Thursday, October 31, 2019

Transformation & Tessellation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Transformation & Tessellation - Essay Example Reflection involves flipping the object on the plane, creating a mirror image of the object on the same plane. Translation involves moving, or "sliding" the object within the plane, with the points moving on the same direction or with the same distance. Transformation can be applied in the real world in creating 3D images and models of objects, like houses, buildings, or even human beings. In order to capture the real essence of the object being imitated (or transformed), the same dimensions should be used, however, on a smaller scale. Tessellation, on the other hand, occurs when objects in a plane create a pattern without overlapping with each other, and without leaving gaps in between the object (Seymour and Britton, 1989). These patterns are often a subject of artworks, and one can see a lot of these kinds of patterns on books and on the Internet, in pages where one is asked to count the number of polygons in a page. One of the most common examples of this kind of patterns can be found on floor tiles, which follow the same principle: each tile should fit a given space, without overlapping with another tile, and without any gaps in between. The objects can be regularly shaped polygons, like squares, triangles, octagons, etc., with each side touching another objects side (Seymour and Britton, 1989). Irregularly shaped objects can also be used, which proves to be more complicated than using regular polygons. Common objects such as soccer balls, jigsaw puzzles and honeycombs also have a tessellated

Monday, October 28, 2019

Should Social Media, Including Facebook, Assist in Law Enforcement Essay Example for Free

Should Social Media, Including Facebook, Assist in Law Enforcement Essay We all know what happened to Jill Meagher. What some of you may not know is that social media played an integral role in solving her murder. Without the use of social media, Jill Meagher’s case may have remained unsolved. Unfortunately, we usually associate social media with negative connotations; however what we haven’t thought of is the positive contributions it could make to our society. One change that we should make that would benefit us incredibly is to use social media, including Facebook, to assist in law enforcement. I don’t have to define to you what social media is, we all use it on a daily basis. If I was speaking to an older audience I may have to explain, but to be honest most of you are going to go home and log onto Facebook. It has always been a part of our world and it probably always will be. Sadly, one part of social media that we are very aware of is that it is often used to harm, to hurt – this is clearly evident in the numerous accounts of cyber bullying. I do not intend to pretend that there aren’t negative aspects of social media; I am simply trying to emphasise the enormous power and influence that it holds. If we could harness this power and rather use it to protect and assist in law enforcement the advantages would be tremendous. So, how can social media help us? One enormously beneficial aspect of social media is in the locating of missing persons. In Australia, one person goes missing every 15 minutes. The police simply do not have the resources to locate all of these people. However, hundreds of media sites have already been set up with the sole intent of finding missing persons. Crimestoppers have a mobile application to help connect the community to the police in reporting crime. Assistant Commissioner Peter Barrie of the New South Wales Police said It is a great way for people to send us a message and support it with a picture, anywhere, anytime,† The new tools offer the community an opportunity to assist in a way that is beneficial to us all. It makes sense to harness social media’s power for good – to solve real life problems such as finding missing persons. More importantly however, social media cuts down those crucial minutes when finding a missing person the minutes that determine whether a person has hope of being found. A powerful real life example of the effectiveness of this method occurred in November 2011 when 13 year old Allie Loftis ran away from her home near Boston. Thanks to social media, her father Tony found her 12 days later, with a 42-year-old sexual predator. After coverage of his Facebook, YouTube and Twitter campaign, local papers and TV stations followed the story and eventually found her. Mr Loftis said that â€Å"†¦the more people there are looking; the more likely you are to find them, that is really just basic common sense. Without the aid of social media, who knows what could have happened to his daughter. Secondly, social media not only provides a way of locating people, but also assists in gathering evidence on suspects. At its core, social media is an online database of personal information, and once it is online, can never be taken down. This method was used in Canada after the 2011 Vancouver Stanley Cup riot. The police admitted to being overwhelmed by the sheer volume of evidence provided by social media, enabling them to convict a number of rioters. The frequency of cases being solved through evidence found on social media is large and growing as it is becoming gradually more prevalent and helpful to law enforcement. A survey conducted by the International Association of Chiefs of Police in 2012 found that 86% of agencies use social media to review profiles and the activities of suspects. This statistic shows how increasingly reliant law enforcement is becoming on social media. Of course, this is not the only way that the police can gather evidence on suspects. Many people today have online identities. This makes it that much easier for investigators to create fake online profiles to track or befriend suspects in order to gain new information and insight into their crimes. They will also be able to gain an understanding of the suspect’s mentality through monitoring their posts, giving them the ability to secure an accurate conviction. The knowledge that the law enforcement agencies are policing the social media pages for potential criminals should provide those who use them for innocent pleasure and chat, a sense of reassurance. Lastly, social media is one of the most effective means of communication when it comes to sending out messages on a large scale. This is why it is such a great platform to inform the public. I guarantee you that every single person in this room will have access to social media right now. Virtually all phones come with internet access; we can get onto Facebook at the touch of a button. How much easier could it get? While users are checking their messages and accepting friend requests, they surely have enough time to look at that missing person picture their friends shared. Within seconds of the Police posting that picture, a user can share it with their entire network of friends, family and co-workers who then can share it within their own networks. A further advantage of using social media to inform the public is the relationship it will create between the police and community. Through the more personal style of communication, social media is likely to help create a climate of trust and foster better interaction with the general public. The police officers seem more â€Å"human† and therefore the public would have more trust in them. People want to be able to talk to the police in whatever way they can, wherever they can. This can be done through social media. Through this it can be seen quite clearly that social media is highly capable of informing the public for the interests of law enforcement. I can understand that some people may have reservations due to the current unregulated nature of social media. However, the answer is not to say that we shouldn’t use it but rather to implement appropriate safeguards in order to refine and regulate these sites. Like all new and revolutionary developments, it may take a while for it to be perfected, but soon using social media to solve crime will be no more unusual than the old fashioned pen and paper. Change is hard to accept, however resisting the use of social media to assist in law enforcement is as useless as it would have been to resist the demise of the horse and cart when cars were invented. Society naturally evolves; we need to focus on the positive and strengthening change this will have on our nation. Our generation have embraced this technology, unlike our parents. It is natural that we should see it as part of the future of law enforcement. As many people say, the youth is the hope for our future. Younger generations do not respond, like our parents, to the traditional media such as newspapers or radio, we respond to a unique function of communication social media. Our most important priority should be our safety, Social media is not the answer to all our problems, but it will bring us one step closer.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Fantomina by Eliza Haywood | Analysis

Fantomina by Eliza Haywood | Analysis The actions the young lady in Eliza Haywoods Fantomina in her desire to find a sexually and emotionally stimulating relationship demonstrates the difficulty of relationships between men and woman in the eighteen century. My lady such- a-one, as she is referred to by Haywood takes the roles of many different women to repeatedly seduce a man named Beauplasir. For the most part of her new identities, Fantominas creative ideas resemble her increased desire for Beauplasir and her initial curiosity becomes reflected upon her need to change her identity in order to recapture Beauplasirs attention. Fantomina enjoys the fact that her disguises allow her do anything that she wishes, although, she seems to not think of the idea that a relationship between an upper class man and a low class woman is not very lasting and that her actions will eventually make herself the author of her own story. Fantomina is a high quality mistress in the eighteenth century and because of her social position she has many restrictions placed upon her. She is not allowed to carry out a conversation of any type with a person of the opposite sex, nor is she allowed to pursue them. These behaviors were unacceptable in Fantominas society; therefore, women were supposed to have chaperones who were to protect them from men and also to make sure women behaved appropriately. Fantominas recognition of a familiar face down below the balcony where she is sitting at reawakens her interest for Beauplasir whom she she has before seen, but because of society she has been unable to pursue him. However, because men were different from women and had the freedom to do anything they wanted to, Beauplasir is allowed to leave the balcony and pursue women. Fantomina is fascinated by the dalliance between respectable gentlemen and loose women of the town. This excited a curiosity in her to know in what manner these c reatures were addressed. (Haywood, 2739- 2740). Although, Fantominass actions seem intentional her new identity originates all from curiosity in her pursuit to sustain Beauplasirs interest. Fed up with her restrictions, Fantomina decides to change her clothes to hide her real identity. It is here where Haywood reveals the restrictions on women of high social standing and the decisions of who belongs to what social position. In this case, clothing puts Fantomina in a lower social standing, even more, her new identity is that of a prostitute. Now as a prostitute, Fantomina is able to pursue Beauplasir without any restrictions as he is unable to recognize her new identity. In preparation to her encounter with Beauplasir, Fontamina puts on her new identity and while with Beauplasir she resists him at first because she is worried about her reputation. At this point, Fantomina is concerned about her moral actions, but her desires can do more now because that is what she has been looking for. This of course, confuses Beauplasir because thats what prostitutes are expected to do and in the end a prostitute gets paid in return. Fantominas first disguise as a prostitute is all out of curiosity, but her imagination was so much talented that she had the power to change her appearance as she pleased. As Fantomina changes character, she modifies her behaviors to align with his expectations. ( Anderson 2005). The quote describes Fantominas admirable skills in manipulating the situation for her own benefit. As expected, Beauplasir grows tired of Fantomina and this is where she takes on her new identity to continue to follow him. Now as Celia, a low class woman she becomes Beauplasirs maid, a new identity that becomes a bit more important than the one before because of social status .As her seduction continues she feels that she has become attached to Beauplasir and she cant let go of him she spends much of her time coming up with new ideas to seduce him. Her actions become a little emotional, but at the same time she intelligent as she is willing to go even further to maintain her sexual relationship with Beauplasir. It seems that what had started from curiosity has now turned into a passion that reflects her deepest emotions. Her consistent ability to perform means that she repeatedly creates a space in which she may express her emotions. (Anderson 2005). In a sense, Fantomina feels that she belongs to Beauplasir since he has taken her virginity and she attaches this to the fact that she now struggles to maintain her honor from being publicly exposed. Fantominas now passion for Beauplasir leads her to go even further in her seduction attempt. This time, as the widow bloomer she becomes a little more vulnerable and portrays herself as weak. At one point, the widow fakes a sudden faint and allows Beauplasir to carry her off to bed. This proves that Fantomina is very calculating and her actions are being consistent with the character she assumes to be. In doing so, Fantomina believes her different roles are a source of power and freedom, but also her ability to succeed in her new role taking. Although, the role that she takes on for the most part is powerless because she gains nothing from it, she has quite effectively succeeded in making Beauplasir believe that he has been sleeping with different personas. In her last disguise as Incognita, the significant thing they have in common is class and as the encounters continue, it seems that Fantominas actions are driven by pure lust. Incognita its Fantominas last attempt to seduce Beauplasir and it ultimately fails just as her other disguises. Despie Beuaplasir being desperately curious to know who she really is he never shows real interest in maintaining a relationship with Incognita because in the end he has nothing to gain from a woman who demands that her identity never be revealed. This culminates with Fantominas realization that Beauplasirs real interest for her has been to satisfy his own sexual needs as he never remained faithful to her for the simple fact that he slept with the same person thinking he had been with four different women. Croskery describes that, the heroine of Fantomina experiences one of her deepest moment of internalization at the precise moment when she becomes conscious of herself as an object of someone elses d esire. ( Croskery 2007). Through Beauplasir, the reader realizes that women are nothing but trophies and toys that are to be played with. Ultimately, Fantominas various identities accomplish nothing; they do serve to reveal how lustful Beauplasir is as well as Fantomina whether she acted on curiosity her real intentions remain ambiguous. Unfortunately, Fantominas creative disguises only satisfy her sexual desires, but never create a long- lasting relationship with Beauplasir which results in her own betrayal. Fantominas pregnancy becomes her true story in which she has lost everything including her reputation. Sources Cited Anderson, Emily Horgdson. Performing the passions in Eliza Haywoods Fantomina and Miss Betsy Thoughtless. Eighteenth Century: Theory and Interpretation 46.1 (Spring 2005):1. Literary Resource center. Web. 1 December 2012. Croskery, Margaret Case. Who is Afraid of Eliza Haywood. Literary Critiscism from 1400- 1800 4.4 (2007): 967-980. Literary Resourse Center. Web. 1 December 2012. Eliza, Haywood. Fantomina: or Love in A maze. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt and M.H. Abrams. 9th ed. Volume C. New York: W.W. Norton, 2012. 2739-2758. Print. Potter, Tiffani. The Language of Feminised Sexuality: Gendered Voice in Eliza Haywoods Love in Excess and Fantomina. Womens Writing 10.1(March 2003): 169-18. Academic Search Complete. Web. 26 November 2012. Thompson, Helen. Plotting Materialism: Eliza Haywoods Fantomina and Feminine Consistency. Eighteen Century Studies 35.2(Winter 2002): 195-20. Academic Search Complete. Web. 26 November 2012.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

e-Business and e-Commerce Infrastructure Essay -- Business Finance

E-Commerce E-commerce (electronic commerce) can be defined as commercial transactions of goods and services over the internet and other computer networks (Chaudhury & Kuilboer, 2002). It consists of online shopping, online banking and e-learning (Tkacz & Kapczynski, 2009). E-commerce is becoming increasingly popular since the spread of the internet. The e-commerce users are businesses, consumers and government departments (Kessler, 2009). E-commerce is controversial but the advantages of it greatly outweigh the disadvantages. To begin with, e-commerce offers consumers speed and convenience. E-shopping involves a web site that sells goods and/or services without the direct, face to face, contact between the vendor and the customer. This process is easy and only takes a few clicks before the client/customer has bought themself something. Compared to the traditional way of shopping, online shopping is far more convenient. The traditional way of shopping involves driving the car to shopping centers and if the desired item is not there, then driving to further shops. After getting to the desired destination, the customer has to â€Å"fight† for parking space, walk from store to store and aisle to aisle looking for the items desired. After that process, there is a chance the queue for the checkouts are long. Then there is the issue of carrying out the merchandise. This whole shopping process can take hours (Kessler, 2009)! Many people avoid all this hassle nowadays by shopping online in the comfort of th eir own home. According to a study (Entrepreneur, 2003) 72% of online shoppers chose convenience over privacy. In addition, consumers can shop without time limitation with 24 hour access at because the World Wid... ...le PDFCite ArticleFavorite GlobalSchoolnet.org. (1999-2011). http://www.globalschoolnet.org/index.cfm. Handfield, R. (2011). What is Supply Chain Management? The Supply Chain Resource Cooperative http://scm.ncsu.edu/scm-articles/article/what-is-supply-chain-management. Retrieved May 6, 2012 Kessler, M. (2003). â€Å"More shoppers proceed to checkout online.† USA Today. Retrieved May 6, 2012. Malawer, S. S. (2001). Global Governance of E-commerce and Internet Trade: Recent Developments. In World Trade Law. http://www.worldtradelaw.net/articles/malawerecommerce.pdf. Retrieved May 6, 2012. The Daily. September 27, 2010. â€Å"Ecommerce: Shopping on the Internethttp://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily- quotidien/100927/dq100927a-eng.htm. Retrieved May 6, 2012. Tkacz, E. & Kapczynski, A. (2009). Internet - Technical Development and Applications. Boston: MA Springer.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

The Identification of Bambusa Sp

The identification of Bamboo using various PCR and Sequencing Techniques Abstract Often the incorrect bamboo species is sold to unsuspecting customers at shops. This can have a disastrous effect on their garden. Three separate and unknown Bamboo leaf samples were taken and were required to be distinguished genetically from one another. Using ITS-PCR DNA amplification techniques, the ITS region DNA was amplified and used in PCR-RFLP and RAPD PCR in order to determine the genetic identity of each sample. Sequencing was performed, and results allowed us to distinguish between samples (to a certain extent. ) Introduction Bamboos are a group of woody perennial green plants (Wikipedia et al. 2006) that are found in many parts of the world. There are 91 genera and about 1,000 species of bamboo (Wikipedia et al. 2006). They are found in diverse climates, from cold mountains to hot tropical regions. Bamboo is a highly desirable plant grown for many reasons in plantations and gardens around the world. Many reasons it is grown are that it is a beautiful ornamental plant with unique properties. Bamboo is also an extremely strong plant that is light; it is used in many building applications for floorboards, and is also often used in furniture making. There are a number of taller growing species that are effective at blocking out the eyes of pepping toms and nosy neighbors. There are two main forms of bamboo, each form describing the way in which the bamboo itself spreads. These are known as â€Å"clumping† (monopodial) and â€Å"running† (sympodial) forms. (Wikipedia et al. 2006) Clumping bamboo species tend to spread underground slowly. Running bamboo species are highly variable in their tendency to spread; this is related to both the species and the soil and climate conditions. Some can send out runners several metres a year, while others can stay in the same general area for long periods. If neglected, they can be invasive over time and can cause problems by moving into adjacent areas. The reputation of bamboo as being highly invasive is often exaggerated, and situations where it has taken over large areas is often the result of years of untended or neglected plantings. Many invasive bamboo species are often sold, unsuspectingly to people, who plant them without realizing this. The result of this is the complete takeover of ones garden. Some species of bamboo can grow at a tremendous rate, some at over 36inches (90cm) a day, providing it is provided with ideal conditions (OneEarth, 2006). Plant Biosecurity breaches often occur when bamboo plants are imported with incorrect or false labeling, often in an attempt to bring illegal ornamental species in to the country for indoor use. This ‘black market’ operation is a serious threat to native species of plants, and, if a threatening sympodial bamboo species is imported and planted in place of a monopodial (which is preferred, as they do not spread), serious damage to native forests and grasslands can occur (NGIA, 2006). Some of the techniques that can be used to identify to a species level are PCR-ITS, RAPD, and PCR-RFLP. These will be used to identify our unknown samples of bamboo. Aim To identify, to a species level, using nucleotide analysis and sequencing techniques, three unknown samples of bamboo. Materials For DNA extraction 3 Unknown Bamboo Samples (Leaves) Mortar and Pestle Liquid Nitrogen Quiagen ‘Dneasy’ DNA Extraction Kit Centrifuge tubes Pipettes and Tips Ice and Esky Quantification of DNA Well Combs (10uL) Wells UV Transilluminator Agarose Tris Borate EDTA Ethidium Bromide Loading Dye Centrifuge Tubes Gel Tank (To run agarose gel electrophoresis) Pipettes and Tips For ITS based PCR 5uL of extracted DNA 5x Reaction buffer MilliQ (Ultra Pure Water) DNTP’s (dATP, dGTP, dCTP, dTTP) PCR Machine MgCl2 Centrifuge Tubes Pipettes and Tips For RAPD-PCR ITS-PCR DNA product 5x Reaction buffer MilliQ (Ultra Pure Water) MgCl2 Primers OPM-01 and OPM-17 Wells Well Combs (10uL) UV Transilluminator Agarose Tris Borate EDTA Ethidium Bromide Loading Dye Centrifuge Tubes Gel Tank (To run agarose gel electrophoresis) Pipettes and Tips For ITS-RFLP ITS-PCR DNA product Enzymes Hha1 and Rsa1 Buffer Red (Rsa1) Buffer C (Hha1) MilliQ (Ultra Pure Water) Wells Well Combs (10uL) UV Transilluminator Agarose Tris Borate EDTA Ethidium Bromide Loading Dye Centrifuge Tubes Gel Tank (To run agarose gel electrophoresis) Pipettes and Tips Methods DNA Extraction and Purification – Quiagen Dneasy Kit ITS-RFLP ITS Region is a particular sequence of DNA which is present in all organisms. It is a region, in between each common sequence, contains DNA that is highly conserved and unique amongst a particular species, and is thus not used to translate into proteins. Enzymes are used to restrict or cut the DNA at certain points. The location of the cuts depends on nucleotide sequence that the enzyme recognizes. The number of nucleotides in sequence determines size of the restricted piece of DNA in base pairs (BP). ITS-PCR This is done to amplify the ITS region DNA which is highly conserved and unique to each individual species Primers ITS 1 and ITS 4 are used because the ITS region (18s, 5. 8s and 28s regions) are common in all organisms. The region in between the 18s and 28s is the region that is highly conserved and unique to any given species. Added to Master Mix (containing buffer solution) PCR’d ITS Region DNA is amplified out RAPD RAPD Primers OPM-01 and OPM-17 are added to the ITS-PCR DNA product and where are given a genetic fingerprint of the DNA. HOW, WHEN, WHAT, WHERE, WHO? What was done? Sufficient detail for repetition by others Results (facts only) (2) HOW, WHEN, WHAT, WHERE? What was found? Presentation of results as simply and clearly as possible Figures to present data and concepts clearly and concisely (a picture is worth 1000 words) Types of figures: photographs, drawings, tables, graphs Numerical data as tables or graphs (graphs preferred) Text to point out trends (not repeat information in figures) Discussion (3) WHY, WHAT, WHO? What does it mean? Interpretation of results relative to the hypothesis or aim Comparison with work of others References (6) WHO? List of all references cited in text http://www. bonsai-bci. com/species/bamboo. html Sabrina Caine Last modified accessed 01/06/06 http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Bamboo wikipedia last modified 27/05/06 accessed 01/06/06 http://www. 1earth. com. au/collect/wicker_furniture. html last modified 27/05/06 accessed 01/06/06 1Earth Antiques and Appraisals http://www. ngia. co. nz/news/507bamboo. php Nursing and Garden Industry Association (NGIA) Wellington, New Zealand Accessed 01/06/06 Updated

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Threw and Through

Threw and Through Threw and Through Threw and Through By Maeve Maddox When I read the expression â€Å"through me for a loop† in a recent comment, I can tell you, it threw me for a loop! I decided to cruise the web and see if this version of the expression had become common. It has. Admittedly most of the usage I found occurs in comments to articles, in forums, and on the sites of non-professional writers, but it’s out there: when myspace page came up, it through me for a loop. This question through me for a loop with its emphasis on reflective transfer. something happened yesterday that really through me for a loop. I must admit the appearance of wood through me for a loop. The menu through me for a loop. Since such things are catching, I’ll review the difference between threw and through. The word threw is the simple past of the verb to throw, to propel through the air: throw threw (have) thrown The word through is a preposition used to indicate penetration or passage: The bullet traveled through the vest. The hikers crawled through the low tunnel. To throw someone for a loop is to confuse or shock a person. To knock someone for a loop has the same meaning: The news of her advisor’s death knocked her for a loop. The words threw and through are pronounced alike, but, so far anyway, they have different spellings in standard English. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Idioms About Legs, Feet, and ToesHow to Play HQ Words: Cheats, Tips and TricksHow Do You Fare?

Monday, October 21, 2019

anita desai essays

anita desai essays Anita Desai is one of the best known authors in the world and she has influenced generations of authors. Desais novels and main characters were mostly based on situations or people in her life or what would usual happen in her surroundings. Growing up it India during World War II had a large impact on her life. Her books were written in a way that would almost make you think the stories were completely true. Her books and characters were similar to her and the stories of her life. Desai was born as Anita Mazumadar in Musoorie, a northern India hill station near Dehra Dun on June 24 1937. Born to a Bengali business man father and a mother that was from Germany and was the Toni Nime. She grew up during World War II and was no stranger to discrimination which is reflected in her writing. She was multilingual and she speaks German at home, as well, as Bengali, Urdu, Hindi and English at school and in the streets. Growing up she says she was surrounded by western culture which probably had tweaked her writing to get more popular in North America. She began to write English at the age of seven and her first book published at the age of nine. At the age of 21 she married a business man named Ashvin Desai and they raised four children together. She is currently a college teacher in Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts. Anita never tried, or ever got her work published in India because no publisher in India would be interested in a fiction writer from India. She was first noticed in England and later in North America. She believes she was noticed in England because of her western style of writing and their interest in India. She once said I can state definitely that I did not choose English in a deliberate and conscious act and Id say perhaps it was a language that chose me and I started writing stories in English at the age of seven, and have been doing so for thirt ...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

The Secret Six, the Men Who Financed John Browns Raid

The Secret Six, the Men Who Financed John Browns Raid The Secret Six was a loosely affiliated group which provided financial backing to John Brown before his raid on the federal armory at Harpers Ferry in 1859. Money obtained from the northeastern abolitionists of the Secret Six made the raid possible, as it enabled Brown to travel to Maryland, rent a farm to use as a hideout and staging area, and procure weapons for his men. When the raid on Harpers Ferry failed and Brown was captured by federal troops, a carpet bag containing documents was seized. Inside the bag were letters establishing the network behind his actions. Fearing prosecution for conspiracy and treason, some members of the Secret Six fled the United States for a brief period. None of them were ever prosecuted for their involvement with Brown. Members of the Secret Six Gerrit Smith: Born into a wealthy family in upstate New York, Smith was a vigorous supporter of various reform causes, including the American abolition movement.Thomas Wentworth Higginson: A minister and author, Higginson would go on to serve in the Civil War, commanding a regiment of black troops, and would write a classic memoir based on the experience.Theodore Parker: A minister and prominent public speaker on reform topics, Parker had been educated at Harvard and was affiliated with the Transcendentalist movement.Samuel Gridley Howe: A medical doctor and advocate for the blind, Howe was active in the abolition movement. His wife, Julia Ward Howe, would become famous for writing The Battle Hymn of the Republic.Franklin Benjamin Sanborn: A Harvard graduate, Sanborn was connected to the Transcendentalist movement and became involved in anti-slavery politics in the 1850s.George Luther Stearns: A self-made businessman, Stearns was a manufacturer and was able to financially support var ious causes, including the abolitionist cause. Actions of the Secret Six Before John Brown's Raid All the members of the Secret Six were involved in various ways with the Underground Railroad and the abolition movement. A common thread in their lives was that, like many other northerners, they believed the Fugitive Slave Law passed as part of the Compromise of 1850 had made them morally complicit in slavery. Some of the men were active in what was called vigilance committees, which helped protect and hide fugitive slaves who otherwise could have been arrested and taken back to slavery in the South. Discussions in abolitionist circles often seemed to focus on theoretical ideas which would never be implemented, such as plans to have New England states secede from the Union. But when New England activists met up with John Brown in 1857, his account of what he had done to prevent the spread of slavery in what was called Bleeding Kansas made a convincing case that tangible actions had to be taken to end slavery. And those actions could include violence. It is possible that some members of the Secret Six had dealings with Brown going back to when he was active in Kansas. And whatever his history with the men, he found an attentive audience when he began talking about a new plan he had to launch an attack in hopes of bringing an end to slavery. The men of the Secret Six raised money for Brown and contributed funds of their own, and the influx of cash made it possible for Brown to see his plan into reality. The vast slave uprising which Brown hoped to spark never materialized and his raid on Harper Ferry in October 1859 turned into a fiasco. Brown was arrested and put on trial, and as he had never destroyed documents which could implicate his financial backers, the extent of his support quickly became widely known. The Public Furor John Browns raid on Harpers Ferry was, of course, highly controversial, and generated enormous attention in the newspapers. And the fallout over the involvement of New Englanders was also a topic of considerable discussion. Stories circulating naming various members of the Secret Six, and it was alleged that a widespread conspiracy to commit treason went far beyond the small group. Senators known to be opposed to slavery, including William Seward of New York and Charles Sumner of Massachusetts were falsely accused of having been involved in Browns plot. Of the six men implicated, three of them, Sanborn, Howe, and Stearns, fled to Canada for a time. Parker was already in Europe. Gerrit Smith, claiming to suffer a nervous breakdown, admitted himself to a sanitarium in New York State. Higginson remained in Boston, defying the government to arrest him. The idea that Brown did not act alone inflamed the South, and a senator from Virginia, James Mason, convened a committee to investigate Browns financial backers. Two of the Secret Six, Howe and Stearns, testified that they had met Brown but had nothing to do with his plans. The general story among the men is that they did not fully comprehend what Brown was up to. There was considerable confusion about what the men did know, and none of them was ever prosecuted for involvement in Browns plot. And when the slave states began seceding from the Union a year later, any appetite for prosecuting the men faded.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Worldwide View on the Death Penalty Research Paper

Worldwide View on the Death Penalty - Research Paper Example Moreover, criminal activities that may result in a death penalty are referred to capital offences or capital crimes. The phrase capital stems from a Latin word meaning execution that is undertaken through beheading (Hood 8). In previous times, capital punishment has been put into practice by a large number of societies. Presently, 58 countries aggressively put it into practice, and 97 nations have abolished it. The remaining nations have not employed death penalty for almost 10 years or only practice it in isolated occasions, for example, during war time. In addition, the death penalty is a subject of dynamic controversy in a number of states and countries, and opinions may differ within a sole cultural religion or political ideology. Article 2 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union proscribes the employment of capital punishment. Presently, Amnesty International deems a large number of countries as abolitionist. In 2007, 2008, and 2010, the United Nations General Assembly adopted non-binding declarations requiring a global moratorium on executions, with an aim to ultimate abolition. Even though numerous countries have abolished the death penalty, more than 60% of the population of the world resides in nations where executions occur, for example, the United States of America, China, and Iran. Also, the United States of America and China voted against the resolutions of the General Assembly (Hood 54). This paper will analyze the worldwide view on the death penalty while looking at the trends that have affected obliteration of the death sentence in states that have abolished it, the movement towards global abolition of the death penalty, some of the major countries who practice the death penalty, trends between pro death penalty countries. It will also analyze the potential of abolition in these countries, the role of international organizations in the search for a worldwide abolition, and the differences that might exist in public opinion reg arding the death penalty around the world. The global death penalty trends are obviously in the direction of abolition. The practice of the death penalty globally has continued to reduce in size, and use of the death penalty has also been gradually more restrained in international law. Since 1990, approximately 3 nations have abolished the death penalty, and currently, 141 countries and almost two-thirds of the globe have abolished the death penalty or have terminated capital punishment in practice or law (Mandery 36). The Hungarian Constitutional Court asserted that the death penalty abuses human dignity and the inherent right to life as highlighted in article 54 of the constitution, on October 24th, 1990. This had the impact of abolishing the death penalty for all criminal activities in the country. The South African Constitutional Court affirmed the death penalty for murder as illustrated by the laws to be contrary with the exclusion of punishment, cruel, degrading or inhuman tre atment, or punishment under the nation’s acting constitution, on 6th June 1995. On 9th December 1998 the Republic of Lithuania’s Constitutional Court judged the death penalty for murder in the Criminal Code conflicts with the Constitution on protecting the right to life. The Ukrainian Constitutional Court asserted that the death penalty was not constitutional and the laws permitting it invalid on 29th December 1999. The constitution prohibits torture and inhuman behavior that abuses human dignity. On 11th November 1999 the Republic of Albania’s Constitutional Court declared the death penalty in peace time as conflicting with the constitution, which gives the

Friday, October 18, 2019

Waste Management Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Waste Management - Case Study Example Commercial areas include shops, offices, markets and open areas within the vicinity of the district that the municipality serves. The construction and demolition debris, as well as hazardous wastes, are usually not categorized under municipal solid waste (MSW), but under special circumstances they may be added to the MSW category. Municipal solid waste can be divided into four major categories that are Residential, Commercial and Institutional, Open areas and Treatment plant sites. Residential waste includes wastes generated from households that primarily comprise food wastes. The commercial and industrial wastes which are generated by offices, markets, hotels, restaurants, schools and medical facilities mainly consist of rubbish and food wastes. Open areas include parks, streets and beaches etc. Lastly, treatment plant sites includes sewage, drainage and water treatment processes. MSW is usually referred to as solid waste that the authorities of the city take responsibility of manag ing and disposing in one way or the other. In our case, the 30 gallon garbage on the sidewalk contains office trash and human waste deposits to be qualified as municipal solid waste, so, the contents of the receptacle are definitely solid waste. 3. ... 2) Waste containers should not be filled with water or any other liquid. 3) The authorities need to make sure that only solid waste is put in these containers. 4) Another important handling consideration is to make sure that wastes from different sources are not mixed as it can cause chemical reactions which, therefore, makes recycling and disposal difficult. 5) The vehicles used for the transportation and collection of waste should be covered to avoid exposure to public and scattering of waste. 6) Later on the waste should be categorized into two categories: recyclable and non-recyclable material. Since the waste primarily consists of office trash, it must have considerable amount of paper, bottles and newspaper etc. Waste is recyclable, if it is sent to be processed, while non-recyclable waste should be disposed of either through an incineration or a landfill. 4. How do you respond to the customer and what do you do next?   I will calm him down by silently listening to him for a while and showing him that his problems matter to me. After a while, I will politely accept our fault and personally apologize to him. Moreover, I will assure him that his compliant has been filed and registered by the respective authorities and that we will take care of the receptacle immediately. After finishing the call, I will check for any waste collection team nearby that area; if any team is available, I will order them to take care of the specific receptacle; otherwise I will dispatch an available waste collection team immediately to take care of the receptacle before its condition gets worse. CASE 2 1. Is it permissible to disturb the clay cap without a permit?   The appropriate District office must be consulted before any construction activity is conducted over an

KINGSLEY AMIS'S lUCKY JIM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

KINGSLEY AMIS'S lUCKY JIM - Essay Example Indeed, the book was dedicated to Larkin; who had helped to inspire and to edit it. The genesis and reception of Lucky Jim can be found in The Letters of Kingsley Amis. His correspondence with Larkin traces the book through its earliest incarnations, when it was known Dixon & Christine and then The Man of Feeling. Here he is on March 3, 1953 writing, to Larkin: "I've called it Lucky Jim now, to empahsise the luck theme - epigraph Oh lucky Jim, How I envy him bis. ... I'm afraid you are very much the ideal reader of the thing and chaps like you don't grow on trees." Jim Dixon's experience dramatizes the conflict between the lower-middle-class drive to invade a higher social stratum and the resultant guilt and self-contempt for abandoning one's own class. A lower-middle-class youth who yearns for the economic security academic tenure affords, Jim earns a degree in an area he neither likes nor understands. By luck, he gets a job as a junior lecturer in history at a provincial university. But it is bad luck, for not only does he detest the medieval history he teaches but he despises the cultural pretensions of his colleagues with whom he must curry favor, such as the Welches: the pompous senior professor, his wife, and their "artistic" sons. The irony in all of this is that Jim Dixon doesn't feel at all lucky. He's a junior lecturer at a no-account college in provincial England. His daily life is a litany of hilariously (from our perspective, anyway) petty humiliations at the hands of his superiors-notably the odious, conceited Professor Welch-his students and his co-dependent sort-of-girlfriend Margaret. "One theme of Lucky Jim was getting good things wrong," Amis explained in an interview. "Culture's good, but not the way the Welches did it. Education is good ... but it is self-defeating if it isn't done properly." (Firchow 27) He fails as an academic, but, with another dollop of luck (better this time), he gets a superior job outside the academy and, as a kind of added bonus (or revenge), wins from Bertrand Welch a young woman of superior social class. (Clive 20) Throughout Lucky Jim, Amis is concerned with the restructuring of British society which took place after World War II. Some of the effects were intensively felt in the English education system through efforts to open educational opportunities to more members of the working and middle classes. The growth of the provincial universities and the decline of the influence of the culturally elite led to friction between the old and the new orders. In Lucky Jim, such cultural change leads to conflict between Jim Dixon, a young history instructor, and Professor Welch, his department chair. Jim sees history as a means of planning and preparing for a better future; Welch sees it as a means of romanticizing and sentimentalizing the past. Amis expands this conflict through Jim's interactions with his colleagues and acquaintances. Welch asks Jim to give a lecture titled "Merrie Olde England," a title which symbolizes the nature of the conflict. Welch tests Jim to see if he is willing to perpetuat e a myth, while Jim and his fellow veterans are trying to cope with life, love and a new social order. The conflict between Jim as representative of a new England and Welch as defender of the old one expands to include Welch's family and some of Jim's colleagues. As a weekend house

SMITHFIELD STREET BRIDGE (PA) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

SMITHFIELD STREET BRIDGE (PA) - Research Paper Example Pittsburgh’s huge need for bridges presented a good opportunity for the engineers to showcase their knowledge and talent .The only form of transport within the town and some sections of the river banks in the early 19th century was the use of skiffs or canoes. As the community developed people realized that it was mandatory to build a ferry service and in 1818 the Jone’s Ferry service was established, in order to improve their business oriented culture. The ferry operated between southern bank of Monongahela and the base of Liberty Street. Stock and goods were carried by boats while passengers were carried by skiffs. In 1840, a more advanced horse ferry was developed which used blind horses as motive power. The blind horses were fitted in horizontal wheels when then propelled the boats (Von 77). A few years later a steam ferry was established by Captain Erwin on the southern bank of Ohio near the section where the rivers formed a confluence. Sadly, the ferry project col lapsed a few years later together with the Jones ferry project.Leaving just one operational steam ferry which operated from Penn Street to Saw Mill Run.The essay will deal with the three bridges elected at the Smithfield Street and how their construction revolutionized the bridge construction technology in the 19th century when civilization was developing at a remarkable speed The first bridge among the Pittsburghs highway bridges was known as the Monongahela Bridge. A bill was passed In Pennsylvania by the state legislative council allowing two bridges to be built at Pittsburg. One would be built over the Allegheny and the other one over Monongahela. Judge Findley, a member of the legislative council was given the task of calculating the overall cost of the structures. His calculations indicated that approximately 1200 feet of the river required chains that were 1590 feet long and four other iron chains weighing 64

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Finding Home in Food Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Finding Home in Food - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that since his teenage years, Western food has been a source of great attraction and enjoyment to the author. Fast food like burger and pizza had become his favorite since his teenage days. Eating pizza was one of the most pleasurable activities in his young days. The researcher has remembered going to a pizza joint near his school every weekend. Although it was not considered good by his family to have fast food, he used to love it. The author was discouraged from going to these joints. However, he used to manage going there with his friends on weekends. The researcher’s memories are filled with the fun and enjoyment that he has had while going to the fast food joints. He loved the cheese, different toppings and the starters that were all made in a Western way. Going to pizza joints made him feel that he was ‘modern’ in his outlook. For the author, eating fast food was like being a part of the ‘developed’ w orld. He used to look forward to going to pizza joints and enjoy the pizzas. So when the researcher got a chance to travel to the United States, he thought that he was going to have the greatest time in his life. The author knew that it is the country where burgers and pizzas are found in great varieties and sizes. Moreover, there was no one to stop him from having it. So he thought that his time in the USA will be filled with great entertainment and fun. The author thought that he will not miss his home much. However, his journey to the United States proved his thinking completely wrong.... I had thought that fast food is one thing that I cannot live without. Soon I realized that I was wrong. By the fifth day, I started remembering home food. My mind started dwelling on home made food and beverages. On that day, I told my friends that I will order the pizza. I took the number for nearby pizza joint and called them. I went outside my room to avoid my friends from listening to me. When I became sure that no one was listening, I asked the guy on the other end, â€Å"Do you have pizzas with Asian toppings?† The customer care guy gave a long â€Å"mmmmmmm† and said â€Å"No sir, we don’t.† I was quite disappointed and ordered the usual pizza. By this time, i.e. in just five to six days from the time I arrived, I had lost my enthusiasm towards fast food. I was craving for spices and variety in food. Even then I thought that maybe I am feeling home sick and hence, missing the food. I thought that if I have just one dish of Asian food, I will go back to the fast food with the same enthusiasm. However, my heart was saying something else. Fortunately, the confusion between the mind and the heart was cleared very soon. The next day, one of my distant relatives came to visit me. She brought a big Tiffin box full of Biryani, an Asian dish made of rice, chicken and spices, for me and my friends. She said she thought that home made food will make me feel at home. I said it is nothing like that, and that I am quite used to the Western food. My friends coughed to hide their laughter. After all, there was no strength in my statement. They had realized that I was craving for home made food now. However, as I did not want to lose the challenge, I tried my best to hide the truth.

Children and IQ Testing Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Children and IQ Testing - Coursework Example When developing children’s cognitive and physical features are very challenging tasks. Their learning abilities depend on the teachers’ influence, environment and individual interests. Therefore, it is vital for teachers to identify their students’ strengths and put more emphasis on their weak areas. In cases where some students perform well than others, it is the duty of teachers to arrange for private tutorials for weak students. This motivates them greatly and helps them in clarifying the areas they did not understand in class. In my view, these gifted students should not be placed in special schools rather be mixed. That way, they can use their skills to help the weak ones realize their goals (Rosenberg et al., 2007, p. 415). In addition, gifted students have a high degree of empathy for other students. Therefore, through this they can assist their fellow students in conducting their assignments and meeting the teachers’ objectives. Finally, most public schools have not been able to meet the needs of extremely gifted students. This is because they lack adequate learning resources to nurture students of such behavior. Therefore,more funds should be channeled to public schools so that gifted students can realize their full

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

SMITHFIELD STREET BRIDGE (PA) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

SMITHFIELD STREET BRIDGE (PA) - Research Paper Example Pittsburgh’s huge need for bridges presented a good opportunity for the engineers to showcase their knowledge and talent .The only form of transport within the town and some sections of the river banks in the early 19th century was the use of skiffs or canoes. As the community developed people realized that it was mandatory to build a ferry service and in 1818 the Jone’s Ferry service was established, in order to improve their business oriented culture. The ferry operated between southern bank of Monongahela and the base of Liberty Street. Stock and goods were carried by boats while passengers were carried by skiffs. In 1840, a more advanced horse ferry was developed which used blind horses as motive power. The blind horses were fitted in horizontal wheels when then propelled the boats (Von 77). A few years later a steam ferry was established by Captain Erwin on the southern bank of Ohio near the section where the rivers formed a confluence. Sadly, the ferry project col lapsed a few years later together with the Jones ferry project.Leaving just one operational steam ferry which operated from Penn Street to Saw Mill Run.The essay will deal with the three bridges elected at the Smithfield Street and how their construction revolutionized the bridge construction technology in the 19th century when civilization was developing at a remarkable speed The first bridge among the Pittsburghs highway bridges was known as the Monongahela Bridge. A bill was passed In Pennsylvania by the state legislative council allowing two bridges to be built at Pittsburg. One would be built over the Allegheny and the other one over Monongahela. Judge Findley, a member of the legislative council was given the task of calculating the overall cost of the structures. His calculations indicated that approximately 1200 feet of the river required chains that were 1590 feet long and four other iron chains weighing 64

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Children and IQ Testing Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Children and IQ Testing - Coursework Example When developing children’s cognitive and physical features are very challenging tasks. Their learning abilities depend on the teachers’ influence, environment and individual interests. Therefore, it is vital for teachers to identify their students’ strengths and put more emphasis on their weak areas. In cases where some students perform well than others, it is the duty of teachers to arrange for private tutorials for weak students. This motivates them greatly and helps them in clarifying the areas they did not understand in class. In my view, these gifted students should not be placed in special schools rather be mixed. That way, they can use their skills to help the weak ones realize their goals (Rosenberg et al., 2007, p. 415). In addition, gifted students have a high degree of empathy for other students. Therefore, through this they can assist their fellow students in conducting their assignments and meeting the teachers’ objectives. Finally, most public schools have not been able to meet the needs of extremely gifted students. This is because they lack adequate learning resources to nurture students of such behavior. Therefore,more funds should be channeled to public schools so that gifted students can realize their full

The 5 Paragraph Essay Format Essay Example for Free

The 5 Paragraph Essay Format Essay This is only one method of organizing an essay.Introductory paragraphA. Catches the readers interestB. Gives brief background on your topicC. Begins or ends with the thesis statementBody (paragraphs 2, 3, etc.)A. Develops, expands, and/or supports the thesis statementB. Includes a topic sentence for each paragraphC. Includes supporting details which reinforce the topic sentence.Concluding paragraphA. Restates the thesis or sums up the argument.B. Tells the reader what you think is important to remember. (Often, this is a personal response). C. Never introduces new information in the conclusion. Extend your thinking on something from the essay. The 5 Paragraph Essay Format The first paragraph: 1) Begins with a topic sentence that introduces a general theme. 2) Follows the topic sentence with sentences that narrow the focus of the theme, so that it is less general. 3) Introduces the author of the text you are writing about. 4) Introduces the title of that text. 5) Narrows the discussion of the topic by identifying an issue or problem. 6) Finishes by making a debatable claim (a thesis statement, which is defined as a debatable point/claim). Body paragraphs: 1) Begin with topic sentences that clearly relate to the topic, or issue, or problem, which was identified in the introductory paragraph. 2) Sentences that elaborate on the issue, or problem discussed in the introductory paragraph, and also demonstrates a clear connection to the  thesis statement. 3) A sentence or sentences that make a claim about the topic, issue, problem. 4) A quote from the text you are analyzing that supports your claim. 5) Your interpretation of that quote, which explains how you arrived at your conclusion, and also demonstrates a clear connection to the thesis statement.  · Body parargraphs employ the One, Two, Three Rule, which is: 1) Make a debatable claim. 2) Support the claim with a quote. 3) Explain the connection between your claim and the quote, which means you make an intellectual conclusion. Concluding paragraph: 1) Begins with a topic sentence that clearly relates to the topic, or issue, or problem that was identified in the introductory paragraph. 2) Sentences that make connections with, or revisit, point from your introductory paragraph and your body paragraphs. These points now serve to close your argument. 3) A synthesis of these points that clearly demonstrates the focus of your thesis statement. 4) A final comment, or intellectual conclusion of sorts that points out the larger significance of your argument. Also see the handout How to Structure and Organize Your Essays. How to Structure and Organize Your Essays Structure and Organization: first of all, how do they differ? Structure simply means that each individual paragraph does what it is supposed to do. Alright then, what is a paragraph supposed to do? It depends what type of paragraph it is. The types of paragraphs are as follows: The introductory paragraph. The body paragraphs. The concluding paragraph. Basically, you just want to make certain that: Your introductory paragraph does its job. Your body paragraphs do their job. Your concluding paragraph does its job. For a one page handout that explains exactly what each paragraph must do, see The 5 Paragraph Essay Format. Okay, So Much for Structure, Now What About Organization? Organization is all about body paragraphs. Why? Because everything that comes between your first paragraph and last paragraph is a body paragraph. Your essay is mostly made up of body paragraphs. What is Organization? It is how you order the information. Think of it this way: in your essay you make a number of claims and provide much information that supports those claims. How you order claims and information is your essays organization. Example: You are writing a paper on the current state of research on human cloning. You decide to include two paragraphs of background information on the  history of cloning research. The two paragraphs appear on page four of your five page paper. Your professor suggests that the organization require revision because there is an abrupt shift in the essays narrative. Why after almost four full pages about the current state of cloning research does your reader get two paragraphs on history? Including history is fine, but perhaps it should be included at the beginning of the paper, so that your narrative moves from the early days of cloning research to the current state of cloning research. It is the same information, but ordered differently.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Financial Control Through Strategic Planning In Organizations Accounting Essay

Financial Control Through Strategic Planning In Organizations Accounting Essay Organizations are striving in these days to stay competitive in turbulent business world. Strategic planning become very integral part of all successful organizations. If organizations dont care about strategic goals then this competitive business world just kick out from the rivals. Finance is life blood of every organization in the world if organization has insufficient finance to run their operations they couldnt survive long term. Enterprise resource planning consists of lots of information system within the organization, for instance management information system, human resource information system, accounting and finance information system, the size of ERP depend on the size of the organization which facilitate organization to run their operations effectively and efficiently. But our concern in this essay regarding finance information system and planning. How management of the organization plan to finance their operations and how they make check and balance on the finance function system with other information system. Financial system is main functioning of the orgainsaitons. This system control billions of regular transaction everyday. The main purpose of financial system within the orgainsation to manage the organisation cash flows. If financial system run properly then organization has confidence its safe and stable. In the first part of this essay my focus on the explore the relationship between financial system and other system in the organisation, how important and run with each other and well integrated. What are the system of accounts and financial statements organizations used to control its financial system. There are five financial statements for instance income statement, balance sheet, cash flow statement, statement of change in equity and notes to the accounts. These statements show the financial health of organisation. Second part of this essay is base on the numerical part and explanation for that I construct hypothetical example of budget data regarding pizza company. Compare the actual budget with planned budget and find how we know about the variance. Then how management take corrective actions on these variance and area of conflict in financial control and management steps to minimise these conflicts. In last part I identify the how organisation finance its operations I discuss some source of finance and how management allocate finance to achieve maximum efficiency and how management can control on financial distribution in organisation. 1.1 Assess the relationship(s) between a financial system or function and other systems or functions in an organisation Elbanna and Amany (2006) stated that there is a close connection between the finance function on the one hand and production, procurement, marketing, personnel function on the other. approximately all business activities in an organization engage the attainment and use of finances. The purpose of production, procurement and marketing strategies are the privilege of the head of production, purchase and marketing divisions correspondingly, but for implement their decisions funds are necessary. For instance, the production department might decide to swap an old machine with a new to boost the production capacity but it has financial allusions too. likewise, the buy and sales promotion policies are lay down by the purchase and marketing divisions correspondingly, but acquiring of materials, advertising and other sales advertising activities cannot be agreed out without finance. Likewise, the employment and promotion of personnel is the accountability of the personnel department but recru itment and promotion of employees require funds for the payment of wages, salaries and other remuneration. Many times, it may be difficult to separate where the one function trimmings and other starts. It might, though be noted that although the finance function of lifting and use funds has a important consequence on other functions, it need no boundary or hinder the common functions of the business. It is likely that firm face financial problems might provide more weight age to financial deliberation and plan its own manufacture and marketing policies to outfit the position. If we look other side of the picture a firm with a lot of funds might not have much inflexibility with observe to financial deliberations in relation to other management functions. In such a firm, financial strategies might be attuned to the requirements of the decisions describing to manufacture, procurement, marketing and other functions. 1.2 Describe the systems of accounts and financial statements used to control a financial system Although the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) put the rules by which the accounting occupation must stand, the warmth industry also sets actions and rules for its a variety of sections to make sure comparability, responsibility, and significant practice of accounting data. For new workers, those systems yet act as turnkey accounting systems. This way the system has all incorporated and is prepared to be used in operations. The three most used and renowned systems in the business are for the accommodation, foodservice, and association areas. There are at present one under progress for the food industry. Why are such industry-specific systems needed? If every industry follows the FASBs rules, couldnt every then have the right accounting information? In theory, yes. though, FASB rules are printed for the whole accounting career. Hospitality has accounts other industries do not, and vice versa. For example, a restaurant will not contain a reduction account for an oil rig, but a restaurant does need an accretion depreciation account for furniture, fixtures, and equipment. Even within the hospitality industry there are differences. A hotel industry is different from a club industry, and a club is different from a theme park. Hotels have room revenues food, country clubs have membership dues, and theme parks have admissions fees. There are optional procedures to classify convinced charge or identification of accounts. The accounting information give is more helpful not just for the companies themselves but also for investors, creditors, and even employees (Bratton, 2004). The Uniform System of Accounts for Restaurants, first published in 1927, is currently in its seventh edition. It provides sample statements, analysis blueprints, classification of accounts, and an expense dictionary. The aim of this publication, like that of the lodging and club industries, is to assist operators to interpret financial results in a more meaningful manner.( Weygandt et all, 2005) 2.1 Construct a budget for an area of management responsibility 2.2 Develop  budgetary control  systems and compare actual with planned expenditure Setting standards, the impartiality of the quantity and the person who process and evaluate the performance are significant. Measuring and comparing be able to be proficient by the person performing the job, by the superior, or by a workers person; yet an automatic system can measure and compare. From a behavioural point of view, the most recent method is the slightest popular, followed by measurement by a staff person just. An employee considers an automatic system, a staff person, or still the manager does not be acquainted with sufficient about the conditions of the job to make a flaxen comparison between real and intended results. in addition, the employee frequently distrusts the staff person and from time to time even the manager. At the similar, the employee is typically not trustworthy enough by the organisation to carry out the measurement and comparison unaccompanied. The best solution is to have the measurement done by the person most trusted by the employee and to agree to the employee some input. Domino pizza make baked packed of pizzas which it sells for  £60. The standard variable costs of the product are as follows (there are no variable overhead). 3 units of product A category of pizzas @  £ 4 per unit 2 labour [emailprotected]  £11 per hours The fixed overhead per month are  £ 20000 It is budgeted that 1200 units will be produced and sold per month The actual data for July 2009 were as follows: Sales and production (units) 1300 Actual sales price  £58 Raw materials used were 4000 units bought in at  £ 4.20 per units. The labour hours incurred were 2800 hours at  £ 11 per hour whilst the fixed overhead incurred were  £ 18000. Items Budget Actual Sales 72000 75400 material 14400 16800 Labour 26400 30800 Fixed overhead 20000 18000 Profit 11200 9800 Budgeted profit 11200 Material usage variance -400 ((1300*3)-4000)*4 Material price variance -800 ((4-4.2)*4000 Labour efficiency variance -2200 ((1300*2)-2800)*11 Labour rate variance 0 (11-11)*5800 Overhead expenditure variance 2000 20000-18000 Sales volume variance 2600 (1300-1200)*(60-12-22) Sales price variance -2600 -1400 (58-60)*1300 Actual profit 9800 2.3 Discuss  corrective actions  to be taken in response to budgetary variations unfortunate forecasting of field situation; weather and occasion in the future ways thorough and idyllic surveys in the direction of the field condition and foregoing weather data scanty planning in degree of work exactly study the job items, sequence and methods of the job activities adverse material preparation get prepared a detailed materials plan planning in harmony with scope of work. pitiable judgment and budgeting of materials cost arrange a precise and thorough budgeting support on direct market surveys Poor expansion and function of the standard work procedure assess the obtainable standard method in accord with the scope of work, situation, condition and environment deprived market forecast conduct a pre survey in accordance with market to enable making the right price estimation poor data and information of activity and materials conduct data attainment to make a good and complete data information. Shortage of materials in the market use material substitution and correct price so based on the material particular. Alter of materials basis condition to the project location suggest material replacement. divergence of quality materials bought and ordered. All section concerning procurement must clearly describe the responsibilities, rights and fine. impediment of materials payment. Construct an outstanding payment agenda to avoid delay in material delivery. Modify of the company buying policy develop fixed process. Divergence of preparation, develop detailed and precise schedule to make easy easy and controlled scheduled implementation. Unfortunate buying strategy in choosing suppliers. Perform complete and cautious selection of suppliers, which believe supplier on a daily basis capacity and material quality (Henstock, 1988). Impediment of materials consignment to location procurement agenda must be regularly check transform of materials circumstance during shipment process. Must have material continuation procedure during delivery. Shipping cost variance Delivery cost is determined based on budget requirements. Poor accessibility during shipping process Must have proper temporary storage facilities. Materials quality variance from requirement carry out quality control test to before delivery to make sure material is up to requirement. for material storing. Poor supervision in warehouses Conduct periodic storage control. incompetent use of materials in location extend effective material use process and material usage control. High recurrent materials association develop precise material transfer method and sufficient impermanent facilities site regular rework due to error. Clear design with good material plan contents and according to scope of work Lack of understanding towards the characteristic of work location Environmental and site evaluation sequence Lack of transportation Provide accurate estimation for mobile equipment plan and placement schedule Inefficient utilization and cutting of materials Provide bar bending/ cutting schedule Wrong materials utilization Provide clear work method with available facilities Incomplete drawing design Develop evaluation during tender explanation meeting Frequent out-of-sequence job flow Provide accurate and detail execution schedule Schedule compression Perform work according to schedule and identify change of order and adjust accordingly to schedule. Owner intervention during process Clear and well defined clauses in contract regarding responsibilities and duties to prevent unnecessary disruption. Lack of coordination meeting in the field Operation that regulate Coordination meeting Poor report system Develop procedure and execute the procedure with discipline. Lack of Information System role (MIS-IT) Develop appropriate Information system with proper communication procedure. Poor companys administration and documentation system Provide Manual and procedure that govern administration and documentation. Poor evaluation and decision making system Conduct coordination meeting for project evaluation to reach effective and accurate decision making. Poor inventory control towards stock of materials Create a procedure and implement the procedure with discipline. High number of materials and equipment loss/stealing Well Implementation of Safety and security system and discipline in material utilization Frequent changes of economic condition Periodic evaluation of project. Create addendum to minimize losses and impact from planning if needed. Frequent changes of rules and regulations Make contract changes with binding condition and according to the applicable agreement. High frequent of unpredictable situations during construction (force majeure, natural disaster, politics, etc) Include force majeure clausal in contract to predict and anticipate unexpected conditions. Poor condition of weather and climate Apply accurate construction method High competition Improve effectiveness, efficiency and productivity by implementing SWOT analysis. ( VERONIKA et all, 2006) 2.4 Identify conflicts that can occur with  management control systems  and how these could be resolved or minimised According to Maciariello et al. (1994), management control is concerned with coordination, resource allocation, motivation, and performance measurement. The practice of management control and the design of management control systems draws upon a number of academic disciplines. Management control involves extensive measurement and it is therefore related to and requires contributions from accounting especially management accounting. Second, it involves resource allocation decisions and is therefore related to and requires contribution from economics especially managerial economics. Third, it involves communication, and motivation which means it is related to and must draw contributions from social psychology especially organizational behaviour. Management control systems use many techniques such as; Balanced scorecard, Total quality management  (TQM), Kaizen  (Continuous Improvement), Activity-based costing, Target costing, Benchmarking  and Benchtrending, JIT, Budgeting, Capital budgeting, Program management techniques, etc. 3.1 Identify the current and potential sources of finance that support organisational activities When a corporation is rising rapidly, for example when consider investment in capital equipment or an acquirement, its current financial resources might be insufficient. Few emergent corporations are capable to finance their growth plans from cash flow only. They will consequently require to believe raising finance from other outside sources.  In addition, managers who are seem to buy in to a business or buy out a business from its owners, might not have the capital to get the company. They will need to lift finance to attain their objectives. There are a lot of possible sources of finance to meet the requirements of a emergent business or to finance an MBI or MBO: Existing shareholders and directors funds, Family and friends Business angels, Clearing banks (overdrafts, short or medium term loans), Factoring and invoice discounting, Hire purchase and leasing, vendor banks (medium to longer term loans), business enterprise capital. A key deliberation in decide the source of new business finance is to hit a equilibrium between equity and debt to make sure the financial support structure ensemble the business. The main dissimilarity between borrowed money (debt) and equity are that bankers demand interest outflow and capital repayments, and the hired money is typically tenable on business assets or the private assets of shareholders and directors. A bank also has the authority to put a business into supervision or bankruptcy if it defaulting on debt interest or repayments or its projection turn down. (Quoan, 2002) In disparity, equity investors get the risk of breakdown like other shareholders, while they will advantage through contribution in rising levels of profits and on the ultimate sale of their wager.  However in most situations venture capitalists will also need more composite investments in additional to their equity part. In general purpose in lifting finance for a company is to keep away from revealing the business to extreme high borrowings, but without gratuitously weaken the share capital. This will make sure that the financial risk of the company is reserved at best possible level A concise explanation of the main characteristics of the main sources of business finance is provided below, venture capital is a universal term to explain a variety of ordinary and preference shares where the spending organization obtain a share in the business. Venture capital is planned for higher risks such as commence state and development capital for more grown-up investments. Substitute capital carry in an organization in place of one of the unique shareholders of a business that needs to understand their personal equity before the other shareholders. There are over 100 different venture capital funds in the UK and some have geographical or industry inclination. There are also sure large industrial companies which have finance obtainable to spend in rising businesses and this corporate venturing is an extra source of equity finance. Local development organization and the European Union are the major sources of funding and soft loans. contribution are usually made to make easy the buy of assets and also the creation of jobs or the training of employees. Soft loans are usually subsidised by a third party so that the conditions of interest and sanctuary levels are less than the market velocity. There are more than 350 proposals from the department of trade and industry unaccompanied so it is a substance of recognize which sources will be suitable in each case. Funds can be lift against debts outstanding from customers via invoice discounting or invoice factoring, thus recovering cash flows. Debtors are utilized as the main security for the lender and the borrower might get up to about 80% of endorsed debts. In addition, lot of these sources of finance will at present provide against stock and other assets and might be more appropriate then bank lending. Invoice discounting is usually secret, whereas factoring expand the simple discounting standard by also commerce with the administration of the sales ledger and debtor compilation. Hire purchase conformity and hire provide finance for the attainment of precise assets such as motor cars, equipment and machinery connecting a deposit and re-payments more, normally, three to ten years. Theoretically, possession of the asset stay with the lessor whereas label to the goods is ultimately relocate to the hirer in a hire purchase contract. Medium term loans and long term loans are granted for exact reason such as obtain an asset, business or shares. The loan is usually safe on the asset or assets and the interest rate might be changeable or fixed. The small firms loan guarantee scheme could give up to  £250,000 of borrowing maintain by a government guarantee where all other sources of funds have been tire out. This loan finance where there is small or no precautions gone after the leading debt had been protected. To replicate the privileged risk of mezzanine finance, the lender would indict a rate of interest of possibly four to eight % over bank base rate, might get an alternative to obtain some equity and might necessitate repayment over a shorter period. An overdraft is a decided amount by which a customer could excess withdraw from their current account. It is usually held on current assets, re-payable on stipulate and utilize for short period working capital variation. The interest cost is usually uneven and correlated to bank base rate. Increasing fund is frequently a intricate process. Business management require to consider numerous choices and then bargain conditions which are suitable to the finance supplier. The major bargaining points are repeatedly as follows: Whether equity investors get a seat on the management board. Votes credited to equity investors, level of guarantees and protection provided by the directors financiers fees and costs, who tolerate costs of due attentiveness. Throughout the finance acquiring process, accountants are frequently called to reassess the financial attribute of the arrangement. Their report might be official or unofficial, an indication or an widespread reconsider of the companys management information system, forecasting means and their exactness, re-examine of most recent management accounts counting working capital, pension funding and employee agreements etc. This due diligence process is utilized to emphasize any primary problems that might exist. 3.3 Discuss the monitoring and control of finance employed in support of organisational actvities All budgets are owed to budget managers on the endorsement of the Vice-Chancellor, under designation from council. Budget managers must have pass on authority, in accordance with the allocation policy to use their budgets. Budget managers must check, reconsider, and report on a usual basis to their exposure line manager, on the financial presentation for their areas of accountability. Reporting would comprise comments on material budget variances and financial risks telling to the budget allocation. Reporting should also take place via the Universitys Performance and Risk reporting tool in accordance with the Universitys reporting timeline. Where material variances are envisage the budget manager should get ready a reforecasting budget for the accounting year as soon as possible. Action plans to tackle budget variances need also be ready, as proper. These documents must be self-assured to their line manager and the director finance operations. According to Messy University, financial monitoring and control published in 2007,Also, either budget monitoring group (BMG) or commercial activities group (CAG) will take on self-governing monitor of budget management and control on behalf of the vice chancellor. Risk Rating reports will be ready by the pertinent accounting advisor and submitted to BMG or CAG, and after that to the Universitys Risk Management Committee. Risk Rating reports will have a provisional status pending they have been marked off by the related reporting line manager at which time the reports position will change to confirmed. Only Risk Rating reports with a confirmed status will be accepted. Unbudgeted functioning or capital spending must be permitted by either the budget managers level three reporting line manager if inside total yearly budget, or by the director, finance operations if in surplus of total budget. In case where the endorsement of the director, finance operations is required, approval must be acquire by compliance of a request for financial authority. Note that where the endorsement of the director finance operations is to be required, sign off by the suitable level three manager is also necessary. Budget managers must implement inner control systems that make sure separation of duties in the buying process, and ethical commercial exercise. Budget managers must make sure that all possible clash of interests arise from commercial dealings are recognized and minimised. The director finance operations must testimony the companys financial performance to the vice-chancellor and council frequently. In order to inclusive this job the director finance operations might need budget centres to give additional information or re forecasts. All external and internal financial reporting have to obey with generally accepted accounting practice as defined in the Financial Reporting Act 1993 and Amendments. Conclusion: we can conclude the planning and control of financial system within the organization is very sensitive and crucial part of management information system. Policy makers might take decisions sometimes quickly but that decision should be accurate regarding finance distribution. We found there is direct relationship between finance system and other system in organisation, they are interlinked with each others. Financial statements are used to control and keep check and balance on whole finance function in the organisation. Budget is planning and control process how organisation allocate their limited resources to gain maximum benefit. It is not always bet with planned budget some variances are exist. Then its management resposbility to identify variances and take some serious steps to avoid that. Sometimes conflicts arises within the departments and its responsibility of management to resolve those conflicts to maximize the output. We found lots of source of finance utilize by the organisation. Its depend on the management which source of finance is feasible to exploit. When organisation got the finance how to allocate this fund within the organisation to run firm operation efficiently. Continuously feedbac is needed for management to know how operations run in organisation. This feedback should be timely, accurate and authentic to take corrective actions if something going worse. Management in organisation is the most knowledgeable entity to know each and everything in organisation.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Essay examples --

Mass Mmedia is made up of several communications systems that reach millions of people every day. But who owns the media? Actually, through the long history of mergers and acquisitions, few big companies have been controlling what we see, hear, and read by maintaining the ownership of mass media. However, the issue of media conglomeration has produced a significant amount of controversy. Since the media’s power and the control of the communications system have been dominated by a few corporations, media conglomeration has been viewed as an obstruction and limitations of diversified contents. While opponents believe there is a crisis impending due to the perception of increased concentrated ownership and convergence of the media industry that interfere with message pluralism, supporters argue the media system has increased diversity more than before and large companies offer advantages that a small company can never afford . This paper examines the history of media owners hip and the current FCC regulations, and discusses the effects of media conglomeration on our society. In the United States, there are a few corporations that control the mass media. The Free Expression Policy Project (FEPP), founded in 2000 to provides research and advocacy on free speech, copyright, and media democracy issues indicates: there are ten corporations that control the mass media in the United Stets: Viacom, Time Warner, Walt Disney, General Electric, News Corporation, and Vivendi Universal. While media concentrations have been going on for quite some time, there are concerns about how this conspiracy of media monopolies started ? In early 1900, telecommunications markets were not monopolies. After the radio was invented, regulations were ... ...lt Disney Company, Liberty Media Corporation, AT&T Corporation, News Corporation, Bertelsman, Vivendi Universal, and Sony. After several rounds of rulemaking and court challenges, the FCC announced a new â€Å"Broadcast Ownership Rules† in June of 2003. This law raised the ceiling for national market share from 35% to 45%. Responding to widespread protests, Congress overturned this increase as part of its 2003 appropriations bill. However, after President Bush threatened to veto the entire appropriations bill, a compromise was reached at 39%, which allowed Viacom and the News Corporation to keep all of the stations they currently owned. (Miller) For many years, despite the enormous revenues that have been generated by these few big media companies, media conglomeration caused a mutilation of viewers’ thinking and suppression to segments of the communicated message. Essay examples -- Mass Mmedia is made up of several communications systems that reach millions of people every day. But who owns the media? Actually, through the long history of mergers and acquisitions, few big companies have been controlling what we see, hear, and read by maintaining the ownership of mass media. However, the issue of media conglomeration has produced a significant amount of controversy. Since the media’s power and the control of the communications system have been dominated by a few corporations, media conglomeration has been viewed as an obstruction and limitations of diversified contents. While opponents believe there is a crisis impending due to the perception of increased concentrated ownership and convergence of the media industry that interfere with message pluralism, supporters argue the media system has increased diversity more than before and large companies offer advantages that a small company can never afford . This paper examines the history of media owners hip and the current FCC regulations, and discusses the effects of media conglomeration on our society. In the United States, there are a few corporations that control the mass media. The Free Expression Policy Project (FEPP), founded in 2000 to provides research and advocacy on free speech, copyright, and media democracy issues indicates: there are ten corporations that control the mass media in the United Stets: Viacom, Time Warner, Walt Disney, General Electric, News Corporation, and Vivendi Universal. While media concentrations have been going on for quite some time, there are concerns about how this conspiracy of media monopolies started ? In early 1900, telecommunications markets were not monopolies. After the radio was invented, regulations were ... ...lt Disney Company, Liberty Media Corporation, AT&T Corporation, News Corporation, Bertelsman, Vivendi Universal, and Sony. After several rounds of rulemaking and court challenges, the FCC announced a new â€Å"Broadcast Ownership Rules† in June of 2003. This law raised the ceiling for national market share from 35% to 45%. Responding to widespread protests, Congress overturned this increase as part of its 2003 appropriations bill. However, after President Bush threatened to veto the entire appropriations bill, a compromise was reached at 39%, which allowed Viacom and the News Corporation to keep all of the stations they currently owned. (Miller) For many years, despite the enormous revenues that have been generated by these few big media companies, media conglomeration caused a mutilation of viewers’ thinking and suppression to segments of the communicated message.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

The Different Fields in the Business World Essay -- Business Managemen

The Different Fields in the Business World There are many different fields in the business world. Business Management is the largest field in the corporate world. It takes responsibility, skill and determination to form a successful business of any type. There are numerous areas within a business that need the skills of management. Control of expenses, payroll, time management, and to initially raise capital to start a business all are areas in which management has to play an important role. Any businesses main objective is to gain a profit. A profit is the amount of money a business earns after all of it debts are paid. The field of management is essential to organize the business in such a way that a profit is made. The business start up is the most important piece of a long puzzle to establish a successful business. An entrepreneur is an individual or group of individuals who desire to open their own business. An entrepreneur needs to gain "smart" money to start his business. "Smart" money is simply capital, and a business needs a lot of it to survive. Today one in ten businesses survive for more than a year. It is hard to start up a successful business today and even harder to maintain a successful business status. An entrepreneur will raise capital through numerous ways. He can look for investors that wish to gain a small silent partnership in the business, loans can be taken from a bank and one of the most common types of capital comes from the stock market. A business owner will take his company public on the stock exchange in order to raise money. While money is being raised, the owner has to determine a ballpark figure on how much he will need to run this business. Today it is said y ou should have sufficient capital to be able to support your business for two years without returning a profit. After the initial start up is complete then skill and determination is needed to keep the business going. Cost is the area within a business where profit is made. Cost is the amount of money, which is spent to produce the tangible and or intangible goods or services of your business. These costs affect the price of the product and or service that you are selling. One type of cost is called fixed cost. This type of cost is the expense of a business that does not change and are always constant in a business. When money is made, debts are the firs... ...he business. Time is equal to money because there are only a certain amount of hours in each business day for a business to produce all of its revenue. When time is wasted, the amount of gross income can be greatly reduced. One way this can be explained is through the employee waste of time. An example of this would be ten employees taking an additional ten minutes each at lunch, which equals one hour and forty minutes per day. Based on a five-day week of work, this equals to a total loss of eight hours and twenty minutes. If the average employee was estimated to produce a hundred and twenty dollars per hour, that would equal to a total loss of more than fifty thousand dollars for the year. This proves that what employees believe is just a few extra minutes can in turn dramatically change a businesses net profit from one extreme to the other. Business Management is a very dedicated and appreciated job position. The manager needs to have all eyes open and make sure that the business is running smoothly so that there are no defects in the way the business is being run which could eventually lead to a decrease in the amount of profit in which that business is making each year.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Pre Ap World History Chapter 3 Vocabulary

Pre-AP World History Chapter 3 Vocabulary 1. Yellow and Yangtze Rivers-contained many agricultural settlements, were river valleys 2. Gobi Desert-in northwest China, blocking off invaders from the north and northwest 3. Tibetan Plateau-north of the Himilayan Mountains, protected the west from invasion 4. Yangshao and Longshan cultures-identified as the painted and black pottery cultures 5. Xia Dynasty-started around 4000 years ago, leader Yu introduced irrigation and draining 6. Shang Dynasty-afterthe Xia in the 16th century B. C. E. , oracle bones found in Anyang 7.Anyang-capital of the Shang Dynasty, oracle bones were dug up revealing early writing 8. Xinjiang corpses-from 2000 B. C. E. , clearly European, revealing migration eastward 9. oracle bones- turtle shells that had Chinese writing on one side, and scratchs from gods 10. Shang bronzes-utensils,weapons,ritual objects were made from bronze casting 11. well field system-8 families cultivated their own plot and worked together on the 9th plot 12. Zhou Dynasty-2 capital cities for a more extensive bureaucracy, territories w/ govenors 13. silk-found on bronzes and in tombs, used for clothing and wrapping the dead 14.Silk Road-a travel route from China westward, trading mostly silk 15. Mandate of Heaven-the right to rule from the gods, a dynasty can lose and gain M. O. H. 16. Rites of Zhou-one of the oldest surviving documents, stating that Zhou ruled bc of MOH 17. yin and yang-interacting, opposing forces in nature, always should be in balance *18. Yi Jing/Book of Changes- 19. Confucius-the lader of Confucianism, belief in 5 key relationships and filial piety 20. The Analects-written by Confucius' disciples on the sayings and ideas relating to him 21. Mencius-(370-290 BCE) a philosopher who stressed the humanistic side of Confucianism 22.Legalism-humans were evil by nature, and had to have harsh laws and strict punishments *23. Way of Great Learning- 24. Lao Tzu-founder of Daoism, â€Å"Old Master† 2 5. Daoism-based on forces in nature, which needed to be balanced (yin and yang) 26. Dao de Jing-primary document which makes original concepts a bit difficult to understand 27. wu wei-to interpret the will of Heaven is not action but INACTION 28. Period of Warring States-the period between 2 dynasties; one losing power, one gaining it 29. Qin Dynasty-(221-206 BCE)legalism, strict censorship,standardized weights;measures 30.Qin Shi Huangdi-first emperor of Qin, rose to throne at age 13 in 246 BCE, Li Su is advisor 31. Xianyang-the capital where aristocratic clans were forced to live, so court could monitor *32. Sima Qian- 33. Xiongnu-northern nomads who posed the threat of invading(possibly related to Huns) 34. Great Wall-a costly project to keep invaders out from the North, slowed but not stopped 35. Han Dynasty-(202 BCE-221 CE)founded by Liu Bang, dictorial gov't and civil service exams 36. eunuchs- males who had their testicles removed (castrated) 37. Liu Bang-founder of the Han d ynasty 38. tate Confucianism-Confucian doctrine combined with Legalist practice 39. civil service exam-tests administered to workers in the bureaucracy to see if they qualify *40. Han Wudi- *41. Wang Mang-reformist official who seized power 42. Chang'an-the capital of the Han Empire in China 43. filial piety-respect for one's parents and elders in society 44. Bao-jia system-forming a group of families for excersizing mutual control and surveillance 45. Xian's terracotta army- terracotta soldiers to protect the first emperor of Qin's tomb 46. Book of Songs and Song of the South-a book of about 300 poems written during the early Zhou dynasty

Thursday, October 10, 2019

A Thousand Splendid Suns

It made me forget about the real world and dragged my mind into the world of Miriam and Leila. Miriam is a girl who was â€Å"born a Hiram, a source of shame to her father and his family' (60). Her father Jail is of the upper-class men of Kabul, and her mother a lowly woman cast out of her home by her master Jail. Every Thursday, Jail would visit Miriam and tell her of the wondrous stories of her past, and Miriam, a naive little girl, would eat up all the Lies he feeds her. Her mother would warn her against It all, but Miriam chose to believe the happy version of events Jail told her.He was a rich man telling rich lies. Why would Marls own father be so cold-hearted to pretend to love her and aka up stories that arena even true? I think he does this because â€Å"[he is] ashamed of [her]† (50); but he doesn't want her to know his true personality or else she wouldn't respect him since he is her father after all. Social appearances told society whether you were worth their time or not, so Jail wanted to save his face and keep his good reputation. Nowadays, we are still Judged by our social status and appearance though it isn't as severe and open as back then in the late asses.Maria's mother once warned her that there was â€Å"only one skill† she had to perfect, â€Å"[a]ND it's this: tamale. Endure† (17). We can observe how obedient Miriam Is, because she did endure. She â€Å"quietly endure[d] all that [fell] upon [her]† (82) through the good times and the bad – especially through the bad. If I had to live Maria's life, I doubt that I would have endured through everything that came my way as well as she did. Miriam is like a coconut: she has a hard shell, and nothing can break her. But on the inside, her heart is so big and generous, yet she sometimes feels like she can't keep up the brave face any longer.The first few days of Maria's forced marriage were tough on her. She wasn't used to the new surroundings and she was oilin g â€Å"adrift and forlorn† (56). But little by little, chore by chore, with each smile and connection she made with her new husband, she thought to herself â€Å"that they would make good companions after all† (77). After losing her first child, Miriam returns to her state of misery and loses the connection she had with her husband Rehashed. His temper goes out of control, and everything she does has this sense of dreariness and to her â€Å"life †¦ [seems] so exhausting† (83).I can feel Maria's despair and grief as If It were almost my own even though I have no Idea what It feels like to have lost a child. This Is an example of Chalked Hussein's power In writing: he draws me In with his vivid words painting a clear picture in my mind. Chapter 16-25 (Part TWO) Journal #2 In Part Two of A Thousand Splendid Suns, the narrator takes us down the path of life of Leila. When she was only nine years old, the Soviet Union had already invaded Afghanistan. Some peop le, like Laic's teacher, said that â€Å"the Soviet Union was the best nation in the world†¦ Mind to its workers, and its people were all equal† (101). But others disagreed strongly with this statement. Laic's father believes firmly in education, especially for women. He thinks that education should come before marriage â€Å"because a society has no chance of success if its women are uneducated† (103), which is quite the opposite of what most other parents with daughters think. Leila has been â€Å"the top-ranked student† (103) for the past two years, but she feels that she cannot tell her friends Hessian and Gist as they do not have the same perspective on education as Leila and her father.Ever since Laic's two older brothers have went off to war, her mamma has been depressed and feels like there is no point in life. She is an â€Å"unmoving blanketed mound† lying in bed everyday. From this, I inferred that mamma prefers her sons to Leila. This is a great example of how in some cultures parents favor sons over daughters. Why is this so? I think this is because of the stereotype that boys are better than girls. I see no reason why a girl cannot be as strong or smart or talented as a boy in any way. Nowadays, we try to ban this way of thinking but some people still have this belief.One afternoon, â€Å"a stranger with news† (122) came knocking at her door. He came to tell her parents that Laic's brothers, Nor and Mad, have died triumphantly, fighting for their beloved country's sovereignty. Many people the next morning arrived at their funeral, but all Mamma did was â€Å"sway back and forth and stare at the rug with a remote, spiritless look† (125). Contrarily, it was hard for Leila â€Å"to summon sorrow, to grieve the deaths of people [she] had never really thought of as alive in the first place† (125, 126) because her brothers had left for war when she was a very young girl.Even though the last of the S oviet convoys left the city in 1989, Mamma swore she would not celebrate nor rejoice until the Unexamined win the war against Incunabula and â€Å"hold a victory parade right here in Kabul† (138). Three years later, unexpected happened. Incunabula surrendered ! From that day on, â€Å"Mamma rose from bed a new woman† (145) and resumed her motherly chores. Unfortunately, around a week later everything unraveled and instead of having a common enemy, the Unexamined found the enemy in each other. They fired rockets at the mountains, and â€Å"the mountains fired on Kabul† (157).One day after school when Gist was walking home with her friends, a stray rocket struck them. It was only during the funeral the next day the information finally started to sink in and â€Å"[a]t last, Leila began to weep for her friend† (161). For Leila, the bad news Just kept coming like an ocean's waves. This time it was her best friend and lover, Atari, who was moving to Pakistan. She felt betrayed and heartbroken, but at the same time she knew he had to go. Almost everyone in her neighborhood had packed their belongings and left, but Mamma refused.She said it was an â€Å"affront, a Dearly, These two women were similar; they were both compassionate and kind-hearted. One night, when Rehashed their husband was in a foul mood, Leila talked back to him. He immediately assumed it was Miriam who taught her to do this, even though they weren't exactly friends at that time. He took out his leather belt, and that meant a beating for Miriam. Just as he brought the belt down, Leila lunged at him, pleading him to not beat Miriam. Even though Miriam was Jealous and reluctant to befriend Leila at first; she soon learned to accept and appreciate the other woman's companionship.The beginning of their friendship sparked when Leila first asked Miriam to have tea, after a long weary day doing chores around the house. â€Å"l know it's chilly outside, but what do you say we s inners have us a cup of chaw in the yard? † Leila asked. Miriam protested weakly at first, but gave in to the thought of a break from all the work. From then on, they had daily chaw and were no longer enemies, but n understanding came across the two of them and they started to do their chores together. I don't relate at all to the lives of Leila and Miriam, so why did I feel their pain and their happiness like I was experiencing it?It was because Chalked Hussein wrote this book with such emotion and depth; he wound my mind carefully into the life of these two women. CONNECTIONS Chalked Hussein wrote this book with hope in his heart and a mind-blowing story to tell. He used many literary devices to spice up his book and to add more pizzazz. When Nana told Miriam â€Å"To Jail and his wives, I was a poker. A muggers. You too. † This is a powerful metaphor describing how others looked down on them because they were from a lower caste. Another device would be â€Å"early e vening† and â€Å"badly out of breath†.They are examples of alliteration for emphasis on the time of day and the condition of the character. He also used similes. Some examples of that would be â€Å"She could make out the minarets in the distance, like the dusty fingers of giants†¦ † Which compares the distant towers to the fingers of a giant and â€Å"She had a mouth that ran like a sewing machine† which compares tells us that Hessian not only talked a lot but also very fast. Lastly, one example of personification is â€Å"They are not friendly countries. † A country cannot be friendly, it is the people living in the country that are friendly or not.This book was written in two perspectives: Maria's and Laic's. It was a bit confusing Jumping back and forth from these points of view, but it showed the opinion of these two women and laid out the two sides of this story. ANALYSIS One part of the book that was very touching was when Miriam accept ed her punishment for killing Rehashed to save Leila, so that Leila can live the rest of her life peacefully and without fault. It shows owe big Maria's heart is, how willing she was to give up her life for someone she loves. Leila wanted Miriam to run away with her, but Miriam refused.She said, â€Å"Eve killed our husband. Eve deprived your son of his father. It isn't right that I run. I can't. Even if they never catch us, I'll never escape your son's grief. † It broke my heart to see Leila leave Miriam behind, but it was decided. Miriam said Leila and her children have given her the happiness she was looking for – there was nothing else she wanted. RESPONSE The other part that moved me so much was the letter Jail wrote to Miriam to apologize Tort now en treated near, Ana now en wasn't a good Tanner to near.He wrote, â€Å"l dare, I dare allow myself the hope that, after you read this, you will be more charitable to me than I ever was to you. That you might find it in your heart to come and see your father. That you will knock on my door one more time and give me the chance to open it this time, to welcome you, to take you in my arms, my daughter, as I should have all those years ago. It is a hope as weak as my heart. † This paragraph in his letter stood out to me the most, and it shows how sorry Jail was for not being there for his daughter all those years. For giving her away to marriage, for treating her like she wasn't good enough for him.RESPONSE After reading the letter, I think that Jail has changed, that death's open arms have given him a change of heart. It brought tears to my eyes, because Miriam didn't have the chance to forgive her father and make everything right again. Why didn't Miriam visit Jail after receiving his first letter? I think it was because she was scared of seeing him after so long, of what he would think of her, and mostly importantly she was scared of him not opening the door for her again like the day of he r birthday years before. RESPONSE The message the author tried to convey was as clear as a summer sky to me.It is that friendship is something we should all treasure. It shows us that sometimes teamwork is essential to win even though sometimes we have to sacrifice. Leila and Miriam won the war against Rehashed, but in this case Miriam had to give up her life for it. It was a beautiful but heart-breaking deed: Miriam sacrificing herself for her sister and only friend Leila; she was so humble to put others before herself. In conclusion, Chalked Hussein gave the readers a very powerful image of his home country Afghanistan and showed us how strong a true friendship can be. A Thousand Splendid Suns Khaled Hosseini is one of the most admired Afghani authors of the 21st century. He is best know for works such as The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns that explore the hardships of living in Afghanistan during the Soviet Invasion and Taliban regime. This paper will discuss the life and work of Khaled Hosseini with special emphasis on the effect on women in Afghan society in the novel A Thousand Splendid Suns. Khaled Hosseini was born on March 4, 1965. He is the eldest of five children, and was born in Kabul, Afghanistan where his father worked for the foreign ministry and his mother taught Persian literature.Hosseini’s father was relocated to work in Tehran, where Hosseini’s passion for Persian literature grew and inspired him to write short stories of his own. In 1973 the Afghan King, Zahir Shah was overthrown by his own cousin, Daoud Khan, in a bloodless coup. In 1976, Hosseini’s father was again relocated to Paris where Khaled and his family moved. Onl y two years after Daoud Khan’s reign, he was overthrown by a communist faction, and killed. Hosseini’s family, now wary of the Soviet impact in Afghanistan, were granted political asylum in the United States.Although Hosseini struggled with English in his first year of high school, he was greatly inspired by John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, to continue his passion for writing. Determined to make ends meet for him and his family, after graduating high school in 1984 he enrolled in Santa Clara University to study biology, and later earn a his bachelor’s degree in 1988. Hosseini became a practicing internist after he gained his Medical degree at the University of California.Hosseini joined the Kaiser Permanente Health Maintenance Organization and settled in Mountain View, California with his wife, Roya, to start a family. Throughout Hosseini’s medical studies he felt it was his responsibility to tell the world about the country he knew, before it was consumed with war, so he published his first novel The Kite Runner. He told the story of two Afghan boys who’s lives undertake different paths with the events of the war. â€Å"The Kite Runner spent more than two years on the New York Times bestseller list, and returned to the list five years after its initial ppearance† (Khaled Hosseini Biography). In 2003, following the success of his first novel, Hosseini returned to Afghanistan after twenty seven years. Where he felt devastated and shocked the remains of his country. In 2006 he joined the United Nations High Commissioner for refugees, from war zones around the world. Since 2003 Hosseini had been working on his second novel which focuses on the effect of women during the Soviet Invasion and under the Taliban dictatorship. A Thousand Splendid Suns, like the first novel became an international bestseller, while The Kite Runner became a highly acclaimed motion picture.Khaled Hosseini gave up his medical practice t o write and continue his work for the United Nations. (Khaled Hosseini Biography; â€Å"Khaled Hosseini | Biography) A Thousand Splendid Suns is divided into four parts. In part one we meet Mariam. Mariam lives with her Nana in a kolba and is the illegitimate child of a wealthy cinema owner from Herat. Mariam praised the ground her father, Jalil walked on. But when her mother kills herself and she’s sent to live with her father, she realizes that she’s the personification of shame to her him.Jalil marries Mariam off to Rasheed, a shoe make from Kabul who turns out to be an abusive husband. In part two of the novel we meet Laila. She was born on the same day the Soviets invaded Afghanistan. Due to the fact that her older brothers are off at war with the Soviets, Laila’s mother is in deep depression. Laila tells about her best friend Tariq, who she later falls in love with, and about her days during and after the Soviet Invasion. The day Tariq tells Laila that he ’s leaving Kabul due to the bombs reigning down on the city, they spontaneously end up having sex.Then two weeks after Tariq’s departure, Laila’s family also decides to leave, but a bomb hits her house and kills her parents. In part three Mariam and Rasheed take Laila in and nurse her back to health. When Laila finds out she is pregnant with Tariq’s child she decides to marry Rasheed so that he believes the child is his. Mariam and Laila are enemies at first, but Rasheed’s abusive behavior manages to bring them together. In an extreme act of self-sacrifice Mariam kills Rasheed in order to save Laila’s life, and turns herself in to the authorities.In part four Laila runs away with Tariq, who comes back after so many years where they manage to make a living in a hotel where they also work at. In order to pay tribute to Mariam, Laila decides to visit Herat where she sees the kolba that Mariam and her mother lived in, she reads the letter Mariam ’s father had left her, and when she finds out that she’s pregnant with her third child, she decides that if it’s a girl she’ll name her Mariam. A Thousand Splendid Suns tells of the relationship of two unlikely women who are brought together by the events taking place in their country. It’s our lot in life, Mariam. Women like us. We endure. It’s all we have† (19). Mariam didn’t heed the words of her mother back then in the kolba, but she did learn throughout her life that women in general had to endure the many hardships that life presented. The Soviet Invasion and Taliban regime has had a lasting effect on the women of Afghanistan. They have struggled with the Taliban’s political reign in government as well the the â€Å"cultural contraints†¦of tradition and religion†(Women in Afghanistan: Pawns in men’s power struggles).Through the lives of Mariam and Laila one sees the disastrous events that have ta ken place in Afghanistan as well as the sturggle that women have endured to gain independence. One can see where the â€Å"notions of honour and shame†¦emphasise female modesty and purity†(Women in Afghanistan: Pawns in men’s power struggles) through Mariam’s birth. Mariam’s mother was cast out of the house she lived in as a servant for having a passing affair with the owner of the house who was wealthy and of high class. Mariam thus considered herself â€Å"an illegitimate person who would never have legitimate claim to the things other people had†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (4).Furthermore, in a poor excuse to rid himself of the shame and dishonor he brought upon his family, Mariam’s father marries her off. [He] â€Å"didn’t have the [heart] either†¦to stand up to his family, to his wives and in-laws, and accept responsibility for what he had done†(7). When Laila was rescued from the remains of her house and Rasheed claimed that her liv ing in his house would â€Å"look dishonorable†(214) shows that a women’s honor and purity means everything in Afghan society, and to ruin those things means bringing shame upon oneself and one’s family.That is why Laila agreed to marry him, because she knew that if anyone were to find out she was pregnant and unmarried, she would be thrown out into the streets, and plenty of unimaginable things were to happen it to her then. Sura 4:34 â€Å"Men stand superior to women in that God hath preferred the one over the other †¦ Those whose perverseness you fear, admonish them and remove them into bed chambers and beat them, but if they submit to you then do not seek a way against them; surely Allah is High, Great. † (qtd. in Legacy of the Prophet)This quote suggest that male relatives have the authority to beat their wives if they disobey them. They are many incidents in A Thousand Splendid Suns where Mariam and Laila are beaten into submission. Mariam is f orced to chew on pebbles as a demonstration of how her food tastes to her husband, and is left spitting â€Å"out pebbles, blood, and the fragments of two broken molars†(104). The Quran also states that women are to be beaten if they deny their husbands bed; Mariam is threatened to be beaten because Rasheed (her husband) claims that she is influencing Laila to not sleep with him.Mariam and Laila were tortured after they tried to escape Rasheed’s home by being locked in separate rooms, where they went without water and food for days. Laila is severely beaten, almost to the point of death, when Rasheed finds out that she allowed Tariq into his home and allowed him to see her without a burqa. Male relatives in Afghanistan also have a right to honor killings, if a women is not a virgin on her wedding night her male relatives have the right to kill her in order to avenge the family honor.If a wife is accused of adultery she is stoned to death, and if a woman is caught with a man who is not a relative, she is given a hundred lashes and a year in prison (Islam and Women’s Rights). Men are not greatly punished for the same â€Å"crime† that women commit since many of them can have multiple wives and concubines. This shows the injustice between men and women in Afghanistan and how tradition and religion is used to control their everyday lives. The Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan in 1978 gave woman a better sense of independence.This new governmental reform encouraged woman to a better education, teach in schools, work in hospitals, and permitted them to not wear a burqa. This reform also included the prohibition of forced marriages and also raised the marriage age to sixteen. â€Å"Women have always had it hard in this country†¦but they’re probably more free now, under the communist, and have more rights than they’ve ever had before†(135). According to the Commision on the Status of Women one must fight against the u se of tradition in order to eliminate the discrimination of women (Women in Afghanistan).But such reforms were not taken lightly and were deemed un-Islamic, and thrust Afghanistan into a civil war between Soviet troops and the Mujahideen. â€Å"Of course, women’s freedom is also one of the reasons people out there took up arms in the first place† (135) The next ten years resulted in millions of Afghans leaving the country due to the fighting in many rural areas where men, women, and children became targets of the war at their doorstep. After the Soviet retreat in 1989, the Mujahideen were in a political power struggle that resulted in mass hysteria and the rise of the Taliban.Before the Soviet Invasion and Taliban regime, men and women were declared equal through God. They were given the right to vote, choose their own partners, and a right to an inheritance. But under the Taliban all of these rights were taken away, and many of their laws favored men over women (The P light of the Afghan Woman). â€Å"Attention Women: You will stay in your homes at all times. It is not proper for women to wander aimlessly about the streets. If you go outside, you must be accompanied by a male relative.If you are caught alone on the street, you will be beaten and sent home†¦Girls are forbidden from attending school. All schools for girls will be closed immediately. Women are forbidden from working. If you are found guilty of adultery, you will be stoned to death†(278) Although female health professionals were still given the liberty to work under strict rules, they had harsh woking conditions. Many hospitals weren’t provided with the necessary tools in order to work on patients. â€Å"They had no clean water,†¦no oxygen, no medication, no electricity†(286).Women were segregated from men in every aspects of life, but wouldn’t it be fair to provide them with the necessities they needed in order for survival? Not only did these h ospitals not have the equipment needed, they were probably too far to travel to if someone was at risk of dieing. It is because of these reason’s that Afghanistan has the â€Å"second highest infant mortality rate as well maternal mortality rate in the world†(Afghanistan: Mortality Rates Remain High For Mothers, Newborns). The Taliban’s interpretation of Islamic law has reduced women to poverty, worsened their health, and deprived them to an education.Even though they have taken away basic individual rights, the Taliban’s laws against women were particularly inhumane. [Mariam] remembered Nana saying once that each snowflake was a sigh heaved by an aggrieved woman somewhere in the world. That all the sighs drifted up the sky, gathered into clouds, then broke into tiny pieces that fell silently on the people below. â€Å"As a reminder of how women like us suffer†¦How quietly we endure all that falls upon us† (91). The women of Afghanistan have e ndured a lot in these past 33 years. They have struggled between life and death, poverty, and hopelessness.Through the connection of two unlikely friends one learns of the hopes and despairs people face in times of war and dictatorship. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini has managed to portray the events that have taken place in Afghanistan and the injustice, suffering, and endurance that women face in everyday life. Works Cited Esfandiari, Golnaz. â€Å"Afghanistan: Mortality Rates Remain High For Mothers, Newborns – Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. † Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty – Free Media in Unfree Societies. Web. 14 Mar. 2010. http://www. rferl. rg/content/article/1068295. html/content/article/1068295. html. Freeman, John. â€Å"A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini | Book Reviews | Chron. com – Houston Chronicle. † Houston News, Entertainment, Search and Shopping | Chron. com – Houston Chronicle. Web. 14 Mar. 201 0. http://www. chron. com/disp/story. mpl/life/books/reviews/4834205. html. Hosseini, Khaled. A Thousand Splendid Suns. Bandung: Qanita, 2007. Print. â€Å"Khaled Hosseini | Biography. † Khaled Hosseini | A Thousand Splendid Suns. Web. 14 Mar. 2010. http://www. khaledhosseini. com/hosseini-bio. html. Khaled Hosseini Biography — Academy of Achievement. † Academy of Achievement Main Menu. Web. 14 Mar. 2010. http://www. achievement. org/autodoc/page/hos0bio-1. â€Å"The Legacy of the Prophet. † Dhushara. Web. 14 Mar. 2010. http://www. dhushara. com/book/zulu/leg. htm. Papas, Voula. â€Å"Islam and Women's Rights | Atheist Foundation of Australia Inc. † Atheist Foundation of Australia Inc | Founded 1970. Web. 14 Mar. 2010. http://www. atheistfoundation. org. au/articles/islam-and-womens-rights. Qazi, Abdullah. â€Å"The Plight of the Afghan Woman. † Afghanistan Online. Web. 14 Mar. 010. http://afghan-web. com/woman/. â€Å"Women in Afghanistan: Pawns in Men's Power Struggles. † PeaceWomen Project. Web. 14 Mar. 2010. http://www. peacewomen. org/resources/Afghanistan/AIAfghanWomen. html. â€Å"Women's Human Rights Resources – Women in Afghanistan. † Bora Laskin Law Library, University of Toronto Faculty of Law. Web. 14 Mar. 2010. . Bibliography Esfandiari, Golnaz. â€Å"Afghanistan: Mortality Rates Remain High For Mothers, Newborns – Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. † Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty – Free Media in Unfree Societies. Web. 14 Mar. 2010. http://www. ferl. org/content/article/1068295. html/content/article/1068295. html. Freeman, John. â€Å"A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini | Book Reviews | Chron. com – Houston Chronicle. † Houston News, Entertainment, Search and Shopping | Chron. com – Houston Chronicle. Web. 14 Mar. 2010. http://www. chron. com/disp/story. mpl/life/books/reviews/4834205. html. Hosseini, Khaled. A Thousand Splendid Suns . Bandung: Qanita, 2007. Print. â€Å"Khaled Hosseini | Biography. † Khaled Hosseini | A Thousand Splendid Suns. Web. 14 Mar. 2010. http://www. khaledhosseini. com/hosseini-bio. html. Khaled Hosseini Biography — Academy of Achievement. † Academy of Achievement Main Menu. Web. 14 Mar. 2010. http://www. achievement. org/autodoc/page/hos0bio-1. â€Å"The Legacy of the Prophet. † Dhushara. Web. 14 Mar. 2010. http://www. dhushara. com/book/zulu/leg. htm. Papas, Voula. â€Å"Islam and Women's Rights | Atheist Foundation of Australia Inc. † Atheist Foundation of Australia Inc | Founded 1970. Web. 14 Mar. 2010. http://www. atheistfoundation. org. au/articles/islam-and-womens-rights. Qazi, Abdullah. â€Å"The Plight of the Afghan Woman. † Afghanistan Online. Web. 14 Mar. 2010. ttp://afghan-web. com/woman/. â€Å"Women in Afghanistan: Pawns in Men's Power Struggles. † PeaceWomen Project. Web. 14 Mar. 2010. http://www. peacewomen. org/resources/A fghanistan/AIAfghanWomen. html. â€Å"Women's Human Rights Resources – Women in Afghanistan. † Bora Laskin Law Library, University of Toronto Faculty of Law. Web. 14 Mar. 2010. http://www. law-lib. utoronto. ca/diana/afghanwomen. htm. Yardley, Jonathan. â€Å"Jonathan Yardley – Jonathan Yardley – Washingtonpost. com. † Washingtonpost. com – Nation, World, Technology and Washington Area News and Headlines. Web. 14 Mar. 2010. A Thousand Splendid Suns It made me forget about the real world and dragged my mind into the world of Miriam and Leila. Miriam is a girl who was â€Å"born a Hiram, a source of shame to her father and his family' (60). Her father Jail is of the upper-class men of Kabul, and her mother a lowly woman cast out of her home by her master Jail. Every Thursday, Jail would visit Miriam and tell her of the wondrous stories of her past, and Miriam, a naive little girl, would eat up all the Lies he feeds her. Her mother would warn her against It all, but Miriam chose to believe the happy version of events Jail told her.He was a rich man telling rich lies. Why would Marls own father be so cold-hearted to pretend to love her and aka up stories that arena even true? I think he does this because â€Å"[he is] ashamed of [her]† (50); but he doesn't want her to know his true personality or else she wouldn't respect him since he is her father after all. Social appearances told society whether you were worth their time or not, so Jail wanted to save his face and keep his good reputation. Nowadays, we are still Judged by our social status and appearance though it isn't as severe and open as back then in the late asses.Maria's mother once warned her that there was â€Å"only one skill† she had to perfect, â€Å"[a]ND it's this: tamale. Endure† (17). We can observe how obedient Miriam Is, because she did endure. She â€Å"quietly endure[d] all that [fell] upon [her]† (82) through the good times and the bad – especially through the bad. If I had to live Maria's life, I doubt that I would have endured through everything that came my way as well as she did. Miriam is like a coconut: she has a hard shell, and nothing can break her. But on the inside, her heart is so big and generous, yet she sometimes feels like she can't keep up the brave face any longer.The first few days of Maria's forced marriage were tough on her. She wasn't used to the new surroundings and she was oilin g â€Å"adrift and forlorn† (56). But little by little, chore by chore, with each smile and connection she made with her new husband, she thought to herself â€Å"that they would make good companions after all† (77). After losing her first child, Miriam returns to her state of misery and loses the connection she had with her husband Rehashed. His temper goes out of control, and everything she does has this sense of dreariness and to her â€Å"life †¦ [seems] so exhausting† (83).I can feel Maria's despair and grief as If It were almost my own even though I have no Idea what It feels like to have lost a child. This Is an example of Chalked Hussein's power In writing: he draws me In with his vivid words painting a clear picture in my mind. Chapter 16-25 (Part TWO) Journal #2 In Part Two of A Thousand Splendid Suns, the narrator takes us down the path of life of Leila. When she was only nine years old, the Soviet Union had already invaded Afghanistan. Some peop le, like Laic's teacher, said that â€Å"the Soviet Union was the best nation in the world†¦ Mind to its workers, and its people were all equal† (101). But others disagreed strongly with this statement. Laic's father believes firmly in education, especially for women. He thinks that education should come before marriage â€Å"because a society has no chance of success if its women are uneducated† (103), which is quite the opposite of what most other parents with daughters think. Leila has been â€Å"the top-ranked student† (103) for the past two years, but she feels that she cannot tell her friends Hessian and Gist as they do not have the same perspective on education as Leila and her father.Ever since Laic's two older brothers have went off to war, her mamma has been depressed and feels like there is no point in life. She is an â€Å"unmoving blanketed mound† lying in bed everyday. From this, I inferred that mamma prefers her sons to Leila. This is a great example of how in some cultures parents favor sons over daughters. Why is this so? I think this is because of the stereotype that boys are better than girls. I see no reason why a girl cannot be as strong or smart or talented as a boy in any way. Nowadays, we try to ban this way of thinking but some people still have this belief.One afternoon, â€Å"a stranger with news† (122) came knocking at her door. He came to tell her parents that Laic's brothers, Nor and Mad, have died triumphantly, fighting for their beloved country's sovereignty. Many people the next morning arrived at their funeral, but all Mamma did was â€Å"sway back and forth and stare at the rug with a remote, spiritless look† (125). Contrarily, it was hard for Leila â€Å"to summon sorrow, to grieve the deaths of people [she] had never really thought of as alive in the first place† (125, 126) because her brothers had left for war when she was a very young girl.Even though the last of the S oviet convoys left the city in 1989, Mamma swore she would not celebrate nor rejoice until the Unexamined win the war against Incunabula and â€Å"hold a victory parade right here in Kabul† (138). Three years later, unexpected happened. Incunabula surrendered ! From that day on, â€Å"Mamma rose from bed a new woman† (145) and resumed her motherly chores. Unfortunately, around a week later everything unraveled and instead of having a common enemy, the Unexamined found the enemy in each other. They fired rockets at the mountains, and â€Å"the mountains fired on Kabul† (157).One day after school when Gist was walking home with her friends, a stray rocket struck them. It was only during the funeral the next day the information finally started to sink in and â€Å"[a]t last, Leila began to weep for her friend† (161). For Leila, the bad news Just kept coming like an ocean's waves. This time it was her best friend and lover, Atari, who was moving to Pakistan. She felt betrayed and heartbroken, but at the same time she knew he had to go. Almost everyone in her neighborhood had packed their belongings and left, but Mamma refused.She said it was an â€Å"affront, a Dearly, These two women were similar; they were both compassionate and kind-hearted. One night, when Rehashed their husband was in a foul mood, Leila talked back to him. He immediately assumed it was Miriam who taught her to do this, even though they weren't exactly friends at that time. He took out his leather belt, and that meant a beating for Miriam. Just as he brought the belt down, Leila lunged at him, pleading him to not beat Miriam. Even though Miriam was Jealous and reluctant to befriend Leila at first; she soon learned to accept and appreciate the other woman's companionship.The beginning of their friendship sparked when Leila first asked Miriam to have tea, after a long weary day doing chores around the house. â€Å"l know it's chilly outside, but what do you say we s inners have us a cup of chaw in the yard? † Leila asked. Miriam protested weakly at first, but gave in to the thought of a break from all the work. From then on, they had daily chaw and were no longer enemies, but n understanding came across the two of them and they started to do their chores together. I don't relate at all to the lives of Leila and Miriam, so why did I feel their pain and their happiness like I was experiencing it?It was because Chalked Hussein wrote this book with such emotion and depth; he wound my mind carefully into the life of these two women. CONNECTIONS Chalked Hussein wrote this book with hope in his heart and a mind-blowing story to tell. He used many literary devices to spice up his book and to add more pizzazz. When Nana told Miriam â€Å"To Jail and his wives, I was a poker. A muggers. You too. † This is a powerful metaphor describing how others looked down on them because they were from a lower caste. Another device would be â€Å"early e vening† and â€Å"badly out of breath†.They are examples of alliteration for emphasis on the time of day and the condition of the character. He also used similes. Some examples of that would be â€Å"She could make out the minarets in the distance, like the dusty fingers of giants†¦ † Which compares the distant towers to the fingers of a giant and â€Å"She had a mouth that ran like a sewing machine† which compares tells us that Hessian not only talked a lot but also very fast. Lastly, one example of personification is â€Å"They are not friendly countries. † A country cannot be friendly, it is the people living in the country that are friendly or not.This book was written in two perspectives: Maria's and Laic's. It was a bit confusing Jumping back and forth from these points of view, but it showed the opinion of these two women and laid out the two sides of this story. ANALYSIS One part of the book that was very touching was when Miriam accept ed her punishment for killing Rehashed to save Leila, so that Leila can live the rest of her life peacefully and without fault. It shows owe big Maria's heart is, how willing she was to give up her life for someone she loves. Leila wanted Miriam to run away with her, but Miriam refused.She said, â€Å"Eve killed our husband. Eve deprived your son of his father. It isn't right that I run. I can't. Even if they never catch us, I'll never escape your son's grief. † It broke my heart to see Leila leave Miriam behind, but it was decided. Miriam said Leila and her children have given her the happiness she was looking for – there was nothing else she wanted. RESPONSE The other part that moved me so much was the letter Jail wrote to Miriam to apologize Tort now en treated near, Ana now en wasn't a good Tanner to near.He wrote, â€Å"l dare, I dare allow myself the hope that, after you read this, you will be more charitable to me than I ever was to you. That you might find it in your heart to come and see your father. That you will knock on my door one more time and give me the chance to open it this time, to welcome you, to take you in my arms, my daughter, as I should have all those years ago. It is a hope as weak as my heart. † This paragraph in his letter stood out to me the most, and it shows how sorry Jail was for not being there for his daughter all those years. For giving her away to marriage, for treating her like she wasn't good enough for him.RESPONSE After reading the letter, I think that Jail has changed, that death's open arms have given him a change of heart. It brought tears to my eyes, because Miriam didn't have the chance to forgive her father and make everything right again. Why didn't Miriam visit Jail after receiving his first letter? I think it was because she was scared of seeing him after so long, of what he would think of her, and mostly importantly she was scared of him not opening the door for her again like the day of he r birthday years before. RESPONSE The message the author tried to convey was as clear as a summer sky to me.It is that friendship is something we should all treasure. It shows us that sometimes teamwork is essential to win even though sometimes we have to sacrifice. Leila and Miriam won the war against Rehashed, but in this case Miriam had to give up her life for it. It was a beautiful but heart-breaking deed: Miriam sacrificing herself for her sister and only friend Leila; she was so humble to put others before herself. In conclusion, Chalked Hussein gave the readers a very powerful image of his home country Afghanistan and showed us how strong a true friendship can be.