Ontela Picdeck Essay

Ontela PicDeck creative approach to have cellular customers have the ability to automatically have pictures and videos directly sent to their computer. This reduces time needed and simplifying the strenuous act of doing it manually. The U. S mobile phone service industry earned 150 billion dollars in 2007 and growing. This technology has potential of playing a role in that with critiquing the marketing strategy they have approached the market with. It is essential for a better marketing strategy for Ontela to show customers so they can better understand the benefits and how to efficiently utilize it. The qualitative research segments best defined the customer expectations. Sarah, the parent, loved the fact the pictures â€Å"just appear â€Å"on the computer automatically. Steve, the young professional, looked to not always have to lug around the digital camera. Instead have a phone that can take care of both jobs. Regina, the teen, expectation exceeded both Steve and Sarah, but still within the abilities of PicDeck. Regina wanted to manage her pictures from her phone and monitor the pictures for her social networking sites. Herzberg’s 2-factor theory can be used in this instance. Using this theory to understand and distinguishing what motivates the purchase while staying â€Å"relevant†. In other words you must keep up with the recent trends like the social networking wave. These three segments all produce various expectations but all acknowledged the expectations of a simplified and quicker method to transferring pictures. These segments age groups and lifestyles greatly vary so the solution to market them must be more specified to that target group. The improvement of creating a more knowledgeable customer base will require a critiqued advertising campaign. In the case of Regina, advertising within the social networking programs like Facebook and MySpace. This advertising will catch the attention of these teen and inform them of the product. Specifically push the simplicity, timeliness, and how the pictures are still stored even when your cellular device is lost. For the younger generation and phones being a huge commodity, phones are constantly being stolen and lost. If interpreted right, then the teen will approach their parents to have their plan changed to include PicDeck. Then the parent will be informed and furthering the utterfly effect of a strict advertising scheme to the teenage target customers. This is how Sarah would be notified. Social is a major influence in customer behavior through family, friends, and reference groups. All play as contributors to trusting a buy of a product. Continuously for people who aren’t very tech savvy like Sarah and Steve; they do though always have an email and usually check it frequentl y. So a mass email to the entire customer base informing them of the new product. Steve would be influenced more by the occupation. Besides using this program for personal use, Steve would use this for his real estate job. To be successful in a job market like Steve’s you must influence your work with newer technology so you may keep up with competitors. â€Å"With PicDeck, work assignments are accomplished more efficiently and simply†, statements like this boost the products equity and what customers like Steve would want to hear. For a product to blossom you must target the younger generation first. With constant technology improvements it’s hard for the older generation to keep up. The younger generation is constantly working with the new technologies so you inform the younger generation and it will spread to older generations. Ontela has created an inferior product and now need to raise awareness of the tech advances this product has influenced. The magazine Telephony stated PicDeck to be â€Å"helping the bridge the gap between phone and PC†. Continuous advertising is needed in magazines for the working class people to involve this program into their workplace. For instance putting an ad in the magazine SkyMall. The magazine you see on every flight you’re on. This can target a business class customer base because the individuals who travel most are individuals travelling on business. And this is the only reading material on the plane.

Things that affect the human body and attack its defence systems

There are many things that affect the human body and attack its defence systems,they can be naturally occouring in the environment or self inflicted or caused by societys pollution of our planet. Below are some conditions, with the effects that they cause to the human body and its defence mechanisms. Alcohol consumption is a health issue which affects the vast majority. A great many people drink alcohol regularly. Although they may not be alcoholic in the sense of being addicted to alcohol, they neverthelesss expose themselves to health risks. The alcohol in wines, beers and spirits is a depressant of the central nervous system. Small amounts gives a sense of well-being, with a realease from anxiety. However, this is accompanied by a fall-of in performance in any activity requiring skill. It also gives a misleading sense of confidence. The drunken driver usually thinks he or she is driving very well. Even a small amount of alcohol in the blood increases our reaction time. In some people, the reaction time is doubled even when the alcohol in the blood is well below the legal limit laid down for car drivers. This can make a big differenece in the time needed for a driver to apply the brakes after seeing a hazard. Read this Ch. 22 Respiratory System Alcohol reduces inhibitations and it can lead to irresponsible behaviour such as vandalism and aggression. Alcohol causes vaso-dilation in the skin, giving sense of warmth but in fact leading to a greater loss of body heat. A concentration of 500mg of alcohol in 100 cubic cm of blood results unconsciousness. More than this will kill, by stopping the action of the breathing centre in the brain. High doses of alcohol can harm virtually every organ in humans body. Many of these effects are reversible with abstinence, others are not. (2) Esophagus. Alcohol is associated with nearly half of the cancers of the esophagus, mouth, and larynx. Peole who vomit too intensely after getting drunk can cause tears in their esophagus. Brain. Alcohol depresses the central nervous system and contracts brain tissue. It destroys brain cells – which unlike many other types of cells in the body, do not regenerate. Taken in large amounts over a long period of time, alcohol can cause serious problems with cognition and memory. Heart. Heavy drinking can cause heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and heart failure. Even social drinkers who binge on special occasions can sometimes get bouts of irregular heartbeats. Lungs. Heavy drinkers have more pulmonary infections and can be more susceptible to pneumonia and lung collapse. As intoxicated person loses his reflexses and can't clear his airway when he vomits. Stomach contents may get sucked into the lungs, which can lead to choking or pneumonia. Liver. Liver damage often begins with a fatty liver, and may progress to alcoholic hepatitis. That may be followed by the buidup of scar tissue known as cirrhosis. Cirrhosis can change the structure of the liver and choke off blood flow. This can cause varicose veins, which can rupture, triggering catastrophic bleeding. Stomach. Alcohol irritates the stomach, and can cause gastritis, ulcers and acid reflux. Gastritis is an inflamation of the mucous membrane that lines the stomach. Erosion in that lining can cause constant oozing of blood into the stomach or, if a vessel ruptures, major bleeding. Kidneys. Alcohol is a diuretic that increases urine output. Prolonged heavy drinking can cause kidney failure. Small intestines ; pancreas. Alcohol blocks the absorption and breakdown of nutrients by damaging the cells lining the stomach and intestines, and by decreasing the amount of digestive enzymes secreted by the pancreas. The pancreas can become inflamed and leak digestive enzymes, which then attackthe pancreas itself. Reproductive system. In men, it impairs the production of sperm and testosterone, and can lead to interfility and impotance. In women, the effect can be decreased estrogen metabolism in the liver which increases the amount of estrogen circulating the body, which can contribute to menstrual irregularities and even interfility. Blood. Prolonged alcohol abuse can cause anemias and abnormal blood clotting, which results in excessive bleeding and easy bruising. It also impairs the functionof white blood cells, increasing susceptibility to infection. Joints ; muscles. Alcohol dependence can cause osteoporosis ; arthritis, and deform the joints. It can atrphy muscles and cause acute muscle pain and weakness. Skin. Alcohol causes the small blood vessels in the skin to dilate(open), which results in a rush of warm blood to the surface. This makes the skin look flushed and gives the person a false feeling of â€Å"being hot†. (13) Heavy drinking during pregnancy can lead to deformed babies. Alcohol can cross the placenta and damage the foetus. Pregnant women who take as little as one alcoholic drink a day are at risk of having babies with lower than average birth weights. These under-weight babies are more likely to become ill. All levels of drinking are thought to increase the risk of miscariage. (1) The affects of alcohol vary with different people. Alcohol is a drug and must be handled with care. Knowing its uses and abuses is just imporatnt as reading the instructions on a bottle of pills. It is basic preventive medicine to know how your body handlers alcohol, how much is safe to drink, and, finally, how your body gets rid of it. When people drink small of alcohol enters directly into bloodstream through the lining of the mouth and throat. The remaining amount of alcohol is absorbed by the stomach or intestine. At this point the alcohol is then dispersed uniformly throughout the body. Its effects are similar to ether or chloroform, affecting all part of the body controlled by the brain. The ability to make appropriate judgements and to exercise self-control is affected. Alcohol must be broken down in order to leave the system. More than 90 percent of the alcohol is oxidized in the liver and the remainder is discharged through the lungs and kidneys. It takes just as long for the experienced drinker to eliminate alcohol as it does for the inexperienced drinker. (15) Ultraviolet light is a part of the light spectrum that is invisible to the human eye. Part of sunlight is UV light, which creates warmth, light, photosynthesis in plants, and vitamin D synthesis in the body. The sun produces about three types of UV lights: UVA, UVB, UVC. The ozone layer filters out UVC. UVA, however, has a long wavelenght light, so a certain amount reaches the earth's surface. UVA is the predominant light to reach earth. UVA causes damage to cellular membranes and DNA, and has been implicated in ageing of the skin and the development of skin cancer. Scientists believe it is UVB lights that are the paramount cause of premature ageing of skin, sunburn, skin cancers and other skin problems, despite the fact that UVB lights constitute for only 1% of UV lights that reach our skin. (4) UV light is beneficial for people and essential in the production of vitamin D, which is absorbed into the bloodstream and nourishes and helps to maintain bone tissue. Also UV light activates the pigment melanin in the skin, and thereby creates a tan. Many people feel better when they have a tan, as it gives a healthy appearance. It is also used to treat several diseases, including rickets, psoriasis, eczema and jaundice. This takes place under medical supervision and the benefits of treatment versus the risk of UV light exposure are matter of clinical judgement. Ultraviolet light can be harmful to humans. Prolonged human exposure to UV light may result in acute and chronic health effects on the skin, eye and immune system. (3) Sunburn (erythema) is the best known acute effect of excessive UV light exposure. Over the longer term, UV light induces degenerative changes in the cells of the skin, fibrous tissues and blood vessels leading to premature skin ageing, photodamage and actinic keratoses. Sun-damaged skin develops a thickened epidermis. This is caused by faster cell renewal, which is part of the immediate defence mechanism of the skin. The epidermis will return to normal provided the skin is not repeatedly over- exposed. Constant exposure to sunlight causes the melanocytes to become chronically over-active, resulting areas of excessive melanin in the skin. Eventually, areas of damaged skin made up of increased numbers of melanocytes and increased melanin synthesis develop. Up to around 85% of the overall appearance of ageing makes photoageing. It is a slow process and proceeds for several decates before it becomes obvious. The degree of photoageing is determined by the skin type and by the total lifetime sun exposure. People who spend their lives almost entirely indooors show very little skin damage. The degree of damage to tissues in different regions of the body is directly propotional to the amount of sunlight received. In chronically sun-damaged skin the epidermis as a whole becomes thicker, and loses some of its undulations. This is probably because marginally more daugter cells are produced by the basal layer, and produced more quickly. The effect is that the spiny layer and the dranular layer thicken up. The speed at which cells are replaced slows down, and some of the function of skin, including controlling water loss, may become less efficient. There is less elasticity and increased fragility. Skin becomes dry, flaky and less reflective of light. As photoageing begins, the small blood capillaries in the dermis decrease in number and the remaining blood vessels become tortous and dilated. The elastic fibres degenerate, producing a thickened mass that replaces the collagen. Seriously photoaged skin is dry, deeply wrinkled, yellow and rough. It may be marked with darkly pigmented or whitish spots, which respectively show where levels of pigment are higher or lower than normal. With increasing sun damage small blood vessels in the dermis will become more obvious and will form the red, finely branching, spider-like marks (â€Å"broken veins†). These blood vessels are easily damaged, resulting in greater fragility of the skin, with the development of spots. Loss of elastic fibres around the blood vessels of the lower lips and ears – areas especially sensitive to chronic sun damage – may result in dilated veins. On the other hand, in protected skin the vessels tend not to be so dilated or damaged. As its worst, skin that has been over-exposed to the sun for many years looks like old leather. Constant exposure to UV light over many years can result in warty spots on the skin, called actinic keratoses. The appearance of actinic keratoses means that the skin has received far too much sun and could develop a skin cancer eventually. (4) There are three main types of cancer: Basal cell carcinoma is the most common form of skin cancer. The skin is formed of three layers. The deepest, the subcutaneous layer, is composed of fat and connective tissue and connects the skin to the underlying muscle. Above that is the dermis, the layer that containssweat glands, oil glands, and other structures of the skin. The third layer, on the surface is called the epidermis; it is there that most skin cancers arise. Basal cell carcinomas arise in the lowest of the epidermis, the basal cell layer. This type of cancer can have many different appearances: a red patch or irritated area; a small, pink pearly bump, a white or yellow scar-like area; a smooth growth with a dent in the center, or an open sore that bleeds or oozes. Basal cell carcinomas rarely spread throughout the body and death from them very rare; however, because they often occur on the face, their locally destructive effects can result in serious cosmetic deformity if not diagnosed and treated early. Squamous cell carcinoma arise from the upper levels of the epidermis, usually on places that have been exposed to the sun. Squamous cell carcinomas are most commonly found on the ears, the face, and the mouth. This type of skin cancer often arises from a precancerous lesion known as an actinic keratosis, a type of lesion that appears as a rough, flat pink spot. If the lesion becomes cancerous, it's usually raised above the normal skin surface and is firmer to the touch. Squamous cell tumour tend to be more aggresive than basal cell tumours, and are slightly more likely to spread to other parts of the body. Melanoma, the most serious form of cancer, is not as common as the other two major types of skin cancer (basal cell and squamous cell cardinomas). Melanoma begins in melanocytes, the cells in the epidermal layer of the skin that produce the pigment melanin. Melanin in normal melanocytes produces â€Å"tan† skin as a response to damage from UV light. Melanoma can arise by several routes. Sometimes it arises directly from a melanocyte. Sometimes, the melanocyte first turns into a normal mole or irregular mole, and then becomes cancerous. Melanocytes can also be found in the eye and internal organs, where they also become cancerous on occasion. Melanomas are cancerous, but the large majority do not spread right away. Many begins as a â€Å"melanoma in situ†. During that stage, the growth does not venture beyond the very most superficial layer of skin, the epidermis. In a second stage, melanoma can penetrate the lower layer of the skin, the dermis. If the melanoma penetrates very deeply into the dermis, it may progress to a vertical growth phase – in which it can metastasize, or spread throughout body. Melanoma more often shows up on the trunk of the body and on the arms and legs, it can develop on any part of the body – including those never exposed to the sun. 14) A large proportion of skin cancers can be prevented and, if not prevented, they are curable if recognised and treated when at early stage of development. UV can also damage the surface of the eye, called the cornea, and cause cataracts, macular degeneration, scarring on the cornea and skin cancer of the eyelids and area around the eye. UVB can cause a sunburn on the cornea, the clear membrane that covers the front of your eyes. Corneal sunburn, called photokerastitis, can occur after long hours at the beach or on the ski slopes without sunglasses or goggles. It is not permanent, but it can be painful and cause temporary vision loss. Sun damage can also cause scars on the surface of the eye, called pinquecula, which are raised, yellowish, benings lumps that grow near the nose. These can be removed wity surgery. (8) More serious effects of UV are cataracts and macular degeneration. Cataracts – the clouding of the lens of the eye, the number one cause of reversible blindness – and macular degeneration are the leading causes of decreased vision among people older then 60. Cataracts can be treated with surgery. The UV damage to the eye is cumulative and much of it is preventable by wearing quality sunglasses or contact lenses to make sure they block UV light. They are a sunscreen for our eyes. (10) All people regardless of skin pigmentation, are susceptible to damage to their immune system as a result of UV light. The absorbtion of UV light leads to immunosuppresion. As UV light are absorbed by a human being, there is a decreased immune response. This reaction is favourable because there is no excessive swelling and damage to the skin as result of sun exposure. The drawback of decreased immune response is that when infection diseases do attack the body, a significant forceful immune reaction is needed. As a result, cancer often developes and spreads in the body because the immune systems has not the strenght to fight it due its suppresion by damage UV light. Other immune system damage is seen in the form of skin hypersensitivity and reactions to certain medications. UV light is very dangerous to the human immune system and should be avoided to prevent cancer and other infectious, life-threatening diseases. (16) Cold injuries result from overxposure to cold air or water and occur in two major forms: localised injuries (such as frostbite) and systemic injuries (such as hypothermia). (4) The risk of serious cold injuries, especially hyporthermia, is increased by youth, lack of insulating body fat, wet or inadequate clothing, old age, drug abuse, cardiac disease, smoking, fatigue, hunger and depletion of caloric reserves, and excessive alcohol intake (which draws blood into capilaries and away from body organs). (1) Frostbite is a medical condition that can happen to anyone. It is when the skin and/or tissue under the skin freezes and causes cell damage. This is caused by exposure to cold, either through the air or through a chemical exposure. When people are exposed to cold with the extremities including their feet, hands, nose, ears, and face being at the highest risk, the blood vessels constrict. This is a natural reaction to prevent body heat loss and hyporthermia. With the loss of warming blood flow the fluid within cells and tissues start to freeze forming ice crystals. These ice crystals take up more room within the cells then when in a fluid state, and cause the cells to rupture. Also, sudden warming can cause the cells rupture. Under extreme conditions frostbite can occur in seconds. Factors like wind chill, alcohol consumption, getting wet or being damp and how long you are exposed to the cold all impact how quickly and how severe frostbite can be. The elderly, young children, people with circulation disorders, and people from tropical climates have a higher risk factor of getting frostbite. People who have had previous cold injuries are also particularly at risk of getting injuries again in the same places. Frostbite comes in three levels of severity or degrees: *First degree, also called frost nip. It presents itself as numbed skin that has turned white in colour. The skin may feel stiff to the touch, but the tissue under is still warm and soft. There is very little chance of blistering, infection or permanent scarring as long as it is treated properly. *Second degree, superficial frostbite. It is a serious medical condition that needs to be treated by a trained medical professional. The skin will be white or blue and will feel hard or frozen. The tissue underneath is still undamaged. Blistering is likely which is why medical treatment should be sought out. Proper treatment is critical to prevent severe or permanent injuries. *Third degree, deep frostbite. The skin is white, blotchy and/or blue. The tissue underneath is hard and cold to the touch. This is a life threatening injury. Deep frostbite needs to be treated by a trained medical professional. The tissue underneath has been damaged, in severe cases amputation may be the final resource to prevent severe infection. Blistering will happen. Proper medical treatment in a medical facility with personnel trained to deal with severe frostbite injuries is required to aid in the prevention of severe or permanent injury. (9) Prevention of frostbite is actually very simple and for the most part is based on common sense. Hypothermia is heat loss at the body core, and it results from exposure to cold with the addition of other heat loss mechanisms. A healthy person's body temperature can fluctuate between 36. 1 degrees and 37. 8 degrees. Hypothermia is considered to begin once the body temperature reaches 35 degrees, thought even smaller drops in temperature can have an adverse effects. Hypothermia is divided into two types: primary and secondary. Primary hypothermia occurs when the body's heat-balancing mechanisms are working properly but are subjected to extreme cold, whereas secondary hypothermia affects people whose heat-balancing mechanisms are impaired in some way and cannot respond adequtely to moderate or perhaps even mild cold. Primary hypothermia typically involves exposure to cold air or immension in cold water. The cold air variety usually takes at least several hours to develop, but immersion hyporthermia will occur within about an hour of entering the water, since water draws heat away from the body much faster than air does. In secondary hyporthermia, the body's heat-balancing mechanisms can fail for any numbers of reasons, including strokes, diabetes, malnutrition, bacterial infection, thyroid disease, spinal cord injuries, and the use of medications and other substances that affect the brain or spinal cord. Alcohol is one such substance. In smaller amounts it can put people at risk by interfering with their ability to recognize and avoid cold-weather dangers. In larger amounts it shuts the body's heat-balancing mechanisms. Secondary hypothermia is often a threat to the elderly, who may be on medications or suffering from illnesses that affect their ability to conserve heat. Malnutrition and immobility can also put the elderly at risk. (12) The signs and symptomps of hypothermia follow a typical course, thought the body temperatures at which they occur vary from person to person depending on age, health, and other factors. The impact of hypothermia on the nervous system often becomes apparent quite early. Coordination may begin to suffer as soon as body temperature reaches 35 degrees. The early signs of hypothermia also include cold and pale skin and intensive shivering; the latter stops between 32. 2 and 30 degrees. As body temperature continues to fall, speech becomes slurred, the muscles go rigid, and the victim becomes disoriented and experiences eyesight problems. Other harmful consequences include dehydration as well as liver and kidney failure. Heart rate, respiratory rate, and blood pressure rise during the first stages of hypothermia, but fall once the 32. 2 degrees mark is passed. Below 30 degrees most victims are comatose, and below 27. 8 degrees the heart's rhythm becomes dangerously disordered. Yet even at very low body temperatures, people can survive for several hours and be succesfully revived, thought they may be appear to be dead. (12) People who spend time outdoors in cold weather can reduce heat loss by wearing their clothing loosely and in layers and by keepimg their hands, feet, and head well covered. Because water draws heat away from the body so easily, staying dry is important. Alcohol should be avoided because it promotes heat loss by expanding the blood vessels that carry body blood to the skin. Alcohol consumption, exposure to ultra violet light and cold injurys have harmful effects on our body and its defence mechanisms. It affects virtually all areas of a person's life; socially, psychologically, physiologically and mentally. It can be easily avoided by using just a little common sense.

Assignment on human growth and development

Assignment on human growth and development This essay uses theoretical perspectives of social sciences relevant to human growth and development by demonstrating the socialisation process and the impact of family structures on the normal development of Gerry. It uses the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to explore the effects of poverty on Gerry’s infancy and it will use Balter, Catherin & Tamis-Lemonda to support Maslow’s philosophy needs. Furthermore it will go on to use Bowlby’s maternal deprivation hypothesis to show the effects of attachment during Gerry’s infancy. More still with the use of Erikson’s stages of identity versus role confusion to discuss Gerry’s adolescence, the theory of generativity versus stagnation to explore his adulthood developmental task of his contributing and stagnation to society and finally the psychological crisis of ego integrity verses despair to explain the effects and causes during his development in middle adulthood. However, other psychologists theories will be used to support Erikson’s theories or critic them. During his infancy, 0-2 years by Piaget (1936) (cited in Crawford and Walker 2009 p 22), Gerry and his family experienced poverty because his father had been made redundant. This means that Gerry’s family could not afford to meet his basic needs. According to Maslow’s pyramedical model (1970) ( cited Steers 1998: p21 ) lower -level needs such as food, clothing and shelter have to be fulfilled to a reasonable degree before the more advanced need levels such as self actualisation, esteem, love/ belonging ,and safety are met. It can be argued that the failure of Gerry’s family to meet his basic needs had a profound effect on his development. This argument is supported by Balter, Catherin & Tamis- Lemonda. They argue that â€Å"children growing up in poverty develop developmental delays in intellectual development. Social, emotional and behavioural problems† (Balter, Catherin & Tamis- Lemonda 2003: p.391) (cited Chafel, 1993 and Garbarino, 1993). Poverty goes hand in hand with gross inequality, unemployment and adverse consequences for poor people and society as a whole. Deprivation experienced by poor families affects their quality of life, their health and life expectancy and the education outcomes of their children. Poverty brings despair and fear† Rebach and Bruhn (2001: p. 369). This argument is supported by Spode and Saracho, (2006) (cited in Duncan and Brook-Gunn, 1997), who say that â€Å"children growing up in poverty develop more emotional and behavioural problems than children who live in above the poverty line. This is because early cognitive and behavioural outcomes show to predict later school success†. Another challenge that Gerry encountered was maternal deprivation. This occurred when his mother was in hospital during the birth of Lily and as a result, Gerry had to be looked after by his grandmother. According to Bowlby’s (19 53, 1969) (cited in Smith, Cowe and Blades 2004 p106) maternal deprivation hypothesis, â€Å"children should not be deprived of contact with the mother during a critical period when the primary attachment relationship is being formed†. He also believed that both mother and baby were predisposed biologically to stay in contact and only this relationship would allow normal development. However, critiques of Bowlby like (Oakley 1981) (cited in Holmes 1993: p. 45) argue that to generalise that any separation of mother from child in the first three years of life is likely to be damaging is unwarranted. Oakley further argued that there is no harm in entrusting the infant to the care of a responsible grandmother or baby-minder.

Analysis, Comparison of Two Articles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Analysis, Comparison of Two Articles - Essay Example The article by Tannen on the divide in communication across genders posits the thesis that men and women communicate differently, and that there is a need for both sexes to understand where the other is coming from from a communication point of view to foster greater understanding among men and women, especially in the intimate context of heterosexual relationships, marriages ,and pair bonds. The rest of the essay undertakes an analysis of these two less, and undertakes to compare them from various contexts aligned with the subject of gender differences, communication between the sexes, the power hierarchies between and among the genders, and the implications of language, word usage, and word choice in everyday relational contexts between men and women, and in such things as items of clothing, on perceptions of what how men and women form relationships and interact with each other. In Smith’s article there is an exploration of the social and gender implications of the use of the name wife-beater to refer to a piece of undershirt that has gained popularity among young people, and among men and women. The issue is not so much the undergarment itself, which is also worn on its own, a T-shirt in essence. The issue has to do with the use of the name wife-beater to refer to the shirt. The shirt has become a staple among even the most famous and popular apparel brands, from Gap to the iconic names of high fashion. Moreover, the author notes that young people, those below 25 years of age, seem to relish wearing the shirt with no qualms about its name and the social and gender, cultural implications of the name. On the other hand, the author herself has serious reservations and objections about the name wife-beater.

Coorelation between Fate, Identity and Destiny in Mukherjee's Jasmine Essay

Coorelation between Fate, Identity and Destiny in Mukherjee's Jasmine - Essay Example The basic quality needed for an Indian rustic woman to leave for America is well understood by the author and the character is well set beforehand in her motherland. Kanwar Sonali’s (2000) findings that recent women immigrants have been more successful in giving words to their feelings although they too experience the emotional upheaval and the accompanying ordeal of immigration.(Kanwar Sonali Jolly-Wadhwa, 2000) The lead role of the Novel, Jasmine wishes to get away from India to reach America wherein he wants to fulfill the desires of her late husband, Prakash. But her life in America is not as expected by her from her homeland. The force that made her to often change her identity becomes the way of her life abroad. Her relationship with men in America facilitated her to switch from one identity to another. Her identity as Jyoti, as named by her parents, had been squeezed almost to nil by her will. Her husband Prakash called her Jasmine. On landing at America she became Jase and then Jane. Finally, after her relation ship with one Bud, who impregnates her, the novel had been brought to an end at which she leaves with Taylor an intellectual company. Throughout the novel Jasmine had been struggling to fix an imaginary identity which she had been chasing right from her youth. In the words of Anu Anejha, Jasmine abandons her promise of domestic security to be carried off. (Anu Aneja, 1993) Her vigor for controlling her fate sprouts from her early youth when a local rustic astrologer foretold her widowhood. The fury with which she refuted him reveals her strong will to win her fate. She simply shouted at him that he did not know her future. It was this vigor that sent her to America even after her widowhood in India. The impact of death on human beings is laid intelligently by the author as a stink that emerges at any time of its own will. The

Week 7 didcussion 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Week 7 didcussion 1 - Essay Example The lower level sexual offenders register for short periods, while more violent sexual assault offenders register for life. Many states have stiffened the punishments regarding sexual offenses, where some have attempted evaluating the death penalty for particular sexual assaults. Enforcement and convictions might be improved through capacity of the DNA analysis within the public crimes laboratories. Provide finances to local and state crime labs to help eradicate casework backlogs. The funding should abolish the database of the convicted offender and initiate aggressive programs to amass exhibits from the convicted offenders. Failure to comply with the requirements of registration should result in the filing of new charges. The sexual battery or sexual assault information should be posted online to enhance publicity (Buzawa, 2002, p. 78). The use of sexually explicit materials such as films, photographs, computer, videos, and other visual depictions is sexual abuse, which can cause psychological or physical harm to the minors involved. Besides shielding individual minors, regulating the child pornography, which gets produced by self, helps the state and congress to regulate child pornography to protect society and children (Zhang, 2010, p. 257). The fact is that, sexting of minors via any form of pornographic images affect all children deleteriously through a perception that children are sex objects. This can lead to further sexual exploitation and abuse of children. Sexting of minors generates an unwholesome atmosphere. The mental, emotional, and psychological development of children gets affected, thus destabilizes the parent’s efforts to encourage the sound, emotional, moral, and mental development of

Astronomy of history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Astronomy of history - Essay Example Consequently, this gave them the capability to compute the surface temperature of about minus-418 degrees Fahrenheit. The findings showed that the icy balls around Pluto that was given the nickname Xema. .Xema was among the largest objects to be discovered orbiting Earth’s sun after the 1846 identification of Neptune. This findings of 2003 UB313, was 1,860 miles, take 250milles added debate on whether this icy ball should be considered a planet. Moreover, the findings discovered were announced on July 2005 illustrated to astronomers that the icy ball was definitely larger that Pluto, since it looked in a surprising manner bright in the sky, although it is nine billion miles from the sun. Apparently, the similarities between Pluto and 2003 UB313, extend beyond size and reflectivity. Similar to Pluto, 2003 UB313 also has a moon and has methane ice on its surface. These findings brought out more debates as planet definition in different context made it a planet. This mission is important, as it helps astronomers to put more thought on what a planet really entails. Consequently, most research in the past have described planet as any object in the solar system large enough that gravity has shaped it into a sphere or anything larger than planet Pluto (heacademy.ac.uk). Generally, this report will help stakeholders in the astronomy and science fields put a clear definition on what a planet should entail. However, the finding of the report will not be of any interest to the general public who are not interested in science. Therefore, the report is only relevant to astronomers. My preconception of the article before reading it was that, a planet like object in the solar system, which is bigger that Pluto can be classified as a planet. However, going through the report changed this preconceptions as it shows how complicated the definition of a planet is. The fact that the definition of planet

A Critcal Analysis of W. James Work on Varieties of Religious Essay

A Critcal Analysis of W. James Work on Varieties of Religious Experiences - Essay Example James defines religious experiences as feelings and acts of men that are dependent on what is considered to be divine. His method of studying religious experiences is based on the definition. He relies on four forms of experiences (Totor2u, 2009). The first form explains that experiences are unique to an individual and can only be explained by the person who goes through them. The second form gives an insight to the truth while the third one is short lived. Finally, the last experience is supernatural in nature, and it takes over the human body (Totor2u, 2009). His study on varieties of religious experiences addresses the usefulness of religion in human experiences. Given the fact that he does not dismiss the important role played by science in people’s lives, he tries to create a science of religion with the aim of authenticating religion. For James, it is through varieties that unscientific phenomena can be addressed (Pomerleau, 2002). According to his explanation, science cannot be sure whether religious phenomena are genuine or fraudulent. As such, means of dealing with such discrepancies must be developed. However, he agrees that religious accounts may not always be reliable because people tend to profile their experiences around that which they consider most significant (Cho, 1996). James notes that there is a gap between scientific explanation of phenomena and religious reasons that is hard to understand. The level from which situations can be explained through philosophy is different from religious understanding. He acquires evidence from people believe in supernatural forces to control events. The occurrence of unexplainable events is enough evidence to prove that these forces are real. Since it is what an individual believes in, it is perceived to be the truth (Boston, 2000). The point at which things happen without explanation takes the form

Economics Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Economics - Term Paper Example My point throughout the paper is what I had emphasized at the beginning of the previous paragraph. The contention here is that the world needs trade more than anything else and hence it would be prudent on the part of the governments of the world not to jettison free trade and globalization. I discuss the reasons for the current economic slowdown and the efforts of the government in containing the crisis and providing relief to the beleaguered sectors of the economy. I make the point that the current administration is taking steps to revive the economy, though the effects of those steps may not be felt in the short term. I make the case for international trade, albeit with a different focus by learning from the mistakes of the past. The indebtedness of the US economy vis-à  -vis the Chinese economy is discussed along with some suggestions to redress the balance. The US economy has been going through a period of turbulence for the last few years. The economic downturn that began in 2007 and is continuing to this day is a manifestation of the excessive credit policies and bad lending practices coupled with poor regulatory oversight by the authorities. The combination of these factors has ensured that the credit bubble when it burst did really cause the entire global economic system to go into a severe contraction. What makes this crisis different from the periodic cyclical downturns one witnesses during alternating periods of boom and bust is that this crisis has been caused by borrowing and lending practices that were highly questionable and on top of that excessive leveraging of the financial sector meant that the sector’s contribution. As Kevin Philips (2009) notes, â€Å"The principal wave of credit card use for debt consolidation and consumption crested in 2005, but industry growth had been enormous. Over the period from 1990 to 2003, the number

Arthur Miller Essay Example for Free

Arthur Miller Essay We then created a scene based on knowledge gained through the play text and the discussions and showed it to the class, and received in return their comments. However our teacher did not believe any one in our group had the characters as believable as they could, and thought they needed improving. She decided upon giving us an extremely beneficial exercise into do as a class, which would make us look deeper into our characters, as so there fore convey a better example of that character in our scenes. We all had to stand up, facing our teacher, in a way we believed our character would stand, also incorporating facial and bodily stance. At that time, the character I was playing was Eddie, a respectable legal Italian immigrant living and working amongst the Italian community in New York. I had from previous exploration into the character a visualisation of the type of character Eddie was. The type of man who was tight fisted and bolshy, yet thoughtful of those important to him. This exercise backed up my thoughts on Eddie, and allowed me to make an accurate physical and tonal picture of how Eddie should be acted; tight fisted, yet in no way a mad man, but with a cold expression on his face. We also used freeze frames in many of our scenes, whether it was to change, open, or close scenes, they were useful to us so we knew when to stop or pause. And they were also useful to the audience so they could see a clear distinction between different parts of scenes, or changes of scenes. In one scene we used a large amount of stage to allow the use of levels in a creative way around the stage. We were all in a group of four, and had only one speech from one character to create a scene out of. We devised amongst the group, which would be the most effective way of delivering the characters speech to the class. We decided upon cutting the paragraph in certain areas, into sentences, which could then be allocated to individuals. We then composed ourselves to being character involved, who happened to be Alfieri, and mapped out where each of us was to stand. We decided to start the scene in a freeze frame, but to let the end flow, with repetition of the final line, the voice dynamics getting quieter as the words trailed out. We thought this effect would be good in conveying an inner voice speaking, and would also allow for the next group to add their scene, the following in the play, onto it. The use of mime was also rather important in this scene as well. With hand gestures and facial expressions the climax could be reached, the true expression of the person could come out, making a more believable performance. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Arthur Miller section.

Product Life Cycle Theory in International Business

Product Life Cycle Theory in International Business Klug, Adam, 2006. Theories of International Trade. Routledge. This is a book from 2006 by Klug Adam and edited by Warren Young, Michael D. Bordo and Daniel Schiffman. The book tackles on various subjects of international trade including balance of payments, macro economics, political science, international relations, trade and tariffs and on business and economic issues like history and theories. Information contained in the book is very resourceful when studying international trade as its obtained from a through survey that Israeli economic historian conducted looking extensively on the different theories of international trade. Chacholiades Miltiades. 2006. The pure theory of international trade. New York: Transaction Publishers. In this book by Miltiades several theories as of international trade including the classical, neoclassical as well as the modern theories with special attention given to the problems, welfare and growth. In addition to that discussions of the major works done by major contributors in the field of international trade are included in this book. Fr instance contributions by scholars like Heckscher, Ohlin, Ricardo and Mill through Meade to the growth models of Johnson, Uzawa and Solow. In this book problems are sated clearly with easy and convenient solution being sought in each case with the technical topics in the filed discussed in several chapters as well as appendices may be omitted fro less advanced studies by lower level students without necessarily interrupting with the continuity of the book. Markusen,R James. 2004. Multinational firms and the theory of international trade. California: MIT Press. Markusen in his book above on interaction trade despite he obvious importance that multinational firms has in international economics, both theoretical as well as empirical research on such firms has usually been separately conducted especially on international trade. Therefore in this book the author has provided a comprehensive integration of both field and it has achieved this by drawing on two decades of research focusing on the interaction of scale economies, factor endowments, trade costs and competition. Decisions about whether to acquire or build a foreign plant are analyzed separately from the decisions regarding place of raising the financing. Stark John. 2005. Product lifecycle management: 21st century paradigm for product realization. Birkhà ¤user. This book explains the significance of product life cycle management both from the business as well as technical points of views. Explanations given are supported by examples which show how the world class engineering and manufacturing companies successfully implement product life cycle management. This book is very resourceful as it introduces product life cycle management which is a holistic view concerning product development, supports the use as well as the disposal for the industry globally and all these is based on the experience derived from internationally renowned companies. In addition to that the book also shows how one can take full advantage of the product lifecycle management, ways of preparing people to working with product lifecycle environment, ways of making best choices reading personal situations thus help in providing a deeper understanding as well as in the nurturing of skills that are needed to implement product cycle management successfully promoting achieveme nt of a world class product development as well as support performance. Finally the book also gives access to companion websites that contain further material reading the topic. Electronic databases Rubera Gaia, Griffith David Ordanin Andrea. 2011. Incorporating cultural values for understanding the influence of perceived product creativity on intention to buy: An examination in Italy and the US. Journal of business studies. March 2011. Vol 1 no 1 This paper was written in response to the increasing competition globally changing the market place in which new products are introduced to. Therefore the paper helps in extending the knowledge on the effects of a perceived product thus contributing to study literature through empirical investigation of the influence of cultural values on relationships between creativity dimensions of meaningfulness, novelty and intentions of buying process. The paper utilizes the schmaltz values framenwork in theorizing the cultural differences. This paper involves use of results obtained from a case study done between 206 Italian and 201 United States based consumers. Hofstede Geert, Cultural dimensions in management and planning. Asia pacific journal of management, Vol 1 No.2 pg 81-99. Management skills are culturally specific thus management techniques or even philosophy appropriate in one culture does not necessary mean its appropriate for another. This paper describes extensively scope of work related cultural differences based on research conducted in more than 50 countries around the globe. In addition to that it carries a discursion on how these differences affects validity of management techniques as well as philosophies in various countries that lay within the functioning and the meaning of planning. Hoftede Geert, Asian management in the 21st Century. Asia pacific Journal of management. Vol 24, No 4 pg 411-420. This paper is inspired by the recent research that reveals that fundamental differences regarding the goals of business leaders from various societies. Result which are contrary to the popular opinion that crucial elements of management process shows a strong continuity over a period of time, with variation from one country to another which is often as a function of the local culture. Therefore this paper explores the general characteristics of Asian management compared to management in other parts of the world focusing on the impacts of the Asian management and its origins of culture on the merging Asian multinationals as well as the state of art in management in the 21st century business world. Reuer Jeffrey Tony W Tong, 18 February 2010. Competitive consequences of interfirm collaboration: How joint ventures shape industry profitability. Journal of International Business Studies 41, 1056-1073. Based on contrasting results obtained from recent research on international business regarding he use of knowledge of joint venture in increasing through competitiveness and the research on industrialization organization economic which reveal that joint venture can also be use in various ways to attenuate completion ,this article therefore joints the two streams of research on reducing or enhancing competition through empirical testing of the effects of various types of venture on the organization profitability. Thus this paper yield results reading the above issues and also shows the importance of adopting contingent approaches in evaluation of competitive implications of various joint ventures. Finally the paper also addresses on the values of reinvigorating international business research con competitive context as well as consequences of interim collaborations. Rink Davi, 12th April 2002. Product Life cycle Research: A literature Review. Journal of Business Research Vol.7 no 3 pg 219-242 This paper contains resourceful information on the various issues .first is the review of the scope of product life cycle research, areas that require further research and finally provide guideline to be used by future researchers. This paper offer tentative conclusions which are advanced as compared to empirical evidence due to its paucity. For instance it conclude that the most common product life cycle used is the classical bell-shaped. It also has result on the success of the application of product life cycle which it finds that it has been met with quite some success. The paper also has information on the least researched areas which include the effects of different characteristics of the firm on product life cycle and the actual utilization of product life cycle strategy theories among the business planners. Finally the paper has extensive literature on validation of the existing product life cycle concept among the nondurable consumer goods leading to the conclusion that a res earch that is more diversified as well as extensive should be conducted in the future. Items public on the Internet Mullor-Sebastian Alicia. Winter 1983.The product life cycle theory: empirical evidence. Journal of international studies retrievable from: http://www.jstor.org/pss/154692 This article presents resourceful information based on three empirical test of the product cycle theory which is based on information obtained from United States data which is relatively new hence giving information on larger number of products as well as lower levels of aggregation as compared to data used in the earlier tests. The papers also provide information regarding the behavior of industrial products behavior in relation to the theory product cycle theory on world markets. in addition to that it provide result on the behavior of the individual products based on the theory. Finally the paper offer policy implications concerning the reliance of development strategies in industrial sectors rather than on individual commodities. Pomfret Richard.2008. Lecture notes on international trade theory and policy. World Scientific retrievable from: http://books.google.com/books?id=MJDuoEHuIUsCdq=Theories+of+international+tradesource=gbs_navlinks_s This book resource is available online and it provide a very comprehensive review of the international theory on international trade as well as on trade policy, including a coverage of all the research areas that have been studied including the heterogeneous firm trade models as well as trade costs. In addition to that the book proceeds to give an in-depth analysis of the history of trade policies and evolution of global trading system primarily lay an emphasis on the important policies as well as the controversial issues that include Doha Round, regionalism, fair trade as well as anti dumping duties. Olling, Renà ©Soà «nen. 2003. Feature based product life cycle modeling. Retrieved from: http://books.google.com/books?id=rYYonETpoZoCdq=Product+life-cycle+theorysource=gbs_navlinks_s In meeting the ever increasing high demands regarding improvement and speeding up of the product development process fro concept of customer feedback, feature based technology is the critical factor. Therefore it sis expected to providing better approach that enable integration complete product design process chain. this resource therefore provide a lot of important information including chapters encompassing significant phase of product development right from the conceptual design to recycling process covering topics on Knowledge based engineering, Life-phases modeling, *Manufacturing process cost estimation; *Technological links among assemblies, Multiple-view geometric modeling, Product recovery estimation, Machining preparation, Product deterioration prediction and Manufacturing modeling. This books include of a selection of resources obtained from International Conference on Feature Modeling in Advanced Design-for-the-Life-Cycle Systems (FEATS 2001) held in Valenciennes, France in June 2001. Hill, Charles (2007). International Business Competing in the Global Marketplace 6th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill. Retrievable from: www.ebookfree-download.com//international-business6th-edition-charles-hill-pdf.php The book resource is easily accessible in the ebook.com and it has information on the stages that are involved in a product lifecycle. It gives information on the definition of terms on the topic, as well as the introduction, stage, growth stage, maturity stage and finally the decline stage. In addition to that it offer finer detail of the process hence its in details thus can be used as good resource for literature reviews and deeper understanding of the theory of product life cycle as well as the its management. The product life cycle theory Is the Product life-cycle theory significant when it comes to dynamics of international business in this modern era? Essay Plan. In addition to explain the theory of product life cycle, the theory is an economic theory that was developed by Raymond Vernon and it was based on observation that united sates firms introduced a higher proportion of the 20th century worlds new products and more of such products were first sold in the United States market. Example of such products s includes the instant cameras, television, personal computers, photocopiers as well as semi conductors (Chacholiades, 69.) The theory was developed after the Heckscher-Ohlin model failed to explain the observed pattern of international trade. The product life cycle is usually used to understand as well as analyze the various maturity stages of products and industries especially as product innovation and diffusion influences the long terms patterns of the international trade. Products life cycle was used for the first time in 1965 by Theodore Levitt in a Harvard business review article (Hill, Charles, 103). Product life cycle management is therefore a relatively new paradigm for the process of product manufacturing as it enables the company in management of its products through out their life cycles in the possible most effective way. Such management has several benefits to the company and these include the following: aid the company getting its products to the market as quickly as possible, provides a better support for the use of such products, and finally helps in a better management of their end-of-life (Klug, 424). Considering todays high competitive global markets companies are expected to meeting the increasing demands of its customers as well as rapidly continuously and rapidly improving its products and services. Thus for any company to realize such demanding goals the product life cycle management enhance the company efforts of meeting such demand by extending as well as bringing together previously separate filed s like the computer aided design, sustainable management, product data management, enterprises resource planning and the life cycle analysis and recycling (Olling, 203). Product life cycle has several stages which are the introduction stage when the company consults a through market research and develops its product, growth stage follow and in this stage involves strategies that gain the customers attention to help increase products market share, maturity stage (stage where most companies struggle in maintaining their respective market shares, growth stage )and finally the decline stage when the revenues generated from the sales of the products start to deep due to factors like market saturation, latest technological development and finally as a result of stiff competition (Pomfret, 108). The typical pattern of product life cycle has several exception which include the following: it exclude products that have very short life cycles, the luxury and service goods, products that require some specialized labour, products differentiated from competitive offerings and finally the theory excepts products for which its transportation costs are relatively higher (Chacholiades, 678). The typical theory of product life cycle by Vernon has several draw backs that include the following: the theory is les effective when it comes to explaining recent FDI trends, it also helps in explanation of the location of production unfortunately it doesnt explain the initial advantage of the firm moving areas. In addition to that the theory also appears dynamic in nature i.e. Its only programmatic and the final drawback is that it ignores licensing. Since the adoption of the theory by marketing it has achieved a universal acceptance and this is attributed to its appeal and wider application (Mullor-Sebastian, 567). The theory has been widely quoted and frequently taught element of marketing and this has it being very influential as it has been seen in other theories ranging from new product development, in the positioning and differentiation and finally in the portfolio analysis(Klug, 324). Thus product life cycle as Weber provide an intuitively appealing as well as readily understandable framework of analysis process to be used fro considering future growth.

The Age of Reformation Essay -- essays research papers

The Age of Reformation The Age of Reformation - religious revolution in Western Europe in the 16th cent. Beginning as a reform movement within the Roman Catholic Church, the Reformation ultimately led to freedom of dissent. The preparation for the movement was long and there had been earlier calls for reform, e.g., by John WYCLIF and John HUSS. Desire for change within the church was increased by the RENAISSANCE, with its study of ancient texts and emphasis on the individual. Other factors that aided the movement were the invention of printing, the rise of commerce and a middle class, and political conflicts between German princes and the Holy Roman emperor. The Reformation began suddenly when Martin LUTHER posted 95 theses on the church door at Wittenberg on October 31, 1517. Open attack on the doctrines and authority of the church followed and led to Luther's breach with the church (1520), which the Diet of Worms (1521) failed to heal. His doctrine was of justification by faith alone instead of by sacram ents, good works, and meditation, and it placed a person in direct communication with God. Luther's insistence on reading the Bible placed on the individual a greater responsibility for his own salvation. The new church spread in Germany and Scandinavia, especially among princes and people who hoped for a greater degree of freedom. The conflict between the Lutherans and the Catholic Emperor CHARLES V was long and bitter. A temporary settlement was reached at the Peace of Augsburg (1555), but continued discord contributed later to the THIRTY YEARS WAR. Outside Germany, a different type of dissent developed under Huldreich ZWINGLI in Zurich, and within Protestantism differences arose, such as doctrinal arguments on the Lord's Supper. These were debated, inconclusively, at the Colloquy of Marburg (1529) by Luther and Philip MELANCHTHON on one side and Zwingli and Johannes Oecolampadius on the other. More radical ideas were spread, particularly among the lower classes, by such leaders a s CARLSTADT, Thomas MUNZER, and JOHN OF LEIDEN. In 1536 Geneva became the center for the teachings of John CALVIN, perhaps the greatest theologian of Protestantism. In France the HUGUENOTS, fired by Calvin's doctrine, resisted the Catholic majority in the Wars of RELIGION (1562-98). Calvinism superseded Lutheranism in the Netherlands, and it spread to Scotland through the eff... ...ermany and Switzerland, but his views, particularly about the TRINITY, were condemned by both Roman Catholics and Protestants. He fled to France, where he gained fame in medicine. After he had a work on theology secretly printed (1553), the INQUISITION moved against him. He escaped from prison, but he was seized in Geneva, on John Calvin’s order, and tried and burned there. Peace of Augsburg - September 1555- made the division of Christendom permanent. This agreement recognized a law that had already been well established and in practice: cuius regio, eius religio, meaning that the ruler of the land would determine the religion of the land. Mary I – ( r. 1553-1558) became Queen of England- procceded to restore Catholic doctrine and practice with a singlemindedness that rivaled that of her father. Bernini's Ecstasy of St. Theresa - Bernini (1598-1680) Italian sculptor and architect, the dominant figure of the Italian BAROQUE. His Roman works include the Churches of Santa Maria della Vittoria which houses his great sculpture the Ecstasy of St. Theresa. The "Black Legend" - (Bartolome de Las Casas) portrayed all Spanish treatment to Indians as unprincipled and inhumane.

Radical Reconstruction :: American America History

Radical Reconstruction Immediately following the Civil War the actions of Radical Republicans led to many changes in the South. Leading the way to Radical Reconstruction was Congressmen Charles Sumner and Thadeus Stevens. Their were many goals and motives the Radicals hoped to obtain. The first and main goal of the Radicals was to punish the South. The Radicals also hoped to retain Republican power by taking advantage of the South any way they could. Going along with taking advantage of the South, the Radicals wanted to protect industrial growth in the North and benefit economically from the situation. Another very important goal of the radicals was to aid the freed slaves. Equality for blacks was a hope the Radicals hoped to obtain, but it was also an effective way to retain Republican power. If the Radicals help Blacks, then Blacks will become Republican, thus increasing republican power. Using Legislature, the Radicals hoped to acquire all these things. The first victory for the Radicals was the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1866. One of the main obstacles the Radicals came across was the opposition by Andrew Jackson. Jackson immediately vetoed the Civil Rights Act as soon as he could. But the Radicals held most of the power in Congress and overrode his veto. Due to Johnson's resistance, Congress took it a step further and then passed the 14th Amendment. "All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."-14th Amendment. Both of these basically protected the rights of the blacks and hoped to bring about equality. These actions by Congress didn't sit to well with the South. The South particularly resented the actions of the newly established Freedmen's Bureau, which Congress established to feed, protect, and help educate the freed slaves. With the exception of Tennessee, all Southern states refused to follow the 14th Amendment. To counteract the South's actions, Congress passed the Reconstruction Act of 1867. This was a strong blow to the South. The act: put

Sherlock Holmes stories became extremely successful and were enormously :: Free Essay Writer

Sherlock Holmes stories became extremely successful and were enormously popular amongst people. SHERLOCK HOLMES Sherlock Holmes detective stories have been known and loved by people all around the world. Something magical was about the character of Sherlock Holmes that makes him so famous all around the world. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote Sherlock Holmes stories. The author was a young age doctor in 1886 when he set up a medical practice in South sea, Hampshire. With fewer patients, making their way to his surgery there was a lot of free time when he scribbled down some ideas for a story involving a brilliant detective. Conan Doyle had already previously published some short stories and articles and had been working on two other novels when he became fascinated in writing an original detective novel. A Study in Scarlet was the first novel of Sherlock Holmes and was published in 1887. Despite establishing those characteristics of Sherlock Holmes, which was to make it so fascinating to read, the story attracted little attention. About 44 stories and novels have been published of Sherlock Holmes. These stories have been translated to nearly every language. Sherlock Holmes stories became extremely successful and were enormously popular amongst people. There were many reasons for the story to become so popular. The first and the main reason was that Sherlock Holmes was the man who solved all the crimes and always caught criminals. He was like the hero of the people in the Victorian time when crimes were so widespread. London was dark and there was no electricity at that time. People were scared to go out of their houses at night when crime levels were so high. A perfect example of it is jack the ripper. He was a violent murder and targeted pimps and prostitutes. To people’s horror he also use to post body parts to the police. The police could not catch him and people were getting furious with them. There was no safety to the people. In such a situation and environment, the hero for them was Sherlock Holmes. Not only that he always solved the case he also caught the criminals and was against evil. In his fiction stories, he was solving crimes that which people expected from the police in real life. People started getting interested in reading more and more about the character of Sherlock Holmes and the way he solved the case. It was an entertainment for people when they were travelling and there was nothing else to do. Sir Arthur Canon Doyle’s was now starting to run out of stories for Sherlock Holmes and even noted a point in his autobiography: â€Å"The

The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove Chapter 11~12

Eleven Catfish Catfish awoke to find a paint-spattered woman padding about the house in nothing but a pair of wool socks, in which she had stuck several sable brushes that delivered ochre, olive, and titanium white strokes to her calves whenever she moved. Canvases were propped on easels, chairs, counters, and windowsills – seascapes every one. Estelle moved from canvas to canvas, palette in hand, furiously painting details in the waves and beaches. â€Å"Y'all woke up inspired,† Catfish said. It was past dusk, they had slept away the daylight. Estelle painted by the light of fifty candles and the orange glow that washed from the open doors of the wood stove. Color correctness be damned, these paintings should be viewed by fire. Estelle stopped painting and raised her brush arm to cover her breasts. â€Å"They weren't finished. I knew something was missing when I painted them, but I didn't know what until now.† Catfish cinched his pants around his waist and walked shirtless among the paintings. The waves writhed with tail and scale and teeth and talon. Predator eyes shone out of the canvases, brighter, it seemed, than the candles that lit them. â€Å"You done painted that old girl in all of 'em?† â€Å"It's not a girl. It's male.† â€Å"How you know that?† â€Å"I know.† Estelle turned and went back to her painting. â€Å"I feel it.† â€Å"How you know it look like that?† â€Å"It does, doesn't it? It looks like this?† Catfish scratched the stubble on his chin and pondered the paintings. â€Å"Close. But it ain't a boy. That ol' monster the same one come after me an Smiley for catchin its little one.† Estelle stopped painting and turned to him. â€Å"You have to play tonight?† â€Å"In a little while.† â€Å"Coffee?† He stepped up to her, took the brush and palette from her, and kissed her on the forehead. â€Å"That sho' would be sweet.† She padded to the bedroom and came back wearing a tattered kimono. â€Å"Tell me, Catfish. What happened?† He was sitting at the table. â€Å"I think we done broke a record. I'm sore.† Estelle smiled in spite of herself, but pressed on. â€Å"What happened back then, in the bayou? Did you call that thing up out of the water somehow?† â€Å"What you thinkin, woman? I can do that, you think I be playin clubs for drinks and part the door?† â€Å"Tell me how you felt back then, when that thing came out of the swamp.† â€Å"Scared.† â€Å"Besides that.† â€Å"Wasn't nothing besides that. You heard it. Scared is all there is.† â€Å"You weren't scared after we got back here last night.† â€Å"No.† â€Å"Neither was I. What did you feel back then? Before and after the thing came after you.† â€Å"Not like I'm feelin now.† â€Å"And how is that?† â€Å"I'm feelin real good to be here talkin to you.† â€Å"No kidding. Me too. How about back then?† â€Å"Stop doggin me, girl. I'll tell you. But I gots to go play in an hour and I don't know that I can.† â€Å"Why not?† â€Å"The Blues ain't on me. You done chased 'em off.† â€Å"I can throw you out in the cold without a shirt if you think it will help.† Catfish squirmed in his chair. â€Å"Maybe some coffee.† Catfish's Story After we gets some distance from whatever chasin us, we stop the Model T Ford and me and Smiley put that big ol' catfish thing in the backseat – his tail hangin out one side an' his head out't'other. Now this ain't at all what I expected, and Smiley ain't got the Blues on him, but I'm gettin me a grand case myself. Then I realizes we got us five hundred dollar coming, and them ol' Blues done melt right away. I say, â€Å"Smiley, I believes we should have us some celebratin, startin with some liquor and endin up with some fine Delta pussy. What you say?† Ol' Smiley, like usual, don't wanna piss on the parade, but bein who he is, he point out we aint got no money and Ida May don't approve of no pussy more'en a hundred yard from the house. But he feelin it too, I can tell, and before long we headed down a back road to find a bootlegger I know down there name of Elmore that sells to colored folk. That ol' white boy ain't got but two teeth, but he grindin 'em when we pulls up, all mad and wavin his shotgun like we come to bust up his still. I say, â€Å"Hey, Elmore, how your lovely wife and sister?† He say she fine, but lessin we shows some money quick, he gonna shoot him some niggers and get back to her before she cool off. â€Å"We a little short,† I say. â€Å"But we have us five hundred dollar come morning iffin you kind enough to give us a jug on credit.† An' then I shows him the catfish. That boy liked to shit his pants, and I was hopin he would, just to cover the smell comin off him natural, but instead he say, â€Å"I ain't waitin 'til mornin'. You want a jug, you give me a hunk o' that catfish right now. A big hunk.† Smiley and I thinks it over, and before long we got us a half-gallon of corn mash and ol' Elmore got hisself enough catfish to feed his wives and children and them-thats both for a week or more. Up the road a spell and this old whore name of Okra givin us the same speech about money, plus she sayin we need to take us a bath before she let us anywhere near her girls. And I comes back with the five-hundred-dollar story. She say five hundred dollar tomorrow and we can come in tomorrow, but if we want some pussy tonight, she want a hunk of that old catfish in the back. Them hos can eat some catfish too, I'm tellin you. I thought Smiley finally gettin the Blues on him when I hears him sayin how he give up a hundred dollar worth of catfish just for a bath. But that his choice. He wait in the car 'til I'm done and we head off to find a place to sleep 'til morning when we can cash in the fish. We pulls down a side road into some bushes, and we commencin to get us some sleep after a drink or two, when who come out the woods but a whole bunch of boys wearin them white sheets and pointy hoods, sayin, â€Å"Nigger, I guess you didn't read the sign.† And they tie us up to that ol' catfish and make us drag it back in the woods to a big ol' fire they got goin. That sho' a chill, I gots to tell you. To this day I can't walk by sheets hangin on a line without my backbone freeze up. I knows we sho' gonna die now, sayin my prayers and all best I can, while them boys kickin me in the mouth an' such while eatin catfish pieces what they roasted on sticks. Then I feels it and the kickin stops. I see ol' Smiley lyin in the dirt, coverin his head with his arms, one ol' bloody eye lookin' over at me. He feel it too. Them Klansmen staring into the woods like they long-lost momma gonna come out, big ol' grins on they faces, half of 'em rubbin they dicks through they pants. And she come out, all right. Big as a train, a howl like to make your ears bust and bleed. She take two of them in the first bite. I don't have to write Smiley no letter. Before we can say somethin, we up and runnin, still tied up to what left of that catfish carcass, running back for the road. We finds us a knife in the car and we gets loose lickety-split – Smiley crankin that ol' Model T and me behind the wheel workin the choke. Hollerin and screamin comin out the woods sounding like music now, them Klansmen gettin all eat up. Then it get quiet, just the sound of our breath and Smiley crankin the Model T. I'm yellin for him to hurry, I can hear that thing crashin though the woods. And finally, the Model T cranks over, but I can hardly hear it, 'cause that old dragon thing done broken out the woods and lets go a roar. I tells Smiley to get in, but he run back to the back of the car. â€Å"What you doing?† I say. â€Å"Five hundred dollar,† he say. And I see he throwing the catfish in the backseat. That stinky thing ain't nothin but a head now, so Smiley throw it in by hisself. Then he makes to jump on the running board and I looks over and he just snatched out the air. Gone. And them jaws coming down for the second time when I pull that ol' Model T in gear and take off. Smiley gone. Gone. Next day I find that white man say he pay five hundred dollar for the catfish, and he look at that big fish head and jus laugh at me. I say I lose the best friend I ever had, he better give me my goddamn money. But he laugh and tell me go away. So I hit him. Took that old fish head to court with me, but it don't make no difference. That judge give me six months in jail – hittin a white man and all. He tell the bailiff, â€Å"Take Catfish away.† They call me Catfish since. I don't tell the story no more, but the name still there. Had the Blues on me ever since, but they ain't no makin amends. By the time I get out, Ida May die of grief, and I ain't got a friend alive. Been on the road since. That thing on the beach, make that sound, she lookin for me. Catfish â€Å"It's a male,† Estelle said. She didn't know what else to say. â€Å"How you know?† â€Å"I know.† She took his hand. â€Å"I'm sorry about your friend.† â€Å"I just wanted him to get the Blues on him so we can make us a record.† They sat there at the table for a while, holding hands. Catfish let his coffee go cold in the cup. Estelle ran the story around in her head, both relieved and fearful that the shadows in her paintings now had a shape. Somehow, as fantastic as it was, Catfish's story seemed familiar. She said, â€Å"Catfish, did you ever read The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway?† â€Å"He that boy write about bullfights and fishing? I met him once, down Florida way. Why?' â€Å"You met him?† â€Å"Yeah, that sumbitch didn't believe that story neither. Said he like to fish, but he don't believe me. Why you ask?† â€Å"Never mind,† Estelle said. â€Å"If this thing eats people, don't you think we should report it?† â€Å"I been tellin folks about that monster for some fifty years, ain't no one believed me yet. Said I was the biggest liar ever come outta the Delta. I'd have me a big house and a stack of records if not for that. You call the law and tell them 'bout this, they gonna call you the crazy woman of Pine Cove.† â€Å"We already have one of those.† â€Å"Well, ain't no one gonna get eat but me, and if I lose this gig 'cause they thinkin I'm crazy, I have to be movin on then. You understand?† Estelle took Catfish's cup from the table and placed it in the sink. â€Å"You'd better get ready to go play.† Twelve Molly To distract herself from the dragon next door, Molly had put on her sweats and started to clean her trailer. She got as far as filling three black trash bags with junk food jetsam and was getting ready to vacuum up the collec-tion of sow bug corpses that dotted her carpet when she made the mistake of Windexing the television. Outland Steel: Kendra's Revenge was playing on the VCR and when the droplets of Windex hit the screen, they magnified the phosphorescent dots, making the picture look like an impressionist painting: Seurat's Sunday Afternoon on the Island of Le Grande Warrior Babe perhaps. Molly froze the frame on the gratuitous shower scene. (There was always a shower scene in the first five minutes of her films, despite the fact that Kendra lived on a planet almost completely devoid of water. To address this problem, one young director had gotten the bright idea of using â€Å"anti-radioactive foam† in the shower scene and Molly had spent five hours with whipped Ivory Snow suds being blown on to her by an offscreen Shop-Vac. She ended up playing the rest of the film in a Bedouin burnoose to cover the rash that developed all over her body.) â€Å"Art film,† Molly said, sitting on the floor in front of the TV, dowsing it with Windex for the fiftieth time. â€Å"I could have been a model in Paris in those days.† â€Å"Not a chance,† said the narrator. He was still around. â€Å"Too skinny. They liked fat chicks back then.† â€Å"I'm not talking to you.† â€Å"You've used half a bottle of Windex for this little trip to Paris.† â€Å"Seems like cheap travel to me,† Molly said. Even so, she got up and took two glasses from the top of the TV. She was taking them to the kitchen when the doorbell rang. She opened the door with the rims of the glasses pinched in one hand. Outside, two women in dresses and heels and lots of hair spray were standing on her steps. They were both in their early thirties, blonde, and wore stiff smiles of either insincerity or drug use, Molly couldn't be sure which. â€Å"Avon?† Molly asked. â€Å"No,† the blonde in front said with a titter. â€Å"I'm Marge Whitfield, this is Katie Marshall, we're from the Coalition for a Moral Society. We'd like to talk to you about our campaign to reinstate school prayer. I hope we haven't caught you at a bad time.† Katie was in pink. Marge in pastel blue. â€Å"I'm Molly Michon. I was just cleaning up a little.† Molly held up the two glasses. â€Å"Come on in.† The two women stepped in and stood in the doorway as Molly took the glasses to the sink. â€Å"You know, it's interesting,† Molly said, â€Å"but if you put Diet Coke in one glass, and regular Coke in another, and let them sit for, oh, say six months, then come back, there will be all sorts of green stuff growing on the regular Coke, but the Diet Coke will be as good as new.† Molly returned to the living room. â€Å"Can I get you two something to drink?† â€Å"No thank you,† Marge droned in robot response. She and Katie were staring at the paused image of a wet and naked Molly on the television screen. Molly breezed by them and flipped off the television. â€Å"Sorry, an art film I made in Paris when I was younger. Won't you sit down?† The women sat down next to each other on Molly's tattered couch, their knees pinched together so tight they could have crushed diamonds to powder. â€Å"I love your air freshener,† Katie said, trying to pull out of her terror. â€Å"It smells so clean.† â€Å"Thanks, it's Windex.† â€Å"What a cute idea,† Marge said. This was good, Molly thought. Normal people. If I can hold myself together for normal people like these, I'll be okay. This is good practice. She sat down on the floor in front of them. â€Å"So your name is Marge. You don't hear that outside of detergent commercials anymore. Did your parents watch a lot of TV?† Marge tittered. â€Å"It's short for Margaret, of course. My grandmother's name.† Katie jumped in. â€Å"Molly, we're very concerned that our children's education is totally without any spiritual instruction. The Coalition is collecting signatures for reinstatement of prayer in school.† â€Å"Okay,† Molly said. â€Å"You're new in town, aren't you?† â€Å"Why, yes, we've both moved here from Los Angeles with our husbands. A small town is just a better place to raise children, as I'm sure you know.† â€Å"Right,† Molly said. They had no idea who she was. â€Å"That's why I brought my little Stevie here.† Stevie was Molly's goldfish who had died during one of her stays in County. Now he lived in a Ziploc in her freezer and regarded her with a frosty gaze every time she retrieved some ice. â€Å"And how old is Stevie?† â€Å"Uh, seven or eight. I forget sometimes, it was a long labor.† â€Å"He's a year behind my Tiffany,† Marge said. â€Å"Well, he's a little slow.† â€Å"And your husband is†¦?† â€Å"Dead.† â€Å"I'm so sorry,† Katie said. â€Å"No need, you probably didn't kill him.† â€Å"Anyway,† Katie said, â€Å"we'd really like to have your signature to send to the state senate. Single mothers are an important part of our campaign. And we're also collecting donations for the campaign to have the Constitu-tion amended.† She put on an embarrassed smile. â€Å"God's work needs funding too.† â€Å"I live in a trailer,† Molly said. â€Å"We understand,† Marge said. â€Å"Finances are difficult for a single mother. But your signature is just as important to God's work.† â€Å"But I live in a trailer. God hates trailers.† â€Å"Beg pardon?† â€Å"He burns them up, freezes, them out, tears them up with tornadoes. God hates trailers. Are you sure I wouldn't be hurting your cause?† Katie giggled. â€Å"Oh, Mrs. Michon, don't be silly. Just last week I read where a woman's trailer was picked up by a tornado and dropped almost a mile away and she survived. She said that she was praying the whole time and that God had saved her. You see?† â€Å"Then who sent the tornado in the first place?† The two pastel women squirmed on the couch. The blue one spoke first. â€Å"We'd love to have you at our Bible study group, where we could discuss that, but we have to be getting along. Would you mind signing the peti-tion?† She pulled a clipboard out of her oversized purse and handed it over to Molly with a pen. â€Å"So if this works, kids will be able to pray in school?† â€Å"Why, yes.† Marge brightened. â€Å"So the Muslim kids can turn to Mecca seven times a day or whatever and it won't count against their grades?† The blue and pink pastel ladies looked at each other. â€Å"Well, America is a Christian nation, Mrs. Michon.† Molly didn't want them to think she was a pushover. She was a smart woman. â€Å"But kids of other faiths can pray too, right?† â€Å"I suppose so,† Katie said. â€Å"To themselves.† â€Å"Oh good,† Molly said as she signed the petition, â€Å"because I know that Stevie could move up to the Red Jets reading group if he could sacrifice a chicken to Vigoth the Worm God, but the teacher won't let him.† Why did I say that? Why did I say that? What if they ask where Stevie is? â€Å"Mrs. Michon!† â€Å"What? He'd do it at recess,† Molly said. â€Å"It's not like it would cut into study time.† â€Å"We are working on behalf of the One True God, Mrs. Michon. The Coalition is not an interfaith organization. I'm sure that if you had felt the power of His spirit, you wouldn't talk that way.† â€Å"Oh, I've felt it.† â€Å"You have?† â€Å"Of course. You can feel it too. Right now.† â€Å"What do you mean?† Molly handed the clipboard back to Katie and stood up. â€Å"Come next door with me. It'll only take a second. I know you'll feel it.† Theo Theo's hopes of finding Mikey Plotznik rose as he drove through the residential areas of Pine Cove. Nearly every neighborhood had two or three people out searching with flashlights and cell phones. Theo stopped and took reports from each search party, then made suggestions as if he had the slightest idea what he was doing. Who was he kidding? He couldn't even find his car keys half the time. Most of Pine Cove's neighborhoods were without sidewalks or street-lights. The canopy of pine trees absorbed the moonlight and darkness drank up Theo's headlights like an ocean of ink. He plugged his handheld spot-light in the lighter socket and swept it across the houses and into the vacant lots, spotting nothing but a pair of mule deer eating someone's rosebuds. As he drove by the beach park – a grass playground the size of a football field, surrounded by cypress trees and blocked from the Pacific wind by an eight-foot redwood fence – he spotted a flash of white moving on one of the picnic tables. He pulled into the parking strip beside the park and pointed the Volvo's headlights, as well as the spotlight, at the table. A couple was going at it right there on the table. The flash of white had been the man's bare ass. Two faces turned into the light, eyes as wide as the two deer Theo had surprised earlier. Normally, Theo would have driven on. He was used to finding people â€Å"in the act† in cars behind the Head of the Slug, or parked along the more rugged strips of coastline. He wasn't the sex police, after all. But tonight he was irritated by the scene. It had been almost a whole day since he'd had a hit from his Sneaky Pete. Maybe it's a symptom of withdrawal, he thought. He turned off the Volvo and got out, taking his flashlight with him. The couple scrambled into their clothes as he approached, but didn't try to es-cape. There was nowhere for them to go except over the fence, where a narrow beach was bordered on both sides by cliffs and washed by treach-erous, freezing rip tides. When he was halfway across the park, Theo recognized the fornicators and stopped. The woman, a girl really, was Betsy Butler, a waitress down at H.P.'s Cafe. She was struggling to pull down her skirt. The man, bald ing and slack-chested, was the newly widowed Joseph Leander. Theo flashed on the image of Bess Leander hanging from a peg in the spotless dining room. â€Å"A little discretion's in order here, you think Joe?† Theo shouted as he walked toward them. â€Å"Uh, it's Joseph, Constable.† Theo felt his scalp go hot with anger. He wasn't an angry man by nature, but nature hadn't been working the last few days. â€Å"No, It's Joseph when you're doing business or when you're grieving over your dead wife. When you're boning a girl half your age on a picnic table in a public park, it's Joe.† â€Å"I – we – things have been so difficult. I don't know what came over us – I mean, me. I mean†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I don't suppose you've seen a kid around here tonight? A boy, about ten?† The girl shook her head. She was covering her face with one hand and staring into the grass at her feet. Joseph Leander's gaze darted around the park as if a magic escape hatch would open up in the dark if he could only spot it. â€Å"No, I haven't seen a boy.† Technically, Theo knew he could arrest them both on the spot for indecent exposure, but he didn't want to take the time to process them into County Justice. â€Å"Go home, Joe. Alone. Your daughters shouldn't be by themselves right now. Betsy, do you have a ride?† Without uncovering her face, she said, â€Å"I only live two blocks away.† â€Å"Go home. Now.† Theo turned and walked back to the Volvo. No one had ever accused Theo of being clever (except for the time at a college party when he fashioned an emergency bong out of a two-liter Coke bottle and a Bic pen), but he was feeling somewhat less than clever for not having investigated Bess Leander's death more carefully. It was one thing to be hired because you're thought to be a fool, it's quite another to live up to the reputation. Tomorrow, he thought. First find the kid. Molly Molly stood in the mud with the two pastel Christian ladies looking at the dragon trailer. â€Å"Can you feel it?† â€Å"Why, whatever do you mean?† Marge said. â€Å"That's just a dirty old trailer – excuse me – mobile home.† Until a second ago, she had only been concerned with her powder-blue high heels sinking into the wet turf. Now she and her partner were staring at the dragon trailer, wide-eyed. They could feel it, Molly could tell. She could feel it too: a low-grade sense of contentment, something vaguely sexual, not quite joy, but close. â€Å"You're feeling it?† The two women looked to each other, trying to deny that they were feeling anything. Their eyes were glazed over as if they'd been drugged, and they fidgeted as if suppressing giggles. Katie, the pink one, said, â€Å"Maybe we should visit these people.† She took a tentative step toward the dragon trailer. Molly stepped in front of her. â€Å"There's no one there. It's just a feeling. You two should probably go fill out your petition.† â€Å"It's late,† said powder blue. â€Å"Maybe one more visit, then we have to go.† â€Å"No!† Molly blocked their path. This wasn't as fun as she thought it would be. She had wanted to freak them out a little, not harm them. She had the distinct feeling that if they got any closer to the dragon trailer, school prayer would be losing two well-groomed votes. â€Å"You two need to get home.† She took each by a shoulder and led them back to the street, then pushed them toward the entrance of the trailer park. They looked longingly over their shoulders at the dragon trailer. â€Å"I feel the spirit moving in me, Katie,† Marge said. Molly gave them another push. â€Å"Right, that's a good thing. Off you go.† And she was supposed to be the crazy one. â€Å"Go, go, go,† Molly said. â€Å"I have to get Stevie's dinner ready.† â€Å"We're sorry we missed meeting your little boy,† Katie said. â€Å"Where is he?† â€Å"Homework. See ya. Bye.† Molly watched the women walk out of the park and climb into a new Chrysler minivan, then she turned back to the dragon trailer. For some reason, she was no longer afraid. â€Å"You're hungry, aren't you, Stevie?† The dragon trailer shifted shape, angles melting to curves, windows going back to eyes, but the glow wasn't as intense as it had been in the early dawn. Molly saw the burned gill trees, the soot and blistered flesh between the scales. Soft blue lines of color flashed across the dragon's flanks and faded. Molly felt her heart sink in sympathy. This thing, whatever it was, was hurting. Molly took a few steps closer. â€Å"I have a feeling you're too old to be a Stevie. And the original Stevie might be offended. How about Steve? You look like a Steve.† Molly liked the name Steve. Her agent at CAA had been named Steve. Steve was a good name for a reptile. (As opposed to Stevie, which was more of a frozen goldfish name.) She felt a wave of warmth run through her amid the sadness. The monster liked his name. â€Å"You shouldn't have eaten that kid.† Steve said nothing. Molly took another step forward, still on guard. â€Å"You have to go away. I can't help you. I'm crazy, you know? I have the papers from the state to prove it.† The Sea Beast rolled over on his back like a submissive puppy and gave Molly a pathetically helpless look, no easy task for an animal capable of swallowing a Volkswagen. â€Å"No,† Molly said. The Sea Beast whimpered, no louder than a newborn kitten. â€Å"Oh, this is just swell,† Molly said. â€Å"Imagine the meds Dr. Val is going to put me on when I tell her about this. The vegetable and the lizard, that's what they'll call us. I hope you're happy.† Peer Pressure â€Å"But I don't want to go among mad people,† Alice remarked. â€Å"Oh, you can't help that,† said the cat. â€Å"We're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad.† â€Å"How do you know I'm mad?† said Alice. â€Å"You must be,† said the cat, â€Å"or you wouldn't have come here.† – LEWIS CARROL, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

The Art of Akhenaten – Paper

The Art of Akhenaten A Formal Analysis of House Shrine and Akhenaten Making Offerings The Art of Akhenaten A Formal Analysis of House Shrine and Akhenaten Making Offerings One of the most enigmatic pharaohs of Egyptian history, Amenhotep IV, had grown up in the most powerful family in ancient Egypt. Once he became pharaoh and ruler of Egypt’s empire in 1378 BCE, he changed his name to Akhenaten, â€Å"effective spirit of Aten†, and was known to the people as â€Å"the heretic king.Early in his reign, Akhenaten encouraged ideas by using art as a way of emphasizing his political and religious intentions of doing things differently; therefore, changing Egyptian society. This was true for the following reasons. Politically, when Akhenaten denounced the state deities, he altered the artistic style and technique of ancient Egypt, by the intimate settings and placements of him and his royal family. Religiously, the forced monotheistic religion was artistically stylized by hav ing the new deity, Aten, as the main theme in his reliefs.These emphases were what came to be known as Amarna art, an erratic, sensual, new style of art that celebrated the vibrancy and movement of the real world during Akhenaten’s reign. Akhenaten’s famous two relief sculptures, House Shrine and Akhenaten Making Offerings, reflect the revolutionary changes in art and religion and  therefore of politics during the reign of this monotheistic pharaoh. Akhenaten and his family were the only royal family that was intimately described by the king as displaying love and devotion under the protection of Aten.In House Shrine (figure 1), the limestone stele, depicts King Akhenaten and his â€Å"Holy Family† starring his wife Queen Nefertiti and his two daughters. It was intended to be stored in a private room in the Amarna palace. The stele is decorated with an intimate scene showing the daily life of the Holy Family. The sculptor’s color choice of bright, yello w limestone background shown in this art piece complements the sun that shines down on all the individuals. The use of fine lines emphasizes the sun shining down on Akhenaten and his family.This sense of illumination by both the sun and indirectly by the family expresses that they are full of love and happiness. Often times bright colors are associated with love and happiness, such as this yellow limestone stele. The sunken relief technique is also used. As Janson explained in his text it was a popular technique amongst Egyptian art sculptures. In this technique, the sculptor cut sharp outlines into the stone’s face, and modeled the figures within the outlines, below the level of the background, rather than carving away the surface around figures to allow them to emerge from the stone.Light shining onto the stone’s surface then cast shadows into the out-lines, animating the figures without compromising the solid planar appearance of the wall. In this art piece the sunk en relief technique gives further emphasis of the sun above shining over them and creates shadows throughout the art piece by the deep incisions of the curved lines along the back of King Akhenaten’s neck and Queen Nefertiti’s right shoulder tracing down her arm. In addition, there are deep incisions along the outline of his children, which give the shadows symbolism that presents the whole family as the focal point of the piece.However, the incisions along the children do not run as heavy as the ones on Akhenaten, Nefertiti, and the sun god. By using heavier incisions it gives the idea that these three figures are of greater importance. In conclusion, the choice of color gives the mood of the stele, the lines tell us the focal point and establishes the important figures. Overall, this piece is well put together. In the beginning of Akhenaten’s religious reform, the official state religion was still based on polytheism with Amun rising above other deities throug hout classic Egyptian art.During his third reign, Akhenaten started to build his own public temple, near the temple of Amun at Karnak. This first act as king brought with him a shocking speculation and hostility between his throne and the priesthood of Amun. Inside the temple was an entirely new style of art, which was often described, as â€Å"naturalistic† in Akhenaten’s portrayal of the human body. No longer was the Pharaoh portrayed as half animal with the perfect body fitted for the afterlife. Akhenaten and the royal family were shown with long toes, massive hips, extremely long fingers, skinny torso, ample breasts, big buttocks, and an elongated face.This exaggeration of the royal family’s bodies altered classic Egyptian art and became better known as Amarna Art. Another astonishing act to this religious revolution was the Akhenaten’s order of the construction of a new capital, far to the north of Thebes known as Amarna, horizon of the sun, claiming the sun god lead him there. A few years after, Akhenaten made the decision to abandon Thebes and ordered his people to pack up and leave behind the city built by his father to receive the blessings of Aten in the city of Amarna.Shortly thereafter, he abolished traditional gods and goddesses, declaring one monotheistic deity, Aten, and introduced in art as a more intimate worship in public and personal settings of the royal family, receiving blessings from Aten, and showing day to day life and activities. A classic example of the radical transformation of Egyptian state religion is found on the Royal Tomb in Amarna, Akhenaten Making Offerings (figure 2), depicting Akhenaten and his wife Queen Nefertiti carrying flowers to be laid on the table beneath the â€Å"life-giving† rays of the Aten with his two eldest daughters behind him praying and offering gifts.In Akhenaten’s hands are four flowers that represent his minor wives Merytaten, Kiya, Mekytaten, and Ankhesenpaate n. What made this piece so alarming to the Egyptians is the misshapen facial structure and body style of Akhenaten and the royal family, and the worshipping of a single god. Starting at the top of Akhenaten Making Offerings there is  a subtle linear band going across the fragment, which is a hieroglyph for sky. The open space with the round geometric shape in the sky symbolizes the royal family is open to worship.King Akhenaten, standing in front of Queen Nefertiti, bathing in the rays of the Aten, could symbolize that he was the solo priest of his monotheistic religion. As giver and sustainer of life, Aten's rays of light form a radial path that begins from the sun and, if  one looks closely, he'll notice the rays of light end in hands holding ankhs, the hieroglyph for life. This characteristic is often repeated in Akhenaten’s art pieces, including the House Shrine. The outline of the rays forms a triangular pyramid. In ancient times pyramids were built as a guise to pro tect the deceased pharaohs as they traveled to the afterlife.Similar to the House Shrine, the sunken relief technique is used to covey the importance of the figures. The heavy incisions around Aten, behind the Pharaoh and his wife, emphasize them as the main focal point of the art piece and the importance of their religious standing with Aten. The dark underline around Aten creates a dark shadow symbolizing his great power as the monotheistic deity. The curved lines behind Akhenaten and his family could symbolize a shadow effect since Aten is placed in front of the family and the lines around the front side of the figures are a lot finer.The shocking effect this piece had on the Egyptians was King Akhenaten’s way of stating his radical vision of breaking Egyptian tradition. Furthermore, King Akhenaten’s abandonment of the traditional gods and roles of kingship also took a toll on Egypt’s political status seen in his art by worshipping Aten. Tucked inside his new ly construed city, obsessed with his monotheistic religion, he spent little to no time on his foreign affairs and more time posing with his family for the sculptor.The military pleaded for support against enemy attacks, but King Akhenaten was distracted with building more temples of Aten so that he and his family would always be protected. This was depicted in his art by showing Aten placing the sunrays over his family as a symbol of protection. In the backlash that followed during the end of his reign, the people and the kingship referred to him as the â€Å"Great Criminal†. And in the events following his death, the misshapen face and body feature of Akhenaten and his family were rubbed and broken off.Amarna art was desecrated and traditional Egyptian art was reinstated. His capital was destroyed, the people returned to Thebes, and after awhile his image was abandoned, and the heretic king was forgotten. In conclusion, three thousand years ago, in the short time of the Amar na period, Akhenaten turned Egypt upside down by breaking classical Egyptian art tradition and announcing a new deity. During that time, capitals were moved, religious ideas developed and flourished, foreign affairs depleted, and artistic changes took place in art within the walls of the court.