil dilation, and of course blink rate. Just as speech contains nonverbal elements known as paralanguage, including voice quality, rate, pitch, volume, and speaking style, as well as prosodic features such as rhythm, intonation, and stress, so written texts have nonverbal elements such as handwriting style, spatial arrangement of words, or the physical layout of a page. However, much of the study of nonverbal communication has focused on interaction between individuals, where it can be classified into three principal areas: environmental conditions where communication takes place, physical characteristics of the communicators, and behaviors of communicators during interaction. Only a small percentage of the brain processes verbal communication. As infants, nonverbal communication is learned from social-emotional communication,Show MoreRelatedNonverbal Communication Essay1569 Words   |  7 PagesNonverbal communication is the process of sending and receiving messages without using words, either spoken or written. And it i s also called manual language. Similar to the way that italicizing emphasizes written language, nonverbal behavior may emphasize parts of a verbal message. The term nonverbal communication was introduced by psychiatrist Jurgen Ruesch and author Weldon Kees in the book Nonverbal Communication Notes on the Visual Perception of Human Relations. It includes the use of visualRead MoreThe Components Of The Communication Process1612 Words   |  7 PagesAbstract Communication is extremely important to the success of an organization. The communication process identifies ways to exchange information, plans, ideas and reports. In a business place communication is how employees receive tasks and job expectations through management. This research study outlines the components of the communication process. The findings in this context will also explain the different types of communication. Verbal, written, nonverbal and visual communication is examinedRead MoreVerbal and Non-Verbal Communication2628 Words   |  11 Pages Communication has always been a vital part of our life and is important in the day to day interactions we participate in with friends, family and the people who are close to us. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, â€Å"communication is the exchange of meanings between individuals through a common system of symbols.† Communication varies between two types, one being verbal communication and the other being non-verbal c ommunication. Amy Lucas highlights in her article the fact that, Our ancestors huntedRead MoreCommunication And Health, Social Care Or Children Settings3725 Words   |  15 Pages Unit 8: Promote Communication in Health, Social Care or Children`s and Young People`s Settings 1.1: Identify the different reasons people communicate What is communication? Communication is the sending and receiving messages and information between two or more people. The person receiving the information is called the receiver and the person sending the message is referred to as the sender. The information conveyed can include instructions, ideas, facts, concepts, beliefs, opinions and even emotionsRead MoreCommunication Skills2217 Words   |  9 PagesModule: Interpersonal Skills Student: Indiyana Saad Tutor: Pauline Pearsons Assessment name: interpersonal communication skills Term: 1 Year: 2008 Assessment: 1 Assessment Type: Essay Word Count: 1929 Date due 21/04/2008 Details of Assessment Discuss the following statement in the light of the theory covered in this module: Communication is not an easy process. It involves verbal and non-verbal attempts to assist the other person to understand what we are trying to communicate. Yet it often failsRead MoreCommunication- Is It an Art or a Science ? Let Us See...........7412 Words   |  30 PagesMEANING, TYPES AND MODELS OF COMMUNICATION *Dr. AJAY KUMAR ATTRI Lecturer, Deptt. Of Education, MLSM College Sundernagar; Mandi (H.P) †¢ INTRODUCTION Over time, technology has progressed and has created new forms of and ideas about communication. The newer advances include media and communications psychology. Media psychology is an emerging field of study. These technological advances revolutionized the processes of communication. Researchers have divided how communication was transformed into threeRead MoreWhat Makes A Good Communicator?1970 Words   |  8 Pages Student Charmane Goodman Instructor Allyson Wells Subject Core Assesment Date 03/05/2016 Core Assesment Communication is power! This is a statement that implies that almost anything can be achieved by the use of communication no matter how hard it may be. Even with a lot of means for communication, good communicators have come up with ways that have enhanced them to be able to communicate with ease. Features of a good communicator differ all over theRead MoreSupply Chain Management of Square Pharmaceutical Ltd4587 Words   |  19 Pagesmanagement involves coordinating and integrating these flows both within and among companies. It is said that the ultimate goal of any effective supply chain management system is to reduce inventory and Communication is the transmission of information from one group or individual to another. Business communication is very essential now days to make contacts with people and for trading. Whenever a business wants to make a good business proposal or introduce a new concept, communication plays a veryRead MoreCommunication : Effective And Effective Communicator 42025 Words   |  9 PagesTable of Contents ABSTRACT 2 INTRODUCTION 3 BECOMING AND EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATOR 4 WHAT IS COMMUNICATION 4 VERBAL COMMUNICATION 4 BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION 4 PROBLEM UNDER COMMUNICATION 5 IMPROVING CONFLICT MANAGEMENT 6 WHAT IS CONFLICT 6 EFFECT OF CONFLICTS 6 CONFLICT STRATEGY 7 PROBLEM UNDER CONFLICT 7 CONCLUSION 8 REFERENCES 11 Abstract International relationship is the nature of interaction, which occurs between two or more people. ‘Interpersonal skills reflect our ability to interactRead MoreMkc1 Study Guide Essay8083 Words   |  33 Pagesbarriers to entry c. The Internet shifts power away from the end customer d. The internet emphasis the differences between firms 25. Which tools can be used to develop both marketing plans and business plans a. SWOT analysis b. Six sigma processes c. Job enrichment studies d. Cost plus pricing analysis 26. A firm has designed a plan that will affect the company for five or more years and provided long-term direction for its decision makers. Which type of planning has the firm developed

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Best Succession Planning Building Bench Through Better Execution

Question: Discuss about the Succession Planning for Building Bench Through Better Execution? Answer: Introduction:- The strategic planning in the HR management is defined as the, integrating the HR management strategies and the system which achieves the overall success, mission and the strategies of the firm to meet the needs of the employees or the other stakeholders(Kaur Zafar, 2014). HR challenges in relation to the people and technology in terms of strategic planning:- There are 5 challenges in the development of the Human resource management from which here only we discuss three of the challenges in the development of the strategic planning in relation to the people and the technology- Invest in the leadership development as we believe that the leaders are born or to be made, but the company need to invest in the development and sustain of the leadership qualities. The real leadership training which involves the exposition of the best employees to the impressive leadership environment(H. Church, 2014). Create a culture of collaboration When the culture of the company demands the collaboration, the leaders have to do their best. To reward the individuals the success is necessary but not sufficient required. The culture of the collaborations of the organizations will require to have the developing leaders who were working together to keep the other employees up also in the leadership circle. Develop the communication skills the leaders of the company have better communication skills and the communication styled very widely as one can work for one organization cannot work for the other organization(Perks, 2004). This is considered to be a part of the culture of the company and need to set the bar for the high communication skills. The good communication builds the teams and the trust and the poor communication creates and to feed the uncertainty. Social networking be used to address some of the challenges:- Social media brings the revolution in connecting the people and to share the information. Social media sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube changes the way to interact with many organizations which are struggling to respond(Robinson, 2007). The companies which might ignore the using of social media determines that many of his employees or the customers were using the social media which directly or indirectly affect the company or the organization. The social media are the worldwide phenomenon which continues to grow. The managers of the organization must consider that the social media touches the every part of the organization. With the question that should the organization required to use the social media it will bring into many questions like the organizational benefits and the risks of the using or not to be using the social media. The another question arose is that the purpose of using the social media. And in what ways the social media help in supporting or implementing the organizations business strategy. And then in relation to which, who are the relevant stakeholders which got affected by the social media. In the end it is to be seen that the social media provide many of the potential benefits but not guarantee anyone. So the managers should carefully determines the benefits and risks of the social media. References H. Church, A. (2014). Succession Planning 2.0: Building Bench Through Better Execution. Strategic HR Review, 13(6), 233-242. Kaur, T., Zafar, S. (2014). Impact of Social Media on HR Functions: A Review. Prabandhan: Indian Journal Of Management, 7(3), 26. Perks, N. (2004). Managing the HR challenges of a major global merger. Strategic HR Review, 4(1), 24-26. Robinson, V. (2007). Is contemporary HR management strategic?. Strategic HR Review, 7(1).

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Western Ideas Impact On Civilizations Essays - Cultural Studies

Western Ideas Impact On Civilizations John R Reeve Intl Seminar Paper 3 The first article entitle The Summoning by Fouad Ajami begins with a quote from Marlowe that emphasizes that all civilization has been affected by western ideas and thought. Immediately he attacks Huntingtons essay The Clash of Civilizations? Not only does he demolish the ideas set forth by Huntington, Ajami sets forth his own ideas on the current instability among nations. Ajami does not believe that civilizations will clash over race and does not acknowledge the de-westernization of societies. He believes that Huntington places far too much emphasis on tradition. We have been hearing from traditionalists, but we should not exaggerate their power, for traditions are often more insistent and loud when they rupture, when people no longer really believe and when age-old customs lose their ability to keep men and women at home. His ideas on tradition clearly undercut Huntingtons ideas on the re-emergence of tribalism. He says instead of states splintering because of secular groups they will stay coherent out of necessity and fear of chaos. Ajami sums up his essay with an age-old philosophy of self-help and self-interest. I see this article as a welcomed alternative to the fairly depressing world that Huntington has prescribed for us. In The End of Progressivism Eisuke Sakakibara again looks over the history of conflict and does not believe that conflict comes from sheer ethnicity alone. Instead he points to economic and environmental problems. He also denies the premise made by Fukuyama. He argues that we have not entered the end of history but we are still evolving. There are still non-capitalist approaches to government and economy. He points to the example of Chinas social market economy. This article seems mainly to deal with the economic side of government and conflict. He points to the fact that civilizations rise and fall and do clash with one another but more importantly civilizations have coexisted throughout most of history and will continue to do so. The article was more economically focused than I expected but the data that he provide supports his arguments well. In the Myth of Global Ethnic Conflict, John R. Bowen sets out to shatter the ideas of a world enraptured in ethnic conflict. Bowen explains that ethnic conflict did not truly exist until the colonialism classifications of partners within the colonized area. The ethnic difference at the place in which conflict is occurring is much less than other places in the world. He points out that conflict arises when ethnicities are more alike than they are dissimilar. The example he sites is Malaysia, which has a large ethnically diverse population and very little ethnic conflict. The juxtaposition to this is Bosnia in which the three largest ethnicities speak the same language and have intermarried for years. This country is strife with conflict. Bowen presents many thoughts to which I personally consent. The idea that ethnic conflict will claim the world is a daunting thought and I am not sure that I believe it. His ideas seem to make much more sense. In looking in the past it is hard to find anyone of a true ethnicity. No culture has been that isolated. History has had its score of quarrel but it also reminds us that we still exist and that humanity has an uncanny ability to learn and survive from previously made mistakes. Political Issues

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

A letter about growing tomotoes in greenhouses and pesticides

A letter about growing tomotoes in greenhouses and pesticides Dear farmer Hillbilly,I understand you are having trouble growing your tomatoes so I am writing to give you some tips on how to get the best results from your tomato plants.One Method you could consider is intensive farming. Intensive farming methods include growing high-yield crops and using fertilisers and pesticides.Food production can be increased by growing high-yield crops, removing other plants and pests and adding fertiliser to the soil.For best results in growing tomatoes, you could use these intensive farming methods.Remove competing plants from the crop growing area can be done by using herbicide spray. This method allows more energy to be transferred to the crop, however it could reduce biodiversity.You could also remove animals that feed on the crop using pesticides. This prevents energy being transferred from the crop to consumers, however using pesticides could reduce biodiversity and may poison helpful organisms.English: Spraying pesticide in CaliforniaBiological cont rol is an alternative to using pesticides. By releasing a natural predator into the tomato growing area, the number of pests can be reduced. This can have bad affects as the numbers of different organisms in the food web are changed. Sometimes the predator can become a more serious pest than the original problem.Tomatoes can also be grown in greenhouses to increase productivity. The benefits of this method are that the growing conditions can be monitored and controlled to improve productivity.An extreme form of growing tomatoes in greenhouses is called hydroponics. Soil is replaced by a mineral solution pumped around the plant roots.Removing the soil removes soil organisms which can cause disease. Monitoring and adjusting the concentrations of minerals in the solution enable you to control growth. It allows your tomatoes to be grown in regions where there's no soil.You should think carefully before using...

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Becoming a Father and Husband Essays

Becoming a Father and Husband Essays Becoming a Father and Husband Essay Becoming a Father and Husband Essay Many people can probably identify a special time in their life and they may also be able to tell a lot about it but when it comes to being a father there just isn’t much to compete with. In this essay I will tell you all about how becoming a father became a special time in my life and how it blessed me to no end. I will tell how it scared me when I found out I had a son, I will tell how I adapted to becoming a true man, and husband, and I will tell how I was finally blessed with a beautiful baby girl so I hope this is something you enjoy. As a young man live was enjoyable, sure. Life was always giving to me and my free time, not having any responsibility was probably the best thing at that point in my life I just loved living like there was no tomorrow. Eventually, that was all to change, I was living in Corbin, KY at the time when I got a call from my mother telling me she has some news that I needed to come in as soon as possible, so as the next morning soon approached I woke up packed up and came back to Harlan County, KY where I found out that I had a 10 month old child he was a beautiful baby boy and he looked just like me. My mind was unsure I was very scared at the time I wasn’t ready to be a father I wasn’t ready for responsibility nor commitment to him, even with fear in my heart and hesitation in my mind I went for it I took him for the first weekend and never realized how truly amazing it was to spend all that time with him. I fell in love and was so happy I went through with having him for m yself every other weekend. Becoming a man was very hard, I know you’re probably thinking, well, why would he call it a man? Because, a man is someone who steps up to the plate who takes a swing no matter how hard the throw, and that’s exactly what I done even thought I was very scared and worried about this new step I was willing to change everything that I loved to take on this new journey. After a year or so I had become on

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Production and Exchange Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Production and Exchange - Essay Example Much as this is still debatable, questions abound as to whether these were the only issues that existed and if these issues were the sole drivers for ancient activities (Hirth 203-207). The narrow view of the above archeological developments is the main reason that instigated the modern archaeologies in broadening the perspective and coming up with new approaches to archeological research which are able to put complexities that arose in human society into clear focus. They therefore found out that political economies were just among the mix of different strategies used by the ancient societies to mobilize resources which in essence did cross-cut through the production processes, service, and subsequent distributions to various societal sectors (Hirth 203-207). The interest of archaeologies has therefore been elicited by the fact that they saw the need to try and identify the aforementioned mix of the various strategies so that this could work as a first platform for the reconstructio n of the pre-historical political economy structures. They hence have to prove the fact that indeed, the elites within a given society would strive to gaining control on resources and mobilizing these resources from numerous unrelated sources as much as they can and in doing so, they end up invoking a high sense and set of principles that are put to practice (Kelly and Hurst 182-118). The interest has further been compounded by the fact that these components or principles of society are the shapers of the political economy in that they take up the form of ideological issues, context, accumulation, and matrix control. The archeologists see these as the common mechanisms which are in essence applied in the creation of resources, manipulation of people and information, and the eventual expropriation practices which are normally applied to the societies that might exist in different times and having very unique levels of societal organization (Spencer 209-218). Reconstructing the trade networks of the prehistoric periods could also help the archeologists in the understanding of some of the dynamics which are related to cultural interactions and inter-border changes that are being experienced in the world today (Kelly and Hurst 182-118). The above renewed interest in this reconstruction could be attributed to the fact that the past archeological activities only emphasized on the identification of evolving of political organizations instead of trying to reconstruct the relationships of economics which actually underscored them. They pose an argument that past trade and exchanges during the prehistoric era were more than just mere production and consumption of goods and services. The argument put forward is, the exchange of good was also a cause for cultural and social experiences’ exchange (Spencer 209-218). How archaeologists determine the extent of prehistoric trade/exchange They use the ancient data such as obsidian discoveries which are analyzed to give c ertain evidences and assumptions. Interpretation of this Obsidian Dispersal is used by archeologists as the basic data that can illustrate trade and exchanges between communities during the prehistoric times. As a general approach, the archeologists are able to point out the sources of origin of the archeological

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Healthy Eating and Obesity Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Healthy Eating and Obesity - Assignment Example After overcoming difficulties and succeeding in juice fasting, the narrator also undertook the task to help an American driver he met during his trip. The message conveyed in the video includes the necessity to plan one’s diet including right products into it. Moreover, if people were aware of the properties of the products they eat daily and the rules of how to plan their nutrient budget, the problem wouldn’t be so disturbing. At the same time, the narrator conveys the message based on his own experience: if one wants to be healthier and get rid of the weight that causes discomfort and health issues, it only takes motivation and time. 2. The documentary under consideration deals with extremely relevant social phenomena of nowadays – increasing level of obesity and health problems caused by abnormal eating habits and – what goes hand in hand with these two – necessity to adopt a healthy lifestyle. Nowadays people – similar to the man in the video – confuse priorities placing wealth and many other aspects higher than health, although health is the primary value we all have and any further achievements are possible even if this one is present. Unhealthy eating including junk food addiction and the sedentary lifestyle increase the threat of various diseases’ development and obesity. As it was illustrated in the movie, the obesity level growth has already overrun the borders of the U.S. (which is virtually the homeland of fast food) and spread on Australia. That is why people gradually start thinking about this problem and taking measures either to fight or to prevent it. 3. The problem under consideration is, in fact, a product of many societal forces including family, media, and culture. Family as an influential factor might act either positively or negatively as eating habits and priorities on the â€Å"local† level are formed by the family and adopted by a person in childhood.  Ã‚  

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Kirk Patrick, Kirk Samuda, Analog ; Digital Signals Essay Example for Free

Kirk Patrick, Kirk Samuda, Analog ; Digital Signals Essay Understanding the nature of digital signals, binary, and other multi-level signal types do require an explanation of the two most prominent telecommunications types that exist, and examples of how they are applicable to specific devices, the binary is association and its function. (Please note that the majority of the information below are extracts from various websites, used to validate and support a theoretical premise; on which an understanding of multilevel signals exist. ) Analog and Digital Signals The term analog comes from the word analogous meaning something is similar to something else. It is used to describe devices that turn the movement or condition of a natural event into similar electronic or mechanical signals. For example a non-digital watch contains a movement that is constantly active in order to display time, which is also constantly active. Our time is measured in ranges of hours, minutes, seconds, months, years, etc. The display of a watch constantly tracks time within these ranges. In effect the data represented on a watch may have any number of values within a fairly large range. The watchs movement is analogous to the movement of time. In this respect the data produced is analog data. Digital signals, on the other hand, are distinctively different. Digital signals dont have large ranges, nor do they reflect constant activity. Digital signals have very few values. Each signal is unique from a previous digital value and unique from one to come. In effect, a digital signal is a snapshot of a condition and does not represent continual movement. Binary Association Every electronic signal is broken down into binary language, classified as ‘0’ and ‘1’. The most obvious example of digital data is that communicated on-board a computer. Since a computers memory is simply a series of switches that can either be on or off, digital data directly represents one of these two conditions. We typically represent this on and off status with 1s and 0s where 1 represents an on bit and 0 represents off. The nature of analog is to closely capture the essence of natural phenomenon, with its action and subtlety. Digital data can only attempt to capture natural phenomenon by sampling it at distinct intervals, creating a digital representation composed of 1s and 0s. Obviously, if the interval between samples is too large, the digital representation less accurately represents the phenomenon. If the sampling occurs at too short of an interval, then an inordinate amount of digital resources may be utilized to capture the phenomenon. The changes involved may not be significant enough to warrant so frequent a sampling for accuracys sake. To digitally represent sound authentically, a sample must be taken over 44, 500 times per second. When copying an analog signal from one generation to another, deterioration of the original signal occurs. A prime example is when we copy a videotape. Since video recorders are analog machines, copying a tape several times results in the accumulation of unwanted analog values called noise. Eventually these signals become so evident, that the original analog signal is compromised and the video dub suffers from intense graininess and poor audio sound. Our technology is limited in the transmission and duplication of analog signals because of the infinite number of values that are allowable. Digital signals, however, have basically two values. It is much easier to work with two values rather than an infinite number. Consequently our current level of technology allows us to maintain the original quality of a digital signal. With a value of on or off. Advantages and Disadvantages The main advantage of digital modulation over analog modulation is that in digital modulation, all input and output are in binary form. Anything that isnt a 1 or a 0 is rejected by the modulator. This filters out a lot of noise that analog modulation lets through, which may not be related to the intended message. Advantages Noise immunity Multiplexing(Time domain) Regeneration Simple to evaluate and measure Disadvantages Requires more bandwidth Additional encoding (A/D) and decoding (D/A) circuitry Digital modulation can easily detect and correct noise. Whereas analog modulation has little complexity digital modulation is preferred over analog because it is by far more secure. Digital modulation can easily detect and correct noise irregularities. Analog modulation though complex is minute when compared to digital modulation. Digital modulated signal can travel a longer distance compared to analog modulation. Analog signals have a great advantage over digital signals in that they have a much higher density that can present more refined information. Disadvantages of the system include the tendency to create unwanted variations in the information transmission such as noise, which can occur in random patterns. When a signal is copied and potentially re-copied, each subsequent version exhibits more of the random patterns, making information transmission harder and ultimately causes signal loss. In order to avoid these disadvantages, or at least mitigate their effects, the concept of  modulation can be used. The base signal is modified in some way to help retain the information as it is transmitted. An example of this is when the amplitude of a waveform is altered in what is known as amplitude modulation. Other options for retaining an electric signal over different generations are by using increased shielding or different cable types twisted together.

Friday, November 15, 2019

Another Holiday for the Prince Essay -- Literary Analysis, Elizabeth

In â€Å"Another Holiday for the Prince† by Elizabeth Jolley the author draws upon many themes, one in particular that Jolley illustrates is how poverty influences changes in the individual lives within one family. To begin with the head of the family; a father is never mentioned in the story, not even once. But by not having a father figure in the story the reader can understand a lot. In society the man is the one who earns the money and provides all the essentials for his family, however this story is presented in a society were the mother has to be the man of the family. Ones self-esteem can be diminished as a result of poverty, alienation; destructive effects of a week personality or society on the individual. The author effectively conveys this theme through the use of characterization, symbolism and contrast. Jolley uses characterization to individualize each character in a poverty stricken family. The son is referred to as a prince by his mother several times throughout the story even though he is a high school dropout. â€Å"Mother always called him Prince; she worried about him all the time. I couldn’t think why. He was only my brother and a drop out at that† (117). The author portrays the son to be someone with low self-esteem because he is poor and a drop out he lives a miserable life. His mother tries to provide him with as much, but is unable to do this because of her social status is society. â€Å"‘Sleeps the best thing he can have. I wish he’d eat!’ She watched me as I took bread and spread the butter thick, she was never mean about butter, when we didn’t have other things we always had plenty of butter† (117). Through this passage the author convincingly demonstrates that they are poor and cannot afford an assortment of thing... ...eral topic of school. The sister strives to graduate and go to school even though she is poor while her brother blames the school for him dropping out and not graduating. â€Å"I got out my social studies. Hot legs has this idea of a test every Wednesday† (118). This demonstrates that she is driven to study for class and get good grades while her brother tries to convince her that school is worth nothing and that there is no point in attending. â€Å"‘Why don’t you get out before they chuck you out. That’s all crap,’ he said, knocking the books across the floor. ‘You’ll only fail your exam and they don’t want failures, spoils their bloody numbers. They’ll ask you to leave, see if they don’t’† (118). The brother tries to convince his sister that school is not a necessity and that living the way he does, being a drop out living in a poverty stricken family is the best thing.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Suicide Is Never Painless

Death became an easy option. She wanted to cry, but she had no time. She wanted to change her life, but she didn't believe in miracles. For all the pain and anguish she had carried with her, it suddenly became too much to bear. Life had dealt her the last card but she had no spirit left to play with. The darkness bit into her, memories like poison flowed through her. She fought against them, but as sleep won out she was dragged back to the past. Death became no longer merely an option but a necessity to find peace. The pills lay next to her. They looked beautiful. She knew they could end it for her but she was so afraid. What would be waiting for her on the other side? Was there another side? All she knew was once she had gone that far, there would be no return. She sat there sobbing quietly, her mind tormenting her. She struggled to make sense of herself. The pain that was once emotional was now purely physical and nothing could heal it. The raw, open wounds would remain as fresh as the day they were created. Everything she had fought so hard to forget tore into her like daggers, dancing across her skin, drawing blood in a tide of crimson that stained any happiness she once had. It was tearing her apart. She cradled the pills in her hands, like precious diamonds. With a breath of courage, she threw the pills down her neck. They fell down her throat with ease, headed towards the emptiness of her own hell. She slowly sank down onto the floor, her head rolling sideways uncontrollably. Her mind started to fog over, numbing all her senses. The baby's cries began to recede as she lay almost motionless on the cold floor. She cried out in pain, the distant sound of her own voice pierced her fragile mind. Her life force once a blaze of colours is now black reflecting her feelings of confusion. She is lost yet yearning to be found. She is drowning in the darkness, helpless as it slowly devours her, playing with her mind until there is nothing left but a shadow of someone who was once whole She wasn't alive anymore, she simply existed. She still looked the same, but she wasn't and never would be. A man who had taken everything from her, her innocence, her virginity and now her life, she never even saw his face. She was left to bring up a child sired by a monster. A child conceived out of hate. Was it not enough that she had to be reminded of it everyday? Every time she woke up in the morning, every time she closed her eyes†¦What was the need of his sinister actions? Was it that he didn't understand the word â€Å"no†? Didn't he realise the screams were out of pure terror; that kicking profusely were signals to stop; that the look on her face was of complete despair and frustration; that the touch of his hand made her blood run cold; that he was stealing her dignity, her pride, her self respect?! She made that same journey home every evening like clockwork; she'd been there a thousand times. She turned away from the buildings, away from the street light and her hollow footsteps were the only sounds that followed her†¦Her heart started to pound faster as she tried to gain vision in the pitch black that she had descended into. Her body felt like it was being mauled and still the real horrors had not begun. Dependant on her hearing as her main working sense, she could hear his approach. His curses screamed of anger at her venerable position, his threats called out like promises, nurturing the fear that grew in her stomach. Gagged and bound, her legs flew from under her as she was thrown to the ground. Mud and dirt covered her like a second skin and fell for what seemed to be an eternity, while above; she could still hear him. The sound of him as he forced torture after torture on her, the sound of him as he violated her body time and again, while she lay there helplessly, the tears biting at her eyes like acid. The thing that hurt the most was the realisation of what had just happened to her. As she scrambled blindly in the darkness, a maze of dangers that had waited to harm her. The unknown monsters that hid in the depths of the shadows warped her mind.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Free Education Essay

There is no such thing as ‘free education fully financed by the government’. A zero-tuition college education simply means that instead of the students bearing the cost of attaining their degrees the taxpayers bear it. Students and parents misperceive the price of education, considering it to be free, even though it comes out of their pockets in taxes. And why should low-income taxpayers finance the education of wealthier students? Proponents of state-financed education argue that absence of government help would put higher education out of reach of poor students. But I tend to disagree in that there are no ‘poor college students’. College-caliber students possess great wealth in the form of human capital. Anyone headed for college has enormous wealth in the form of intellectual capital and will receive earnings from his/her college education. So, the benefits of a college education are essentially reaped by the individual acquiring higher education. The future earnings of the individual typically constitute an adequate return on the gross investment in abtaining higher education. Moreover, providing free college education to all is a rather inefficient way to serve the interests of poor students since a large proportion of students who acquire higher education come from relatively well off families. There are many negative aspects of government-financed higher education. Free education leads to overproduction and waste. But, isn’t it good to have more young people with degrees? Don’t we need a more educated workforce for the more demanding jobs that will dominate our economy in the future? The answer to these questions is ‘no’. By putting more people in colleges we end up with unmotivated students who lower the standards demanded by higher education. In his book Generation X Goes to College, Peter Sacks explains how he was driven to make his courses intellectually vapid, easy and entertaining in order to improve student performance and keep his job. This is a result of classrooms being filled by indifferent students who want a degree with the lowest possible effort. The producers of higher education in a zero-tuition system are the only ones  having control over the quality of education. Financing of universities by the government leads to higher government control over them. Government officials regularly audit universities to check whether the money granted to them in the form of loans and research grants is being spent wisely. The downside of this is that the auditors may lack sufficient understanding of the technical specialities being evaluated. Also the government may enforce the hiring of faculty from minority groups, thus bringing down the quality of the teaching staff. More undesirable is the effect on the thinking of the academics. The state-subsidized scholar is reluctant to unearth ideas that bring into question his livelihood and that of his colleages. He is encouraged by his superiors not to bite the hand that feeds him. Thus, there can be no freedom of thought and freedom to explore new ideas under such a system. Most importantly, due to state financing of higher education, it is far removed from a free market. The cost of education is masked by the government subsidies. Government funding is a crucial intrusion into the market price of education. It is an intrusion which steadily raises the price to taxpayers, but reduces the perceived price of education to the educational establishment. As a result there is little incentive to control costs since they are already perceived as low. There is little incentive to promote innovations since people innovate when they feel the need to give consumer’s ‘their money’s worth’. Finally there is little incentive to respect the student who is the ‘customer’. In conclusion, I feel that the conventional wisdom about college education is wrong.We don’t need free education to get more students into college; we need to end the government subsidies so that college costs will be borne only by willing parties. We don’t need to try to make college attendance universal; we need to allow people to choose for themselves the type and extent of education that best suits them. Making college education fully government-financed goes against the basic objective of higher education – to allow the intellectual cream of society to specialize in their chosen field of interest.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Compare The Barn and An Advancement of Learning Essays

Compare The Barn and An Advancement of Learning Essays Compare The Barn and An Advancement of Learning Paper Compare The Barn and An Advancement of Learning Paper Essay Topic: Poetry Seamus Heaney Poems In the two Seamus Heaney poems, The Barn, and An Advancement of Learning, there are a number of similarities and differences between them. One key similarity is the theme of rats. In, The Barn, the boy explores around and once he walks into a cobweb, he gets a fright and tries to get away into the sunlit yard. The boy has nightmares in the poem and the large, heavy corn sacks are described as, great blind rats, whereas in, An Advancement of Learning, the rats are actually real and they scuttle past in front of his eyes. They are portrayed as arrogant and disgusting. Heaney says, The rats slobbered out of the water, smudging the silence. We begin to imagine revolting beasts all wet and disgusting scurrying about the riverbanks. What is very similar about the two poems is that they are both very autobiographical and recall childhood memories. The Barn, is about Heaneys past experience of the barn and he tells us of all the feelings he felt at the time. In, An Advancement of Learning, Heaney refers to how he used to panic when his grey brothers scraped and fed behind the hencoop in his yard and on ceiling boards above his bed. Both poems link to the childhood phobia, which in this case happens to be rats. Both poems are narrated in the first person. This enhances the poems meaning because it gives a personal insight into how he is feeling at the time. This possibly helped Heaney because hes writing about past experiences. Both poems draw your attention to them in just the first stanza. The Barn, does this by using two similes in the opening sentence whereas, in, An Advancement of Learning, the tone is very calm and gives the implication that the bridge is a cause of anxiety and fear. The understatement is the use of brackets to relate this consistent habit of going the long way round only serves to heighten our curiosity by increasing the sense of ingrained attitude. Heaney is talented at grabbing the readers attention, which makes us want to read on. The poem, An Advancement of Learning, is structured as nine, four-lined stanzas. This is an appropriate structure because as the poem progresses, the attitude towards the rat changes. For example, in the third stanza, the boys attitude towards the rat is, something, then a snubbed rodent, in stanza five. However, by the eighth stanza, a grey brother, has been transformed. The turning point of the poem comes in the central stanza so the poem is, in my opinion, well structured. The poem gradually builds up the tension before the turning point and the stanzas, which fall after the turning point, show the next steps the boy takes in order to overcome his fear of rats. The turning point is, I turned to stare. It is marked by a change in the rhyme scheme. In stanza one, line two and four rhyme and then in stanza two, line one and three rhyme etc. Once the turning point (climax) occurs in stanza five, there becomes no significant rhyme scheme. By using the four-line, nine-stanza structure, the poets use of enjambment proves to be successful and this helps the poem to flow in an effective way. He says, so quickly that, on the end of line four on stanza three and, I turned down the path, on the first line of stanza four. The poem does as the poem says, it moves quickly onto the next stanza. The poem, The Barn, is structured as five, four-lined stanzas. This is an appropriate structure because each stanza progresses further through the barn. The reader gets an insight into Heaneys barn experience step-by-step, or stanza-by-stanza. This gradual build up helps you to feel the kind of atmosphere in the barn. Once again Heaney finds the use of enjambment appropriate to help the poem flow. Heaney says, Then you felt cobwebs clogging up your lungs, on line four, then, and scuttled fast into the sunlit yard, on line one. This is very effective because the poet wishes to change the scene and atmosphere suddenly, so he needed a way in which the two lines could flow together naturally without disrupting the style of the poem. He also uses the word, fast, to add emphasis on the speed or the change of scene. The movement from one place to another in this poem is the definite turning point. It goes from being quite dark in the barn, to the sunlit yard, away from the dank dustiness, to the bright and cheerful place. From there on, the nightmares begin. Although the poem is structured well, I do feel that it sounds slightly incomplete. Heaney ends the poem by saying, the two-lugged sacks moved in like great blind rats. I feel that not all questions have been answered in the poem and I would like to read a further one-line stanza perhaps, to draw the poem to a conclusion. The language in both poems is very descriptive and lots of adjectives are being used. In, An Advancement of Learning, the boy analyses the, tapered tail, raindrop eye and old snout, as though his interest in the rat is no longer imaginative but scientific. In, The Barn, the floor is described as, mouse grey, smooth, chilly concrete. Clearly, Heaneys strength is his use of descriptive language, which creates a vivid image in your mind. As Heaney is gifted with his imagination there are obviously numerous images in both poems. In, The Barn, Heaney uses two similes in the first two lines, these are, lay piled like grit of ivory, and, solid as cement in two-lugged sacks. This paints the image of the corn sacks in your mind as being heavy and old, which have perhaps been there for many years. It seems impossible for them to move. We are then surprised in the closing stanza when the poet says, the two-lugged sacks moved in like great blind rats. It doesnt seem likely that the two corn sacks would be possible to move after we read the first stanza and establish the heaviness of them. We then realise that its actually a nightmare and we can understand why they appear to have been moving. In, The Barn, the roof, gulfed in. Gulfed is an action so how could the roof have gulfed? Well its personification. Heaney gave the roof (object) human characteristics by implying that it has gulfed. The use of this poetic device makes t he poem easier to understand and makes the images Heaney is trying to draw, clearer to see. The imagery used in, An Advancement of Learning, is equally as vivid as in, The Barn. Heaney says, the swans are, dirty-keeled. This suggests that the purity and beauty of the swans are contaminated by the filth of the river. The filth is perhaps informing us that the industrial revolution has had its direct affect on nature. The rivers portrayed as being corrupted with mans waste. This filth-ridden home just happens to be the home of the rats in this poem. This suggests that the poet sees the rats in a negative way. The use of alliteration also proves to be effective. Heaney says, Something slobbered curtly, close, smudging the silence: a rat slimed out of the water. All the words beginning with S are very descriptive and disgusting. Basically these words sum up the poets attitude towards the rats. Heaney uses the word, slimed, which isnt actually a word in the English dictionary; it is the inflected form of the verb slime. The word that he used fully satisfies the situation and I think it adds to the effect of alliteration. The trochaic rhythm of the first line on stanza three heightens the tension: Something slobbered curtly, close. The voice falls forward and heavily stresses the, closeness, of the rat because of the expected, but missing final syllable. In, An Advancement of Learning, Heaney uses the word, hunched, this suggests the tenseness in response to the atmosphere of the riverbank. Heaney also says, well away from the road now, this means that the boy finds himself isolated and, therefore, more vulnerable. This is also the case in, The Barn. The boy is alone in the daunting barn with just the sheer intension or exploration to comfort him. In, An Advancement of Learning, the river is said to have, nosed past. This is linked to the rat, as the rat is described as, snubbed, and, old snout, referring to the rats nose and other disgusting features. In the early stanzas of the poem, the rat is seen as arrogant and disgusting; but later the rat clockworks, his back bunched. The transformed diction marks the inversion of roles between the boy and the rat. For example, the rat moves, curtly, in the second stanza but yet, aimlessly, in the sixth. This shows that man is dominant over nature in the end, no matter what the circumstances may be. The same situation is also shown near to the end of the poem. The speaker becomes calm and matter-of-fact like in the last stanza, then I walked on and crossed the bridge. The simple diction and movement of the rhythm into a pair of iambs, reflects the boys triumph over his fear and his return to a balanced state of mind. Both poems show rats in a negative way. This shows the poets feelings towards them. Both the rats are portrayed as being intimidating and frightening. It is obviously the childhood memories which have had an impact on the way Heaney views rats. The past encounter with rats has, therefore, left a negative imprint on the poets mind forever, or as this case may be, until the fears have been conquered by staring one out. The stare factor is common in both poems. In, The Barn, the poet says, where bright eyes stared from piles of grain in corners, fierce, unblinking. In, An Advancement of Learning, the poet says, He trained on me. I stared him out. After reading these two poems I feel that the general point theyre trying to make is that you must face up to your fears in order to overcome them.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Environmental Determinism Definition

Environmental Determinism Definition Throughout the study of geography, there have been some different approaches to explaining the development of the worlds societies and cultures. One that received much prominence in geographic history but has declined in recent decades of academic study is environmental determinism. Environmental Determinism Environmental determinism is the belief that the environment, most notably its physical factors such as landforms and climate, determines the patterns of human culture and societal development. Environmental determinists believe that ecological, climatic, and geographical factors alone are responsible for human cultures and individual decisions. Also, social conditions have virtually no impact on cultural development. The main argument of environmental determinism states that an areas physical characteristics like climate have a substantial impact on the psychological outlook of its inhabitants. These different outlooks then spread throughout a population and help define the overall behavior and culture of a society. For instance, it was said that areas in the tropics were less developed than higher latitudes because the continuously warm weather there made it easier to survive and thus, people living there did not work as hard to ensure their survival. Another example of environmental determinism would be the theory that island nations have unique cultural traits solely because of their isolation from continental societies. Environmental Determinism and Early Geography Although environmental determinism is a relatively recent approach to formal geographic study, its origins go back to ancient times. Climatic factors, for example, were used by Strabo, Plato, and Aristotle to explain why the Greeks were so much more developed in the early ages than societies in hotter and colder climates. Additionally, Aristotle came up with his climate classification system to explain why people were limited to settlement in certain areas of the globe.​​ Other early scholars also used environmental determinism to explain not only the culture of a society but the reasons behind the physical characteristics of a societys people. Al-Jahiz, a writer from East Africa, for instance, cited environmental factors as the origin of different skin colors. He believed that the darker skin of many Africans and various birds, mammals, and insects was a direct result of the prevalence of black basalt rocks on the Arabian Peninsula. Ibn Khaldun, an Arab sociologist, and scholar was officially known as one of the first environmental determinists. He lived from 1332 to 1406, during which time he wrote a complete world history and explained that the hot climate of Sub-Saharan Africa caused dark human skin.​ Environmental Determinism and Modern Geography Environmental determinism rose to its most prominent stage in modern geography beginning in the late 19th Century when it was revived by the German geographer Friedrich Rtzel and became the central theory in the discipline. Rtzels theory came about following Charles Darwins Origin of Species in 1859 and was heavily influenced by evolutionary biology and the impact a person’s environment has on their cultural evolution. Environmental determinism then became popular in the United States in the early 20th Century when Rtzel’s student, Ellen Churchill Semple, a professor at Clark University in Worchester, Massachusetts, introduced the theory there. Like Rtzel’s initial ideas, Semple’s were also influenced by evolutionary biology. Another one of Rtzel’s students, Ellsworth Huntington, also worked on expanding the theory around the same time as Semple. Huntingtons work though, led to a subset of environmental determinism, called climatic determinism in the early 1900s. His theory stated that the economic development in a country could be predicted based on its distance from the equator. He said temperate climates with short growing seasons stimulate achievement, economic growth, and efficiency. The ease of growing things in the tropics, on the other hand, hindered their advancement. The Decline of Environmental Determinism Despite its success in the early 1900s, environmental determinism’s popularity began to decline in the 1920s as its claims were often found to be wrong. Also, critics claimed it was racist and perpetuated imperialism. Carl Sauer, for instance, began his critiques in 1924 and said that environmental determinism led to premature generalizations about an area’s culture and did not allow for results based on direct observation or other research. As a result of his and others criticisms, geographers developed the theory of environmental possibilism to explain cultural development. Environmental possibilism was set forth by the French geographer Paul Vidal de la Blanche and stated that the environment sets limitations for cultural development, but it does not wholly define culture. Culture is instead defined by the opportunities and decisions that humans make in response to dealing with such limitations. By the 1950s, environmental determinism was almost entirely replaced in geography by environmental possibilism, effectively ending its prominence as the central theory in the discipline. Regardless of its decline, however, environmental determinism was an important component of geographic history as it initially represented an attempt by early geographers to explain the patterns they saw developing across the globe.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

The Analects from the Writing of Confucius Essay

The Analects from the Writing of Confucius - Essay Example Confucius talked about ways through which a perfect social order can be established, arguing there is wisdom in encouraging the good characters and punishing to discourage bad deeds. Through this, Confucius envisioned a bright society that would thrive in what is good for all humanity. Consequently, Confucius belittled the principle that says, â€Å"Injury should be paid with kindness† (â€Å"Analects† 2), claiming that kindness should be reciprocated while injury should be met by justice. This is true even today, and the works of Confucius holds true to the establishment of many nations. The establishments of rehabilitation centers for offenders borrow from Confucius teaching. Moreover, punishing lawlessness is an act of helping the suspects so that they can become better individuals. Through this, people in authority do expand their humanness. Further, he questioned the disparity in society as he found nothing imperative in accumulating wealth because â€Å"riches an d honor are a floating cloud†. Confucius argued that virtuous does not stand-alone, and the rich requires the not so rich to survive. In this regard, a virtuous man is whom that shares his wealth.Confucius was angered by the laxity of a political leader. For instance, he reassigned from public office due to internal conflict and political disagreements (Zukeran). Thus, the short stint he had in the position of authority may have influenced his writing on what completes a man.

Friday, November 1, 2019

Financial Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Financial Report - Essay Example The bench mark companies in this industry include DP world limited, Global point investment and finally Hangar & plc. Review of U.K and global economy U.Ks economy is in a strong position. It has been stable and its growth rate has been consistent for the last two decades. The economy boosts of the highest employment rate among the G7 nations. The main challenge facing United Kingdom currently is finding ways to build it further in order to become more competitive in the globe. Currently UK has almost 30million people employed. Global economy has been changing at a very high rate. This is contributed to from different emerging economies that include china and India. This is illustrated in China’s growth that was at over 11% in 2005. With this trend it is likely to be the third biggest economy by 2016. Review of the target company sector The major players in this industry are small and medium sized enterprises. In this sector a person will notice that less than 1% of these comp anies do employ 300 people and above and on the other side sole traders make up 37%. In respect to education, 16% will account for people who have graduated. There are various forms of transport in this industry namely, land transport, water, warehousing, postal, courier and air transport (TAMARI, 1978). The key issues in this industry include attitude that people have especially the young graduates who are not interested to join this sector Company information The target company was incorporated in the year 2011 and does conduct its business through its subsidiary Fujian Xingtai Company limited. The company was founded by Mr. Shufang and Mrs Meijin. The main business undertaken by this corporation is providing logistic services. The corporation has a market share of about 60 manufacturers based. Swot analysis Strength Risk management system Company market position Business model Weakness Poor performance Management team Opportunities Assessment of the company’s sources of in puts and finance Threats Strong franchise value Expansion potential Strength of the company The company also has a strong market segment in Europe that it serves best. The company top 20 client’s account for 45% of the total revenue. In management of its risks, the company uses what we call a proactive approach. This approach ensures that both the employee and the customer are safely protected (FINE, 2009). The business model of this company forms the strength of the company. This is because it is loyal to its customer, the services are offered at affordable prices which create economic value hence sound business model. Opportunities for the company Sources of inputs and finance for the company are available and obtainable at a reasonable cost. A larger percentage of the company source of finance is through the owners’ contribution. The company also get loans from the leading financial institutions in the United Kingdom. Besides these, the company also raise part of th eir capital through issue of shares which are sold to the public at a given price (FINE, 2009). Threats Potentiality to expand its business activities is limited because of its competitors in Europe. The company get stiff competition from multinationals companies in the transport industry and this has led to reduced revenues in the company (WIEHLE. 2007). Weakness The Company has a poor management team which has resulted to poor

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Nuts and Bolts in Language Learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Nuts and Bolts in Language Learning - Essay Example From this discussion it is clear that the important part of teaching is students’ receptivity. Are all the students attentive to what is being taught? It is not possible to keep all the students engaged all the time. Nonetheless, if the content of the delivery or discussion generates curiosity, it is bound to keep the students riveted to the oration.As the study highlights  any experienced teacher of the English as a Second Language (ESL) will understand the importance of techniques, models or materials s/he has acquired in her/his arsenal by training, peer discussions, or personal observation. These are prized possessions and the reward for helping students successfully overcome the hazards in language learning.  Teaching of second language is altogether a different genre. One can teach the first language, science, mathematics, and social sciences since these basically involve concepts, illustrations and practical exercises, the common denominator being that the teacher a nd student share a common legacy of a known language. However, teaching second language requires different mettle where the teacher carries heavy responsibility in addressing not only a language but tradition and culture. For instance, an innocent word in one language may mean something grand or awful in the second language.  Textbooks, workbooks, and other study material are needed in ESL. Along with these, a dash of creativity goes a long way to make the students feel comfortable and capable of learning the language. Use of popular songs like Jack and Jill went up the hill, Twinkle twinkle little star, There is a hold in the bucket, dear Lisa, etc. is one effective way for ESL students to pick English words rapidly through rote actions. Ideally, to begin use a few four line rhymes to break the ice and set the ball rolling. Art and craft is another effective method of creatively teaching ESL. Interact with the students to select some 10-15 English proverbs and have each student write one of these artistically on thick paper sheets of different colors which could be pinned on notice boards or other prominent places as eye-catching posters. This technique could be gradually upgraded to picture reading where students are given pictures of gardens, small bridges serving as walk over between streamlets, etc. and encouraged to describe the scenery in say, 100 words. Teachers and study materials must

Monday, October 28, 2019

American Institute of Certified Public Accounts Code of Professional Conduct Essay Example for Free

American Institute of Certified Public Accounts Code of Professional Conduct Essay The American Institute of Certified Public Accounts (AICPA) Code of Professional Conduct is a body of principals that has a goal to guide Certified Public Accountants (CPA’s) in the â€Å"performance of it professional responsibilities† (Mintz, 2011). The AICPA Code of Professional Conduct has six essential principles and they are: Responsibilities, the Public Interest, Integrity, Objectivity and Independence, Due Care, and Scope and Nature of Services. Each of these principles is meant to be followed by the members of the AICPA. These articles are used to explain the responsibilities that CPA’s have to clients, colleagues and to the public. The first principle, Responsibilities, protects the public of irresponsible and immoral behavior. The Public Interest makes sure the public’s best interest is protected. The third and fourth principles guarantee that the trust of the public is greatest served; integrity, honesty and confidentiality are of highest importance, as well as objectivity and impartiality. The fifth principle deals with the level of quality service and competence that the public receives and deserves. The sixth principle ensures that CPA’s have good internal controls put into place, and makes sure that CPA’s are unbiased and free of conflict when performing an audit for a client. These principles are put into place to protect the public and also to protect CPA’s, because as they follow them they will ensure that their practice is honest, responsible, and ethical, allowing no leeway for unethical behavior. The most important purposes of the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct are to honor the public’s trust, to enforce the ethical obligations of the CPA’s and to provide guidance in the performance of the professional responsibilities. Although it appears seemingly simple, honoring the public’s trust is not always a first priority for many within an organization. The AICPA principles places the public’s trust first, as one must for all CPA’s, and makes it important that CPA’s act in the best interest of the public, even if it does not serve in best interest of the CPA. By behaving ethically, CPA’s show respect for the public and its interest, and they are able to carry out their duties and commitments to the public. Finally, CPA’s have the obligation to perform their responsibilities to the public to the best of their ability, putting always first the best interest of the public.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

A Tale of Two Cities Essays: The French Revolution :: Tale Two Cities Essays

France and England in A Tale of Two Cities - The French Revolution   Introduction   In the eighteen-fifties, Charles Dickens was concerned that social problems in England, particularly those relating to the condition of the poor, might provoke a mass reaction on the scale of the French Revolution.   In a letter written in 1855, for example, he refers to the unrest of the time as follows:   I believe the discontent to be so much the worse for smouldering, instead of blazing openly, that it is extremely like the general mind of France before the breaking out of the first Revolution, and is in danger of being turned †¦ into such a devil of a conflagration as never has been beheld since. (qtd. in I. Collins 42)   At the beginning of A Tale of Two Cities (1859), Dickens once again expresses his concern. The novel opens in 1775, with a comparison of England and pre-revolutionary France. While drawing parallels between the two countries, Dickens also alludes to his own time: "the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only" (1; bk. 1, ch. 1). The rest of the chapter shows that Dickens regarded the condition to be an 'evil' one, since he depicts both countries as rife with poverty, injustice, and violence due to the irresponsibility of the ruling elite (1-3; bk. 1, ch. 1). As the novel unfolds, however, England becomes a safe haven for those escaping the violence perpetrated by the French Revolution. In this paper, I shall argue that A Tale of Two Cities reflects the popular confidence in the stability of England in the eighteen-fifties, despite Dic kens's suggestions at the beginning. A Tale of Two Cities thus becomes a novel about the England and the English of Dickens's time. And yet, many people today would believe that the novel is essentially about the French Revolution, which brings me to my second point. If in the nineteenth century the novel served to affirm the stability of Britain, in this century it has been greatly influential in the formation of the popular image of the French Revolution, mainly thanks to film and television adaptations. The purpose of this paper is to look at the popular reception of the novel from the time of its first publication in 1859 to the nineteen-nineties.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Pros and Cons of Sending Parents to Elderly Nursing Homes Essay

Many adults have elderly parents who could benefit from living in a retirement home. However, it’s hard to decide to send an elderly parent to a retirement home because there are several other care options available. Furthermore, this decision can be made more challenging because most retirement homes have several pros and cons that should be fully considered beforehand. Here is a brief look at some of the most important pros and cons to consider before finding an elderly parent the right retirement home. Perhaps it can help you make a more informed decision about entering a retirement home. On one hand, sending an elderly parent to a retirement home provides elderly people and their families several benefits that are hard to overlook. Many people think it’s a good idea to enter a retirement home because most retirement homes provide many benefits that are hard to pass-up. For example, the biggest benefits that retirement homes provide to residents include around the clock supervision, expert on-site medical care, and individualized help with daily needs. At first glance, these benefits can make a huge difference in the lives of elderly people because they can make their lives more enjoyable. However, many people tend to forget that retirement homes also offer other benefits that are often overlooked by people. Here are some of the most common benefits that retirement homes provide to residents and their loved ones. One of the most overlooked benefits retirement homes provide to residents is a structured environment. Elderly people often need a more structured environment as they grow older. This is especially true if they are mentally or physically disabled because it helps them lead a more normal and happy life. Furthermore, elderly people also tend to be more distracted by changes to their environment. Most retirement homes understand this. That’s why they try to set up a daily schedule that helps their residents lead a normal life. This structured schedule includes set meal times, scheduled activity times and other repetitive activities. Another overlooked benefit of retirement homes is a chance to remain as independent as possible. This benefit will be especially important to Baby Boomers because it will help them still lead the independent life style that their generation is so used to enjoying. This will help them still enjoy living to its fullest because it will allow them still do most of the things they enjoy doing. Finally, many people also tend to forget that retirement homes also help elderly people’s families deal with the logistics of caring with an elderly loved one. Many of us have elderly loved ones that need more help than what we can provide by ourselves. This is true because many of us have jobs and other responsibilities that make it difficult for people to take care of an elderly loved one who needs help with daily activities. As a result, retirement homes also provide several care options for families who need extra help helping their elderly loved ones. On the other hand, sending an elderly parent to a retirement home also poses several potential problems that also need to be considered. Here are some of the most common problems that people encounter: Paying for a retirement home’s services can be difficult for many people because most insurance policies and Medicare coverage plans generally deny covering the cost of living in a retirement home. This can make it difficult for many people to afford a retirement home’s services because many retirement homes charge high monthly fees to residents. In fact, many retirement homes charge â€Å"A la Carte† rates that tend to be expensive because they give consumers more freedom to buy only the services they need. These pricing plans are convenient. However, they also make it more difficult to afford living in a retirement home because many people cannot afford to play for services using these pricing plans. Many elderly people and their families also have problems finding retirement homes that provide top quality care because many retirement homes have difficulty finding qualified staff who can work with elderly people. Furthermore, many elderly people’s families have also had difficulty with staff members who are unwilling to work with clients’ families to resolve concerns. These problems can make it very frustrating to find the appropriate retirement home because it can be difficult to find a retirement home that has a staff that is willing to answer consumer’s questions about their services. Finally, many people also forget that some elderly people have trouble living in a retirement home. This is true for many reasons. For example, some elderly people are so independent that they have a hard time accepting help from others. Other elderly people have problems living in a retirement home because they have a hard time getting along with certain staff members because of personality differences. These problems can make it difficult for many elderly people to live in a retirement home because their personalities make it hard for them to live in some living situations. As you can see, there are many pros and cons to consider before entering a retirement home. This makes it important to research all of your care options before selecting the right option for your elderly loved one. Doing this will not only help you make a more informed decision for your loved one, it can also make a real difference in your elderly loved one’s overall quality of life. As a result, be sure to explore the pros of cons of entering a retirement home to see if retirement homes are your elderly loved one’s best care option.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Chemistry in Human Body

Editor's Note: This occasional series of articles looks at the vital things in our lives and the chemistry they are made of. You are what you eat. But do you recall munching some molybdenum or snacking on selenium? Some 60 chemical elements are found in the body, but what all of them are doing there is still unknown. Roughly 96 percent of the mass of the human body is made up of just four elements: oxygen, carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen, with a lot of that in the form of water. The remaining 4 percent is a sparse sampling of the periodic table of elements. Some of the more prominent representatives are called macro nutrients, whereas those appearing only at the level of parts per million or less are referred to as micronutrients. These nutrients perform various functions, including the building of bones and cell structures, regulating the body's pH, carrying charge, and driving chemical reactions. The FDA has set a reference daily intake for 12 minerals (calcium, iron, phosphorous, iodine, magnesium, zinc, selenium, copper, manganese, chromium, molybdenum and chloride). Sodium and potassium also have recommended levels, but they are treated separately. Read this Practice Test Chem 105 However, this does not exhaust the list of elements that you need. Sulfur is not usually mentioned as a dietary supplement because the body gets plenty of it in proteins. And there are several other elements — such as silicon, boron, nickel, vanadium and lead — that may play a biological role but are not classified as essential. â€Å"This may be due to the fact that a biochemical function has not been defined by experimental evidence,† said Victoria Drake from the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University. Sometimes all that is known is that lab animals performed poorly when their diets lacked a particular non-essential element. However, identifying the exact benefit an element confers can be difficult as they rarely enter the body in a pure form. â€Å"We don't look at them as single elements but as elements wrapped up in a compound,† said Christine Gerbstadt, national spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. A normal diet consists of thousands of compounds (some containing trace elements) whose effects are the study of ongoing research. For now, we can only say for certain what 20 or so elements are doing. Here is a quick rundown, with the percentage of body weight in parentheses. Oxygen (65%) and hydrogen (10%) are predominantly found in water, which makes up about 60 percent of the body by weight. It's practically impossible to imagine life without water. Carbon (18%) is synonymous with life. Its central role is due to the fact that it has four bonding sites that allow for the building of long, complex chains of molecules. Moreover, carbon bonds can be formed and broken with a modest amount of energy, allowing for the dynamic organic chemistry that goes on in our cells. Nitrogen (3%) is found in many organic molecules, including the amino acids that make up proteins, and the nucleic acids that make up DNA. Calcium (1. 5%) is the most common mineral in the human body — nearly all of it found in bones and teeth. Ironically, calcium's most important role is in bodily functions, such as muscle contraction and protein regulation. In fact, the body will actually pull calcium from bones (causing problems like osteoporosis) if there's not enough of the element in a person's diet. Phosphorus (1%) is found predominantly in bone but also in the molecule ATP, which provides energy in cells for driving chemical reactions. Potassium (0. 25%) is an important electrolyte (meaning it carries a charge in solution). It helps regulate the heartbeat and is vital for electrical signaling in nerves. Sulfur (0. 25%) is found in two amino acids that are important for giving proteins their shape. Sodium (0. 15%) is another electrolyte that is vital for electrical signaling in nerves. It also regulates the amount of water in the body. Chlorine (0. 15%) is usually found in the body as a negative ion, called chloride. This electrolyte is important for maintaining a normal balance of fluids. Magnesium (0. 05%) plays an important role in the structure of the skeleton and muscles. It also is necessary in more than 300 essential metabolic reactions. Iron (0. 006%) is a key element in the metabolism of almost all living organisms. It is also found in hemoglobin, which is the oxygen carrier in red blood cells. Half of women don't get enough iron in their diet. Fluorine (0. 0037%) is found in teeth and bones. Outside of preventing tooth decay, it does not appear to have any importance to bodily health. Zinc (0. 0032%) is an essential trace element for all forms of life. Several proteins contain structures called â€Å"zinc fingers† help to regulate genes. Zinc deficiency has been known to lead to dwarfism in developing countries. Copper (0. 0001%) is important as an electron donor in various biological reactions. Without enough copper, iron won't work properly in the body. Iodine (0. 000016%) is required for making of thyroid hormones, which regulate metabolic rate and other cellular functions. Iodine deficiency, which can lead to goiter and brain damage, is an important health problem throughout much of the world. Selenium (0. 000019%) is essential for certain enzymes, including several anti-oxidants. Unlike animals, plants do not appear to require selenium for survival, but they do absorb it, so there are several cases of selenium poisoning from eating plants grown in selenium-rich soils. Chromium (0. 0000024%) helps regulate sugar levels by interacting with insulin, but the exact mechanism is still not completely understood. Manganese (0. 000017%) is essential for certain enzymes, in particular those that protectmitochondria — the place where usable energy is generated inside cells — from dangerous oxidants. Molybdenum (0. 000013%) is essential to virtually all life forms. In humans, it is important for transforming sulfur into a usable form. In nitrogen-fixing bacteria, it is important for transforming nitrogen into a usable form. Cobalt (0. 0000021%) is contained in vitamin B12, which is important in protein formation and DNA regulation. Importance of chemistry in our daily life Importance of chemistry in our daily life Everything is made of chemicals. Many of the changes we observe in the world around we see that caused by chemical reactions. Chemistry is very important because it helps us to know the composition, structure& changes of matter. All the matters are made up of chemistry. In our every day like various chemical are being used in various from, some of those are being used as food, some of those used clanging etc. 1 Element in the Human Body Body is made up of chemical compounds, which are combinations of elements. Probably know body is mostly water, which is hydrogen and oxygen, 2. Health Care and Beauty: The diagnostic tests carried out in laboratories, the prognostic estimations, medical prescriptions, pills, the vaccines, the antibiotics play very vital role in health monitoring, control of diseases and in alleviating the sufferings of the humanity. Right from birth control to enhancement of life expectancy- all have been made possible using the unequivocal services of Chemistry. From simple sterilization surgical instruments with antiseptic solution to Chemotherapy and Genome sequencing are all nothing but applications of Chemistry. Injecting cows, buffaloes, goat and sheep with bovinesome towrope Increases milk-production but it is indiscriminately being used by sportspersons to un-ethically enhance performance. Aging- a chemical change can only be checked chemically. Most beauty products are produced through chemical synthesis to clean, nurture and protect skins. However their certain ingredients are hazardous to our health in the long run. 3. Industries and Transport: From cloth mills, lather factories, petro-chemical industries and refineries to metal industries- all use numerous fuels for power generation and chemical products for processing their product and improve the equality and simultaneously produce pollution. Now-a-days chemical effluent treatment plants use chemicals to control or neutralist he hazardous impact of pollutants produced by the industries. Aviation and shipping industries generate power through power plants which burn fuels. Petrol and diesel emit out green house gases dangerous for the survival on earth which damage the ozone layer that protects us from UV rays. As a result global warming has taken place which is a destroyer of the planet earth. But again Chemistry paves the way with bio-fuels. 4. Food Security and Agriculture: The famous green revolution to increase agricultural produce so as to ensure food security was triggered by the advent of inorganic fertilizers. Since then fertilizers are extensively used by farmers to restore the fertility of soil in the fields. Pesticides are used to protect the crop during farming nd preserve the grains from pests, rats and mice during storage. Genetically modified seeds which are used to enhance production and earn profits through export of food grains are agricultural applications of Bio-chemistry. Whereas refrigeration system for cold storage of vegetables and raw meat uses Poly Urethanes Foam (PUF) and the chemical properties of gases, the preservatives i n packaged food products are known to have adverse impact on our body. 5. Science and Technology: The destructive effects of Atom Bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Generations in Japan have suffered the devastation and there has-been no solace. The threat of weapons of mass-destruction (WMDs) like the Nuclear, Chemical and Biological weapons looms large on the Humanity. Terrorists are using RDX and other explosives to run currents of fear down the spines across the globe. Nuclear reactors which are going to serve the future generations through power generation leave us with the problem of Nuclear Waste Management. Whereas the destructive power is generated through chains of chemical reactions, we remain assured that Chemistry has facilitated the chain of counter measures too in the form of safety suites and NBC resistant bunkers. Forensic science- the comprehensive scientific analysis of material evidence in the context of the law uses principles of chemistry to facilitate crime investigation. Tele-communications, Information Technology and Space Missions- all bank on the chemistry of semi-conductor sand nano-tubes. 6 Cooking Chemistry explains how food changes as we cook it, how it rots, how to preserve food, how our body uses the food eats, and how ingredients interact to make food. 7 Cleaning Part of the importance of chemistry is it explains how cleaning works. e use chemistry to help decide what cleaner is best for dishes, laundry, yourself, and your home. we use chemistry when use bleaches and disinfectants and even ordinary soap and water. How do they work? That's chemistry! 8 Medicine it is very need to understand basic chemistry so that we can understand how vitamins, supplements, and drugs can help or harm us. Part of the importance’s of chemistry lies in developing and testing new medical tr eatments and medicines. 9Environmental Issues Chemistry is at the heart of environmental issues. What makes one chemical a nutrient and another chemical a pollutant? How we can clean up the environment? What processes can produce the things our need without harming the environment? We're all chemists. We use chemicals every day and perform chemical reactions without thinking much about them. Chemistry is important because everything you do is chemistry! Even our body is made of chemicals. Chemical reactions occur when we breathe, eat, or just sit there reading. All matter is made of chemicals, so the importance of chemistry is that it's the study of everything. Reference 1. http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistry101/f/importanceofchemistry.htm Chemistry is present in every aspect of life, and here we can see a few examples. There are articles about the chemistry of everyday life, and also a few about physics, as it's also present in our daily life 2 http://www.novapdf.com

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Lets Hear A Little Respect for the Pluperfect

Lets Hear A Little Respect for the Pluperfect Lets Hear A Little Respect for the Pluperfect Lets Hear A Little Respect for the Pluperfect By Maeve Maddox Television writers have little respect for standard English grammar. I know that. I also know that American writers in general have little use for the pluperfect (past perfect) tense, preferring instead to use the simple past with adverbial modifiers. Nevertheless, I was astonished by an exchange between a judge and a lawyer on an episode of the The Good Wife: The lawyer is trying to impugn a witness who has testified that a young man arrested at the scene of a murder did not have time to construct a story to conceal his involvement. The lawyer points out that, according to the police report, the man did have time. The lawyer says that by the time the suspect had reached the police station, †¦he had had time to construct a story. When the lawyer requests that his client be released on bail, the judge fixes him with a disapproving frown and says, Request denied. If for no other reason than that you used the pluperfect tense. Apparently TV writers are at war with more than pronouns. The pluperfect, also called the past perfect, is a verb tense used to indicate that an action took place before some other past action. It is formed with the auxiliary verb had and a past participle: When I arrived, the dog had gone. The word pluperfect derives from the Latin phrase tempus praeteritum plus quam perfectum, meaning past tense more than perfect. The word perfect comes from Latin perfectus, meaning completed. An action in the pluperfect is over, done, finished. Heres an example of a novelists use of the pluperfect when writing a third person narrative in the past tense. Its from Death in Holy Orders by English writer P. D. James. The ash, with its heavy cladding of ivy, was unmissable, but as they turned into the road, which was little more than a lane, one glance showed clearly what had happened. A large bough of the tree had been torn from the trunk and now lay along the grass verge, looking in the growing light as bleached and smooth as a bone. From it sprouted dead branches like gnarled fingers. The main trunk showed the great wound where the branch had been torn away, and the road, now passable, was still strewn with the debris of the fall: curls of ivy, twigs and a scatter of green and yellow leaves. The earliest example of the term pluperfect in the OED is dated 1500. The latest illustration of the term, dated 1995, reflects the modern disdain for this tense: 1995 Church Times 17 Nov. 17/3 They each gave us a few paragraphs of Mills Boon prose which were rather hard going, being over-full of pluperfect verbs. NOTE: Mills Boon is a British romance publisher founded in 1908 and sold to Harlequin Enterprises in 1971. American writers, perhaps aiming for a breezy style, avoid the pluperfect as much as possible, but they do use it. The following extracts from Tunnel Vision show how Sara Paretsky deals with it. Sometimes she disguises it with contractions: Id had my office there for ten years, so long Id come to overlook its litany of ills. Sometimes she introduces the pluperfect with a had, then switches to simple past: The building had already been one-third empty when the Culpeppers handed out their notice at New Years. They tried first to bribe, then to force, the rest of us into leaving. And sometimes she stays with the pluperfect throughout a paragraph: In a seconds unthinking revulsion I had thrust the bat back behind the radiator. I wanted to protect Emily and I didnt want anyone to know the weapon was there. But I would have to tell the police. Staring sightlessly into the mist, I saw it had been foolish to think otherwise. And my first impulse, to make an anonymous call, was also foolish: my prints were on the bat. At least I hadnt been so stupid as to wipe them clean. Any writing device can become an obstacle to reading comfort, for example: sentences all the same length, numerous characters whose names all begin with the same sound, an unusual word used numerous times. And yes, over-use of the pluperfect. However, just because the use of the pluperfect in narrative writing has its pitfalls, dont fall for advice that tells you to avoid the clumsy pluperfect altogether. The pluperfect is a useful narrative tense. Its up to the writer to keep it from becoming clumsy. The next time you read over your work and feel yourself becoming bogged down in hads, you might question the way you are presenting your story. The fault may lie with an over-reliance on flashbacks. You may need to figure out some other way to lay in your back story. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Fiction Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Writing a Reference Letter (With Examples)15 Great Word GamesDozen: Singular or Plural?

Monday, October 21, 2019

The Assassination of Beatles Legend John Lennon

The Assassination of Beatles Legend John Lennon John Lennon - a founding member of the Beatles, and one of the most beloved and famous music legends of all time - died on December 8, 1980, after being shot four times by a crazed fan in the carriageway of his New York City apartment building. Many of the events that led to his tragic and untimely death remain unclear and decades after his murder, people still struggle to understand what motivated his killer, 25-year-old Mark David Chapman, to pull the trigger on that fateful night.   Lennon in the 1970s The Beatles were arguably the most successful and influential group of the 1960s, perhaps of all time. Nevertheless, after spending a decade at the top of the charts, producing hit after hit, the band called it quits in 1970, and all four of its members – John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr moved on to launch solo careers. Throughout the early ‘70s, Lennon recorded several albums and produced hits like the instant classic Imagine. He had moved permanently to New York City with his wife Yoko Ono and taken up residence at the Dakota, a fancy, old apartment building located at the northwest corner of 72nd Street and Central Park West. The Dakota was known for housing many celebrities. By the mid-1970s, however, Lennon had given up music. And though he claimed he did so to become a stay-at-home dad to his newborn son, Sean, many of his fans, as well as the media, speculated the singer might have sunk into a creative slump. Several articles published during this period painted the former Beatle as a recluse and a has-been, who seemed more interested in managing his millions and holing up in his decadent New York apartment than in writing songs. One of these articles, published in Esquire in 1980, would prompt a pudgy, disturbed young man from Hawaii, to travel to New York City and commit murder. Mark David Chapman: From Drugs to Jesus Mark David Chapman was born in Fort Worth, Texas on May 10, 1955, but lived in Decatur, Georgia from the age of seven. Mark’s dad, David Chapman, was in the Air Force, and his mom, Diane Chapman, was a nurse. A sister was born seven years after Mark. From the outside, the Chapmans looked like a typical American family; however, inside, there was trouble. Mark’s dad, David, was an emotionally distant man, not showing his emotions even to his son.   Worse, David would often hit Diane. Mark could often hear his mom screaming, but was unable to stop his dad.   In school, Mark, who was a bit pudgy and not good at sports, was picked on and called names. All these feelings of helplessness led to Mark having strange fantasies, starting very early on in his childhood. By the age of 10, he was imagining and interacting with an entire civilization of tiny people he believed lived inside the walls of his bedroom. He would have imaginary interactions with these little people and later came to see them as his subjects and himself as their king. This fantasy continued until Chapman was 25, the same year he gunned down John Lennon. Chapman managed to keep such strange tendencies to himself, however, and seemed like a normal youngster to those who knew him. Like many who grew up in the 1960s, Chapman was swept up in the spirit of the times and by age 14, was even using heavy drugs like LSD on a regular basis. At age 17, however, Chapman suddenly proclaimed himself a born-again Christian. He renounced drugs and the hippie lifestyle and began attending prayer meetings and going to religious retreats.   Many of his friends at the time claimed the change came so suddenly they saw it as a type of personality split.    Soon after, Chapman became a counselor at the YMCA- a job he relished with fervent devotion- and would remain there into his twenties. He was highly popular with the kids in his care; he dreamed of becoming a YMCA director and working abroad as a Christian missionary. Problems Despite his successes, Chapman was undisciplined and lacking in ambition. He briefly attended community college in Decatur but soon dropped out due to the pressures of academic work. He subsequently traveled to Beirut, Lebanon as a YMCA counselor, only to be forced to leave when war broke out in that country. And after a brief stint at a camp for Vietnamese refugees in Arkansas, Chapman decided to give school another try. In 1976, Chapman enrolled at a religious college under the encouragement of his girlfriend, Jessica Blankenship, who was very devout and whom he had known since the second grade. However, he lasted only one semester before dropping out once more. Chapman’s failures at school caused his personality to undergo yet another drastic change. He began to question his purpose in life and his devotion to his faith.   His changing moods also put a strain on his relationship with Jessica  and they broke up soon after. Chapman became increasingly despondent about these events in his life. He saw himself as a failure at everything he tried and frequently spoke of suicide. His friends were concerned for him, but could never have anticipated what this shift in Chapman’s temperament portended. Down a Dark Path Chapman was looking for a change and at the encouragement of his friend Dana Reeves- an aspiring policeman- decided to take shooting lessons and obtain a license to carry firearms. Soon after, Reeves managed to find Chapman a job as a security guard. But Chapman’s dark moods continued. He decided he needed to change his surroundings and moved to Hawaii in 1977, where he did attempt suicide but failed, ending up at a psychiatric facility. After two weeks as an outpatient there, he obtained a job in the hospital’s print shop and even volunteered on occasion in the psych ward. On a whim, Chapman decided to take a trip around the world. He fell in love with Gloria Abe, the travel agent who helped book his round-the-world trip. The two frequently corresponded through letters and upon returning to Hawaii, Chapman asked Abe to become his wife. The couple married in the summer of 1979. Although Chapman’s life seemed to be improving, his downward spiral continued and his increasingly erratic behavior concerned his new wife. Abe claimed Chapman began drinking heavily, was abusive towards her and would frequently make threatening phone calls to complete strangers. His temper was short and he was prone to violent outbursts and would engage in screaming matches with his coworkers. Abe also noticed Chapman became increasingly obsessed with JD Salinger’s seminal 1951 novel The Catcher in the Rye. The Catcher in the Rye It is unclear when exactly Chapman discovered Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye, but one thing is for certain, by the late ‘70s it was beginning to have a profound effect on him. He identified deeply with the book’s protagonist, Holden Caulfield, an adolescent who railed against the seeming phoniness of the adults around him. In the book, Caulfield identified with children and saw himself as their savior from adulthood. Chapman came to see himself as a real-life Holden Caulfield. He even told his wife he wanted to change his name to Holden Caulfield and would rage about the phoniness of people and of celebrities in particular. Hatred of John Lennon In October of 1980, Esquire magazine published a profile on John Lennon, which portrayed the former Beatle as a drug-addled millionaire recluse who had lost touch with his fans and his music. Chapman read the article with increasing anger and came to see Lennon as the ultimate hypocrite and a â€Å"phony† of the very type described in Salinger’s novel. He began reading everything he could about John Lennon, even making tapes of Beatles’ songs, which he would play over and over for his wife, changing the tapes’ speed and direction. He would listen to them while sitting nude in the dark, chanting, â€Å"John Lennon, I’m going to kill you, you phony bastard!† When Chapman discovered Lennon was planning to release a new album- his first in five years- his mind was made up. He would fly to New York City and shoot the singer. Preparing for the Assassination Chapman quit his job and bought a .38-caliber revolver from a gun shop in Honolulu. He then bought a one-way ticket to New York, told his wife goodbye, and departed, arriving in New York City on October 30, 1980. Chapman checked into the Waldorf Astoria, the same hotel Holden Caulfield stayed at in The Catcher in the Rye, and set about seeing some sights. He frequently stopped at the Dakota to ask the doormen there about John Lennon’s whereabouts, without luck. The employees at the Dakota were used to fans asking such questions and generally refused to divulge any information about the various celebrities who resided in the building. Chapman had brought his revolver to New York but figured he would buy bullets once he arrived. He now learned only residents of the city could legally purchase bullets there. Chapman thus flew down to his former home in Georgia for the weekend, where his old buddy Dana Reeves- by now a sheriff’s deputy- could help him procure what he needed.    Chapman told Reeves he had been staying in New York, was concerned for his safety, and needed five hollow-nosed bullets, known for causing immense damage to their target. Now armed with gun and bullets, Chapman returned to New York; however, after all this time, Chapman’s resolve had diminished. He later claimed that he had a type of religious experience that convinced him what he was planning was wrong. He called his wife and told her, for the first time, what he had planned to do. Gloria Abe was frightened by Chapman’s confession. However, she did not call the police but simply implored her husband to return home to Hawaii. He did so on Nov. 12. Chapman’s change of heart did not last long. His strange behavior continued and on Dec. 5, 1980, he once again departed for New York. This time, he would not be back. Second Trip to New York Upon his second trip to New York, Chapman checked into a local YMCA, because it was cheaper than a regular hotel room. However, he was not comfortable there and checked into the Sheraton Hotel on December 7. He made daily trips to the Dakota building, where he befriended several other John Lennon fans, as well as the building’s doorman, Jose Perdomo, whom he would pepper with questions about Lennon’s whereabouts. At the Dakota, Chapman also befriended an amateur photographer from New Jersey named Paul Goresh, who was a regular at the building and well known to the Lennons. Goresh chatted with Chapman and would later comment how little Chapman seemed to know about John Lennon and the Beatles, considering he had claimed to be such an avid fan. Chapman would visit the Dakota regularly over the next two days, hoping each time to run into Lennon and commit his crime. Dec. 8, 1980 On the morning of Dec. 8, Chapman dressed warmly. Before leaving his room he carefully arranged some of his most treasured belongings on a table. Among these items was a copy of the New Testament in which he had written the name â€Å"Holden Caulfield† as well as the name â€Å"Lennon† after the words â€Å"Gospel According to John.†Ã‚   He arranged the items for maximum effect, expecting the police to come looking through his room after his arrest. After leaving the hotel, he bought a fresh copy of The Catcher in the Rye and wrote the words â€Å"This is my statement† on its title page. Chapman’s plan had been to say nothing to police after the shooting, but to simply hand them a copy of the book by way of explaining his actions. Carrying the book and a copy of Lennon’s latest album Double Fantasy, Chapman then made his way to the Dakota where he stood chatting with Paul Goresh. At one point, a Lennon associate, Helen Seaman, arrived with Lennon’s five-year-old son Sean in tow. Goresh introduced Chapman to them as a fan who had come all the way from Hawaii. Chapman seemed elated and gushed about how cute the boy was. John Lennon, meanwhile, was having a busy day inside the Dakota. After posing with Yoko Ono for famous photographer Annie Leibovitz, Lennon got a haircut and gave his last ever interview, which was to Dave Sholin, a DJ from San Francisco. By 5 p.m. Lennon realized he was running late and needed to get over to the recording studio. Sholin offered the Lennons a ride in his limo since their own car had not yet arrived. Upon exiting the Dakota, Lennon was met by Paul Goresh, who introduced him to Chapman. Chapman handed over his copy of Double Fantasy for Lennon to sign. The star took the album, scribbled his signature, and handed it back.   The moment was captured by Paul Goresh and the resulting photograph- one of the last ever taken of John Lennon- shows a profile of the Beatle as he signs Chapman’s album, with the killer’s shadowy, deadpan face looming in the background. With that, Lennon entered the limo and headed for the studio. It is unclear why Chapman did not take that opportunity to kill John Lennon. He later recalled he was waging an inner battle. However, his obsession with killing Lennon did not abate. Shooting John Lennon Despite Chapman’s inner misgivings, the urge to shoot the singer was too overwhelming.   Chapman remained at the Dakota well after Lennon and most of the fans had left, waiting for the Beatle to return.    The limo carrying Lennon and Yoko Ono arrived back at the Dakota around 10:50 p.m. Yoko exited the vehicle first, followed by John. Chapman greeted Ono with a simple â€Å"Hello† as she passed. As Lennon passed him, Chapman heard a voice inside his head urging him on: â€Å"Do it! Do it! Do it!† Chapman stepped into the carriageway of the Dakota, dropped to his knees, and fired two shots into John Lennon’s back. Lennon reeled. Chapman then pulled the trigger three more times. Two of those bullets landed in Lennon’s shoulder. The third went astray. Lennon managed to run into the Dakota’s lobby and clamber up the few steps leading to the building’s office, where he finally collapsed. Yoko Ono followed Lennon inside, screaming he’d been shot. The Dakota’s night man thought it was all a joke until he saw the blood pouring from Lennon’s mouth and chest. The night man promptly called 911 and covered Lennon with his uniform jacket. John Lennon Dies When the police arrived, they found Chapman sitting beneath the gate’s lantern calmly reading Catcher in the Rye. The killer made no attempt to escape and repeatedly apologized to the officers for the trouble he had caused. They promptly handcuffed Chapman and placed him in a nearby patrol car. The officers did not know the victim was the famous John Lennon. They simply determined his wounds were too serious to wait for an ambulance. They placed Lennon in the backseat of one of their patrol cars and drove him to the emergency room at Roosevelt Hospital. Lennon was still alive but barely able to respond to the officers’ questions. The hospital was made aware of Lennon’s arrival and had a trauma team at the ready. They worked diligently to save Lennon’s life, but to no avail. Two of the bullets had pierced his lungs, while a third had hit his shoulder and then ricocheted inside his chest where it had damaged the aorta and cut his windpipe. John Lennon died at 11:07 pm on the night of December 8, due to massive internal hemorrhaging. Aftermath The news of Lennon’s death broke during ABC’s televised Monday night football game when sportscaster Howard Cosell announced the tragedy in the middle of a play. Soon after, fans from all over the city arrived at the Dakota, where they held vigil for the slain singer. As the news spread around the world, the public was shocked. It seemed a brutal, bloody end to the ‘60s. Mark David Chapman’s trial was short, as he had pled guilty to second-degree murder, claiming God had told him to do so.  When asked at his sentencing if he wanted to make a final statement, Chapman stood up and read a passage from Catcher in the Rye. The judge sentenced him to 20-years-to-life and Chapman remains imprisoned to this day, having lost several appeals for his parole.