Examine the management opportunities and challenges associated with the use Of a named global vegetation system

The global vegetation system that I am going to be using is the tropical rain forest. Tropical rain forests (TRF) are usually found along or near the equator. These are equatorial climates and inn these climates there are no seasons. The TRF has a very large range of species. There are a lot of tropical hardwoods here, such as mahogany, Oak, Ipe and many more. The direct use for people is to burn the wood that they cut down from the tropical rainforests. An indirect use would be to sell the wood on. There are three scales of how humans affect the TRF, small scale is shifting cultivation, on a medium scale there would be plantations and on a large scale the is deforestation. Equally there are challenges caused as a consequence of how we use it. There a number of environmental challenges that humans face. Firstly the climate here, it is hot wet and humid. These conditions make it hard for humans to live there. There can also be disease here, and pests such as spiders, snakes etc. These become a physical challenge for people to over come. The surface of the TRF can become very swampy in places, this means that it can be very hard for people to move around in the TRF. The density of the TRF is immense, it is incredible difficult for people to get into and to move about in there. Shifting cultivation has opportunities for local people. These local people will use the slash/burn method for making a clearing, here they will grow some crops (usually yams). They have hunters/gatherers who will go out and get food from the area surrounding the clearing they have made. They will live in this clearing for around 4 years, by this time the nutrients start to become depleted, this is one of the challenges that they face. Now they have to move several kilometres away and make sure that they are not in the area where they sent their hunters/gatherers. The clearing that they left will start to grow back. These people have now become part of the eco system and are challenging to become the top carnivores. The population has started to explode in these places and has significantly increased. This practise how now become less viable and there is now less opportunities for the clearings to re grow and therefore there is going to be more and more clearings made in the TRF and they wont be getting the chance to grow back. This is one of the big challenges that they will now face. Plantations are on a medium to large scale of how humans will affect the TRF. Plantations are set up by colonies (MEDC's), and multi national companies. They aim to grow the same crop over large areas of land that would have naturally grown there any way such as tea, coffee, rubber etc. A very large area has got to be cleared so that the plantations can operate. The opportunities for a plantation are huge. They can use the plantation all year round due to the climate being ideal (hot, wet, humid) and there being no seasons. They are able to exploit the forest and use it economically by selling off the crops that they produce. And as they produce a large amount they will make big profits. One big challenge that plantations face is the fact that the diversity of species has been replaced and is now a mono culture. Where there was once area of many species, they are now dominated by single crops on large areas of land. Pests and disease in a TRF are controlled, but in a plantation all the plants are the same so if a disease gets in there all the plants are going to be infected. Also the nutrient cycle is going to be affected by plantations. Growing the same crop over and over again uses the same nutrients and we get soil depletion. Plantations are a manipulation of the eco system. Deforestation has a phenomenal affect on the TFF. The tropical hardwoods have a big demand around the world and this is where they get them. They generate good income for the people who are selling them. The demand for these woods leads to a devastating affect on the TRF. The diversity of species inside the TRF is phenomenal, and this causes a big problem. In 1sqkm there may only be one mahogany tree, if this is the tree that is needed the people are not able to just go and get that one. The forest is so dense they have to pull down all the trees in that area to get to that one. This is mass clearance and has a devastating affect on the TRF. When a tree is chopped down it is going to wipe out a lot of trees in the process. As an affect of this deforestation there is going to be soil erosion. When the trees get pulled down the soil is left exposed to the elements. Afforestation is a process, which should take place after deforestation happens. This is where trees are re planted. To conclude what I have written, there is always going to be management opportunities in a tropical rain forest whether it is on a small scale or on a large scale. The affects that these opportunities have on the tropical rainforest varies. On one hand the affects can be minor as in the local moving land in shifting cultivation due to soil depletion. But the affects can also be devastating, as in deforestation where there is mass clearance and an area of the tropical rain forest is destroyed. So there are opportunities but they can come at a big cost to the environment.

Working Students

In educational institutions, success is measured by academic performance, or how well a student meets standards set out by local government and the institution itself. As career competition grows ever more fierce in the working world, the importance of students doing well in school has caught the attention of parents, legislators and government education departments alike. Read more: Define Academic Performance | eHow. com http://www. ehow. com/about_4740750_define-academic-performance. html#ixzz2NEVziRNN Significance Although education is not the only road to success in the working world, much effort is made to identify, evaluate, track and encourage the progress of students in schools. Parents care about their child's academic performance because they believe good academic results will provide more career choices and job security. Schools, though invested in fostering good academic habits for the same reason, are also often influenced by concerns about the school's reputation and t he possibility of monetary aid from government institutions, which can hinge on the overall academic performance of the school.State and federal departments of education are charged with improving schools, and so devise methods of measuring success in order to create plans for improvement. History * In the past, academic performance was often measured more by ear than today. Teachers' observations made up the bulk of the assessment, and today's summation, or numerical, method of determining how well a student is performing is a fairly recent invention. Grading systems came into existence in America in the late Victorian period, and were initially criticized due to high subjectivity.Different teachers valued different aspects of learning more highly than others, and although some standardization was attempted in order to make the system more fair, the problem continued. Today, changes have been made to incorporate differentiation for individual students' abilities, and exploration of alternate methods of measuring performance is ongoing. Full-text education books, articles, journals at Questia. www. Questia. com/Education Function * The tracking of academic performance fulfills a number of purposes.Areas of achievement and failure in a student's academic career need to be evaluated in order to foster improvement and make full use of the learning process. Results provide a framework for talking about how students fare in school, and a constant standard to which all students are held. Performance results also allow students to be ranked and sorted on a scale that is numerically obvious, minimizing complaints by holding teachers and schools accountable for the components of each and every grade. Features * Performance in school is evaluated in a number of ways.For regular grading, students demonstrate their knowledge by taking written and oral tests, performing presentations, turning in homework and participating in class activities and discussions. Teachers evalu ate in the form of letter or number grades and side notes, to describe how well a student has done. At the state level, students are evaluated by their performance on standardized tests geared toward specific ages and based on a set of achievements students in each age group are expected to meet.Considerations The subjectivity of academic performance evaluation has lessened in recent years, but it has not been totally eliminated. It may not be possible to fully remove subjectivity from the current evaluation methods, since most are biased toward students that respond best to traditional teaching methods. Standardized testing is best responded to by students that excel in reading, mathematics and test-taking, a skill that is not in itself indicative of academic worth. The tests reward visual learners, and give no chance for kinesthetic or auditory learners to show their abilities.The standardized test fails to recognize students with learning and physical disabilities that do not all ow them to complete the test in the same manner or amount of time as other students. Evaluations from classroom teachers, though they give the most detailed information, may still retain bias if individual differentiation and learning styles have not been taken into account. Read more: Define Academic Performance | eHow. com http://www. ehow. com/about_4740750_define-academic-performance. html#ixzz2NEXuduq0 Working studentsINTRODUCTIONMany college students today work part-time. Employment during school could improve grades if working promotes aspects that correspond with academic success, such as industriousness or time management skills, or instead reduce grades by reducing time and energy available for schoolwork. Otherwise, working might be associated with academic performance, yet not directly influence it, if unobserved student differences influence both labor supply and grades. Unmotivated students might neither work for pay nor receive good grades because they put little effo rt into the labor market or school.In contrast, students uninterested in academics might work long hours that would otherwise have been devoted to leisure. Students might misjudge the link between college achievement and future earnings when making labor supply decisions. If so, obtaining a consistent estimate of how such decisions affect academic performance is prospectively important for policy consideration. A student refers to someone who is formally engaged in learning, especially the one who is enrolled in a school or college. You would call an individual a student if he or she is a learner.Employment then correlates to jobs, vocation, profession, and etc. W would you then define ‘working student’? On another person’s mind, they would think of it as a student who engages in learning and working at the same time. It does not matter what nature of work it would be. Many college students today work part time. Their reason for working is mostly due to the fact that they lack the financial support they need. Few would reason out that they only needed the extra income for personal leisure. Parents would normally support their child for their education. In

Natural sciences Essay

Knowledge involves acquaintance with truth, principles or facts as with a certain subject or a branch of learning. People have various perceptive of knowledge. There are those who belief that knowledge is found in many forms which must be proven with evidence. It is possible to doubt everything that exist because it is a misconception or it may be seen as an illusion. Doubt is important in knowledge because learning through from the senses or through the senses can be deceptive. For example, senses can deceive because one may smell something sweet and senses deceive that it is going to have sweet taste. However, this is wrong because not everything that smells sweet taste sweet. Dreams are also deceptive as they are just false delusions because occasionally when one is asleep one is deceived by the illusions in dreams. These are just ways that knowledge through the senses can deceive. Therefore, it becomes necessary to doubt everything so that one can get the true knowledge. So as the proverb hold doubt is key to knowledge. Knowledge creates doubt and doubt pave way for gaining more knowledge. If its is not for doubt then there would be no knowledge or the knowledge that would be available would be one that is not complete knowledge (Urdahl, pg 27-29). In natural sciences, scientists have a lot of experience with doubt and uncertainty. This is experience that is very necessary in gaining knowledge in natural sciences. When one does not know the answer to a problem then this can be termed as ignorance. Then one has a hunch as to what the results are, for example, of an experiment, then it means that one has uncertainty. When one is darned sure of what the result would be then it means that one has some doubt. Therefore, it is paramount important that in order to have progress it is important to recognize the ignorance we have in natural sciences and leave room for doubt. This is because scientific knowledge is a body of statements, which have varying degrees of certainty. The degrees vary from being unsure, nearly sure and none absolutely certain. Doubt is a good thing in natural science because if one knows the answer or thinks that one knows the answer then it becomes easy to fail to seek more knowledge about that particular subject. Doubt helps to come out of that emotional attachment that people have in certain beliefs or from the theory of determinism. Example of areas where doubt has assisted in gaining and verifying knowledge is in the assumptions in relativity that inertial mass and gravitational mass are equal. In order to show that they are not the model has to be revised. Scientists have engaged in refining their ability to measure the two. It is the doubt that has developed in this area that has made the scientist revise this model until they have realized that inertial mass and gravitational mass are different at finer degrees. Therefore, they doubt has made it known that the two are not equivalent as has been held in the past. In this case, it is not that the same experiment is repeated but the real key to this is to look at the statements and test if they have been examined to the extent that they should. Doubt allow the use of new tools in scientific experiments which allow new discoveries which do away with the old ideas or theories. Science in this case becomes a process of doubt. Natural scientists are always nor sure and this is the reason as to why they repeat the steps in experiments in order to make sure that it is right. Another area where doubt has necessitated growth of knowledge is in the evolution theory. At the beginning people had strong belief that creation theory was the one that provided call the knowledge about the evolution of human being. However, as knowledge grew people started to doubt some aspects of the evolution theory and developed other theories such as the Darwinian theory of evolution. This is a theory which resulted out f the doubts about some of the aspects of the former theory. This is not the end theory because doubts in some aspects of the evolutions theory have also led to development of some other theories (Axtell pg 87-88). Doubt has also contributed to increased knowledge in other areas, for example, in social science and history. There are two areas that information collected or knowledge gained depends on research or theories which were constructed in the past by various scholars. However it becomes tricky to use such kind of theories to their full because history and social sciences are dynamic. For example, the society change as time moves. Therefore, this is also in the same way that the theories are supposed to change. For example, if theories that were constructed in the fourteenth century are used in the twenty first century then there is no doubt that the theory would contain a lot of faults because of the changes that have occurred in the society. People have developed in their way of reasoning as in these days there are more sources of information than in the past. Reason is one part of gaining knowledge that enhances the development of doubt. This is because it is after deductive reasoning that a person is able to develop hypothesis that proves some knowledge as relevant or irrelevant (Gotschl, pg179-180). Historians do their research and base most of their research on the researches that were conducted in the past. The information in the research where they base their research would be biased or exaggerated. This is what cause doubt and enhance new research to be conducted regarding some issues. Despite the fact that some people are emotionally attached to some believes doubt has made them to relent some of their believes. For example, different ethnic groups have their own myths about where they originated or who is their god or where their god lived. In traditional society people had strong emotional attachment to these beliefs (Chang pg 581). However, as time has passed people have developed doubt about these believes to develop other believes. This is because most of the beliefs in the traditions are not well reasoned and are also biased to particular ethnic people. People have developed other believes that are more inclusive of other ethnic groups all over the world. This has risen out of the doubt that people have some of the things that happened in the past (Lamm Norman pg 11-12). Despite that knowledge plays a key role in knowledge I think that knowledge or truth is a fixed situation because truth is not questionable. So if true knowledge is out there to be discovered or to be learned then it means that when we know or acquire knowledge then there should be no room for doubt. I also think that knowledge depends mostly on human perception. Natural sciences have more upper hands in investigating the truth. However these sciences are still subjected tout human brains. Curiosity is also key to knowledge rather than doubt. Human beings are always curious to know more about their nature. The curiosity allows them to make discoveries and also strive to find the truth. Looking critically at the discoveries that have been made in the past it is out of curiosity that this has happened. This curiosity leads to knowledge, which then leads to wisdom. Doubts make us to know hat our knowledge is correct instead on believing in something blindly. However I do not feel that doubt makes us to make any discovery or learn anything that is new to us. It is curiosity that allows us to acquire new knowledge more quickly. Work cited Axtell Guy. Knowledge, belief, and character: readings in virtue epistemology, 1st edition, Rowman & Littlefield, 2000. Chang Larry. Wisdom for the Soul: Five Millennia of Prescriptions for Spiritual Healing, Gnosophia Publishers, 2006. Gotschl Johann. Erwin Schrodinger’s world view: the dynamics of knowledge and reality Vol 16, New York, Springer, 1992. Lamm Norman. Faith and doubt: studies in traditional Jewish thought, 3rd edition, KTAV Publishing House, Inc. , 2007. Urdahl Halvor. Key of Knowledge, New York, Kessinger Publishing, 1998.

The Role of Class in British Cinema Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Role of Class in British Cinema - Essay Example George VI was the king and he never wanted to become one. After the death of his father, his brother Edward was to take the throne but he refused to take it in order to marry the woman he loved, and thus, the duty was given to Prince Albert who since early ages, he had struggled with his speech. Albert has been the favourite of his father, but he mourns the introduction of the newspapers and radio, which necessitate a monarch to be heard and seen on public occasions. To avoid public humiliation, his wife Elizabeth seeks help from several speech therapists but nothing works. At last, a speech therapist from Australia Lionel Miguelbecomes of great assistance to Prince Albert in delivering the King’s speech(Ebert 2011, p320; Conradi and Logue 2011, p201). The paper will discuss the role of class in British cinema with special emphasis on the film The King’s Speech. Royal Politics and Its Aesthetic Value in British Cinema Film theory as it is known today came into existence in the late 1960s and since then, they have been controlled by psychoanalytic ideas. After the First World War, it was easier to identify two specific groups in film criticism. The first group was composed of the Sergei Eisenstein figure, whose theoretical essays and filmmaking in the 1920s established the beginning of the role of cinema as an aesthetic one. Based on the idea of Eisenstein, the aesthetic value of the film depended on its capability to change reality and this took the form of montage in his films. The second group was composed of the surrealists and impressionists. They were of the notion that the main role of the cinema was aesthetic; however, they were of the idea that the camera was sufficient to render general objects sublime. They emphasized on cinema as the visual medium which indicated that they considered narrative in most cases as a hindrance that had to be overcome (Murphy 2005). From 1934, British cinemas witnessed an increase in attendance among the peop le. Apart from being a source of entertainment, they assumed the crucial role in communication and social contact. British films of those times expressed the image of Britain as a very stable hierarchy at home, a just colonial government overseas and it represented the patriotic images of the armed forces and the monarchy. In general, the entire population of Britain looked happy with the films that were offered in the 1930s and those films assisted in the maintenance of the status quo and consensus. An important demographic feature of Britain in the 1930 was the steady ascendancy of the middle class. A number of films were based on this status quo (Redner 2010, p138). The Kings Speech setting is in the 1930s and represents what films at those times attempted to represent, that is, the role of class in the British Cinema. Universal agreement on a clear concept of class in cinema is elusive due to the various socioeconomic and political interactions that cinema, as an important media channel makes with the society. However, the transposition of the various usages of class in other disciplines onto cinema studies enables the generation of ideas with respect to cinema class. Using the Eisenstein theoretical postulates, cinema presents the audience with a chance to view of reality artistically coined to achieve the intended aesthetic value (Murphy 2005). Thematic

Litterature review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Litterature review - Essay Example The study focused mainly on NHS acute hospitals, in the study the authors use semi structured interviews and focus groups as their research instruments. The study is very qualitative, the findings from the study show that education to nurses provides an increase in palliative care, that is through offering training and education to nurses, there is a rise in the levels of palliative care foe the patients in need. It shows that the education enables the non-palliative nurses administer the right dosages to the patients in need of the care Grant, Wiencek, Viran, Uman, Munevar, Malloy, and Ferrrell (2013) examine the whole concept of the acute and critical care nurses on the aging population in the last stages of life. They aim at showing that the critical and the acute care nurses do not have enough education for the proper care of this population and the benefits of having the education as well. The ELNEC modules make use of 388 participants, from 2007 to 2010 for this study. The participants had to revise the policies and made changes in their workplaces so that there is provision of better care for the dying critical care patients. The participants offered training to more than 2900 classes. The ELNEC program aimed at improving the education to nurses regarding acute and critical care. Through this education, there was an increase in the nurse’s knowledge and skills on how to take good care of the patients in need of the palliative care. Saunders and Clark, (2005) describe the importance of palliative care to at the end of life. He views the problem linked to lack of training of the nurses and suggests the importance of carrying out research on the issue. Comparing with previous researches conducting, he put more emphasis to the importance of palliative care to nursing care. The researcher defines the problem

Histology Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Histology - Case Study Example However, the epithelium does not contain any blood vessels. The native parenchyma has bloods in contrast to the invasive melanocytes tissue. The melanoma cells exhibits the features by rapid regeneration forming a pattern beneath the epithelium. The invasive tissue such as the carcinoma grow and break out of the bronchi structures and are not confined in the within the required acini structure of the lung, which possess a great danger as they can migrate to other human body parts or metastasize. The lung parenchyma is curbed within the bronchi structure and only grows and regenerates within the confined region of the bronchi. The characteristics of invasive tissue to grow out of the bronchi bock the airways hence are responsible for the tumor as they invade the adjoining tissue. Invasive tissue cause stellate arrangement of the cells in a spiral structure compared to the lung parenchyma tissue compactly arranged in rows. The case of the Caucasian woman in the case study requires more aspects in determining the cause of solitary lung metastasis after five years since the surgery of primary melanoma of the oesophagus Lung. Schueller and Herold spiral explains how the hamatogeneous spread is frequently found in tumors with venous drainage that is direct into the lung, which includes melanoma, testes, neck and head, adrenals, and osteosarcoma malignancies (126). The differential diagnosis of the lung metastases from this source indicates that patients initially known to have melanoma are frequently exposed solitary pulmonary nodule development later in life. Casciato affirms that the resection of a solitary Lung metastases in patients who fulfill the criteria of having history of Primary melanoma of the oesophagus (598). Keshamouni, Arenberg, and Kalemkerian emphasize on the question whether a tumor is primary or metastatic is of great significance for the

Effect of herbal products on perceptions or memory (Literature review) Research Proposal

Effect of herbal products on perceptions or memory (Literature review) - Research Proposal Example Because of the increase in unchecked quality, standard, and safety of the product for use (Starling 2006, p.6). The escalating use of herbal products on UK markets that is evident through the increased sales. The growing usage of the herbal products makes it a critical concern to ascertain its safety for consumption (Reynor et al. 2011, p.2). The women perceive herbal products to pose adverse consequences on their health. UK government should invest and funds researches meant to explore the effects of the herbal products on its citizens. The study herein evaluates the effects of herbal products and perception. The research encounters several ethical issues that the researcher must address in his or her study. The issue of honesty is very critical when conducting the research. The researcher must exercise honesty in all scientific disseminations he or she conducts. The second issue is maintenance and exercising of high level of integrity in the research. He or she must keep all the promises and agreements and act with sincerity as per the subjects’ anticipation. The researcher must remain respectful towards the subjects. He or she seek for permission from the subjects before conducting the research and ensure no to exceed the limits accorded when researching. The researcher must ensure not to invade the privacy and confidential part of the subjects. Cannabis is one of the controversial herbal products used across the globe both for medicinal and recreational purposes. The herbal product faces a heated debate on whether to legalize the drug for use for medicinal purposes in hospitals. Literature search involved comprehensive evaluation of scholarly online indexing and abstracting databases via Google search engine. On the scholarly database, the literature is available by keying the research topic. The database offers a broad range of peer-reviewed articles. The point of interest in the literature review is to

Is China shape up to be the next nation of innovation, moving away Essay

Is China shape up to be the next nation of innovation, moving away from the reputation of world's factory - Essay Example It is not just the emerging economies that need to be innovative; the developed countries have to step-up the rate of innovation to drive faster productivity growth that will help sustain healthy economic growth rates. Innovation leads to increased productivity and prosperity of a nation which in turn means world economic growth. Innovation addresses the most pressing social and human challenges. The social and human challenges can be met through education which brings about lifestyle changes in the people. Overall, the national environment matters to attain success in innovative activity. According to a recent survey conducted by the research firm the Economic Intelligence Unit Japan has been declared as the most innovative country, ahead of the US, Switzerland and Sweden. Innovation according to this study is â€Å"the application of knowledge in a novel way, primarily for economic benefit† (Blackcoat, 2007)2. The study has also indicated that China will see great progress for innovation while the US will remain the most â€Å"suitable place for innovation†. The study further suggests that there is no substitute for good education or for policies that encourage investment in IT communication infrastructure (Finfacts, 2007)3. Businesses consider innovation as a way to beat their competitors. For the economy to prosper the governments see the need for an innovative environment. Hence, innovation, government and businesses are linked together (Valery & Kekic, 2007)4. Firms collaborate with customers to product innovative products and personalize it; process innovation becomes important to design and improvise on the existing product and enhance productivity. Talents from different economies interact with each other to strengthen the links among personalization, collaboration and innovation. This has far-reaching implications for global business and for the nation

Chinese Values Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Chinese Values - Essay Example Wisdom is virtues that enable one differentiate wrong from right. According to Confucius, wisdom understands other people. To love other people you must have a loving heart and to understand others you must have the wisdom to enable them to differentiate the good from evil this will help them promote good and control evil in the society. The Chinese leaders who had wisdom lead society to success.Honesty instills integrity, credibility, and trustworthiness. Businesses, which operated, honestly achieved the best. Loyalty to the motherland, family, and friends in terms of offering services faithfully. Protecting country and family is a sign of one’s loyalty. Filial piety is respect, especially to the elders. In Chinese culture, burial of elders was the duty of the young they believed in nurturing the young and caring for the old (Hsia). All these values have been incorporated in Chinas diplomacy, and since it worked wonders in Chinese society, the whole world must embrace these v alues to establish a mutually tolerant and universally embraceable world order. Unity in diversity is brought about by harmony. A harmonious person chooses to live harmoniously with others. For peaceful coexistence, one must choose to respect other territories and powers and chose never to interfere in other countries internal affairs. A harmonious person believes in equality and mutual benefit from each other. These principles have been employed by most countries due to the peaceful China.

Talking about movie hurt lockeror apocalypse now Research Paper

Talking about movie hurt lockeror apocalypse now - Research Paper Example Ideological differences and socio-political issues result in violence related to modern warfare, and the film named as The Hurt Locker proves the same. First of all, one needs to realize that the influence of religious belief upon the political scenario of a nation is totally against democracy. To be specific, autocrats exploit and depend upon the influence of religion on national politics. Within the Middle Eastern context, the dependency on religion to crush democratic ideas is evident. The clash between the Middle Eastern nations and the west can be easily identified as the clash between socio-cultural and religious differences. When the term modern warfare is superimposed into the context of the fore pointed differences, one can see that the western nations support democracy and the Middle Eastern nations support autocracy and the influence of religion within their political context. In the film, the protagonist’s mission is not to fight against the so called enemy groups, but to provide humanitarian aid to the victims. Michael L. Gross makes clear that, â€Å"Humanitarian intervention is only justified when the weaker, rogue nation is so egregiously criminal that it is impossible to think their soldiers might somehow retain a measure of moral innocence† (49). Besides, this group cannot be considered as insurgents because their mission to defuse explosives and save innocent civilians and others. But the members of the protagonist’s group do not realize the significance of their mission. To be specific, they consider that their mission is to overpower their foes. This difference in perceiving the essence of one’s duty, or the protagonist’s view on his mission, is the core aspect of the movie. On the other side, the real villain (autocratic ruler) in the movie is still behind the ‘silver screen’ and tries to make use of innocent civilians as scapegoats of hostility. The protagonist knows this fact and deals with his

Religious Cult Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Religious Cult - Case Study Example In order to better identify Heaven's Gate with the new religious movement, essentially a cult, in general terms as well as the unexpected consequences of its termination in specific, a sociological analysis is essential. This paper aims at illustrating the history of Heaven's Gate movement along with their belief system in particular in reference with the methods of organization by applying theories and models of new religious movements and a detailed analysis of the impact on wider society and culture as a whole. During 1972, the onset of the Heaven's Gate movement began when Marshall Herff Applewhite congregated with Bonnie Lu Trousdale Nettles, a nurse working in the hospital and an active member of . The belief system had been structured by these two individuals consisting of several unusual elements such as alien, new age movements, higher plane of consciousness, Christianity, theosophy as well as popular cultural myths and legends. Heaven's Gate also referred to as Human Individual Metamorphosis (HIM), was actually a millenarian movement, integrating the ideologies behind the traditional biblical analogy in association with the conception of space travel and reality from additional dimension whatsoever. The cult group's belief system essentially transformed through several manifestations during two decades of their subsistence. As the time passed by, the group's belief system had been matured with the belief that the leaders Applewhite and Nettles, later also known as Bo and Peep or Do and Ti, had been sent into "The Human Level" from "The Next Level" in order to organize and direct fellow individuals in their journey for being united with higher evolutionary existence. The leaders believed in the metaphorical ideas taken from metaphysics and UFO subcultures that the extraterrestrials provided the human beings another chance to move forward to the plane of higher consciousness - the ideology in essence was amalgamated the Christian significance of sin and liberation in combination with the components taken from Eastern religious philosophy primarily focusing on the termination of the cycle of death and reincarnation. However, the heavenly monarchy that Applewhite and Nettle used to describe was not only spiritual but it had literal base as well. They used to preach that the journey towards higher plane would be conducted by using a spacecraft. The term Human Individual Metamorphosis (HIM) was coined to make individuals or essentially followers to understand about the bodily metamorphosis, a literal transformation of a being's physiological existence, resembling to the life-cycle of a caterpillar to butterfly through the method of self-discipline. To identify their gradual process of revelation to higher dimension, various folk wisdoms depending on the regular and usual physiological changes had been employed in order to build the confidence in between. Examples may include the explanation of 'headaches' as the proof for "explosion of consciousness" or menstrual cycle as the active working of androgyny. Moreover, the ideology of the group asserted that all human beings possess the ability to trans cend to the higher state of consciousness in order to become graduated to the 'Next Level' which was

Domestication of Dangerous Dog Breeds Essay Example for Free

Domestication of Dangerous Dog Breeds Essay Since the beginning of earliest civilisation, man has relied on and surrounded himself with animals, for both assistance with labour and companionship. The phrase ‘man’s best friends’ is often used to described one of the most loyal and popular of these animals, the dog. Yet, in recent years, under the continued influence of rising dog attack numbers and societal pressure, new legislation has been introduced, collectively known as ‘Breed-Specific Legislation’. Under these new laws, certain breeds of animal are restricted or deemed dangerous, simply because of stereotypes associated with temperament and aggression. While many believe that this legislation is the most suitable response to a rapidly accelerating concern, further anaylsis into both the legal and social aspects of the issue reveal that ‘Breed-Specific Legislation’ may not be the most effective solution to the issues surrounding the ownership and domestication of restricted dog breeds. The relevant legal proceedings for this issue is directly related to the structural legislative balance between the rights of the individual and the rights of the collective. Under Australia’s current laws, our views on this matter lean more favourably towards the rights of the collective community, preferring to cater for society as a whole, rather than to a select number of individuals. Under the QLD Animal Management (Cats Dog) Act 2008, a prohibited dog is defined as ‘A restricted dog is a dog of a breed prohibited from importation into Australia under the Customs Act 1901’, which is then further defined as the following breeds. The American Pit-Bull Terrier, Dogo Argentino (The Argentine Mastiff), the Fila Brasileiro, the Japanese Tosa and the Presa Canario. Under this Act, anyone who is found to be in possession of, or declared the owner of, a dog determined by an authorised official to be of a restricted breed, is liable to severe legal implications and as a matter of course the dog is destroyed. However, there are no laws or recommendations in place, at least none accessible to the public, to determine what legal implications should occur. Any consequences are determined by precedent and circumstance, and often require mandatory legal representation in order to be settled effectively. This is predominately due to the provision under the Customs Act 1901, stating that it is the responsibility of the local governments to dictate the prohibition of certain breeds (or cross breeds) of dogs in their jurisdictions. These decisions are at the discretion of each local government’s law, and higher hierarchical authorities, such as the state government, have limited powers to intervene with these laws. This ambiguity means that there is no definitive response to be taken under criminal law, in the event of a breach. The responsibility falls to the local government to conduct the judicial proceedings and execute the consequences. As such, it is impossible to fairly and equally apply the current laws, when major decisions are left to the discretion of many individual stakeholders. The current breed-specific legislation also proves a difficult task to enforce. While there are set guidelines in determining a dog’s breed based on physical characteristics, according to the Australian Veterinarian Association ‘it is not possible to precisely determine the breed of the types of dogs targeted by breed-specific legislation by appearance or by DNA analysis. ’ As such, while an animal may contain genetic traces of restricted breeds, it can often be indistinguishable from other traits. In the same manner, however, animals completely free of restricted heritage traits may be mistaken for an illegal breed and destroyed, without reason. In the recent case, CHIVERS Vs Gold Coast City Council, 2010, the inability to definitively determine the difference between an American Staffordshire terrier and an American Pit Bull terrier, led to the erroneous decision stating they were ‘one and the same breed’. However, in September 2010, after further investigation into the matter, it was revealed that the two breeds can be distinguished and therefore, the Staffordshire terrier was not restricted under the legislation. This case study clearly highlights the ambiguity surrounding the defining of certain dog breeds, and explicitly emphasizes the inability of the legislation to make clear and accurate judging. Therefore, the current legislation cannot be considered an effective law, as it has been deemed ambiguous, unequally applied and incorrectly enforced. However, while the owner is liable to the majority of the consequences in the event of a breach, the current breed specific legislation only places restrictions on the certain dog breeds, rather than on the owners. A study conducted in Germany in 2008 investigating the concept of inherent aggression showed that 95% of test subjects had no evidence to show that agression was a result of ingrained breed-specific characteristics. It also proved that the inherent temperament of the restricted dog breeds, was similar and in some cases identical to the unrestrcited breeds. It then went on to summarise that the treatment and training of an animal in the early years of its life, far outways any ingrained tenacity for aggression. In the opinion of The American Kennel Club a national canine club dedicated to furthering the study, breeding and exhibiting of dogs. â€Å"If specific breeds are banned, owners of these breeds intent on using their dogs for malicious or illegal purposes will simply change to another breed of dog and continue to jeopardize public safety. As such, a qualified and competent owner cannot, under the legislaiton, own a restricted dog breed, regardless of their ability to control, train and rectify any behavioural instincts or tendencies. Whereas an owner, with no recognised skill or qualification in animal care or ownership may purchase an unrestricted dog, and either through lack of care, or deliberate conditioning, train it to exhibit behaviour and attitudes that are classifed dangerous. Upon analysis of Figure 1 (see appendix) , it can be seen that after the introduction of breed-specific legislation in 2005, while the number of attacks immediately fell approximately 40%, after less than a year the percentage of dog attacks had doubled and continued to rise over the next five years until attacks were occuring 6-7 times more frequently than before the legislation was introduced. While these statistics do not confirm that the legislation caused the increase in attacks, it does prove that breed-specific laws have had no long term positive effect on the total number of dog attacks since being introduced. There are two prominent stakeholders within the issue of animal restrictions. The owners, who should have the right to own a dog of their choosing, regardless of breed stereotypes, providing they can care for it properly, and the civic society, who have the right to live and interact within the community, without fear of attacks from dangerous animals. The main conflict of interest between these two stakeholders is the issue of legal balance whether the rights of the individual are balanced with the rights of the collective community. If an animal of any kind escapes control and is loose within the community, it is no longer only an individual concern. If the animal then attacks or frightens a member of the community, it becomes a threat to the collective society as a whole and therefore the issue of dangerous animals is both an individual and collective dispute and and must be dealt with as such. However, while it is conceded that dangerous dogs do pose a potential threat to community members, the restricted dogs highlighted in the Animal Management (Cats Dog) Act, as explained above, have been proven by both scientific and survey evidence, to not be dangerous or aggressive by nature. As such, they should no longer be separated from other canine species based solely on the breed-specific legislation. Therefore, until such a time as they are deemed individually dangerous, restricted dogs should remain an individual’s concern. Upon closer review many minor stakeholders also come to light. Dog breeders face limitations on the number of restricted animals they are allowed to breed, which causes a lose of income. Those specialising in the breeding and training of these restricted animals are unable to employ their qualifications to the best of their ability due to stereotypical restrictions. Also, if at anytime, the heritage of a litter is determined to contain traces, whether intentionally or unknowingly, of any of these restricted breeds, no matter how small, all animals from the lineage are seized and most often destroyed, tarnishing the good reputation of the breeders concerned. The local councils responsible for the regulation and specific restrictions surrounding this issue are also heavily involved stakeholders. The council, while considering the effectiveness of any agenda, will be primarily looking for the solution executed with the most ease, as animal management is not a high priority in comparison to other issues. While employing the idea that ‘segregation is better than rehabilitation’ may be the easiest solution, as discussed above, it is certainly not the most effective. Another group of stakeholders, though often overlooked, are the animal activists and veterinarians involved in these issues. They have conducted experiments and collected survey data and are in possession of scientifically provable and viable evidence, such as the information presented above, to explictly show that breed specific tendancies of animals are only one of many factors that make up an animals characteristics and behaviour. These lobby groups and experts could dedicate their time to more pressing scientific or social issues, but are instead having to fight legislation which has no basis in scientific or civic fact. If the restrictions are revoked and breed-specific regulations are reviewed, then viable alternatives must be proposed and considered in order to effectively control what would still be a delicate situation. One possible alternative is categorizing animals based on individual character and aggression tests. It is already mandated that animals are checked by a certified veterinarian before registration and during regular points throughout the animals life, so, if introduced, these aptitiude tests could be amalgamated into this process and thereby, introduced effectively and without additional labour or due process. Another possible alternative is to direct the responsibility onto the potential owners themselves. Regardless of whether or not a breed is considered ‘dangerous’, it falls to the owner of the dog to educate and train it in such a way that it acts in an acceptable manner. Restriction is thereby determined not by the ownership of certain dog breeds, but by the behaviour or potential behaviour of both the owner and the individual animal in question. A legislative amendment, stating that any attack by a domesticated animal, specifically dog/s, would incur both a criminal and civil liabilty to fall upon the owner, will add a significant amount of risk to the purchase of said animal breeds. In this way, with the legislation focusing primarily on irresponsible or unqualified dog owners, the element of risk would ensure that only animal owners who are proficient in the training and keeping of dangerous dogs would consider the purchase, thereby reducing the number of dogs becoming conditioned to attack others. â€Å"If we want to prevent all bites, there is only one sure way and that is to ban all dogs. That is of course as unrealistic as trying to prevent bites by enacting breed-specific legislation. † (Bandow, 1996) It is the authors opinion, that this statement is the most effective summary of the current breed-specific legislation laws. As long as society continues to accept and welcome dogs as companions, there will continue to be issues regarding, what is in essence, a wild animal. However, the studies and analysis continue to show that there is little, if any proof that the breeds currently listed as restricted have any inherent tendacies affecting aggression or behaviour, and thereby distinguishing them from other breeds. As such they have no place being banned from our society simply due to the ill-informed stereotypes, generated by breed-specific legislation. Therefore, based on the evidence and analysis at hand, the proposed alternatives would prove a far more effective solution in the effort to solve the issues surrounding the ownership and domestication of restricted dog breeds. APPENDIX BIBLIOGRAPHY Bibliography 2008 Act No. 74. (2008). Animal Management (Cats and Dogs) Act 2008, 142. QLD, Australia. CHIVERS Vs Gold Coast City Council (The Supreme Court March 2010). American Kennel Club. (2011). Brisbane City Council. (2013, January 17). Dangerous, Menacing and Restricted dogs. Retrieved January 17, 2013, from Brisbane City Council: http://www. brisbane. qld. gov. au/laws-permits/laws-and-permits-for-residents/animals-and-pets/cats-dogs/dangerous-menacing-restricted-dogs/index. htm Hall, A. (2012, August 15). Vets call to end dangerous dog breed bans. ABC NEWS. Marinucci, E. (2012 . 2013, September 12). Aritcles: Examples of Typical Situations of Injuries Caused by Dogs. Beger Co. Lawyers. The Australian Veterinary Association Ltd. (2012, August). Dangerous Dogs – A Sensible Solution: Policy and Model Legislative Framework. Australia. Van den Burg, L. (2011, December 12). Dangerous Dog Breed Bans Wont Stop Bites Say Health Professionals. Herald Sun.

The Real White Mans Burden Irony and Symbolism

The Real White Mans Burden Irony and Symbolism I aim to evaluate the use of irony and symbol in the poems The White Mans Burden and the Real White Mans Burden to see how effective both writers were in using these elements to convey meanings. In the case of Kipling, I will consider two points of views. The first point of view is that Kipling was an imperialist who supports the take over of other governments to show superiority. The second point of view is that Kipling was an imperialist who supports the take over of other governments as an act of humanity to bring civilization to the uncivilized and, that he warns of the perils of showing superiority as oppose to bringing true liberation. In the case of Crosby, since he presents a single view point, I will evaluate his effectiveness of using irony and symbolism in parodying the work of Kipling. Effectively used, irony and symbol could convey a message with more than one meaning as demonstrated in Rudyard Kiplings poem The White Mans Burden or, they could convey a single message de monstrated in Ernest H. Crosbys poem The Real White Mans Burden. In the final analysis, I submit that the effective use of the elements of poetry, in this case, irony and symbol, are vital to the correct interpretation and understanding of the meaning of both poems. In order to establish a well-rounded understanding of the basis for the two interpretations of Kiplings work and the single interpretation of the work of Crosby, I submit definitions for the terms imperialism, irony, and symbol. These definitions will also serve to show whether or not there was effectiveness in the use of the elements of poetry, in both poems. As defined by Dictionary.Com: Imperialism is the policy of extending the rule or authority of an empire or nation over foreign countries, or of acquiring and holding colonies and dependencies. Irony is the discrepancy between what is said, done, expected or intended, and what is meant, what happens, and what others understand. Satirical irony is the exposure of the vices or follies of an individual, a group, an institution, an idea, a society, usually with a view to correct the folly. Symbol is anything that stands for something else. (Dictionary.Com) Having establishing the definitions, I will now analyze the use of irony and symbols in Ruyard Kiplings poem. While Kipling uses both irony and symbols, his use of irony is greater. Kiplings expertly uses irony to bring about the intended end result of two opposing perspectives as to whether imperialism is for human good or elitist gain. In the first view point, Kipling uses the poem The White Mans Burden to encourage America to take over the Phillipines imperialistically or, for elitist gain. Kipling writes: Take up the White mans burden / Send forth the best ye breed / Go bind your sons in exile / To serve your captives need; (1-4) The first observation of the poem is Kiplings decision to call the poem The White Mans Burden. Undoubtedly, the use of the phrase White Man is the lightening rod that sparks the view that Kiplings position was that of an imperialist having at its core the tenets of Social Darwinism. According to Kretchner, the concept of Social Darwinism purports that natural order obligates powerful, civilized nations to appropriate the limited resources of the weak. (Kretchmar) Hence, Kiplings urging of America to assist the Phillipines to reach civilization may be interpreted as him supporting the imperialistic movement. Even further, Kiplings encouragement that the empire should send forth the best ye breed has very strong racial connotations. During that time in history, blacks were not considered as equals to whites in America. The unequal treatment of blacks was so prevalent in Americas economic, political, and social systems that James Weldon Johnson, writes Lift Every Voice and Sing also known as the Black National Anthem, to encourage black people to sing and march until victory is won. This cry for equality continues in 1968, with Martin Luther King still only having a dream of equality. Though, in 2008, Barrack Obama becomes the first black President, there still remains the cry for true equality. In addition to the charges to Take up White Mans burden / Send forth the best ye breed(1-2), Kiplings use of phrases such as To veil the threat of terror / And check the show of pride. (11-12) asserts that the Empire must do what is necessary to eliminate resistance and to subdue insurrections against Imperialism. Not only should the Empire silence the voices of the captives, but she must also limit or remove any signs of pride that they might muster. Further, Kiplings characterizations of the people as On fluttered folk and wild / New caught- sullen peoples, / Half-devil and half-child. (6-8) may be easily construed as connatively condescending. Kipling seems to imply that the empire must be prepared to reinforce her stance By open speech and simple / A hundred times make plain (13-14). Kiplings distinction of the empire seem to be lofty in its tone. By marrying the symbols of the captives as being inferior people to the santimonious responsibility of the Empire to bring civility to the uncivilized, one can conclude that Kipling supports that the Empire is superior and hence has the responsibility to bring civility to the uncivilized. Ironically, the same body of work that interpretively champions the Empire as being superior to the captives, implores the empire to be fair and complete in its liberation of the captives. The second point of view to the work of Kipling in the The White Mans Burden is 4that he advocates for the fair treatment of the captives. Kiplings urging of the empire to liberate the captives and to take care of their needs can be found throughout his poem. According to Bonamy Dobree, while speaking to Canadians in 1907, Kipling said: I have, I confess it now, done my best for about twenty years to make all men of  the sister nations within the Empire interested in each other. Because I know that at heart all our men are pretty much alike, in that they have the same aspirations, and when all is said and done we have only each other to depend upon. (Dobree 80) Kipling demonstrates a view consistent to those who believe that true liberation is not oppressive. For example, he writes: Take up the White Mans burden / The savage wars of peace- / Fill full the mouth of Famine / And bid the sickness cease; (17-20) Further, Kipling warns the Empire that all of its actions or inactions, all that it say or not say will help to determine how the captives view the Empire and its God. Here is what Kipling says: By all ye cry or whisper, / By all ye leave or do, / The silent, sullen peoples / Shall weigh your gods and you. (45-48) In addition to how the captives view the Empire and its God, Kipling writes that other countries and future generations will also look at the treatment of the captives and judge the Empire. Kipling goes on to tell the empire not to celebrate its victory or relish in the praise, since these acts are childish, but that the Empire should be more concern with how the work would be judged by the Empires peers for years to come.To encapsulate the view that Kipling wanted the Empire to bring civilization without showing superiority, his closing verse from the poem is submitted. Kipling writes: Take up the White Mans burden / Have done with childish days / The lightly preferred laurel, / The easy, ungrudged praise. / Comes now, to search your manhood / Through all the thankless years / Cold. Edged with dear-bought wisdom, / The judgment of your peers! (49-56) These words clearly indicate that Kipling encourage the Empire to be honorable in its dealings with the Natives. Contrary to the school of thought that Kipling advocates civilization with true liberation, is Crosbys position that the Empire uses blessings as a doorway to go in and take away the true riches of the people and in exchange gives them an oppressive life style. Unlike Kiplings rendering of his poem, The White Mans Burden where he shows his trust for the Empire, Crosby in his parody The Real White Mans Burden, blatantly shows his mistrust of the Empire. Most importantly, though he employs heavy use of irony and symbols to demonstrate his opposing view of the Empire, Crosby does not dillute the single message of his poem. First, Crosbys title of the poem is a clear indicator of his dissent from Kiplings views. He uses the term White Man to solidify the object of his remarks, but, he goes further by using the word Real which ironically implies that there is a masking of the truth. Crosbys title speaks strongly of his judgment against the Empire. Historically, his point of view is drawn from his experiences as a social activist and as a black man living in America at the time of the Spanish American War. According to an essay by Andrew Hebard, Crosbys position on Imperialism mirrors that of Amy Kaplan who says imperialism is as a network of power relations that changes over space and time and is riddled with instability, ambiguity, and disorder, rather than as a monolithic system of domination that the very word empire implies. (Hebard) Next, are observations of the blending of symbol and irony used by Crosby to demonstrate his view of the Empire. Crosby believes that the motive of the Empire is ill-willed. He also believes that their chaiotic sytems bring failure, and the Empire dangle proverbial carrots in exchange for far more valuable gains. Crosbys position is that the eventual outcome of imperialism will be social, economical, and political oppression. At this time, a detailed look at Crosbys use of irony and symbols to depict the social climate that prevailed in America, the climate which he opposed to being introduced to the Natives, is warranted. Crosby asserts: Take up the White Mans burden; / Send forth your sturdy sons, / And load them down with whisky / And Testaments and guns. (1-4) Ironically, these lines subliminally say that the drinking of whiskey mask the truth, since it is widely known that people who consume too much alcohol are not as cognitively aware as they should be and, therefore, not able to think correctly are apt to believe anything told to them. Further, being loaded down with whiskey causes a usually sturdy person to stagger, and even fall. More overtly though, is the fact that Testament represents truth and wholesomeness, and guns represent power and destruction. But, because the minds are altered with alcohol, the masking of the real motive is easily perpetrated. There is a strong possibility that the soldiers will introduce the social ill of alcoholism to the natives, and will also help to spread propoganda about the good of imperialisim thereby causing the natives to become drunk and misinformed. The abililty of the natives to think reasonably correct about their condition will be diminished. To further support his view of social failure and to show that the Empire thinks that the Natives have limited information and can be easily captured if not military, certainly they can be captured through the spread of socially communicable diseases. Crosby writes: Throw in a few diseases / to spread in tropic climes, / For there the healthy niggers / Are quite behind the times. (5-8) Crosby bolsters his position of social oppression by saying: Give them electrocution chairs, / And prisons too, galore, / And if they seem inclined to kick, / Then spill their heathen gore. (21-24) The symbols of electrocution chairs, prisons, and gore ironically speaks of death both physically and mentally. Physically speaking, there is the death of the person whether by electrocution, or the spilling of the blood. Then, there is death of having freedom of space, since prisons limit movement. While subtle, based on Crosbys account, the intention to kill the dreams of the natives, screams from the pages of history. Crosby knows from his experience, that if any form of resistance, whether through word or action, is shown, if any attempt to pursue any dreams, ideologies, or customs that threatens the goals of the Empire is made, that the Empire would by any means necessary, ensure that the pursuit of those dreams was deferred and dry up like A Raisins in the Sun. (Diyanni 1870 ) In addition to social oppression, Crosby purports that the Natives will be opressed economically through hard labor as well as through the Empires system of taxation and debt. The view point of oppresive labor is aptly projected through the use of irony. Crosby claims: And dont forget the factories. / on those benighted shores / They have no cheerful iron mills / Nor eke departmemnt stores / They never work twelve hours a day, / And live in strange content. (9-14) Through his masterful use of irony, Crosby argues that the natives, who did not work as long hours as did the Americans, were very content with what little they thought they had. However, the bigger issue for Crosby appears to be that Empire knew that the natives were actually very successful and wealthy and sought to make them believe that their way of life was inadequate, and to turn them from being owners of the land to laborers in the land so that the Empire may be expanded. (A perfect combination of imperialism and colonialism!) Even more indicative of his stance against economic oppression, Crosby decried the imposing of taxation and debt. He writes: Take up the White Mans burden, / And teach the Phillipines / What interest and taxes are / and what a mortgage means. (17-20) Again, in Crosbys minds eye, there is the irony of a people who are successful in their simple but, independent way of life who being militarily inferior are consequently forced to become failures by their dependence on a monstrous financial system. In a final attempt to show the fallacy of the Empire, Crosby highlights the political climate that the Empire embraces. He pens: They need our labor question, too, / And politics and fraud. / Weve made a pretty mess at home; / Lets make a mess abroad. (25 -28) The irony in these lines humorously evaluate the endeavor of the Empire to fix anothers problem, when it cannot solve its own problems. In a nutshell, Crosby believes that Imperialism is a preposterous veiled attempt to cloak greed in kind deeds by using methods that are disfunctional. In summarizing his single message of the failure and hypocrisy of the Empire, Crosby does three things. First he mocks what the Empire regards as a valiant mission, Next, he shows the unparrarel trade that the Empire wants, and then, he addresses the faà §ade of the scripting of the mission that the Empire prefer to be written in the annals of history. The use of satirical irony and symbols are well armoured vehicles to deliver these points. Crosby declares: Take up the White Mans burden; / to you who thus succeed / In civilizing savage hordes / They owe a debt, indeed; (33 -36) Crosby questions the validity of the mission. He goes on to weigh the exchange between the Empire and the Natives. He adds: Concessions, pensions, salaries, / And priviledge and right, / with outstretched hands you raised to bless / Grab everything in sight. (37 -40). In terms of irony, not only is there a contrast between how much is given verses how much is taken, but, also of what is given verses what is taken. The natives receive a few limited handouts like agreements, benefits, and paychecks and, in exchange the Empire takes ownership of the natives land and naturual resources. Interpretively, Crosby demostrates this transaction as a falling leap by going from owning to owing; which is very much an uneven trade. Finally, he attacks the hypocrisy of using the art of writing to distort the issue and hide the true motive of the Empire. It is necessary to present the catalog of words Crosby uses to expose what he views as being socially, economically, and politically incorrect . Crosby concludes: Take up the White Mans burden, / And if your write in verse, / Flatter your Nations vices, / And strive to make them worse. / Then learn that if with pious words / you ornament each phrase, / In a world of canting hypocrites / This kind of business pays. (41 48) Fittingly, Crosby uses satirical irony to reveal the true motive of the insincere enthusiam that Crosby believes Kipling is showing for the Empires high ideals of pious goodness. Crosby is successful in presenting the single viewpoint of the Empires greed disguised as bringing civility to the uncivilized. In conclusion, the expert use of irony and symbol by both Kipling and Crosby prove to be excellent conveyors of the poets messages. Kiplings use of irony and symbol brillantly delivered two very contradictory positions. He lauds Imperialism by advocating that it is the responsibility of civilized nations to help to bring civilization to underdeveloped nations. He also decries the pride of thinking to be superior and being unfair to people perceived to be less finanically fortunate, not as socially advanced, and not as politically savvy. Like Kipling, Crosby employs irony and symbols to deliver his solo message. Crosbys message is that the Empire is hypocrital in its motive and that the gist of what they really wanted to do was camoflagued by missions to humanity, and described as helping to bring civilization to the uncivilized. Clearly, the poets use of irony and symbol shaped the understanding and interpretation of the poems intended meanings. The use of Irony and Symbol was so wel l executed, there remains no argument as to the value of these elements in both poems.

Free Essays on Whartons Ethan Frome: Weakness of Character :: Ethan Frome Essays

Ethan Frome: Weakness of Character Ethan Frome, the main character in the book entitled Ethan Frome, by Edith Wharton, has many complex problems going on at the same time. His family has died and he has a wife that is continually sick, and the only form of happiness he has is from his wife's cousin Mattie. This, however, at times proves to be hard because of Ethan's wifes interference. Nothing seems to be going in Ethan's favor. One theme of the book is weakness of character; this is shown by Ethan’s marraige, his inability to stand up to his wife, and his involvement concerning the "accident." The first way weakness of charcter is shown in the book is through the marriage of Ethan and his wife. He married her because she had tried to help his mother recover from an illness, and once his mother died he could not bear the thought of living in the house alone. His wife was seven years his senior and always seemed to have some kind of illness. It seemed all she ever did was complain, and he resented this because it stifled his growing soul. Since his wife was continuously ill, and her cousin needed a place to stay, they took her in to help around the house. Ethan took an immediate propensity to her cousin, Mattie, because she brought a bright light upon his dismal day. He seemed to have found someone that cared for him, was always happy and could share his youth, unlike his sickly wife who always nagged him. He longed to be with Mattie, however he had loyalty to his wife. He did not have the courage to stand up to society and resolve the error that he commited by marrying his first wife. The second example of weakness of character was not being able to stand up to his wife. His wife claimed that a new doctor said that she was extremely sick, and needed more help around the house. She told him without any discussion that Mattie had to go. Ethan could not find the words to make her alter her decision. His wife also decided that Mattie had to leave the next day itself and Ethan could not do anything about it. It was stated in the book that his wife had the upper hand in the house by the line "Now she [his wife] had mastered him [Ethan] and he obeyed her.

The Electric Chair is Fair Punishment :: Death Penalty, Capital Punishment

This topic is a very controversial one. The paper you are about to read could cause intense arguments between some groups of people. All that doesn’t matter to me because when you finish reading this, you will agree with me if you don’t already. First off, many people consider the electric chair cruel and unusual punishment. What I don’t get is that people think this even though in order to be eligible to get sentenced to the electric chair, they have to be proven guilty of killing someone. Don’t you think that is cruel and unusual punishment? I certainly do. In my eyes, if they don’t get sentenced to the electric chair or some other form of guaranteed death (lethal injection, the gas chamber, etc.) it becomes cruel and unusual punishment on the victim’s friends and family, not physically but mentally. Secondly, in my eyes it is one of the only fair punishments allowed by the judicial system. Personally, I think that the murderer should suffer the exact fate that their victim did. Some people might say to give the murderer life in prison. This is hardly a punishment at all. Today, due to overcrowding in prisons, a lot of prisoners don’t serve their full sentence. Would you want one of these convicts to be a murderer? I can honestly tell you, "no, I wouldn’t." Another thing about today’s prisons is that the prisoners get free meals, clothes, bed, electricity, air conditioning and heating, cable and many other luxuries that make it a comfortable place to live if you get used to the people. My last point is that these criminals should have thought of what the consequences would be before they killed someone. If they didn’t do this or did and still killed someone, they probably aren’t intelligent enough to make any positive impact on the world or they are mentally unstable. They shouldn’t get off the hook for killing someone. You might feel that sentencing them to life in prison is punishment enough but no, not to me.

The Fear of Science :: Scientific Essays Papers

The Fear of Science My whole life I have loved science. The fact that people, mankind, has the ability to invent things that make our world better, easier, or even worse off amazes me. I am absolutely astounded by science. Every single aspect of science is fascinating, from cancer research to the periodic table of elements, all is so interesting. Why people abandon, reject or have no interest in science is a question that I propose. Is it because they purely do not care? Or maybe it is fear. Resistance to science is born of fear (Bishop 241). This quote by J. Michael Bishop is a great example of why the world often avoids science. I feel that science is something that people often take for granted. Science is very significant to me because it is my major. I want to be a nurse practitioner and that is based on anatomy and biology. These two sciences are based on the human body, which is an amazing machine. Through science we have been able to learn more about our bodies. We now know how our bodies work, why they shut down and how to help when it does. The research done based on the human body has given us medicines to live longer and have a more fulfilling life. With the study of the human body we also know what is bad for us, like smoking and drinking, and what is good for us, like exercise and a balanced diet. These things should be significant to everyone because without the knowledge, our lives would be shorter than they already are. Science has helped us in many ways. Along with studying our bodies, it has provided insight on how the world and universe works. We know why volcanoes erupt and how earthquakes happen. This knowledge is helpful to us because we can prepare for natural disasters. Another thing that science has given to our society is technology. I feel that the two go hand in hand. From electricity to cell phones, all have been developed by science. Computers are also a part of our daily life and make things much easier for us. Our society does not appreciate scienc e the way it should, rather it just raises the expectations of science. Yet despite these proud achievements, science today is increasingly mistrusted and under attack (Bishop 237). Bishops quote clearly shows that science is taken for granted.

Red Bull Market Analysis

The segment only occupied 1% of the Australian’s non-alcoholic beverage market (in 2004). However, it is dominated by 2 main companies that are Red Bull and its rival V. The following table is the actual volume and value of this segment. Figure 1: Energy Drink Segment actual volume and value size The energy drinks market after initial fast growth gave signs of some declines. This is most likely to be reversed, with growth coming back in Energy Drink Segment. Figure 2: Australian’s non-alcoholic beverage growth rate In comparison with other segments, the Energy Drink appears to have rather high growth rate (13. %) seconds only to fruit and tea drink. â€Å"Both market leaders invest heavily in marketing,† said Red Bull’s Ms Aldridge. â€Å"In fact, Red Bull’s marketing investment for 2007 will reach record highs and will be increased to $33 million. This is an increase of 38% on 2006 and 65% on 2005. † As well as ‘above-the-line’ advertising, Red Bull marketing dollars are continuously invested into consumer-focused events such as F1 and the Red Bull Air Race. It also invests in a sampling program and has found multi-buy promotions, whereby customers might buy two Red Bull cans for $5, or two Red Bull bottles for $6, to be highly effective. Ms Aldridge also hopes that the launch of the Red Bull 355ml can earlier this year will further increase convenience store sales and profits. â€Å"Red Bull is consumed throughout the day and night with a higher proportion in the afternoon and evening, so it is a good idea for store owners to check their stock levels at this time to avoid potential out of stocks and missed sales opportunities,† Ms Aldridge said. Despite only occupying only a small segment in the beverage market, this is an interesting segment to be considered for investment.

Nothing

Asp Facility The Central Bank of the Philippines also known as the â€Å"Bangkok Central nag Philippians† was established during the regime of Ferdinand E. Marco's. Its main objective is to manage the monetary policy and collect all the important wealth of our country. Our tour was In the Security Plant Complex of the BSP where the production of money and refinery of gold takes place. These two things are the blood of our economy that Is Important for us to achieve higher standards of competitive advantage over other SEAN countries.The Security Plant Complex or SSP of the Bangkok Central nag Pleasant was designed nearly for the prevention of copying our money supply. The overall structure of the compound Is a very unique one, making It a giant fortress Inside the city. Security measurements are high Like the censored doors, tinted mirrors, hardened walls, and exceptional level of technology enhancement. If we are going to talk about their machineries that they use in manufactu ring and producing money, basing it from money reserved inside the facility, they still waste a lot of raw money (moneys that aren't accepted because of some deficiencies).Lastly in terms of structural quality, I an say that it is a solid 10 because they have figure out how to give a pleasant atmosphere from the hallways up to the manufacturing facilities. Video-showing The Video showing we watched was about the History of our money, from the first generation to the modern generation of money and how these things are being created. They also let us watched how to create our money, the security features of each of our money have and the refinery of gold in the Philippines.History of Money The whole video was a good reference of the Philippines' money history. They told us hat from coins, they have started creating bills in the Spanish Era to lessen the cost of production. In the American Era they have known our currency as the English Series since the American overtook us that time. That time was a big boom for the Philippine economy that's why the â€Å"English series† was replaced by its new formal name the â€Å"Filipino series†. After the People Power Revolution, the establishment of â€Å"Basing Albanian† banknotes took place and replace the older banknotes.Lastly, the establishment of the BSP diminished all the remaining banknotes to create a more specific note that the people will accept as a legal tender. Last year they have created new banknote bills that are known as the modern generation of bills. These bills have special security features that prevent other people from copying and creating replicas. Bills that have lower value have lower safety features while bills with higher values have a higher safety features. This way of security is for the stability and safety of our Monetary Policy.Gold Refinery The SSP is also responsible for the refining the gold that is being legally sold to our country. They do this process to weld th e gold into formal shapes which is stored somewhere in our country. The first process of refinery is melting the collected gold for it to be malleable and to turn into a formal shape. The next step is for the blacksmith to put the gold in a plate where it can be shaped. The last step is to wait for the gold to be cold enough to be handled by tongs and put it in the reservoir. This process is important to easily count and weigh the gold that is collected.The video also told us that even the dresses they used in the process are filtered because of the gold dusts it contains. The SSP always need to keep in touch with these things to protect our gold reserves. After the video, we then moved on to the tour around the production facility. They showed to us the facilities they used to process the things that we call the legal tender. The following below are the stages of creating banknotes; 0 Simultaneous printing The first process is simultaneous printing. The paper they used is 80% cotto n and 20% abaca. For the ink to permanently stay on the paper, they must wait a week for it to be fully dry.Intaglio printing The second process is called intaglio. This is where they carved ink in the paper to make it look better and more appealing to the user. Checking This process is where they will check whether the money is acceptable in the market or not. This will also tell if the money is ready to be distributed or to be reused. Releasing The last process is the releasing of the money to the economy by distributing into different banks in the Philippines (they Just told us this process). As the day goes by, they produce thousands of bill yet they also waste thousands of it. This is because not every machine produces perfect printed money.During the Printing process, they also apply the intaglio and the serial number of the paper. Even if the money already had a serial number, it is still not acceptable not unless verified by the government. But before the verification, they must still check whether the money is acceptable or not. They have 2 ways of checking bills; automatic and manual. If a checker randomly pick 10 sheets of paper and all of it are in printed perfect, then the whole set where the 10 sheets are taken is sent to automatic checking but if one of them is not in good condition, then the whole set where the sheets is taken will be sent in manual checking.In automatic checking, they directly .NET the set of sheets in the intaglio process while in the manual process, each sheet in the set is checked for security measures. After all the acceptable sheet is collected it goes to numbering and then verifying. Lastly, the printed money is reserved for future purposes. Security documents and Special Medals While in the middle of the tour, we also saw that bills are not the only thing that they produced but also security documents like passports and land titles. They said that it will be much easier for them to produce it here than any other place f or security.We awe how they compile each paper turning it into a new and ready to use passports. Use in creating these kinds of titles. It a bright yellow-green paper and has a border. They also produce special medals like honor medals and presidential medals which is used in special events. This medal is commonly made in gold that came from our gold reserves. Coins After touring us in the bills and documents facilities, they then took us in the coins compiling facilities. Here are the stages of coin processing; Production of blank coins Our tour guide said that the blank coins we used came from South Korea.These coins are made from nickel and silver and as same as the value of what it says. For example, a one peso coin also has a value of one peso in terms of metal value. This is used for the security value of the money and will prevent melting of coins to gain more money. Carving of coins The next process after the shipment of the coins is carving it into money which it will be us ed as a legal coin. They used a machine to do this process due to the supply. Compiling In this process they used a machine to produce a set of coins which is for the distribution of the coins.The machines cover the set with paper and then sent to another machine which sends the set of coins into a box where it will be distributed. The end of tour The tour guide said that the main objective of this Facility is to protect and create the monetary supply. We all know that the BSP objective is to stabilize the financial status of the economy. To do this, they must balance the monetary supply to prevent it from being produced by others using its security features. They must realize that they are one of the most important sectors of the government and without them; here will be no balance in the country.BSP as a whole, our tour guide said, is a foundation of the economies wealth and sustainability. BSP keeps the economy balance by controlling and regulating the monetary policy and managin g all the banking and non-banking institutions in the country. Before we end our tour, our tour guide lets us ask questions about the tour. Most of us ask about the security measures of each bill and how can we really distinguish the real from the fake. The guide tells us that they sell simple Before we leave, she asks us if we want to buy some old commemorative bills. These ills have no monetary value but only as a souvenir.Some of bought some of it but I think that they Just waste their money because they Just used it to buy a non-legal Recommendation The Tour First of all, the tour is very educational but boring. So boring that the only thing that keeps me from sleeping and listening is myself chatting with others. They should have given us good tour guides which have both the skill and the charm. Second, they should only allow the tour if there is an activity in the refinery because it's so unfair if only others saw it or much better if all the tour schedules is at the same date which the gold will be refined.Lastly, they should also make the tour a happy one that will cheer the student from listening. The Facilities Their facilities are good but they should also realize in wasted materials they used in creating bills and other products. As I have said before, they still waste thousands of bills and also thousands of products that should have been already distributed or used as a reservation for the future cases. They should improve their machineries and increase its accuracy to achieve a better potential and maximize our resources. The VideoThe video is also a life learning footage but it's a little bit boring because all it does is explain and tackle everything about the history of money. They should apply at least some real life footage Just to wake us up or boost us. They could also use some games or tricks Just to keeps us in touch in them or make them see if we are still listening or not. The SSP The Sports complex must add more features in managing the whole process of manufacturing our monetary supply. To sum it up, they still need manage more things to do its duties and obligations in our country. Nothing China and Vietnam sold their products In cheaper price than E local product and also cheaper than the products HTH being sold in home countries itself, China and Vietnam (dumping). In EX. point of view, China and Vietnam are market economies which means that those two countries domestic prices are artificial.According to financial times, anti dumping usually used in large scale business and capital intensive like steel and in this context, shoes making is not one of those. Shoes are not the only product that protected by anti dumping in ELI. In 2005, bicycle industry also being protected by anti dumping against China and Vietnam products. Some observers think that it was unfair to combine Vietnamese and Chinese product In the same trade slut but In other hand, European semicolons conclude that Vietnam and China bicycle have same type and distribution.The anta mumping causes low Import shoes product from China and Vietnam and It become opportunity to other country to enter the market since E consists of lots of countries and consumers. CASE 8- I DISCUSSION QUESTION 1 . When tariffs are imposed on European imports of shoes from China and Vietnam, who stands to gain? Who stands to lose? In the situation when tariffs are imposed against China and Vietnam, E countries will get more gain because if China and Vietnam still want to enter Ex.'s market, they must pay high tariff to E government which means, high Income for ELI.In addition, the situation can also give advantage for other country such as Indonesia to enter the market because E not Imposed ant' dumping to Indonesian product, yet. Surely, the situation will make China and Vietnam go Into collapse because they must pay high tariff with uncertain profits. 2. European policy makers object to the fact that some Asian shoe production is government seized. But as an editorial in the Financial times noted † If Beijing and Hanoi want to subsidize European consumers to build their shoe collections, let them .Do you agree? I'm not agree with that. In my opinion, government of China and Vietnam have reason why they subsidize shoe production and that reason is to fulfill their people's need rather than to fulfill other countries people. Penthouse exporting the products to other country can give Income to government but I think It will be better for them to satisfy local people need first and they can satisfy other countries need next. 3. Antiquating countries can be described as a form of protectionism. As the global retentions.Is this a positive trend or are such policies likely to prolong the recession? In my opinion, anti dumping can be described as protection to local product against the import one. Local product can help countries to help from crisis because the money flow only happened in one country. I think it is a positive trend and can make a country become more independent and survive from the crisis. If they don't do antiquating, it can can harm their local product, make them mor e dependent to other country. Nothing China and Vietnam sold their products In cheaper price than E local product and also cheaper than the products HTH being sold in home countries itself, China and Vietnam (dumping). In EX. point of view, China and Vietnam are market economies which means that those two countries domestic prices are artificial.According to financial times, anti dumping usually used in large scale business and capital intensive like steel and in this context, shoes making is not one of those. Shoes are not the only product that protected by anti dumping in ELI. In 2005, bicycle industry also being protected by anti dumping against China and Vietnam products. Some observers think that it was unfair to combine Vietnamese and Chinese product In the same trade slut but In other hand, European semicolons conclude that Vietnam and China bicycle have same type and distribution.The anta mumping causes low Import shoes product from China and Vietnam and It become opportunity to other country to enter the market since E consists of lots of countries and consumers. CASE 8- I DISCUSSION QUESTION 1 . When tariffs are imposed on European imports of shoes from China and Vietnam, who stands to gain? Who stands to lose? In the situation when tariffs are imposed against China and Vietnam, E countries will get more gain because if China and Vietnam still want to enter Ex.'s market, they must pay high tariff to E government which means, high Income for ELI.In addition, the situation can also give advantage for other country such as Indonesia to enter the market because E not Imposed ant' dumping to Indonesian product, yet. Surely, the situation will make China and Vietnam go Into collapse because they must pay high tariff with uncertain profits. 2. European policy makers object to the fact that some Asian shoe production is government seized. But as an editorial in the Financial times noted † If Beijing and Hanoi want to subsidize European consumers to build their shoe collections, let them .Do you agree? I'm not agree with that. In my opinion, government of China and Vietnam have reason why they subsidize shoe production and that reason is to fulfill their people's need rather than to fulfill other countries people. Penthouse exporting the products to other country can give Income to government but I think It will be better for them to satisfy local people need first and they can satisfy other countries need next. 3. Antiquating countries can be described as a form of protectionism. As the global retentions.Is this a positive trend or are such policies likely to prolong the recession? In my opinion, anti dumping can be described as protection to local product against the import one. Local product can help countries to help from crisis because the money flow only happened in one country. I think it is a positive trend and can make a country become more independent and survive from the crisis. If they don't do antiquating, it can can harm their local product, make them mor e dependent to other country.

Cover Page Format Essay

Bangalore Aditya Kumar Jha 10RNSB5030 THE OXFORD COLLEGE OF SCIENCE (Affiliated to Bangalore University) BANGALORE – 560102 DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE & APPLICATIONS CERTIFICATE The forgoing software entitled â€Å"Car Showroom Management System† is presented in manner satisfactory to warrant its acceptance prerequisite to the award of Bachelor of Computer Applications degree, for which it has been submitted. It is understood by this approval that the undersigned do not  endorse or approve any statements made, opinion expressed or conclusion shown therein but approve the software for the purpose it has been submitted. Signature of faculty in charge Signature of Head of the Department Mrs. Vinita Tapaskar, MCA Dr. J Sebastian Nixon PHD, MCSE Name of ExaminerSignature of Examiner 1. 2: Acknowledgment We are extremely grateful and remain indebted to Mrs. Vinita Tapaskar (Project Coordinator) for being a source of inspiration and for her constant support in the De sign, Implementation and Evaluation of the project. We are thankful to her for her constant constructive criticism and invaluable suggestions, which benefited us a lot while developing the project on â€Å"CAR SHOWROOM MANAGEMENT SYSTEM†. She has been a constant source of inspiration and motivation for hard work. She has been very cooperative throughout this project work. Through this column, it would be our utmost pleasure to express our warm thanks to her for her encouragement, cooperation and consent without which we might not be able to accomplish this project. She has given us constructive suggestions and encouragements in developing the â€Å"Car Showroom Management System†. Thanks are also due to Dr. Prof. Elsamma Thomas Varicatt, Principal, The Oxford College of Science, our H. O. D Mr. J. S Nixon and all my teachers for their valuable guidance and their tireless effort in supporting us throughout the course of our study here in the institute. Without their kind support and inspiration, this project would not have resulted the way it is now. We also express sincere thanks to our friends and classmates who were always there for us to help in every possible way. Above all we would like to thank The Almighty God for all the blessings that he had bestowed upon us for giving us the courage and wisdom to face challenges. Thanking you, Aditya Kumar Jha Reg. No: 10RNSB5030 The Oxford College of Science (Affiliated to Bangalore University) Bangalore – 560102 Preface This project â€Å"Car Showroom Management System † gives us the complete information about the Car Showroom. We can enter the record of new cars and retrieve the details of cars available in the showroom. This project is a software application that aims to automate and minimize the traditional way of record keeping, tabulating in particular to Car Showroom’s and hence named as â€Å"CAR SHOWROOM MANAGEMENT SYSTEM†. Well this project incorporates the idea of automation and tries to reduce the man power involved in a showroom. With the help of this software one can easily retrieve all the information regarding a particular car or a particular member that has been registered in the system. It is also possible to retrieve the records of cars that are available or not. The software also enables a user to monitor and access information with just a click of a mouse. Throughout the project the focus has been on presenting information and comments in an easy and intelligible manner. The project is very useful for those who want to know about Car Showroom Management System.

The Life of Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia: Book Review

The Life of Catherine the Great: Empress of Russia By Carolly Erickson The Life of Catherine the Great is a 400-page book written by Carolly Erickson that details the interesting life of Catherine. The book was published in 1994 and printed by St. Martin’s Press in New York. Readers are able to purchase/check-out this book in a hardback copy with the ISBN of 0312135033 and also a paperback copy with an ISBN of 978-0312135034. The book features a full-length photo of Catherine in her royal attire on the front cover of the book. Erickson begins the novel about Catherine, born Sophie, when she was a young four-year old girl. From the beginning of the book, she gives an account of Catherine the Great’s life chronologically. Erickson used primary sources to collect information on Catherine and even used several autobiographies that were written in French by Catherine herself from different periods in her life. From these memoirs, Erickson was able to interpret that Catherine was a full-bodied, educated, lovable, woman who was born to a German family and occupied prestigious titles early on into later stages of her life. Carolly Erickson performed rigorous research and provided some of the most intimate details about Catherine from Russia. Erickson spent much time interviewing different informants (diplomats, guards, foreign visitors) and quoting material from journalists and others’ journals. With this particular book, a reader will definitely get a well-written biography of this infamous historical figure and learn a great deal about the times of Russia as well as unknown information about Catherine. This book was intended for readers that wanted to get a better grasp of Catherine the Great, but also can be an appealing piece of work that is out of the ordinary for readers not quite familiar with Catherine. Erickson made sure to capture her audience’s attention with the intriguing facts of Catherine’s being and managed to bring Catherine’s character to life. Catherine the Great of Russia was rumored to have been a crazy nymphomaniac believed to have had a hand in her husband’s murder. Erickson made an effort to dissolve her tarnished image and uncover who Catherine really was. She was very empathetic regarding Catherine’s reputation. Erickson discussed how Catherine dressed and her attitude. She explained how she married a duke at the tender age of 14 and how their marriage was troublesome. She also mentions how charming and intelligent Catherine was and provides insight on how she made helpful changes to Russia; but very little was written about how she ruled as Empress. Erickson demonstrated Catherine’s strength and willpower to rule without the presence of a man. Readers are definitely provided a vivid description of what is occurring so much that they will more than likely feel they were present during these times. Erickson reveals Catherine’s insecurities, downfalls, yearn for love and inevitable sorrows but also commends Catherine’s accomplishments that gained her fame and allowed her to become one of Russia’s renowned leaders. Overall, I enjoyed reading the book and discovered pieces of information that usually would not be mentioned in a traditional history class. I felt that the book was interesting in the very beginning and the middle until I reached the end. I was bored beyond tears and could not believe this was the same book that I started out reading. Aside from my anticipation that the ending would be just as exciting as the beginning, I learned that the book wasn’t as interesting because Catherine no longer wrote memoirs or autobiographies once she became an empress; which was closer toward the end of the book. The author, Erickson, obviously began reaching once she ran out of Catherine’s material. Because the focus of this book was personal, I feel that it would be useless if it was used as an educational tool. I feel that it should be recommended primarily for personal enjoyment. Therefore, I wouldn’t suggest this book to a Russian scholar, to someone who was interested in the politics of Russia, or to someone that wanted heavy details on other aspects of Catherine’s rule. Erickson is a great writer and an expert on writing biographies. I felt that she constructed The Life of Catherine the Great well, but I feel that she should be more conscious of making sure to keep her audience’s attention all the way to the end. It was a letdown and I struggled to finish the book because my interest diminished greatly towards the end. I also feel that, in the future, she should focus on all aspects of a person’s life rather than just the personal details in order to receive a well-rounded assessment. Instinctively, I admired Carolly Erickson for her dedication in finding first hand information on Catherine the Great (which wasn’t much) and putting together a well-written account of her life.