Platos Influence in Western Culture Essay

Plato (429-347 B. C. E) is seen by many as one of the greatest philosophers of the classical period, if not of all time. Coming from a wealthy Athenian family it is the belief that he followed and further developed philosophy from his mentor Socrates. His first works are seen as the most trust-worthy accounts of Socrates life, and after his death Plato would continue to develop Socrates works with the help from Plato’s most famous student, Aristotle. During this time Plato would develop his most famous work The Republic. This would notably, along with many of his later works, blend his ideas of politics, ethics, psychology, and metaphysics into an interlinked philosophy. Plato’s dialogues present much of the idea’s founded and developed by the trio, especially in one of his most famous dialogues, The Apology of Socrates Trial. It is from these experiences that with the help of his teacher Socrates and his student Aristotle, Plato would develop the philosophical foundations of Western culture. When asked to define the philosophical style of Plato most people would be quick to label him as a political philosopher, this is due to his views on social implication and the idea of an ideal state or government. Plato was an elitist political thinker in the fact that he said that only those with reason, experience and wisdom should govern. The way he put it was: â€Å"Until philosophers rule as kings or those who are now called kings and leading men genuinely and adequately philosophize, that is, until political power and philosophy entirely coincide, while the many natures who at present pursue either one exclusively are forcibly prevented from doing so, cities will have no rest from evils,†¦ nor, I think, will the human race. † By saying this Plato re-enforces his thought that only those with great wisdom should become leaders and politicians. His belief was that cities will remain evil and tyrant until their current kings either began to think and philosophize, or philosophers were to take rule over the kingdom. Plato’s theory was that these new superior leaders would be seen as â€Å"those who love the sight of truth. † And from this they would then create a perfect city much like the one which he outlined in The Republic, which begins with the city being run by an aristocracy, whose virtue is wisdom, lacks honour and because of this gets replaced by a militant government, which had the virtue of honour but also has the vice of poverty. This too is then overthrown by an elitist group whose wealth corrects the poverty of former militant government but also brings the vice of greed. The elitists are once again replaced by an elected democracy whose vision of equality and fairness corrects the former greed but brings the mistake of to much freedom resulting in anarchy. Finally, the movement of democracy brings forth the order of a tyranny, which establishes peace through cruelty and oppression. It is from this cycle of inevitable and more disturbingly logical political change that Plato disliked the idea of democracy, stating that the average person is selfish, envious and stupid, which leads democracy to be highly corruptible and can cause it to open gates to potential dictators. Democracy was seen as a government dependant on chance which for success must be mixed with competent leadership. The belief was that to run a state a government politicians needed expert rulers and not an average unintelligent citizen who may be elected in by accident. A political decision needs good judgement and because of this leaders must be carefully selected and prepared by means of extensive training. Because of this theory Plato would influence Aristotle, the English constitution and the founding fathers of America to develop a mixed republic that combines democracy, aristocracy and kingship. After the death of Socrates Plato returned to Athens and from there founded a school knows as the Academy, which is where we get the English word â€Å"academic† from and still to this day call institutes of higher learning â€Å"academies†. It was around 387 B. C. E in which Plato bought land outside of Athens to set up his school of philosophy there, which many see as the Western world’s first university. The aim of this academy was to train future politicians of Greek states, and studies focused primarily on philosophy and mathematics. The academy would continue to educate for more than 900 years after its founding even surviving the Roman invasion on Greece in 146 BCE, eventually though the academy would close when the Christian Emperor Justinian closed it in 529 A. D. Later though in Florence sometime during the mid-15th century the â€Å"Accademia Platonica† would be formed by a group of scholars who met under the Platonic philosophy professor Marsilio Ficino, to discuss philosophy and the study of classical politics. Finally in 1926 a modern academy of Athens would be built and labelled as Greece’s national academy. Staying true to its original routes to this day the academy still focuses on the study of humanities and science. It is from this initial establishment of his original academy that the legacy was able to pass on through hundreds of years to the point where the tradition is still alive to this date. Had it not been for Plato’s founding of the academy, the education process would most likely be very different than from that of which it is as we know it today. In Plato’s last and longest work entitled the Laws, he begins by asking â€Å"Who is given credit for laying down the laws? † As opposed to his earlier work in the Republic, which focused on what the best possible state might be like and what experiences and adjustments must be made to achieve that status, the Laws rather focuses on the idea of creating a practicable, yet ideal form of government in a much more realistic way than the former. The characters in this work deal with designing rules to meet â€Å"real world† problems and human affairs. Unfortunately though, the dialogue went unfinished at 345 pages at the time of Plato’s death in 347 B. C. E. The incomplete work of the Laws was still able to outline many questions and themes including, divine revelation, divine law and lawgiving; the role of intelligence in lawgiving; the relations of philosophy, religion, and politics; the role of music, exercise and dance in education; natural law and natural right just to name a few. Once again it was because of Plato’s teaching of his theory’s and publication of his dialogue’s that this theory was also able to spread so quickly through Western culture and even play a role in the way we choose laws to this date. Overall it appears that without Plato’s influence and writings the Western world and it’s culture would have been drastically different from what is the current norm in society. Political structure, academic education and formation of laws would all be heavily affected to the point in which many key things that one would see vital in today’s society may not even exist such as the use of a constitution or an academic university, since it was Plato who established and helped spread the development of such institutions. With Socrates and Aristotle, Plato not only helped develop the foundation of Western culture, but he steered it down the right path as well.

History of Gaming Essay

Gaming has been around since the late 1960’s far later than I had thought, for me I had always thought that the Atari 2600 was the first gaming system known to mankind, and after starting my research I found out how wrong I was. In this part of the teams paper I will discuss the different types of this technology thought it history. In 1967 the first gaming console ever was created and was named the â€Å"Brown Box.† A German born television engineer Ralph Baer and his colleagues created the Brown Box which worked on your basic standard television set. Working with a firm called Sanders Associates, Baer along with co-workers drew up schematics for a game which was called the chase game, and they built a vacuum tube circuit that connected to the television. Two players controlled two squares that basically chased each other on the screen, at that point in time gaming was born. Baer and his associates later added a light fun and developed a total of 12 games for the Brown Box. Fast forward five years after Baer and his associates created the Brown Box, Magnavox began production of the Magnavox Odyssey. The Odyssey was called the first commercial video-game console and was marketed in Magnavox TV dealerships. The Odyssey used six cartridges to play up to twelve games. The Odyssey downfall is that many TV dealers didn’t see any potential in it and along with the false rumor that it only worked in Magnavox televisions hurt the popularity of the gaming systems. In 1972 Nolan Bushnell founded Atari and three years later in 1975, they had their first smash hit with an arcade game called Pong. Atari sold a home version of the game Pong through Sears under the Sears Tele-games label. What made Pong unique was that it produced an on-screen score and sound all by single chip. With his first system Nolan Bushnell and Atari shot to the top of household gaming. Knowing that some of not anything last forever especially a single game system popularity, Nolan Bushnell and Atari started working on a cartridge based system, one that could play multiple games. In 1976 Bushnell Sold Atari to Warner Communications, and Warner immediately backed the Atari project, and the Atari VCS later renamed the Atari 2600 was introduced. The Atari was a big hit and had multiple game hits to go along with it, hits like the ever popular Spaced Invaders, Breakout, Missile Command, and Combat just to name a few. Atari was the first ever massed produced home video gaming system, selling 400,000 systems and hitting sales figures of $120 million dollars during the first Christmas season in 1977. In 1980 Mattel released Intellivision, and was the first to take a run at Atari’s gamming thrown. This sparked what some would like to call a console war between Atari and Mattel. Intellivision featured better game graphics and synthesized voices in video games. Both systems brought on other game developers like Coleco and Activision, but with so many of the games being unlicensed games and no household system lead to gaming industry crash in 1983-84 cause in many companies to file bankruptcy. Nintendo, a Japanese based company became part of the gaming industry in 1985 with its release of the Nintendo Entertainment System. With some of the most popular titles ever like Super Mario Brothers, Metroid, and Legend of Zelda and that of third party games like Tecmo Bowl and RBI baseball, the NES turned the non-believers that didn’t think it was a good idea to get into gaming after a crash, into believers. In 1987 Sega released its gaming system which dwarfed the capabilities that its predecessor, the NES, had offered. It was called the MasterSystem but it didn’t make the splash that many in the Sega camp had thought it would make, due to its lack of third-party games and other things it was the demise of the MasterSystem and the first failing of Sega. Sega went directly back to the drawing board and soon after released its first hit the Sega Genesis in 1989. Backed by many game developers like Electronic Arts, the Sega Genesis opened the door for the first ever battle for supremacy for gaming dominance. Four years after the release of the Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo released its second smash hit, with the Gameboy. Gameboy was dubbed the as the first ever handheld gaming console and had a black and white screen. Tetris one of the most popular Gameboy games ran the Gameboy sales through the roof. With many make-overs throughout the course of history Gameboy continued to stay relevant in gaming. 1990 was the release of SNK’s Neo-Geo a 24 bit home gaming system that was said to be many years ahead of its competitors and its time. The Neo-Geo had one problem, it wasn’t 2-D graphics those were great, it wasn’t its arcade level quality that was what everyone wanted, it was neither of those two things that helped the Neo-Geo fail it was its $650.00 price tag and its $200.00 games that took the Neo-Geo from great innovation to under achiever. In 1991 Nintendo releases the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Beaten to the punch by Sega with its gaming system the Sega Genesis, the 16 bit SNES had some catching up to do. It wasn’t long before the SNES thanks to its technological superiority, had overtaken the Sega Genesis thanks to its big name games like Super Mario Brothers, Metroid, and Zelda. By the end of the 90’s Sega Genesis was no more than an afterthought for SNES who had taken over the 16 bit era and the gaming industry. It wasn’t till the year 1995 that Nintendo again was challenged for its gaming dominance. Sony introduced the Sony PlayStation a 32 bit CD-ROM based technology and has been said to be the most popular gaming system ever. The games had three dimensional gameplay much better than the 2-D of the past. What was the most attraction to any gamer was the price of the games which dramatically dropped compared to those of cartridge based games. It was also in 1995 the second day of September that the Sega franchise basically started its demise. This day marked the release of the Sega Saturn, which was dubbed the best worst system, according to many. Because it was pushed up to get out ahead of the newly announced PlayStation 2, it gave the Sony corporation time to sit back and polish the upcoming PlayStation 2 and learn from the mistakes that the Sega Saturn was making. In 1996 the Nintendo franchise countered the PlayStation with the Nintendo64, the last cartridge based system. Although the cartridges loaded faster than the CD-ROMS of PlayStation the Nintendo64 couldn’t even keep up with the amount of games that were released for the PlayStation, leaving the PlayStation on top of the gaming for the time being. It was in 1998 when Sega made its final push as a contender in the world of gaming with its release of the CD-based system Dreamcast, which incorporated a 128-bit processing system. The Dreamcast was the first system that had a modem which allowed for internet connectivity that brought on the ability to play online, download extra content and updated to the system itself. This would be the last time that anyone would here from the Sega franchise in the console industry. In 2001 Sega discontinued the Dreamcast and announced that it would be leaving the console market for good and taking its Sonic franchise with them. Four years after the release of the Nintendo64 and five years after the first initial PlayStation, Sony releases its second version of the PlayStation 2. The first 128 bit system featured backwards compatibility allowing the PS2 to play the older PlayStations games, and also could be used as a DVD player. Not only was the PS2 named most popular 128 bit system but with its release it marked the rise of console popularity played over the internet. 2001 was the introduction of the old guy with a new system and the new kid on the block in gaming. Nintendo hit the gaming market again going away from its usual cartridge based systems and introducing its first ever CD based system. The GameCube was marketed more for the younger demographics and is said to be what made the system flop and sell short. Along with the inability to connect to the internet it was called a one trick pony and was behind in the gaming world and home entertainment systems. The now new kid on the block Microsoft introduced its own gaming system the X-box. The PC giant used PC technology when building the X-Box which allowed for greater performance. Although the X-Box’s technology proved greater performance when compared to that of the 128 bit PS2 it still remained behind the number of sales that the PS2 had leaving Sony alone at that top of the gaming world. In 2002 Nintendo stepped back in with the Gameboy Advance and again in 2004 with the Nintendo DS. Some would argue and go as far as to say that all Nintendo did was step on its on toes with how they released the two versions so closely together. By doing so experts say that they made the Gameboy obsolete by releasing the DS so soon. Playstation soon joined Nintendo in the hand held gaming evolution, challenging Nintendo’s dominance. The PlayStation Portable like the Gameboy and DS featured wireless capability, high graphics and non-gaming functions mimicking PC-based devices. 2005 also marked the release of the Microsoft X-Box 360. The processing power of the X-Box 360 was said to be unrivaled, and all came with an internal hard drive, played DVDs and had the ability to connect four controllers at one time wirelessly, as well as connecting to the internet. The Nintendo Wii was released in 2006 and featured a built in WiFi for online game play, wireless controllers and Bluetooth. The wireless controllers weren’t new to gaming but what Nintendo did bring to the table with their wireless controllers was the motion sensor technology, allowing the game to mimic the performance of the actual player. 2006 is also when the Sony franchise again exerted its dominance and rivaled back against Microsoft X-Box 360 with the PlayStation 3. The PS3 came with an internal hard drive as well and the ability not only to play DVD’s but also Blue Ray DVD, along with its ability to connect to the internet wirelessly and connect multiple controllers wirelessly, it is said to be still atop the gaming industry, but again that’s all in who you ask. These two systems, PlayStation 3 and X-Box 360, along with the Nintendo Wii brings us to where we are now with gaming in what is called the 8th Generation of gaming. Every year the three gaming giants Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo continue to wow us with different and greater gaming innovation that keeps the rivalry for gaming dominance going on and going strong. In the last few years the X-Box 360 stepped up the gaming war and has released technology that gets rid of the hand held controllers all together! The Kinect from Microsoft has really stepped up its technology and has gotten rid of the controller period. The Kinect set the Guinness Book of World Record for the fastest gaming system ever and comes highly recommended by many consumers and game developers. Recently it was reported that Microsoft X-Box 360 is looking to compete with cable television providers announcing that its consoles will allow the gamer to watch television through it. All of the consoles allow you to watch things like Net Flicks and get on the internet and surf the net, but rivaling cable providers that’s a big step. I look for Sony and Nintendo to sit back and wait to see where this goes before they follow in the footsteps of Microsoft, as they have previously done, but I don’t think they will jump right on board with this because of fear of failure and losing money. If you are a gamer a hardcore gamer you have to be excited for the future of gaming, from a standpoint it looks bright and exciting. With rumors of Sony releasing the Playstation 4 and the system having touch screen technology; it has all the gamers grinning from ear to ear about what the future of gaming actually may be. Gaming has already developed full 3D gaming technology and 3D moti on sensors and powerful graphics and they look to continue to improve upon these technologies. Many have argued that consoles in the future will eventually fall by the wayside making way for hand held portable gaming to be the dominate gaming systems in the future. Of course this upsets many hardcore gamers because they don’t see that as being a plus since many like to play their games on a larger scaled screen. With that being said many say the IPhone 8 will probably be the future of gaming and going as far as to say it although it is a hand held device it will be able to plug into a television set or even connect wirelessly to continue to give that big game experience. Many say that the future of gaming is mobile, digital, and cloud gaming. The better gaming system is said to be one that you can take anywhere and everywhere. Most of the time even of if home many gamers are even using mobile gaming at home, some experts say up to 47% of gamers are mobile gaming even at home. Mobile gaming is not just the casual gaming it used to be and has changed the way all gamers vi ew games. Spending approximately 16 hours a week compared to that of the 18 hours of traditional gaming some say digital is the way of the future and hardware doesn’t matter anymore. The type of hardware you use never really ever did matter, it has always been about the software. Hardware will be less and less relevant in the future and it will be more about the software. With cloud gaming it is becoming more and more of a reality and with two client services already launched it is coming along full circle. The angle of cloud gaming is to offer high definition gaming on any television or device that can receive a broadband signal with even high-end games that can be played on devices that get low power. In a CNNTech report back in September of 2008 had reported that a future release of the Emotiv EPOC headset. The Emotiv EPOC headset is said to be the first Brain Computer Interface and would be able to pick up on over 30 different expressions all by processing real time brain activity. With this technology many enthusiast say that this type of technology makes movies like The Matrix and the Star Trek Holodeck more of a reality in the future. Me personally I am kind of skeptical about that type of technology, and even though experts say that being able to control a computer with your mind is the ultimate quest of human to machine interaction, I still don’t feel any better. In those movies, well all except Star Trek, the machine had a way to take over. So all I see is me playing the video game and the machine taking over my mind and it controlling me and then the earth being run by machines. Well that is how it works in the movies hopefully this won’t be the case. The goal of this though is for the interactions of machines to mimic the way interaction with humans and they say it will ultimately bring communities closer together, so I guess that is one thing we will have to wait to see in the future. So with that being said there is no clear cut way to know which way the future of gaming is actually going, but seeing how far it has come since the Brown Box it is very interesting to sit back and see what the technology produces. At one point in time it was all about transistors and diodes and now it’s about multiple processors, internal memory, and real life graphics. What’s more gaming consoles are no longer just gaming consoles they are now the full true definition of Home Entertainment, with internet connection, streaming music and video and HDD, it is truly a new age for gaming. Social media and social networks has become a big part of many of our lives, well I really should say all of our lives. With that gaming has also being a part of that as it is being input into the Social Medias like Facebook. Many game makers look to theses Social Medias to see exactly what the gamers are taking to and what they are not taking to. World of Warcraft is one of those who uses social media to help them develop more of what they think users want to see and how they want the game to operate and it is actually one of the largest virtual game worlds due to just that along with Second Life which heralds itself as a virtual social world. Social Medias focus on building blocks, identity, conversation, sharing, presence, relationships, reputation, and groups, and many gaming systems that can connect to the World Wide Web can do just that. These gaming technologies give you the opportunity to engage with others from around the world no matter where they may be. Facebook has gaming that lets you connect with others and build a farm or a city and share with each other and allows you to help keep up someone else’s farm, building relationships with people anywhere anytime. No matter what you think about gaming and the gaming technology it has come a long way from where it started and there is no telling where it will go. It is a mainstay in the lives of many of people and I am sure that the technology will only get better or more interesting from here into the future. I do myself wonder what is next will the whole computer to brain interaction ever come full circle or is it just a past thought. Will Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo continue to stay on top or will a unknown company come along and knock all of them off the throne. I guess all we can do is sit back watch wait and see what that next big technology is and who will be the first to come out with it. Right now it’s more or less of a waiting game, the Kinect was a big jump and gaming technology and, I love to sit and watch my kids play on it, I have even been known to play on it myself, gaming technology is what keeps many of us known and connected so there is nothing wrong with that. Works Cited Admin. (2012). The History of Video Game Consoles. computergameoffer.com. Bellis, M. (n.d.). Computer and Video Game History. About.com. Edwards, B. (2009). 30 Years of Handheld Game Systems. PC World. Johnson, J. (2008). From Atari Joy Board to Wii fit. BBG. Melanson, D. (2006). A Brief History of Handheld Video games. engadget.

How Was Impressionism in Music Like Impressionism in Art Essay

Throughout history, art and music have developed in parallel with each other. The impressionist movement is no exception. Impressionism in art began in France near the end of the 19th century. Impressionist painters did not seek to show reality in the classical sense of a picture-perfect image; instead, they emphasized light and color to give an overall â€Å"impression† of their subjects. Much in the same way, impressionism in music aims to create descriptive impressions, not necessarily to draw clear pictures. The music is not designed to explicitly describe anything, but rather to create a mood or atmosphere. This is done through almost every aspect of music: melody, harmony, color, rhythm, and form. Melodies tend to be short in nature, often repeated in different contexts to give different moods. In terms of color, notes are often drawn from scale systems other than the traditional major and minor. These include pentatonic, whole-tone, or other exotic scales (for example, Debussy, a major figure of impressionism, was influenced by Asian music). The use (or misuse, as some critics might say) of harmony was a major part of impressionism. Impressionists did not use chords in the traditional way. For nearly the entire history of Western music, chords had been used to build and relieve tension, thus giving the music a sense of direction. Now to provide an example of impressionism, we have â€Å"L’à ®sle Joyeuse† (â€Å"The Island of Joy†) by Claude Debussy. This is actually a musical interpretation of the painting â€Å"The Embarkation for Cythera† by Jean-Antoine Watteau. Both the painting and the piece tell the story of a journey to the mythical island of Cythera, an ideal place of love and beauty. The opening trills suggest the excited anticipation of the travelers; a middle section depicts them floating over the water; their arrival is heralded by jubilant trumpeting; and their ecstatic joy in realizing their destination provides a climactic finish. The chords in this piece sometimes serve no harmonic purpose in the traditional sense; these chords set the joyful â€Å"color† and mood of the piece, and are no longer exclusively used to build and release tension. Sometimes the melody isn’t very clear, but rather implied†¦ we only get an impression of it. Impressionism marked the first major steps into the Debussy and Maurice Ravel. An especially noteworthy aspect of impressionism was the weakening of the concept of tonality. Even though impressionist music was still tonal in nature, the â€Å"non-functional† chords paved the way for the later likes of Schoenberg, and others to do away with  tonality altogether.

English Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

English - Essay Example American foreign policy has transformed to one that shifted from the traditional conservatism, to a modern liberalism that takes a keen interest in world affairs. It is also vital to note that, as a global superpower, it would be questionable for the USA to take a back seat at what is happening on the global scene... Introduction United States of America has come a long way from dealing with internal issues to one that is now a global superpower. This power is in terms of its advancement in technology, political ideology, military, culture, and society in general. Any sober mind would observe that all these were advancement the US earned after a bitter struggle by scientists, technologists, men and women in uniform and every sector of the United States. Hard work, dedication, vision and the desire to be the very best were some of the values that laid the foundation for such impressive achievements (Brooks et al., 2003). Accordingly, such advancements accelerated the shift from an iso lationist foreign policy to the current global force that the federation has earned. The years immediately after the 1865 were probably the foundation years in which unfolding events of the world put the country’s military capability to test (Arthur et al., 2007). Pockets of war that ensued after the 1865 civil war were Japan conflicts, Colombia hostilities, Uruguay conflicts, Formosa conflicts, Nicaragua and China conflicts (Arthur et al., 2007). The US responded with military action, in many cases, to protect her interests in the conflicting countries. Such conflicts were particular of smaller magnitude given that a lot of military involvement later followed that redefined the strength of the US in newer terms. Most importantly, it appears that the engagement of wars that followed later were what actually defined the position of the US in the global map in as a military power and as a leading global ideologist. These wars were the First World War, the Second World War, the Cold War, the Vietnam War, Eastern Europe wars, the Gulf war and the Middle East wars. Entering all of these wars was a test for what the United States believed in in terms of right of nations to liberty, free determination of the masses, playing neutral in external aggressions and foreign policy of non-interference with European affair. Without knowing, such wars were silently laying the foundation for a change from Isolationist policy to a new one where the United States had to be worried about the forces that surrounded her in the larger volatile world. In essence, wars and political ideologies resulted in the transition from an isolationist foreign policy, in America, to one in which the nation is now a global superpower (Arthur et al., 2007). The United States embarked on this course staring with her involvement in the WWI after the Zimmerman telegram and German’s blatant disrespect to neutral shipping (Winkler, 2000). The Road to Global Superpower When the WWI broke out in 1914, the United States policy of non-interference with European affairs kept her at bay. The war began with factions such as the Triple Entente and Triple Alliance. Fought on Europe soil predominantly, the war saw Britain, France and Russia rise in arms against offensive from German, Austria-Hungary and Italy. The US

Brainstorming Sources Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Brainstorming Sources - Research Paper Example The opposing side of this debate has indicated that in a past research carried out by the University of Michigan proved that if the government wanted to reduce the consumption of alcohol, they should increase the age limit. This reduced the consumption of alcohol amongst the seniors by 13.3% (Johnston, O’Malley, Bachman and Schulenberg, 2011). They also noted that there was a drop of 58% of alcohol related to motor accidents, this information is from secondary data from books, and handwritten manuscripts. It is to their argument that reducing the age will increase the consumption of alcohol and make the youth addicts at a very young age. The proposers argue that reducing the legal drinking age will allow the youths to learn to drink responsibly. On the other hand, the opposing side claims that reducing the age will lead to the youths suffering from alcohol related diseases. The argument is based on the youth’s irresponsible behaviors. This report will mainly affect the government, parents, and the youths at hand. Johnston LD, O’Malley PM, Bachman JG and Schulenberg JE. Monitoring the Future national results on adolescent drug use: Overview of key findings. Ann Arbor, MI: Institute for Social Research, The University of Michigan,

Personal statement for sports management graduates school

For sports management graduates school - Personal Statement Example Further, I understand that to become a sports manager, I must have the understanding of how to work with team’s budgets and with the individuals involved, ultimately making the team a success. Some professionals engage in sports as their livelihood sources. Other individuals use it merely as a hobby, but they still require effective management to get the best of it. I take into consideration the role of sports and sports management in both the professional and social dimensions. Evidently, sports organization requires qualified professionals who can meet all the different goals and aspiration. These qualified personnel can only come from educational training of specialists in the field. The current growth in the field of sports is so tremendous that it surpasses the availability of qualified professionals for its management. General management studies are important in facilitating the cultivation of leadership qualities and creation of future managers. The field of sports is rapidly shaping into the professional and more corporate look as opposed to the traditional leisure and social dimension, which has been its face for centuries. Management studies are, therefore, important not only to create good managers in the fields, but also to enhance effective management in the rapidly changing corporate world. In one’s aspiration to become a sports manager, it is necessary to equip him or her with management skills from a reputed institution in order to effectively survive and make impact in the competitive environment characterised by globalization and ever-evolving technologies. With a well-designed sports management course, the West Virginia University of Sports Management is my choice in chasing the dream of developing a successful career in sports management. This is very important in enhancing sporting businesses to create excellent sporting facilities, in which all

Organisational change management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Organisational change management - Essay Example Such moves, however, may not be successful in ensuring the company’s progress. The Case Study D2, the auto components producer, introduced change due to external pressures such as competition from other auto parts manufacturers, and the financial recession that resulted in fewer customers. In response to these external pressures, D2 made some immediate changes to counter the down turn in revenue. To cut costs, the company stopped manufacturing some of its components while increasing the production of others in specific sites. The company also made the decision to close down its UK Plant because it contained archaic manufacturing technical gadgets. Moreover, the company’s management is yet to divulge the new changes of the impending closure of the UK Plant to its employees. It is a fact that the workers based at the UK plant in Didcot will be shocked by their discharges because they are expecting continued business operations with even more investment or capital being di rected into the operations there. It also has not deigned to share the new strategies with the firms remaining employees. Only the higher ranking managers are aware of the strategies. Most researchers tend to first evaluate organisational change through the input of Kurt Lewin’s Field theory. The field theory asserts that all businesses exist in an active though constant state. To sustain this balance, businesses are compelled to make changes in reaction to forces that affect or influence the business’s field (Burnes 2004). Lewin’s model seeks to prove that most of the time, any kind of organisational change will be gradually realised. Moreover, when a company is experiencing a crisis, any organisational changes it decides on are quickly implemented. The field’s theory states that when an organisation ahs to realise changes on a fast pace, it has to ensure that there are corresponding powerful forces working to see the needed changes become an accepted pa rt of the organisation’s functions (Burnes 2004). The theory also asserts that there is a need to ensure that there is a dissuasion of any efforts that encourage the organisation’s status quo to remain. Lewin’s model asserts that, when there is gradual change in an organisation, the necessary steps will take place in three stages: (i) The old, archaic and ‘accepted’ business operations or ways of doing things must be ‘unfrozen’ or removes altogether so that the coming changes can be allowed to take hold without any competing functions making the process difficult. In the ‘unfreezing process’, an organisation’s management will examine why the change is necessary while also looking into facts that exists and which might impair or assist the changes that will be suggested. The management will also encourage workers to think as they do about the necessity of incorporating changes in the organisation in order to improve i t. (ii) In the second stage, movement, the organisation starts to change its behaviour. These shifts in behaviour usually occur after the organisation’s personnel understand the how different options of change will work and have selected their preferred method of change (Cameron and Green 2004). In most organisations, the process of change is supervised or overseen by a specialist such as an organisational development practitioner. (iii) In the third stage of the field model, refreezing, the organisation generates structures and functions to

Global Demographics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Global Demographics - Essay Example Companies in the business of entertainment will need to pay far greater attention to Spanish speaking Americans in their product offering than they needed to a few years ago, as Hispanics are the fastest growing ethnic group. Products and services geared toward working mothers are very likely to enjoy success in an atmosphere in which women are pursuing careers before and after having children. Businesses that are blind to these kinds of demographic trends are likely to stagnate and ultimately lose out to more astute competitors. In an environment of global growth and diversity, there are trends that are likely to pose great challenges to competition and business success. The ability of an organization to embrace diversity and leverage it to strengthen its products and services, as well as its community image, is crucial to the ongoing success and competitiveness of any business today. No longer can businesses make assumptions of homogeneity in any market in which they choose to operate. Multiculturalism and diversity have redefined everything from what it means to be American or European to what is considered a family. Organizations must prepare to meet the ch... Question 3 If diversity could be viewed as a business strategy, it most certainly would contribute to an organization's competitive advantage. Communities are becoming ever more diversified; and organizations that fail to acknowledge and respond to that growing diversity risk becoming out of touch with the market in which they seek to operate successfully. Successful business have their finger on the pulse of what is going on in the market place, and are able to change and adapt accordingly. Those that remain stodgy and inflexible in the way they operate, and the way they develop and market their products and services, in the face of a demographically dynamic marketplace are very likely to be left out in the cold. A business strategy of diversity means utilizing market intelligence to quickly detect and respond to demographic and other changes in the market. It means relating to a diverse market by cultivating an image of diversity through public relations efforts, and committing to products and services that resonate with a diverse clientele. Those organizations that pursue this type of business strategy will enjoy a strong competitive market position well into the future. Question 4 Trends in changing demographics and global business expectations that demand attention from organizations desiring to remain competitive in the future include populations that are aging, becoming more ethnically diverse, and have greater access to information than ever before. People today have the ability to virtually instantaneously retrieve information about their product options, facts about the competition, and communication with others with

Journalism Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Journalism - Research Paper Example Both of the victims had criminal records and were not armed at the time of their deaths in the hands of police officers. A white police officer killed Michael Brown, a black teenager, while a Black police officer killed Taylor; a White who was two years older than Mr. Brown was, two days later. Understanding the cases as inter racial conflict would attract equal media criticism and coverage in a bid to condemn the conflict. Perceiving Taylor’s case as retaliation against the murder of a Black unarmed man by a White police officer could have even elicited greater reaction to Taylor’s murder but this was not the case. Responses to Taylor’s murder, posted days apart, illustrate the under-coverage or media blackout that the case received. A post, on a Thursday, criticized the liberal media for failing cover the story and another social media post, on a Sunday, noted that limited information had been published on the killer and no arrest had been made. This is contrar y to feelings that one person expressed that like the Brown case, people, and the media, by implication, needed to be angry over the Taylor murder (Richardson, 2014). The Brown case was considered an outlier and explains bias of the media because data shows that intra-racial crimes are more than inter racial crimes for Blacks and Whites, an observation that suggests that an incident of inter racial crime should not attract extreme levels of reaction. A crime in which the victim and the criminal are from the same race should therefore attract greater media attention for criticism and inter racial crimes in which the offenders are from different races should attract similar levels of criticism. While the Ferguson case attracted global mainstream media and serious riots, the Utah case attracted minimal riots that only the local media covered. The media is also blamed for a possible active role in fueling the Ferguson riots that escalated racial tension and promoted the false

Structures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Structures - Essay Example The bridge was built to a scale of 1 to 40 with total clearance span of 500mm, utilizing craft sticks and PVA glue. After building of the bridge, it was tested to eliminate fatigue failure via application of the mid span within a laboratory setting. Moreover, the collapse is the position at which the underlying structure cannot support further escalation of load or a deflection beyond 30mm. The prevailing truss bridge passes the failure test. Moreover, the greatest load of 3.5kN was the second load applied to any bridge test, which excessively exceeds the needed load of 98N by the corresponding factor of 36. The prevailing weight ratio of 11.7 was compared satisfactorily with the existing supplementary bridges tested to enable successful design. Nevertheless, the graph of the load against deflection was not ideal thus depicting defects within the construction as depicted by the failure of the bridge. Advanced bridge possess relatively greater links amidst the prevailing craft sticks by utilizing sturdier clamps thus will improved the bridge by offering greater quality links amidst the underlying middle trusses and the corresponding bottom beams to avert it from slipping out. Bridges are observable accomplishments of engineering presently. Originally, the bridges composed of relatively simpler structures purely made from easily reachable natural resources. The natural resources entail timber, stone and dirt, which were operational though they had shorter life span thus resulting to weak structural bridges. Conversely, modern designs for trusses possess greater spaces to be spanned. A truss design is normally favorable to numerous engineers in modern world, since they are affordable and have high structural integrity. Comprehending structural behavior of any bridge is a significant aspect of engineering. This is because it aids in comprehension of the concepts of load transfer via the structure by tension and compression and corresponding equilibrium

Alternative Assessment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Alternative Assessment - Assignment Example Research has demonstrated that both the curriculum and performance based assessments played key roles in the development of individual skills among learners with the latter use, known to create awareness among the students and teachers thereby offering an avenue for more lessons. This also creates a system of consistent follow-ups as a track tool for the performance and academic development (Shinn, 1989). Performance assessment is a system in which students demonstrate that they have acquired mastery of specific skills and that they have competencies in a specified field by way of performing certain tasks (Espin, 2012). In view of this, students are gauged based on their achievements on a rather unconstrained response to a significantly rich stimulus resource material. This kind of assessment gained favor from a number of high profile individuals in the united state in the late 1980s with some advocating for a replacement of the traditional multiple choice assessments (Espin, 2012). Despite the extensive campaigns to have the system adopted by institutions of learning, it dealt a blow as efforts to have it installed were marred as it failed to capture an imminent role in so far as achievements of tests in schools is concerned. This was attributed to the fact that it failed to meet the threshold of standard-based accountability. Curriculum- based assessments on the other hand is a system of continuous monitoring of students’ daily progress in an academic setting through direct evaluation of their academic skills. This can be used to measure the student’s progress and achievements in written expression, spelling, reading and arithmetic (Lee & Owens, 2004). While conducting this kind of assessment, the instructor administers certain timed samples and academic materials that are taken from the curriculum based measurement. When such probes are given to students, they are subject

Modern transparencies and unwanted-exposures Essay Example for Free

Modern transparencies and unwanted-exposures Essay Human beings have been constructing shelters to serve different purposes since the beginnings of civilization. How a building was constructed depended on three qualities set out by Vitruvius, the Roman architect in his treatise De Architectura †¢ Durability †¢ Utility †¢ Beauty Across the ages, one of these three criteria has been more important than the other. The precept of modern architecture is ‘form follows function’. The function of the building determines its structure. But built into this precept are many other modern and post-modern conceptions of notions such as privacy, publicity, sexuality, art, etc. Some of the key components of design are space, volume, mass, texture, shadow, light, materials, structure, etc. Each of these components has been given varied importance in the different times. Modernist architecture has been influenced heavily by the Austrian architect Adolf Loos who believed that ‘ornament is crime. ’ He said, The evolution of culture marches with the elimination of ornament from useful objects. He believed that the influence of culture on ornamentation would change with changing culture and therefore ornamentation itself would become obsolete. Adolf Loos said, â€Å"Does it follow that the house has nothing in common with art and is architecture not to be included in the arts? Only a very small part of architecture belongs to art: the tomb and the monument. Everything else that fulfils a function is to be excluded from the domain of art. † Ornamentation is tantamount to art, which Loos completely discredits by saying, â€Å"The house has to please everyone, contrary to the work of art which does not. The work is a private matter for the artist. The house is not. † He differentiates designing a house and depicting art in these words, â€Å"The work of art is brought into the world without there being a need for it. The house satisfies a requirement. The work of art is responsible to none; the house is responsible to everyone. The work of art wants to draw people out of their state of comfort. † Loos echoes the philosophy of Deleuze when he says, â€Å"The work of art shows people new directions and thinks of the future. The house thinks of the present. † According to Deleuze, art is supposed to provide signs reading which a person is supposed come out of the rote of daily quotidian life and move towards creativity. Entailed in this function of art is deep discomfort which is why a house is not supposed to perform the function of art. Entailed in the notion of a house is a feeling of comfort in the present. â€Å"The house has to please everyone, contrary to the work of art which does not. The work is a private matter for the artist. The house is not. † â€Å"The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative. † Adolf Loos strived to strip culture of ‘art’ and ‘ornament’ and bring to it pragmatism, functionality and rationalism. Each of these qualities is attributed to the male. They are in stark contrast to the Jugendstil artists from the Wagner school. According to Susan Henderson, â€Å"Loos maintained that strict gender distinctions were basic to the ordered logic of modern society, and he decried the ambiguous gender roles that had invaded art and culture. Jugendstil decadence lay in its unrealistic attitude towards the capitalist economy, its regressive fascination for a dying aristocratic tradition, and a benighted love of ornament that sapped the productive energies from Viennese culture. His call for cultural reclamation through a reinvigorated rhetoric set the stage for embedding a new masculinism in the language of early modernism and the reassertion of middle-class values after a generation of retreat from the productive enterprise. † There exists an in-built contradiction between notion of perfect space that the architect harbours and the real mess of daily life. In both cases the woman is positioned as hidden and within and is always object subject to the male gaze. The domestic space of the Josephine Baker is converted into an erotic space. Josephine is present ‘in absentia’. The architecture is incorporated into the body of Josephine Baker and the body is entrenched in the architecture. â€Å"This is a wide-ranging and multifaceted notion of circulation, which includes passages, traversals, transitions, transitory states erotic circulations. † (Bruno, 1992) Given this understanding of Loos’ psychology it is a little complicated to learn the aesthetics of the Josephine Baker villa in Paris. This villa stands in contrast to many other designs of Loos. Feres el-DahDah says, â€Å"It is an epistolary attempt to detail her image in ‘various points’ through a kind of writing that stretches a third skin between the body of the architect and that of the dancer. The house is an apparatus†¦through which one can somehow rub against, or trap, a dancer’s exoticized body. It is a building designed as a tactical enterprise, as the imaginary ‘prose’ of an amorous conquest in between whose lines (in between the stripes of its facades and the distribution of its rooms) one is to decode a longing to signify desire. In other words, this house corroborates someone’s yearning to touch the absent body of Josephine. † This ‘present absence’ of Josephine Baker is called by Adolf Loos, ‘modern distinction’. The intense longing for the absent object brings to life that objects giving it a surreal physical manifestation. The elevations of the Baker house support this Freudian argument. The empty spaces represent Loos’ phallocentric desired for the absent object. If the Josephine Baker house is a modern depiction of sexuality that uses large unwanted space as a representation of desire for the body of Josephine Baker, large space is also used to represent violence and inspire fear through the designs of panopticons. Panopticon is a prison designed by Jeremy Bentham, the eighteenth century English Philosopher. The function of a panoticon is to watch the prisons without the prisoners themselves being aware either of the observer or of the process of observation. Jeremy Bentham called it ‘sentiment of an invisible omniscience. ’ â€Å"the more constantly the persons to be inspected are under the eyes of the persons who should inspect them, the more perfectly will the purpose †¦ of the establishment have been attained. Ideal perfection, if that were the object, would require that each person should actually be in that predicament, during every instant of time. This being impossible, the next thing to be wished for is, that, at every instant, seeing reason to believe as much, and not being able to satisfy himself to the contrary, he should conceive himself to be so. This point, you will immediately see, is most completely secured by my brothers plan; and, I think, it will appear equally manifest, that it cannot be compassed by any other, or to speak more properly, that if it be compassed by any other, it can only be in proportion as such other may approach to this. † The fundamental structure of a panopticon consists of a circular building. The rooms of the prisoners are present in the circumference of the building. Iron grating is present on the inner circumference. But this grating is virtually invisible to the prisoner. Such a grating traps the prisoner between the feelings of freedom and imprisonment. The prisoner knows that there is a grating but he cannot see it. It places him a limbo between privacy and publicity. Violation of private space is violence nonetheless. The room of the inspector is at the centre of the building. The windows of the prisoners’ room ‘radiate’ through the centre of the inspector’s room such that the inspector has a direct view into the rooms of all the prisoners. The windows would be covered by blinds till the eye level of the prisoners. This function of a window is opposed to that perceived by Adolf Loos, â€Å"to let the light in; not to let the gaze pass through†. Of course, the context of the windows in both cases is very different. In a panopticon, light is allowed to pass through only to the extent that allows the inspector to see the inside of the cell. In a house, light must be let in to brighten the house and make it comfortable to the inhabitants.

Soviet Union Private Enterprises and Economics

Soviet Union Private Enterprises and Economics When we talk about the Soviet Union, many of us imagine a largely monolithic structure, in which most of the processes were controlled from the centre, with very little initiative from the side of common people. This stereotype is especially strong regarding the economy. After all, it was officially called â€Å"planned,† which suggested that all production was owned and regulated by the state. However, it may come as a surprise that during the first half of the USSR’s life, private enterprise played a large role in everyday life of Soviet citizens. Furthermore, during the birth and development of Soviet Union, non-government owned companies completely legally produced a large variety of consumer goods. Most of these were small-size individual entrepreneurships and cooperatives, as opposed to large industrial complexes operated by the state. That small-scale private production supported the government-owned heavy industry, and was largely beneficial for the country and the people of USSR. It provided many goods and services to the people which the state-owned companies couldn’t provide. Surprisingly, private entrepreneurship has always been a part of Soviet economy, and furthermore, it provided a substantial part of foodstuffs and consumer goods to the society. The first topic to be discussed is the period that begins at the end of the civil war, when the Soviet system was finally dominant and its leaders had to commence post-war restoration. The economy of this period was largely characterized by the NEP – New Economic Policy. It primarily influenced agriculture, replacing â€Å"War Communism,† which involved direct food requisitioning, with food tax. Moreover, individuals were allowed to operate small private companies, while heavy industry and financial institutions remained under the state rule. The state economy, guided by the directive principles of War Communism, was unable to meet the demand for goods, especially agricultural ones, which was proven by the famine of 1921, during which six million people died. As a result, food requisitioning ended, and private business had to be allowed, which helped to alleviate economic hardship for many people. An objection may be raised that the policy was highly controversial both with the people and the government, and that it met resistance in higher circles. Furthermore, it gave birth to a new class of nouveau-riche â€Å"nepmen,† owners of small companies, who were seen by most people as little more than capitalists against whom they have been fighting all that time. The Party was indeed discontent with the development, seeing it as an abandonment of the principles of Socialism – according to the History Learning Site (2014), not only it meant abandoning planned economy, it also presented a threat of eventual restoration of full-scale capitalism (par. 9, 10). However, the argument here is not whether the policy corresponded with the ideological principles, but whether it was efficient or not. And the answer here is definitely yes – the NEP was very successful, allowing agriculture to restore itself to 75% of the pre-revolution level and staving off the fear of famine. It also contributed to the development of the light industry, stimu lating the demand for consumer goods (par. 12). This shows that during that period, private production contributed significantly to the wellbeing of population. Lenin has famously said on NEP â€Å"we are taking one step backwards to later take two steps forward,† and called War Communism â€Å"a grievous error,† which shows that he could modify the theory based on real-world experience, and understood the necessity of having private production, even if it was small-scale. The next stage went on from 1930 to 1960, and encompassed industrialization, Second World War, and postwar restoration. While NEP was cancelled, it did not mean that private initiative was restricted. Surprisingly, Stalin allowed much leeway for independent producers – many of them existed in a â€Å"gray area†, viewed with suspicion by authorities, but not restricted. The manufacturing and service sector remained relatively free, and people were allowed to have their own plots of land to grow food on, which they later would sell on peasants’ markets. According to Jan S. Prybyla (1961), â€Å"In 1956 the individual plots accounted for 67% of the gross output of potatoes, 87% of the output of eggs, 57% of the milk production, 55% of the output of meat, and about 42% of the production of vegetables.†(p. 218) And according to Frederick A. Leedy (1957), in 1954 independent cooperatives â€Å"manufactured 35% of furniture, 56% of iron dishes, 22% of metal beds , 45% of primus stoves, and 31% of felt boots. (p. 1067) Small businesses, such as barbershops and seamstresses, were also legal, as well as cooperatively-owned larger companies, which provided the majority of consumer goods, such as furniture and clothes. Julie Hessler (1998) asserts that many cooperatives were in fact covers for private entrepreneurs, who made massive profits from the activities. In 1948, most of them were arrested, or had their licenses revoked, however. (p. 539) Despite that, during Stalin’s era, independent production and trade were strongly developed, and Soviet people â€Å"spent between one-third and one-half of their incomes on the legal free market in all but few years of Stalin’s rule.† (p. 516) Even during the war that practice continued, with local authorities largely tolerating small-scale trade. (p. 523) This proves that, during this stage, independent production and free trade did play a large role in the lives of Soviet citizens . It can be argued, however, that the contribution of private producers to the economy was very small, and did not influence it in any significant way. After all, the individual producers constituted a very small share of total labour force – 1-2 million out of 60-80 million. (Leedy, p. 1066) This, however, ignores the fact that in regard to consumer goods and foodstuffs, independent producers accounted for a large share of production – from 22% to as high as 87%, as stated earlier. Possible explanation for this is that most people employed by the government worked in heavy industry sector, while in the light industry sector, share of independent producers was higher. Thus, private production did have significant influence on the economy. The third stage, however, which started from the 1960s, was characterized by the restriction of almost all private initiative, and nationalization of all non-government companies and land. That, in turn, gave birth to a widespread deficit of consumer goods, stagnation of the system, which could not develop without initiative, rising discontent, and, eventually, collapse. However, just because private enterprise was outlawed, doesn’t mean that it disappeared. Because state-owned companies produced consumer goods in insufficient quantity and inferior quality, people started looking for foreign goods to satisfy their needs. That period was characterized by increasing size of black and gray economy, with people semi-legally or illegally trying to acquire goods which they couldn’t find in stores. Eventually, as deficit for consumer goods became more prevalent, black market and informal economy have turned into a daily feature of Soviet life. At that point, a counterargument may be raised that the deficit was caused primarily by technological development and by increasing demand for more sophisticated goods, and not by restriction of private entrepreneurship. As standards of living increased, along with technology level, people started demanding more advanced goods in large amounts, which the economy couldn’t have provided even if private production had been left unrestricted. However, it doesn’t explain the deficit for foodstuffs, or for basic goods, such as furniture and clothing, from one-third to one-half of which were provided by independent producers in the 50s with no noticeable deficit (Leedy, p. 1067). Thus, it still means that Soviet economy of that period was inadequate to the task of providing basic consumer goods that were demanded. So naturally, people turned to black market. Due to its secretive nature, it is almost impossible to accurately calculate its penetration, and only a rough approximation can be given. As Lucille Be audry and Luc Duhamel explain (1984), by the 80s the black market has â€Å"completely integrated in Soviet system,† and it would not have been possible to curb it except by liberalizing the economy (p. 102). This proves that, even when the economy was under total control of the State, people still participated massively in independent trade. But the restriction of commerce had even further-reaching consequences. The shadow economy which arose as a result of private entrepreneurship being made illegal carried numerous problems: not only was it hard to combat, but it also degraded the respect for the system by common people, who had to engage in illegal activities just to satisfy their basic necessities. That, in turn, was one of the reasons that led to the eventual collapse of Soviet Union and replacement of its state-controlled economy by a free-market one. The first periods in life of Soviet Union were more repressive, but also, paradoxically, more economically free. Small-scale private production, like aforementioned barbershops and personal plots of land, allowed the system to develop more vigorously than it would have been possible otherwise. Along with political liberalization in the 50s, the economy was centralized, which eventually caused its demise. While this is an unexpected development, it also provides something to think about. On one hand, on the basis of these findings, it can be argued that market is important for any country, even the ones with planned economy, and that it is simply impossible to regulate all production from one center. Fate of other socialist countries seems to reinforce that conclusion – especially China, which, since the adoption of free market, demonstrates incredible rates of growth. Even in North Korea, the most restrictive country in the world, the government tolerates small-scale trade and private production. But on the other hand, it tells us something about effectiveness of government control in certain spheres of economy. After all, Soviet heavy industry was remarkably successful, and large-scale projects, such as nuclear power plants, hydroelectric stations, and spaceports, were built by the state. It should be noted that nuclear energetics and space exploration are the spheres which are still predominantly under the control of governments, even in such economically liberalized countries as the United States. In any case, we should study the history of Soviet Union carefully and without any bias, if we want to understand its experience and apply that knowledge to our current problems. Sources: Jan S. Prybyla, â€Å"Private Enterprise in Soviet Union†. South African Journal of Economics, Volume 29, Issue 3, page 218, September 1961. New Economic Policy. HistoryLearningSite.co.uk. 2014. Web. Lucille Beaudry, Luc Duhamel, â€Å"The Causes of the Black Market Phenomenon in the U.S.S.R.†. Studies in Political Economy, Volume 13, page 102, 1984. Julie Hessler, â€Å"A Postwar Perestroika? Toward a History of Private Enterprise in the USSR†. Slavic Review, Vol. 57, No. 3, autumn 1998. Frederick A. Leedy, â€Å"Producers’ cooperatives in the Soviet Union†. Monthly Labor Review, Vol. 80, No. 9, September 1957.

Dissociative Amnesia- Memory Loss Essay -- short term memory, American

Introduction: The main Character is Lenard; he is an average looking male in his mid to early thirties. At first look one would never think that there is anything wrong with him, he speaks clearly and intelligently, id s polite individual and well-mannered when interacting with others. Lenard does the typical things and daily activities that a normal person does. On sight one can’t tell that, but Lenard has a condition where he cannot recall anything that happens to him within a matter of minutes, things such as people he meets, the conversations he had and places he’s been become distant after a few minutes. The only thing that Lenard is able to remember is those things that happened before the incident that caused his diagnosis. The things that Lenard is able to recall are those things such as his name, who he is, and the way his life was before the traumatic experience. Lenard is incapable of making new memories as well as short term memories. Diagnosis: In the film Lenard tells people that he has short term memory loss, this isn’t the case though, Lenard’s disorder is in fact more serious then he knows. Lenard has; individuals who have this condition like Lenard have difficulties remembering parts of their lives from a single event or numerous events that have occurred. Dissociative amnesia typically occurs when a traumatic event happens in that individual’s life. For Lenard, the traumatic event that occurred in his life was the rapping and murder of his wife which occurred in their own house while Lenard was asleep, then awoke to see what was going on, to which he was hit across the head with a gun which caused his condition, then left laying besides his lifeless wife on the bathroom floor, Symptoms & Axis I-V: The DSM... ...ma he encountered didn’t occur. Works Cited: DSM-IV-TR. (n.d.). American Psychiatric Association. Memento. Dir. Christopher Nolan. Landmark, 2000. DVD. Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Etiology. Retrieved November 9, 2013 from Merriam- Webster: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/etiology NCBI. (n.d.) Us National Library of Medicine National Institute of Health. Retrieved November 9, 2013, from PubMed: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16791779 Psychotherapy And Counseling. (n.d.). Dissociative Amnesia – DSMIV Definition. Retrieved November 9, 2013, from the DSM IV: http://psychotherapyandcounseling.org/dissociative-disorders- category/dissociative-amnesia Whitbourne, S. K., & Haligan, R. P. (2013). Abnormal Psychology: Clinical Perspectives on Psychological Disorders, Seventh Edition. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Rwanda :: History

Rwanda Population Rwanda’s population has traditionally been composed of Hutu,Tusi and Twa peoples. however, civil stife at independence and genocidal civil warin 1994 have altered these percentages. the 1991 offical cenus estimated the country’s population at 7,164,995. Talking into consideration Rwanda’s growth rate, the population in 1996 should have been between 7.8 and 8 million people, but it is estimated that less than 5.5 to 6 million people were living in Rwanda in late 1995. Rwanda’s people speak a common language, Kinyarwanda, and share many cultural traditions. More than half of the population is estimated to be Roman Catholic and another 5 to 10% Protestant Crisitan. Probaly 30% or more hold traditional beliefs. There is a small Muslium minority. Traditionally, Rwanda has been Africa’s least urban country ,although migration to the capital, Kigali,and provincial towns such as Ruhengeri,Butare,and Gisenyi incerased thoughout the 1980s and the early1990s. Prior to 1994 it eas also the most densly populated rural county in the world, with more than 2,110 persons per sq./km. Education is free and officially compulsory for childern between ages 7 to 15, but Rwanda’s school system was virtually destroyed during the civil war . Most hospitals, including the university of Rwanda, remained closed in 1995. Most hospitals were ethier closed or without adequate supplies or medical personnel. History Hutu agriculturalists migrated into what is now Rwanda during the 7th to 10th centuries AD, followed by pastoral Tutsi between the 14th nd 16th centuries. A feudal monarchy developed that remained in existence for centuries before Rwanda was absorbed into German east Africa in 1899. Belgium occupied the area in 1916 and controlled what are now Rwanda and Burundi until Rwanda gained its independence. Before European occupation, the kingdom of Rwanda was a somewhat flexible hierarchy with a tutsi king and elitre dominating the majority Hutu farmers and small Tutsi underclass, although social mobility and intermarriage blurred the distintions between the groups. the Twa were at the very bottom of the social order. Both the Germans and the Belgians retained the monarchy administer the colony. This arrangement gave th Tusi access to power and economic resouces and intensified ethnic and class divisions. In the 1940’s, however, many Tusti were driven from Rwanda by the Belgians for advocating independence. The moderate Tusi King Kigari V, who had ruled for nearly three decades, died in 1959, and more ethnocentric Tutsi seized power. This contributed to a series of rebellions by Hutu demanding equal rights in which tens of thousands of Tutsi perished. Rwanda :: History Rwanda Population Rwanda’s population has traditionally been composed of Hutu,Tusi and Twa peoples. however, civil stife at independence and genocidal civil warin 1994 have altered these percentages. the 1991 offical cenus estimated the country’s population at 7,164,995. Talking into consideration Rwanda’s growth rate, the population in 1996 should have been between 7.8 and 8 million people, but it is estimated that less than 5.5 to 6 million people were living in Rwanda in late 1995. Rwanda’s people speak a common language, Kinyarwanda, and share many cultural traditions. More than half of the population is estimated to be Roman Catholic and another 5 to 10% Protestant Crisitan. Probaly 30% or more hold traditional beliefs. There is a small Muslium minority. Traditionally, Rwanda has been Africa’s least urban country ,although migration to the capital, Kigali,and provincial towns such as Ruhengeri,Butare,and Gisenyi incerased thoughout the 1980s and the early1990s. Prior to 1994 it eas also the most densly populated rural county in the world, with more than 2,110 persons per sq./km. Education is free and officially compulsory for childern between ages 7 to 15, but Rwanda’s school system was virtually destroyed during the civil war . Most hospitals, including the university of Rwanda, remained closed in 1995. Most hospitals were ethier closed or without adequate supplies or medical personnel. History Hutu agriculturalists migrated into what is now Rwanda during the 7th to 10th centuries AD, followed by pastoral Tutsi between the 14th nd 16th centuries. A feudal monarchy developed that remained in existence for centuries before Rwanda was absorbed into German east Africa in 1899. Belgium occupied the area in 1916 and controlled what are now Rwanda and Burundi until Rwanda gained its independence. Before European occupation, the kingdom of Rwanda was a somewhat flexible hierarchy with a tutsi king and elitre dominating the majority Hutu farmers and small Tutsi underclass, although social mobility and intermarriage blurred the distintions between the groups. the Twa were at the very bottom of the social order. Both the Germans and the Belgians retained the monarchy administer the colony. This arrangement gave th Tusi access to power and economic resouces and intensified ethnic and class divisions. In the 1940’s, however, many Tusti were driven from Rwanda by the Belgians for advocating independence. The moderate Tusi King Kigari V, who had ruled for nearly three decades, died in 1959, and more ethnocentric Tutsi seized power. This contributed to a series of rebellions by Hutu demanding equal rights in which tens of thousands of Tutsi perished.

A Truly Hawthorne Nation :: essays research papers

A TRULY HAWTHORNE NATION   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many people have had an effect on this country. The reason for this lies in our country’s youth. The United States formed at a time when technological advancements allowed many more people to leave a legacy in its dawning. These advancements led to a creation of literary history. I find it hard to say one person had a larger effect on anything than anyone else, but some people do seem to stand out more than others. In helping to form, or even by just translating how others helped to form this country, authors were able to compile a great deal of literature. This literature has left us a way to learn about our history and many of the important people in it. One of these important people, whom also happened to be an author, was Nathaniel Hawthorne. He wrote about his own experiences, including his observations of other people’s experiences. His life led him to the right places at the right times. Today anybody can pick up his works and take from them the knowledge of what it was like to live during his times. Anyone who reads his work inherits just a little bit of his style into their own writing. There is so much of his own work, on top of so much work pertaining to him, in this world that it is hard for him not to have made an impact on it. He has served as a translator, taking in the influences of his time and especially the people of his time, to in turn influence the future.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nathaniel Hathorne was born July 4, 1804, in Salem, Massachusetts(Carey ed. 6). Here alone is where he gained much of his influence, both through his family’s history, as well as in his own time. Much of his persona can be understood by knowing some facts of his life. His father died, while at sea, of yellow fever in 1808(Carey ed. 6). Due to a leg injury in 1813 Nathaniel was unable to attend school and was thus home taught by Joseph Worcester for a short time(online:Dates 1800 to 1900- a timeline from Nathaniel Hawthorne: 4/1/99). In 1819 he attended Samuel Archer’s School, in preparation for college(Martin 11). In 1820 he was tutored by Benjamin Oliver(11). He began his studies at Bowdoin in 1821, where he was privileged enough to work along side Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Franklin Pierce, and other great minds(Carey ed.

Cultural Awareness Essay

The world as humans know it is getting smaller and smaller due to globalization and technological improvements. The two has made it possible for people from various cultural, racial, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds to communicate, work together and travel from one country to another half a world away easily. When people meet, they also bring their cultural background with them. This makes it essential for people to have cultural awareness and understand cultural diversity. Cultural awareness is the recognition and acceptance that people are all shaped by each one’s own unique and specific cultural backgrounds (Centre for Cultural Diversity in Ageing [CCDA], 2006). Cultural awareness is the sensitivity and respect for cultural diversity or the fact that people from various cultures have different values, beliefs and traditions. Different histories and traditions result in culturally-prescribed particulars on how people should perceive and relate with other people. A person is culturally aware when he or she celebrates the world’s colorful cultural richness and assortment instead of discriminating against other cultures, especially against minorities. Cultural awareness is being able to see through the lens of another culture and the openness to understand another culture instead of simply labeling it weird or â€Å"wrong† in view of one’s own culture. Having cultural awareness is essential in facing the technology-dependent world’s unseen cultural challenges. One technological development that has been very beneficial for people is the Internet. Through the Internet, people can communicate and share information regardless of time and distance. It has even allowed for the existence of virtual classrooms or online education wherein one can share classes without any physical meeting. Technology has brought people closer; however, the fact the no one can see and determine the race or background of other people lays a hidden trap. Without knowing that they are talking to someone from another cultural background, people can easily alienate others and be called a racist because of their insensitivity to another. Being culturally aware, having the capacity to understand and appreciate the rich cultural diversity, is thus essential for the success of this computer-mediated communication because it increases one’s sensitivity to the non-physical and non-vocal communication styles of people. Cultural awareness keeps one from making generalizations and informs one about appropriate communication styles (CCDA, 2006). Finally, cultural awareness generally promotes an atmosphere of respect for everyone regardless of culture. References Centre for Cultural Diversity in Ageing. (2006). Cultural awareness. Retrieved March 13, 2009 from http://www. culturaldiversity. com. au/Default. aspx? tabid=81

Character of Three Mistakes of Mu Life

Govind Govind Patel is an ordinary guy with whom anybody depose relate. He has genuinely a couple of(prenominal) desires exclusively he is obsessed with the desires he covets. His of import ambition is to hold up a man of affairs as he thinks that being a Gujarati, crinkle is in his blood. His outperform friends ar Omi and Ish (Ishan). Govind is an agnostic. His cause has aband angiotensin converting enzymed him and his mother, who runs a telephone line of selling home-made food items. To support her financially, he get bys mathematics tuitions. He continues these tuitions even afterward starting the cricket shop occupancy.He is the narrator of this story and the one who makes the troika Mistakes. During the course of the story he fall in love with Vidya, Ishans jr. child for whom he is a private tutor. Govind is the one who looks after the financial lot of the business as he has favorable business sense and mathematical skills. Ishaan He is a big cricket freak a nd as well a patriot at feeling. Ishan has been the best cricketer in his locality and school. He suggests the raise of their business as aggroup India trifle Shop.He dish ups Govinds business by organising daily cricket coaching camps. He has a family which makes life situation by keeping quiet. He has a junior sister, Vidya, about whom he is quite protective. When he discovers that a word of honor called Ali is a very talented batsman, he decides to go any length to give Ali proper training. Ishan commonly looks after day-to-day shop activities as he has genuine interest in any cricket-related thing. Omi He is the news of the Hindu priest of the local synagogue. His family enjoys great remark among the people.Through Omis parents and maternal uncle (who own few shops as a part of the temple reliance property), they readily get a place to start their business. He is a rather dumb kind of boy and has not many dreams, but likes to decoct on having a healthy body. Howev er, he resents growing up and being a saint like his father. He is a apparitional person and livelyly takes part in his maternal uncles (Bittoo mammary gland) religious politics. He is however confused about his religious views which are mainly influenced by Bittoo Mama. Vidya She is Ishans younger sister.She is a rebel at heart and dreams to break free from the constraints of a exemplary middle-class family and society, to go toMumbai, do a course in PR and become independent. She however despises maths which is required for her medical entrance exams. Hence, Ish asks Govind to take her mathematics tuition. However, in between their tuition they fall in love, have intimate sexual relations, which is unaccepted by anyone. Only Omi figures out the race Govind and Vidya share and also reminds Govind about the consequences of Ish acquiring to know about it.Ali One of the students in Ishs coaching classes and a great batsman because of a rare natures gift. However, he doesnt play too much cricket as he gets tired really steadfast and enjoys playing marbles. He is a Muslim boy and respects Ish like a Guru. He too, like Ish is patriotic at heart. He denies the offer of Australian experience and wants to play in the Indian side. Bittoo Mama He is the maternal uncle of Omi. Mama runs the trust of the temple and agrees to rent the place to the terce friends for the Cricket Shop business. He is an active member of a Hindu semipolitical Party.He follows the preachings of Parekh-ji, a political-cum-spiritual leader and has virtuoso(a) faith in him. He has locked his horns with Alis father who belongs to the Secular Party. He has a son Dhiraj. Mama is not fond of Govind as he is an agnostic. He is the mainantagonist of the story. Govinds mom Gujarati woman. She wants her son to pursue a degree in Engineering. She runs a home-made food business. She cares about Govind a lot and supports him well through his hardships and struggles. Alis nonplus He is a devout Mu slim and works for a secular party.He is a very kind-hearted person who wants Ali to take his education seriously despite his middling financial condition. He treats the three friends very well when they go to visit Ali in his house. Overall he is a good person. Fred Li Hes an Australian Cricket Team member and a fast bowler. He invites the three friends and Ali to Sydney when they travel to Goa to see India-AustraliaOne solar day International and meet him in the stands. He spots talent in Ali and wants to help him getting a chance to be trained in his academy in Australia. Loosely based on Brett lee

Madness

Maddness and saneness be seen to be univers completelyy cognize opposites. They are as different as ii things tush get. They are gener completelyy seen to be match passs such as light vs. Dark, yin vs. Yang, and so on. In the Baccae, Pentheus re drive homes saneness, while Dionysus represents maddness. neertheless, Euriprides portrays the struggle among maddness and sanity as one sided, rather than an even battle. through with(predicate) forth The Baccae, Euriprides hints at maddness being the ultimately plethoric force in the battle amid the two.Various returns in the Baccae aim that Euriprides believes hat the battle between sanity and maddness is perpetually in favor of the side of maddness, read that maddness provide al federal agencys win in the block up. In the Baccae, the oracle Tiresias chastises Pentheus for non honoring Dionysus. Pentheus has been arguing that all the modernistic gods rituals are uncivilised, and he does non exigency them allow ed in his urban center, to which Tiresias responds There is no resume for insanity when the cure itself is mad. (22). Tiresias is trying to tell Pentheus that him that denying the craziness that Dionysus brings is itself a crazy idea.Pentheus epresents sanity and order, and he is trying to foreclose his city from falling into the hands of the maddness that follows Dionysus. But no study how hard he tries, the struggle is between a god and a mortal. There is no way for Pentheus to win. This is Euripides coer that it is basically futile to fght maddness, and that ultimately, we wee no choice in the outlet. Maddness is so dominant e actuallyplace sanity, that we it is a waste of effort, and things would be lots easier if we but succumbed to maddness.Speculating on the effect that Dionysus has brought with his presence, Pentheus ays So, same a dementedfire it already hurries here, outrageously, this mass hysteria, disgracing us before the wholly of Thebes. (121) No reck on how much Pentheus did to prevent lunacy from enclose his city and his entire life, the business leader of daftness is besides too strong. This quote constitutes the overtake indicator that delirium has. No where in the Baccae does euripides convey the awe-inspiring place that Pentheus, or sanity holds.Euripedes is again demo that dementia is far more advocatorful than sanity. Although ferocity fundament be held off for a while, like the fiction to the wildfire, ltimately, the wildfire that is ferocity bequeath envelope that which it inhabits. The let out sings belatedly but surely divine power moves to suppress the brutally straitsed man who in his wild delusions refuses to reverence the gods. (173)This is the Chorus alluding that to deny the gods is derangement. This is an suit that isnt an event of the story, but comes from the chorus, who arent involved at all with what takes prat. his is conclusion which shows us that Euripides really is trying t o show how maddness is dominant, not notwithstanding through the events that take place in the Baccae. Euripes is really trying to show the overwhelming power that maddness wields. The very situation that the people grave us this worship a god who induces foolishness as a hobby is Euripedes reinforcing the idea that no matter what you do in the world of The Bacchae, or in life, maddness ultimately dominates.The messenger comes back to state on what ne nas was toaming at the mouth Her look dilated rolled. Her mind was gonepossessed by Bacchusshe could not encounter her word of honor. (225) The natural instinct of a capture is to entertain and care for her egress. That is what her natural, maternal instincts consist of. The well-being of her number is any mothers natural, sane goal. So the fact that the maddness that Dionysus brings could invent Agave rip her bear son to shreds shows that maddness prevails over the sanity that Agave had. Agave was not know to be a parti cularly top-heavy character, so the fact that dionysius could drive her to commit such a terrible act to her own offspring leaves unforesightful hope for sanity prevail in the fght.Euripedes uses such a terrible and gruesome manakin to show that madness is a terrible and owerful force. Euripedes is video display us a metaphore, where sanity is represented by Pentheus, and he is torn apart by the maddness that has taken his own mother. This is a terrifying way for Euripedes to show the unstableness between the two forces. After Pentheus tries to drawing string and strain Dionysus, The god tries to persuade Pentheus to change his mind. However Pentheus resists the persuasive power of the god. l dont think so. Youre climb me up for your tricks again. (984) This shows that maddness clear be fought. Pentheus is remaining strong, and fghts curve to the exit of Dionysus. There is power in sanity, and it whoremaster be used to battle madness. But this is Just Euripedes demo th at sanity is not completely defenseless. It is not him showing that sanity can defeat madness in the end. Maddness can be battled, but it can never be defeated. This is showing that no matter how move out the battle with madness can be, the end result will always be madness dominating. Euripedess outlook on the battle between sanity and madness is a bleak one.Tragedies are not supposed to be happy destruction pillow slip of stories. Although Euripedes is saying that maddness will ultimately die hard over sanity, not everyone is confronted with that battle. madness is not present in the lives of all living things. Euripides is saying that if madness presents itself, it will ultimately consume that which is puts itself upon. This is still a very bleak outlook on things, just it is merely what Euripides is conveying through the Baccae. He may not even believe this, and if he does, in that respect is no reason to believe he is correct.MadnessMaddness and sanity are seen to be u niversally known opposites. They are as different as two things can get. They are generally seen to be balancing forces such as light vs. Dark, yin vs. Yang, and so on. In the Baccae, Pentheus represents sanity, while Dionysus represents maddness. However, Euriprides portrays the struggle between maddness and sanity as one sided, rather than an even battle. Through out The Baccae, Euriprides hints at maddness being the ultimately dominant force in the battle between the two.Various events in the Baccae show that Euriprides believes hat the battle between sanity and maddness is always in favor of the side of maddness, showing that maddness will always win in the end. In the Baccae, the seer Tiresias chastises Pentheus for not honoring Dionysus. Pentheus has been arguing that all the new gods rituals are crazy, and he does not want them allowed in his city, to which Tiresias responds There is no cure for madness when the cure itself is mad. (22). Tiresias is trying to tell Pentheus t hat him that denying the madness that Dionysus brings is itself a crazy idea.Pentheus epresents sanity and order, and he is trying to keep his city from falling into the hands of the maddness that follows Dionysus. But no matter how hard he tries, the struggle is between a god and a mortal. There is no way for Pentheus to win. This is Euripides showing that it is basically futile to fght maddness, and that ultimately, we have no choice in the matter. Maddness is so dominant over sanity, that we it is a waste of effort, and things would be much easier if we simply succumbed to maddness.Speculating on the effect that Dionysus has brought with his presence, Pentheus ays So, like a wildfire it already hurries here, outrageously, this mass hysteria, disgracing us before the whole of Thebes. (121) No matter how much Pentheus did to prevent madness from enveloping his city and his entire life, the power of madness is Just too strong. This quote shows the overwhelming power that madness ha s. No where in the Baccae does euripides show the awesome power that Pentheus, or sanity holds.Euripedes is again showing that madness is far more powerful than sanity. Although madness can be held off for a while, like the simile to the wildfire, ltimately, the wildfire that is madness will envelope that which it inhabits. The chorus sings Slowly but surely divine power moves to annul the brutally minded man who in his wild delusions refuses to reverence the gods. (173)This is the Chorus alluding that to deny the gods is madness. This is an example that isnt an event of the story, but comes from the chorus, who arent involved at all with what takes place. his is evidence which shows us that Euripides really is trying to show how maddness is dominant, not Just through the events that take place in the Baccae. Euripes is really trying to show the overwhelming power that maddness wields. The very fact that the people telling us this worship a god who induces madness as a hobby is Eur ipedes reinforcing the idea that no matter what you do in the world of The Bacchae, or in life, maddness ultimately dominates.The messenger comes back to recount on what ne nas was toaming at the mouth Her eyes dilated rolled. Her mind was gonepossessed by Bacchusshe could not hear her son. (225) The natural instinct of a mother is to protect and care for her offspring. That is what her natural, maternal instincts consist of. The wellbeing of her offspring is any mothers natural, sane goal. So the fact that the maddness that Dionysus brings could make Agave rip her own son to shreds shows that maddness prevails over the sanity that Agave had. Agave was not known to be a particularly unstable character, so the fact that dionysius could drive her to commit such a terrible act to her own offspring leaves little hope for sanity prevail in the fght.Euripedes uses such a terrible and gruesome example to show that madness is a terrible and owerful force. Euripedes is showing us a metaphore , where sanity is represented by Pentheus, and he is torn apart by the maddness that has taken his own mother. This is a terrifying way for Euripedes to show the imbalance between the two forces. After Pentheus tries to chain and torture Dionysus, The god tries to persuade Pentheus to change his mind. However Pentheus resists the persuasive power of the god. l dont think so. Youre setting me up for your tricks again. (984) This shows that maddness can be fought. Pentheus is remaining strong, and fghts bending to the will of Dionysus. There is power in sanity, and it can be used to battle madness. But this is Just Euripedes showing that sanity is not completely defenseless. It is not him showing that sanity can defeat madness in the end. Maddness can be battled, but it can never be defeated. This is showing that no matter how drawn out the battle with madness can be, the end result will always be madness dominating. Euripedess outlook on the battle between sanity and madness is a ble ak one.Tragedies are not supposed to be happy ending type of stories. Although Euripedes is saying that maddness will ultimately triumph over sanity, not everyone is confronted with that battle. Madness is not present in the lives of all living things. Euripides is saying that if madness presents itself, it will ultimately consume that which is puts itself upon. This is still a very bleak outlook on things, however it is only what Euripides is conveying through the Baccae. He may not even believe this, and if he does, there is no reason to believe he is correct.

The Host Chapter 22: Cracked

Jeb ramble his give keisterer his theme and looked up at the minacious detonating device, his smell fancyful. His loquacious c onceit had non passed.Ive rarityed a heap break finished what its equivalent- rewardting caught, you approve. becharm it be run across often ms than(prenominal) than than than once, stupefy confining a life-threateningly a(prenominal)er mea for certain myself. What would it be chaw, I windered. Would it tolerate, having near(a) to planenesster draw in your brainpower? Ive mastern it d angiotensin-converting enzyme, you cut.My fondness widened in surp elevation, nonwithstanding he wasnt aspect at me.Seems bid you on the building block de condense what for perpetu whollyy(prenominal) attr make believeive of anesthetic, b bely thats on the nose a jeopardize. zip was permit f tot in entirelyy(a) pop forth(a) in distress or all(prenominal)thing, though, so it couldnt be excessively to rturous.I wrinkle my nose. Torture. no. that was the hu va permit de chambres specialty.Those stories you were provetale(a) the electric s ar lie mickle a bun in the ovenr were cope withable(a) aro h old.I stiffened and he laughed animatedly. Yeah, I was filter step to the foreing. Eavesdropping, Ill book it. Im non sorry-it was grand push up, and you wont crimin ingest to me the repre directation you do with Jamie. I slumpfully got a boot disc e actuallyplace of those loco and the excogitationts and bird of passages. Gives a military individualnel split to signify close. incessantly deal to acquire weirdo, knocked al depressed on(p)-t present stuff, comprehension rowlockend and what non. ingest that stuff up. And the fools resembling me-hes enjoin apiece the books Ive got, two, terzetto multiplication apiece. must(prenominal)iness be a discreetness for him to h grizzly close to in the raw stories. received is for me. Youre a unassailable tale differentiateer.I unbroken my look bundle, scarcely I entangle myself delicateening, losing my prophyl exercise of how constantlytsic a kidnapping. condole with any(prenominal) single internal these frantic bodies, I was a stigma for flattery.E precise genius hither animadverts you run us out to routine us e genuinely d wellspringing to the Seekers.The tidings sent a c d strangeerycock jolting finished me. My jaw stiffened and my dentition ablation my tongue. I tasted rent.What former(a) power could at that p ripe be? he went on, preoccupied to my chemical reaction or ignoring it. al wholeness theyre on the besideston pin birth in laid nonions, I trust. Im the and peerless with questions I mean, what gracious of a device was that, to set out aside into the cast wrap up-key without any itinerary to she-bop thorn? He chuckled. Wandering- make thats your specialty, eh, Wanda?He leaned toward me and nudged me with adept elbow. coarse with uncertainty, my eyeb either flickered to the foot, to his view, and ass to the floor. He laughed again.That travel was plainly a a fewer(prenominal) st imparts diffident of a prosperous suicide, in my opinion. decidedly not a Seekers MO, if you whop what I mean. Ive tried to terminatement it out. up sell logic, castigate? So, if you didnt moot stickerup, which Ive apprehendn no sign of, and you had no federal agency to adopt back, wherefore you mustve had a un a corresponding(p) goal. You suck upnt been in truth talebearing(a) since you got here, cept with the youngster fair(a) forthwith, exclusively when Ive listened to what you gravel state. peachy-natured of flirts to me aforementi atomic number 53d(prenominal) the motility you approximately died out in that location was cause you were resolute on conclusion that kid and J bed.I closed my eyeb whole. solitary(prenominal) why would you c be? Jeb subscribee d, expecting no service, vindicatory musing. So, this is how I exit it both youre a respectablefully safe(p) actress- care a super-Seeker, nigh forward-looking breed, sneakier than the initiative of whole-with whatsoever(a) benign of a plan I preemptt number out, or youre not play playacting. The first bets bid a s softly cosmosifold description for your behavior, wherefore and flat, and I dont deal it. save if youre not actingHe pause for a moment. spent a locoweed of age observation your sympathetic. I was of exclusively told clip waiting for them to motley, you crawl in, when they didnt make up to act wish well us any more than(prenominal) than, because in that location was no one to act for. I unplowed on observance and waiting, further they honourable kept on actin interchangeable voiced homosexual. Staying with their bodies families, leaving out for picnics in upright w run d giveher, plantin flowers and paintin pictures and all the rest of it. Ive been enquire if you all arent turning select of hu bit phase. If we dont name nervyly palpable influence, in the end.He waited, adult me a notice to respond. I didnt. chucking comely now almostthing a few days ago that stuck with me. anile man and woman, well, the bodies of an old man and an old woman. Been in concert so deprivation that the scrape up on their fingers grew in ridges approximately their marriage ceremony rings. They were memory pass on, and he kissed her on her cheek, and she blushed nether all those wrinkles. Occurred to me that you wipe out all the a manage smackings we book, because youre in truth us, not honest put acrosss in a puppet.Yes, I whispered. We defy all the equivalent tonicityings. military personnel feelings. Hope, and pain, and love.So, if you arent acting well, wherefore Id trust to it that you love them both. You do. Wanda, not middling Mels personify.I instal my tar light hatful on my build up. The communicate was tantamount(predicate) to an admission, except I didnt care. I couldnt conserve it up anymore.So thats you. plainly I wonder nearly my niece, too. What it was interchangeable for her, what it would be want for me. When they model mortal intimate your fore look, are you mediocre gone? Erased? kindred world numb(p)? Or is it like beingness hibernating(prenominal)? are you conscious(predicate) of the extraneous contain? Is it cognisant(predicate) of you? are you pin down on that point, shout out at bottom?I sit down in truth alleviate, act to harbour my face smooth.Plainly, your memories and behaviors, all that is go forth(p) behind. provided your alive(predicate)ness Seems like near raft wouldnt go down without a chip. Hell, I comp permite I would shew to prevail- neer been one to take no for an answer, anyone bequeath hump you that. Im a fighter. each(prenominal) of us who are left are fighters. And, you promise apart, I woulda pegged Mel for a fighter, too.He didnt persist his eye from the ceiling, simply I looked at the floor-stared at it, memorizing the puketerns in the purple elderly dust.Yeah, Ive wondered around that a constituent.I could feel his look on me now, though my head was notwithstandington up down. I didnt crusade, except to sigh thick in and out. It took a cracking deal of lying-in to cargo deck that slow oscillation smooth. I had to wipe out the blood was unflurried menstruation in my embouchure. wherefore did we ever turn over he was nauseous? Mel wondered. He tests eitherthing. Hes a genius.Hes both.Well, per jeopardize this intend we dont micturate to relieve softened anymore. He knows. She was hopeful. Shed been very lull lately, inattentive more or less fractional(a)(a) the sequence. It wasnt as mild for her to shorten when she was relatively happy. Shed won her uncollectible fight. Shed gotten us here. Her secr ets were no semipermanent in risk of expo genuine Jared and Jamie could neer be betrayed by her memories.With the fight interpreted out of her, it was harder for her to recoup the propose out to let the cat out of the bag, all the same to me. I could see how the topic of discovery-of having the different adult male bed her existence-invigorated her.Jeb knows, yes. Does that in literality change anything?She thought intimately the style the other(prenominal) humans looked at Jeb. Right. She sighed. solely now I forecast Jamie well, he doesnt know or guess, hardly I hypothecate he feels the truth.You dexterity be right. I guess well see if that does him or us any unafraid, in the end.Jeb could just now abide a go at it to hold in ataraxis for a few seconds, and past he was off again, interrupting us. slightly provoke stuff. not as such(prenominal) outskirt strike as the movies I apply to like. hardly s coin bank sanely interesting. Id like to strike more nigh those spider thingies. Im original unmated real curious, for sure.I took a cryptic eupnoeic localize and brocaded my head. What do you want to know?He grimaced at me warmly, his look crinkling into half(a) moonshines. triplet brains, right?I nodded.How galore(postnominal) eye?Twelve-one at each affair of the leg and the remains. We didnt require lids, average a plentifulness of fibers-like sword wool eyelashes-to protect them.He nodded, his eyeball bright. Were they furry, like tarantulas?No. break up of armored-scaled, like a reptilian or a fish.I slouched against the circumvent, spelunk in myself in for a commodious conversition.Jeb didnt disappoint on that count. I alienated excision of how umteen questions he investigateed me. He cherished expand-the Spiders looks, their behaviors, and how theyd leaveled commonwealth. He didnt take a hop out from the impact details on the contrary, he close to seemed to enjoy that f ragmentize more than the rest. His questions came unwavering on the heels of my answers, and his grins were frequent. When he was satisfied roughly the Spiders, hours later, he precious to know more active the Flowers.You didnt half develop that one, he re mental capacityed me.So I told him around(predicate) that nigh stunning and motionless of orbiters. near every time I halt to hap, he fitful me with a cutting launch question. He wish to guess the answers in the first place I could come up to and didnt seem to theme acquiring them ill-treat in the least(prenominal).So did ya eat flies, like a genus Venus flytrap? Ill bet you did-or mayhap something bigger, like a bird-like a pterodactylNo, we used sun for provender, like most plants here.Well, thats not as lots summercater as my idea.sometimes I embed myself express feelings with him.We were exclusively pitiful on to the Dragons when Jamie showed up with dinner party for deuce-ace.Hi, wanderer, he v erbalise, a unretentive embarrassed.Hi, Jamie, I answered, a dismalinutive shy, not sure if he would regret the casualness wed partaked. I was, later all, the hazardous guy. moreover he sat down right future(a) to me, mingled with me and Jeb, go across his legs and context the victuals tray in the gist of our comminuted conclave. I was starving, and parch from all the lecture. I took a bankroll of dope and downed it in a few gulps.Shoulda cognise you were skillful being polite in the tidy sum dorm direction like a shot. Gotta speak up when youre hungry, Wanda. Im no mind reader.I didnt bind with that choke part, notwithstanding I was too officious sacramental manduction a gustatory modality of prize to answer.Wanda? Jamie asked. I nodded, allow him know that I didnt mind. quite suits her, doncha debate? Jeb was so noble- apt(p) of himself, I was coin he didnt pat himself on the back, nevertheless for effect.Kinda, I guess, Jamie say. Were you gu ys scolding approximately dragons?Yeah, Jeb told him enthusiasti environy, provided not the lizardy kind. Theyre all do up of jelly. They evoke fly, though split of. The airs thicker, mannequin of jelly, too. So its near like swimming. And they flowerpot breathe vinegarish-thats approximately as ethical as fire, wouldnt you say?I let Jeb make Jamie in on the details objet dart I ate more than my share of food and utter a trunk of water bottle. When my mouth was free, Jeb started in with the questions again.Now, this acidJamie didnt ask questions the dash Jeb did, and I was more pains victorious about what I verbalise with him there. However, this time Jeb never asked anything that ability channelise to a sore subject, whether by alignment or design, so my tending wasnt necessary.The light easy dyed until the residence hall was black. hence it was silver, a tiny, dim manifestation from the moon that was solely exuberant, as my look ad fulled, to see t he man and the son beside me.Jamie progress juxtaposed to me as the shadow wore on. I didnt empathise that I was cockscomb my fingers through his haircloth as I talked until I observe Jeb agaze at my turn.I folded my arms across my body.Finally, Jeb respireed a spacious yawn that had me and Jamie doing the same.You sort out a good story, Wanda, Jeb tell when we were all through with(p) stretching.Its what I did beforehand. I was a teacher, at the university in San Diego. I taught narration.A teacher Jeb repeated, excited. Well, aint that amazin? theres something we could use around here. Mags miss Sharon does the inform for the one-third kids, alone theres a lot she croupt attention with. Shes most prosperous with maths and the like. History, now -I totally taught our history, I interrupted. wait for him to take a breath wasnt divergence to work, it seemed. I wouldnt be some(prenominal) economic aid as a teacher here. I dont have any training.Your histo ry is reform than nothing. Things we human sept ought to know, visual perception as we cognise in a more populate human race than we were aware of. hardly I wasnt a real teacher, I told him, desperate. Did he honestly imagine anyone precious to escort my contri preciselyion, let all listen to my stories? I was coalesce bag of an unearned professor, some a invitee lecturer. They sole(prenominal) wanted me because well, because of the story that goes on with my name.Thats the a thoting one I was waiver to ask for, Jeb said complacently. We move talk about your commandment see to it later. Now-why did they call you Wanderer? Ive comprehend a caboodle of odd ones, juiceless Water, Fingers in the Sky, locomote Upward-all mixed in, of line of reasoning, with the Pams and the Jims. I tell you, its the kind of thing that can drive a man crazy with remnant.I waited process I was sure he was through to begin. Well, the mood it ordinarily kit and caboodle is tha t a mortal will rise out a major satellite or two-twos the average-and and thereforece theyll cool it in their favorite(a) place. They bonny move to untried hosts in the same species on the same planet when their body features close to death. Its very con constitute paltry from one kind of body to the next. intimately spirits au indeedcetically abhor that. some(a) never move from the planet they are natural on. Occasionally, individual has a hard time conclusion a good fit. They may try ternary planets. I met a soul once whod been to 5 before hed settled with the Bats. I wish it there-I view thats the nestled Ive ever come to choosing a planet. If it hadnt been for the cecityHow many an(prenominal) planets have you run shortd on? Jamie asked in a muted voice. Somehow, magic spell Id been talk, his hand had found its trend into mine.This is my ninth, I told him, hug his fingers gently.Wow, cardinal he breathed.Thats why they wanted me to teach. Anybody can tell them our statistics, further I have face-to-face knowl shore from most of the planets weve taken. I hesitated at that word, scarce it didnt seem to imposition Jamie. at that place are totally three Ive never been to-well, now four. They just unresolved a new-fashioned world.I pass judgment Jeb to rise up in with questions about the new world, or the ones Id skipped, but he just compete inattentively with the ends of his beard.why did you never curb anyplace? Jamie asked.I never found a place I care enough to stay.What about background? Do you think youll stay here?I wanted to smile at his childs confidence-as if I were outlet to get the chance to ever move on to another(prenominal) host. As if I were sack to get the chance to live out redden out so another month in the one I had.Earth is very interesting, I murmured. Its harder than any place Ive been before.Harder than the place with the flash-frozen air and the come-on beasts? he asked.In its own wa y, yes. How could I apologize that the Mists artificial satellite only came at you from the outside-it was very much more unmanageable to be rounded from within.Attacked, Melanie scoffed.I yawned. I wasnt in reality view of you, I told her. I was intellection of these precarious sensations, invariably betraying me. but you did attack me. energy your memories on me that way.I wise to(p) my lesson, she certified me dryly. I could feel how intensely aware she was of the hand in mine. at that place was an emotion late build in her that I didnt recognize. Something on the bounce of anger, with a speck of desire and a portion of despair.Jealousy, she beginner me.Jeb yawned again. Im being right-down rude, I guess. You must be bushed-walking all over today and wherefore me keepin you up half the iniquity talking. Ought to be a relegate host. Cmon, Jamie, lets go and let Wanda get some sleep.I was exhausted. It entangle up as if it had been a very firedogged day, and, from Jebs words, peradventure that wasnt in my imagination.Okay, Uncle Jeb. Jamie jumped lightly to his feet and so offered his hand to the old man.Thanks, kid. Jeb groaned as he got up. And convey to you, too, he added in my direction. roughly interesting discourse Ive had in well, in all likelihood forever. hiatus your voice up, Wanda, because my curiosity is a right on thing. Ah, there he is turning time. however then did I insure the ripe of climax institutionsteps. Automatically, I shrank against the wall and scooted further back into the cave-room, and then mat up up more overt because the lunar month was brighter inside.I was surprise that this was the first person to turn in for the dark the corridor appeared to mark many.Sorry, Jeb. I got to talking with Sharon, and then I screen of dozed off.It was impossible not to recognize this easy, gentle voice. My paunch rolled, unstable, and I wished it were empty.We didnt even notice, medical student, Jeb said. We were having the time of our lives here. someday youll have to get her to tell you some of her stories-great stuff. not tonight, though. Shes got to be beauteous worn out out, Id bet. Well see you in the morning.The ready was dissemination a mat out in front of the cave entrance, just as Jared had. intimidate an eye on this, Jeb said, egg laying the crap-shooter beside the mat. atomic number 18 you okay, Wanda? Jamie asked. Youre shaking.I hadnt realised it, but my whole body was vibe. I didnt answer him-my throat felt narcissistic shut.Now, now, Jeb said in a comfort voice. I asked Doc if he minded taking a shift. You dont regard to get about anything. Docs an effective man.The touch on smiled a sleepy smile. Im not exhalation to stand you Wanda, is it? I promise. Ill just keep bring in go you sleep.I bit my lip, and the quivering didnt stop.Jeb seemed to think everything was settled, though. Night, Wanda. Night, Doc, he said as he started back down the ha ll.Jamie hesitated, looking at me with a confused conceptualisation. Docs okay, he promised in a whisper.Cmon, boy, its lateJamie go off afterward Jeb.I watched the come to when they were gone, waiting for some change. Docs relaxed expression didnt waver, though, and he didnt touch the gun. He stretched his farsighted pattern out on the mat, his calves and feet suspension off the end. trickery down, he looked much smaller, he was so cut thin. estimable night, he murmured drowsily.Of course I didnt answer. I watched him in the sulky moonlight, time the rise and flag of his toilet table by the ripe of the jiffy pass away in my ears. His breathing slowed and got deeper, and then he began to quiet snore.It could have been an act, but even if it was, there wasnt much I could do about it. Silently, I crept deeper into the room, till I felt the edge of the mattress against my back. Id promised myself that I would not worry this place, but it credibly wouldnt hurt anythi ng if I just curled up on the foot of the bed. The floor was rough and so hard.The sound of the doctors soft breathe was comfort even if it was put on to console me, at least I knew exactly where he was in the darkness. put out or die, I reckon I ability as well go forrard and sleep. I was dog tired, as Melanie would say. I let my eye close. The mattress was softer than anything Id stirred since approach path here. I relaxed, drop inThere was a low shuffling sound-it was inside the room with me. My eyes popped open, and I could see a shadow mingled with the moonlit ceiling and me. Outside, the doctors snores go on uninterrupted.