Factors That Affect Social Mobility Essay - 1338 Words

1) What are some of the factors that affect social mobility? Can these be overcome? Education: â€Å"Over the past fifty years, Asian Americans, Latinos/as, and African Americans have placed great importance on education as a mean of attaining the American Dream. Many people of color have moved into the upper middle class by acquiring a higher level of education† (Kendall, D. 2014. p.219). Attaining an education does not always guarantee wealth and success for persons of color all the time, but it is a tool in which once received, no one can take away from you. Class: â€Å"People may become members of a class other than that of their parents through both intergenerational and intergenerational mobility† (Kendall, D. 2014. p.215). Encumbered with education, by working to attain your degree and with a lot of determination you are able to surpass what your parents attained. All parents would like to see their children do better than the norm. Gender: Women have continued to face a higher risk of being poor because they bear the major economic and emotional burdens of raising children when they are single heads of households. There is currently gender wage gap between female and male workers, which is linked to the structural functionalistic views of what role each gender is â€Å"suppose† to play. The women should stay at home and raise the children(s), while the man, is looked upon as the provided. 2) Do you believe the structural-functionalist or the social conflict approach bestShow MoreRelatedSocial Class Of Social Mobility1491 Words   |  6 Pages Social Class Myths in America Social mobility in the United States is commonly seen as an opportunity available to every individual to assume a higher economic status through conscientious willpower. However, recent studies have brought to question the extent to which social mobility can be achieved. The extent to which social mobility can be attained is directly tied to various factors such as the intersectionality of people’s identity and government aid stigmatization. In the few exceptions,Read MoreSocial Mobility : The Land Of Opportunity1527 Words   |  7 Pagesthroughout their life. Studying social mobility helps to answer this question. Being that the United States is called â€Å"the land of opportunity† it can be said that there is plenty of room for social mobility in America. However, this has been a question of debate among Americans for years. While some citizens of America may believe social mobility has stayed consistent through the centuries, in fact, it is more realistic for peop le to achieve today. Social mobility defines how an individual or groupRead MoreFactors that Affect Job Status1848 Words   |  7 Pages Factors that affect job status Factors that affect job status There are many factors that play significant role in occupational mobility. Prior studies have focused more on the structural opportunity in order to understand the inequality to acquire higher job status in the labor market. Through self-report, participants compared their job status with their fathers when they were 16 in this study. Focusing on the different factors that facilitate or impede people in occupational mobilityRead MoreThe Value of a College Degree1034 Words   |  5 PagesFor many families, the idea that higher education for themselves or their children will automatically improve their social or economic status is a common one. In many situations this can be the case, however it is not universal. Additionally, many factors come into play when analyzing how intergenerational mobility does or does not occur. Some of these factors include existing social class, field of study, undergraduate vs. advanced degrees, race or gender, selection of institution, and parental res ourcesRead MoreIs The American Dream Real?863 Words   |  4 Pagesindividual is the most important factor in determining their upward intergenerational mobility. However, I aim to show that the sole efforts of an individual are not enough to explain upward trends in intergenerational mobility. There are a variety of social factors that halt individuals from accessing the rewards of the supposed â€Å"American Dream†. In assessing the ease to which individuals can attain intergenerational mobility, it is essential to explain the impact that social stratification, race and educationRead MoreFactors That Affect Social Class854 Words   |  4 PagesIn society, there is a term called Social Mobility which is defined as the ability to change positions within a social stratification system. Social mobility can be seen when an individual or group of people change their economic status in a way that changes their social class. This change in social class can be either a positive ch ange or be a negative change. There are many factors that affect what works for, and against, social mobility, such as class, race, gender, and age. An individual’s classRead More Social Mobility Essay1071 Words   |  5 Pages Mobility is the characteristic of every social system. Social mobility is the movement of individuals, families and groups from one social position to another. It may be studied in terms of redistribution of resources and power among the different social strata and its effect on the people involved. In the status societies the social status of the person is determined from his work. Social mobility occurs whenever people move across social class boundaries, from one amp;#8992;occupational levelRead MoreQuestions On 15 Stress Elements1576 Words   |  7 Pagesuseful in dealing with the problem. Responses were given on a one to five scale with one being least stressful or supportive and 5 being the most stressful or supportive. Participants were also able to say if questions were irrelevant. The primary factors to me measured were taken from a study with forty male and female adolescents who had recently undergone a relocation and were asked for context with their experience. Items that were found in five or more interviews were added to the questionnaireRead MoreSocial And Economic Mobility : The Usa As The American Dream Essay1298 Words   |  6 PagesI.Introduction. One of the most important principles in American society is social and economic mobility, otherwise known in the USA as the American Dream. This principle states that if one works hard, they can make it to the top no matter where you start. Depiction of this ideal is very common, where someone starts at the very bottom of the socioeconomic totem pole, yet through hard work and perseverance, becomes highly successful. This principle was born out of American protestant ethic, whereRead MoreClass Is An Integral Part Of All Societies1711 Words   |  7 PagesDivision has become an integral part of all societies. These divisions range from gender, education, occupation and wealth. A combination of these and other dividing factors shape the manner in which and individual is perceived by their peers in a social setting. These factors make of the basis of a social class. Defined as a group of people who share economic resources that influence their lifestyles, class is ingrained in the mind s of individuals in all societies. Although the elements that determines

English Essay Topics Terrorism Fundamentals Explained

English Essay Topics Terrorism Fundamentals Explained New Ideas Into English Essay Topics Terrorism Never Before Revealed Terrorist are responsible to the majority of the freedom movements in every nation. There are several types of terrorization and terrorists are using with many unique resolutions.2. Terrorism will grow to be the new kind of warfare after the upcoming millenium for an assortment of explanations. Such a terrorism is directed from the cover of the government to the group leaders. It is suggested to look for the one which has an excellent reputation and offers high-quality papers at very affordable prices. If to trace the historical evolution of terrorism, it is clear it is an essential part of social processes. For example, the Regional governments don't have much of an influence on international difficulties. Even the U.S. government can't agree on a single definition. English Essay Topics Terrorism The cost of an essay rides on the total amount of effo rt the writer has to exert. Essay on my favored cricketer sachin tendulkar. Essay from reputable firm. With our custom made essay offer, you can be guaranteed to get any sort of essay help you are searching for. Therefore, many students and employees decide to purchase inexpensive essay rather than writing it themselves. Among the factors involved with picking a topic is the way much emotion is going to be felt by the reader upon reading the thesis. Factual essay ways to lower stress. The Unexpected Truth About English Essay Topics Terrorism There's, naturally, a limit on the range of pages even our finest writers can produce with a pressing deadline, but usually, we figure out how to satisfy all the clients seeking urgent assistance. It is possible to also get many discounts on our site which will help you to save some more money for future orders or anything you want to spend them on. To become involved with very expensive military actions is a great investment. Locate the manufacturers need expert small business consultancy companies buy essay setting. Terrorism is frequ ently the beginning of a revolution that produces the nation and even the world a better place. Furthermore it cannot be justified upon the foundations that it is the last resort, there are always other strategies that are just as effective and less detrimental to society. Moreover, it has a major impact on the tourism industry. Today, it is not only the problem of India, but in our neighboring country also, and governments across the world are making a lot of effort to deal with it. What's more, additionally, it has adverse impacts on the economy of the nation and its foreign investments. Therefore, it damages the economy. Among children under five years old, Afghanistan has the maximum rate of stunted growth on the planet. Though State governments already regulate terrorism in various ways, they don't do enough. Folks are interested in being rich and make money to dwell luxuries, so they easily become involved in illegal activities to make money which increase terrorism. Violence however is harmful to the bulk of the laws that society upholds. Everyday there is a person on this earth that fears their life from terrorism. Typically it uses fear as the most powerful weapon and attempts indirectly propagate certain ideas and programs. There isn't any doubt that terrorism has a profound influence on the world. Additionally, there are several instances of oppression and poverty where terrorism has not yet been used. In fact, terrorism is an asymmetric warfare meant to fight a more potent enemy. Also, it has nothing to do with religion. Counter terrorism is now the chief goal for all nations around the planet. Regional terrorism has become the most violent among all. Terrorism is happening all the around the world, in every form, form and way. The issue concerning terrorism takes a distinctive place in our society because a whole lot of. Terror and terrorism can be seen either from the view of the man or woman who applies it or from the view of the individual subjected to it. Acts of terrorism impacts the human mind to a large extent and makes people so fear they fear to go outside from their home. So long as something associated with the enemy is destroyed, or someone associated with the enemy is killed it's acceptable (Pape, 105). People today use terrorism for a weapon to prove and justify their perspective. Most Noticeable English Essay Topics Terrorism No 2 writers agree on what's terrorism. Terrorism has been everywhere for a lengthy time, so far as people are able to remember. Terrorism Terrorism by nature is tough to define.

535 to 1 The Odds Congress Can Recover its Constitutional Authority free essay sample

This essay is an in-depth discussion of the presidential War Powers Act. This paper examines the War Powers Act and the constitutional authority to make war. The author concludes that, while flawed, the War Powers Act is absolutely necessary to curb presidential war-making power. From the paper: The president and Congress have often battled over foreign policy issues, especially those relating to war. Article II of the Constitution makes the president commander in chief, responsible for the operation of the military in the field. Article I places the responsibility for declaring war solely in the hands of the Congress. This should be seen not only as giving Congress the power to make war but the responsibility to prevent unnecessary conflict. This arrangement was rarely challenged until after World War II. In 1950, Harry Truman used a United Nations resolution as justification for sending American troops to Korea and began a half century of presidents side-stepping congressional power to prevent war. We will write a custom essay sample on 535 to 1: The Odds Congress Can Recover its Constitutional Authority or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page

Salvador Dali and his Abraham Lincoln free essay sample

Salvador Dali remains to this day my favorite painter. At one point I wanted to study art history because of Cezanne’s bogusly beautiful evolution from the painting equivalent of skepticism to solidarity, but in the end Dali won out (and I now want to be in the CIA). Cezanne has this intricate beauty to his lines, and a bit of poetic fuzziness around things that should be clear, but for an insatiably questioning mind his work becomes dysfunctional in its perfection. In it, one has to analyze the mundane to find the brilliant. For Dali, one has to analyze the brilliant to find the mundane. Something about this role reversal, for indeed most birds hide their brilliant plumage under some dowdy feathers, really excites me. Dali and I also have a lot in common, since he too was an aficionado of Freud, water, Catholicism, Abraham Lincoln, Hitler’s maniacal rise to power, stating the obvious, strange moustaches, Spain, and true love. We will write a custom essay sample on Salvador Dali and his Abraham Lincoln or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page My favorite painting of Dali’s conveniently explains itself: Gala Contemplating the Mediterranean Sea which at Twenty Meters becomes a Portrait of Abraham Lincoln. Every time I look at it, although nothing ever literally appears the same, I find something I empathize with or at least understand. I suppose he provides the optimism I want from life, the knowledge that even scrutinized from multiple angles, a situation can always present itself in a positive light. I will always be a Dali fan. Every time I search his name on the internet I am dismayed that the automatic fill-in results on my Google homepage range from â€Å"Salvation Army† to â€Å"salmon,† and leave me to type the rest of his name with a determined accuracy. (I know, I could just figure out how to change my Mozilla settings.) In art, and in life, I have found more satisfaction in and with Salvador Dali and his kind’s unfailing optimism, even if the upfront Cezanne-types are initially understandable and enjoyable. His work taught me that everything means something if it’s examined properly – and that something will usually (pleasantly) surprise you.

SAFER Makes Safe to Walk in Space

SAFER Makes Safe to Walk in Space Its like a scene from a science fiction movie nightmare: an astronaut is working outside a spacecraft in the vacuum of space when something happens. A tether breaks or maybe a computer glitch strands the astronaut too far from the ship. However it happens, the end result is the same. The astronaut ends up floating away from the spacecraft into the endless void of space, with no hope of rescue. Thankfully, NASA developed a device for space walking that keeps an astronaut safe while working outdoors to prevent such a scenario from happening in real life.   Safety for EVAs Space walks, or extravehicular activities (EVAs), are an important part of living and working in space. Dozens were needed just for the the assembly of the International Space Station (ISS).   Early missions by both the U.S. and Soviet Union also relied on space walks, with astronauts tethered to their spacecraft by lifelines. The space station cannot maneuver to rescue a free-floating EVA crew member, so NASA got to work to design a safety harness for astronauts who would be working around it without direct connections. Its called Simplified Aid For EVA Rescue (SAFER): a life jacket for space walks. SAFER is a self-contained maneuvering unit worn by astronauts like a backpack. The system relies on small nitrogen-jet thrusters to let an astronaut move around in space. Its relatively small size and weight allow for convenient storage on the station, and let EVA crew members put it on in the station’s airlock. However, the small size was achieved by limiting the amount of propellant it carries, meaning that it can only be used for a limited time. Its intended primarily for emergency rescue, and not as an alternative to tethers, and safety grips. Astronauts control the unit with a hand controller attached to the front of their space suits, and computers assist in its operation. The system has an automatic attitude hold function, in which the onboard computer helps the wearer maintain course. SAFERs propulsion is provided by 24 fixed-position thrusters that expel nitrogen gas and have a thrust of 3.56 Newtons (0.8 pounds) each. SAFER was first tested in 1994 aboard the space shuttle Discovery, when astronaut Mark Lee became the first person in 10 years to float freely in space. EVAs and Safety Space walking has come a long way since the early days. In June 1965, astronaut Ed White became the first American to conduct a space walk. His space suit was smaller than later EVA suits, since it did not carry its own oxygen supply. Instead, a hose to an oxygen supply on the Gemini capsule connected White. Bundled with the oxygen hose were electrical and communication wires and a safety tether. However, it quickly expended its supply of gas. On Gemini 10 and 11, a hose to a nitrogen tank aboard the spacecraft connected a modified version of the handheld device. This allowed the astronauts to use it for a longer period of time. The Moon missions had EVAs starting with Apollo 11, but these were on the surface, and required the astronauts wear full space suits. Skylab astronauts made repairs to their systems, but were tethered to the station. In later years, especially during the shuttle era, the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) was used as a way for an astronaut to jet around the shuttle. Bruce McCandless was the first to try one out, and the image of him floating free in space was an instant hit.   SAFER, which has been described as a simplified version of the MMU, has two advantages over the earlier system. It is a more convenient size and weight and ideal for an astronaut rescue device outside the Space Station. SAFER is a rare type of technology- the kind NASA built hoping that it wont be necessary to use it. So far, tethers, safety grips, and the robot arm have proved adequate to safely keep astronauts where they are supposed to be during space walks. But if they ever fail, SAFER will be ready.

Verbs of Being Definition (English Grammar)

Verbs of Being Definition (English Grammar) In traditional grammar and pedagogical grammar, a verb that does not show action instead indicates a state of being. In other words, a state-of-being verb identifies who or what a noun is, was, or will be. Although in English most being verbs are forms of to be (am, are, is, was, were, will be, being, been), other verbs (such as become, seem, appear) can also function as verbs of being. Compare them with stative verbs, and contrast them with verbs of doing (dynamic verbs), or action verbs. Stylistic Advice: Avoid "Be" When You Can Unfortunately, to be verbs do not make for the most exciting writing to read when a piece is overloaded with them (buzzing with bes). Action verbs are stronger than to be verbs because they portray more imagery. Action verbs also make for more impactful, shorter sentences, as to be verbs often are found in passive sentences as well. Replace being verbs where you can, during your editing round of writing your piece. (The drafting phase is for getting your information organized and put together.) Not all being verbs or even passive voice can be avoided, of course, but where they can be replaced, your sentences will be livelier  and punchier and will flow more quickly. Improving Examples Compare the following sentences and their improvements: Jerry was working hard.Jerry worked hard.Mary is a big fan of Bach.Mary adores Bach. In the latter improvement, the verb was changed completely, to be more descriptive. Excising Passive Voice To get rid of passive voice, turn the sentence around and start with the doer of the action rather than the object of the action. See the difference between: Their house was invaded by bugs.Bugs invaded their house.The package was sent by Bob.Bob sent the package. Passive voice has its place, such as when the result is more important than who did the action. For example, The record low temperature was broken last night, after 104 years, or when the actor is unknown, such as in, Its recommended to have the furnace serviced once per year. (Though these sentences still could be revised out of passive by adding subjects and recasting them, such as We hit a record low last night, breaking a 104-year record and Manufacturers recommend having...) Hamlet's "To Be or Not to Be" One of the most famous being verb sentences surely is the famous soliloquy of Hamlets, in his eponymous Shakespearean play. Author Crystal Downing reminds us, though, that people need to take into account the fact that the speech is written in iambic pentameter when working out its meaning: When people pronounce Hamlets famous line, they usually emphasize the that, as though Hamlet cannot make up his mind about killing himself: To be, or not to be-

Water pollution here in wisconsin Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Water pollution here in wisconsin - Essay Example It is also to be noted that higher efforts and commitments to treating waste water by the authorities and industries responsible, the ever increasing volumes of wastes from the industries and settlements overwhelm the efforts of treatment (By Amy and,Christi, para 1-6). On the other hand, weaknesses in enforcing the legal framework to curb such pollutions coupled with the compromises that result from negligence in the individual industries complicates the process and thus resulting to the ever increasing problem of contamination of water sources. In general, water protection efforts within the city suffer a myriad of issues which includes deep rooted corruption, political pressures, lack of and compromise in health standards, poor inspection and monitoring processes, ineffective riles as well as problems of increased sedimentation. The outcome of such mass pollution of the water sources within the city can be attributed to so many problems basic to which is the health complication to the residents. The discharge of contaminated water into the water sources that serve the city and the suburbs around pose a great risk to the welfare of the people within Wisconsin. Besides the aquatic life in the rivers, streams, and the lakes within the city are exposed to great risk. Fish in particular would be exposed to such risks of death from the contaminated water and this would have adverse effects not only to the populations which rely on the fish for food but also towards the economy at large (Weigel and Dale 691-708). However, the main question that remains critical is on what role the government should play in fight against water pollution within the state and the associated effects? Besides, what are exact effects of water pollution in the city with special regard to aquatic life? Finally, how does fish from contaminated water pose a health risk to the populations living

Race Relations in the USA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Race Relations in the USA - Essay Example These days, most of our nation feels that racism and the connotations thereof are a thing of the past – we have Affirmative Action, which seeks to bring the nation’s ethnic minorities, especially the African Americans, out of the disadvantages a systematic discrimination has led them into, what is more today an African American is our nation’s President. Clearly, this shows that there is no systemic discrimination against the non-whites in our country, as the whites have ceded the power they once wielded. But just how true is that? Just a little inspection reveals that while it is true that there is no institutional racism in the United States, and overt racism is not tolerated at all, there are still racial undertones to almost all aspects of life. Admittedly, these racial undertones are present in relations between non-whites themselves as well, but while we cannot define the race relations completely, it is still a â€Å"white† issue. These days when mo st of the overtly racist tones of our country have been buried and when overt racist actions and speech are not only frowned upon, but also punished, there is a more pervasive form of inherent bias that exists within us. Most members of our society have implicit biases – which is to say that they have biases without consciously being aware of them. A lot of the time, people do react in a certain way when dealing with people of other ethnic communities without even realizing that they are showing a hidden bias. The Social Psychology Network has set up an Implicit Association Test online whereby they have assessed a large number of people regarding their hidden biases with regard to Whites and African Americans. The results of the tests are astounding: 73% of the total test takers show an automatic preference of varying intensity for White people, with only 16% of the test takers showing any kind of preference for the African Americans. The bias is so well hidden that we do not even know it exists, and yet the test results clearly show just how insidious and wide spread it is. Another factor that complicates race relations is the fact that we have a phenomenon called â€Å"White Privilege† that is very pervasive, but which we do not admit to. According to Robert Jensen, the United States is shaped by White Privilege; he talked to a conservative white student of his who also agreed that in a world run by white people both of them had often benefitted by the fact that they were also white (â€Å"White Privilege†). However, there is a trend to ignore the fact that the world is tilted to favor a certain race in our country, and there is still stress on there being equal opportunities for all citizens irrespective of caste or creed. According to Jensen this is the ultimate white privilege: â€Å"the privilege to acknowledge you have unearned privilege but ignore what it means† (â€Å"White Privilege†). This does not mean that white people abuse the rights of others to be where they are right now, but that there are doors that are opened to them more readily because of the color of their skin. Peggy McIntosh, in her essay â€Å"Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack† has not only talked about how there is need for us to address the white privilege, but has also identified and listed 50 things that she, as a white person, gets to experience, which other ethnic minorities do not get to experience most of the time. It is simply eye opening, to say the least, to read about all the everyday things where White people have an invisible advantage or privilege over members of other ethnic communities. For instance, according to the list, McIntosh can readily ignore â€Å"

History of Typography Essay Example for Free

History of Typography Essay First of all, what is typography? Typography is the art of letter forms being organized into certain words or sentences. Typography came from the Greek word typos which means form and graphe which means writing. Most people would agree that a German man named Johannes Guttenberg was the one who invented typography. Before Guttenberg, everything had to be scribed by hand which was very time consuming. Guttenberg also created blackletter, the first ever typeface. Since blackletter looked very compact, a man named Nicolas Jensen invented the first ever Roman typeface during the 15th century. Since Jensen’s typeface was made of straight lines and regular curves, it was easier to be read compared to the blackletter typeface. After Roman letters, the italics typeface was created during the late 15th century by Aldus Manutius. During the 18th century, a man named William Caslon created a typeface called Old Style. A few decades later, John Baskerville created a variety of typeface which is now called Transitional. A few years later, a French man named Didot and an Italian man named Bodoni created typefaces that are classified as Modern. During the second industrial revolution, advertising needed new typefaces. Letters got taller, wider, and even weirder. Since the typefaces during the 19th century were so complex, the early 20th century brought something simple. A man named Paul Renner from Germany created a typeface called Futura which was based on simple geometric shapes. In 1957, Helvetica was introduced. Some would call this the world’s most favorite typeface. The world of typography changed with the introduction of the computer – and it will continue improving since technology is constantly improving too.

Development of Business Strategies Essay -- Business Development Strat

The paper below responds to the following three prompts: 1. â€Å"The six forces model of strategy helps firms develop externally coherent business strategies†. Discuss applying the model to real cases. 2. Explain strategic posture and how it helps firms make strategy in uncertain business environments. 3. Evaluate the role of mergers and acquisitions in corporate strategy. 1. â€Å"The six forces model of strategy helps firms develop externally coherent business strategies†. Discuss applying the model to real cases. The six forces model is an extension to Michael Porter's Five Forces Model. The six forces analyze different areas in an industry. The forces in this model are: a. Competition- Analysis that if there are a lot of competitors. If so, are there any dominant players in the market. b. New entrants- To analyze if it is easy for new entrants to enter the market and compete? c. End users/buyers- Is the price easily affected by the buyers? Can the company work with a specific potential buyer? or to analyze their strength of their position in their relationship with the buyers d. Suppliers- Study the number of suppliers if it is a monopoly and if not, how many suppliers are there in the market. e. Substitutes- To study how easily a product can be substituted and how easily these substitutes are available f. Complementary products- Effect of complementary products and services on the market. The six forces model is used to study the strategic position of a company in a concerned industry and in a given market place. It is also applied to calculate the market effectiveness of a company with regard to competition and profitability. Let us take FedEx as an example. FedEx is one of the largest global courier... ...gy. †¢ Adam Hartung(2014), Three Smart Lessons From Facebook's Purchase Of WhatsApp http://www.forbes.com/sites/adamhartung/2014/02/24/zuckerbergs-3-smart-leadership-lessons-from-facebook-buying-whatsapp/ †¢ Ibrahim AKGÃâ€"BEK, Mergers and Acquisitions as a Growth Strategy http://psrcentre.org/images/extraimages/412031.pdf †¢ PALO ALTO, CA and HOUSTON, TX (2001), Hewlett-Packard and Compaq agree to merge, creating $87 billion global technology leader http://www8.hp.com/us/en/hp-news/press-release.html?id=230610#.U00iUvmSy50 †¢ Wikipedia, Tata Group http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tata_Group †¢ Sebastian Spaeth, Nina Geilinger, Corporate Strategy Mergers & Acquisitions http://www.smi.ethz.ch/education/courses/corporatestrategy/Slides_2012/CS_06_MA.pdf †¢ KENT RHODES, Merger and Acquisition Strategies http://gbr.pepperdine.edu/2010/08/merger-and-acquisition-strategies/

Assess the Short Term Impact of the Economic Crisis on the League of Nations Essay

The League of Nations was created in January 10th 1920. It worked by the principle of collective security, in which all disputes threatening war would be submitted to the League and any member resorting to war would have broken the Covenant, and would face collective action by other members. However, permanent members such as Britain and France, had veto powers to reject decisions to safeguard their own national interests. Thus, unanimity was never achieved. However the league was not initially as powerful as it seemed as it lacked basic requirements such as a police force and authority overall. Therefore the great depression was not the only factor which had an impact on the league as there remained many faults in the way the league was run. The global economic crisis of 1929 affected nearly all great powers. It led to countries who owed money to each other drowning in huge debt e. g. Austria’s bank, which went bust. During the economic crisis, every country imposed high duties on imports in an effort to protect its own industries. This increased tensions between countries as they were all trying to reproduce their own economy and secure themselves as the most powerful country, but revealed the Leagues weaknesses. This is supported by a historian who states, â€Å"The situation really began to drift out of control with the onset of the great depression, it brought unemployment and living standards to most countries causing extreme right wing governments to come into power in Japan and Germany together with Mussolini, they refused to keep with the rules and took a series of actions which revealed the Leagues weakness. Japan was affected by the economic crisis of 1929, so aimed to rebuild its economy. However they did this by acquiring the south Manchurian Railway, while completely ignoring the League’s aim of avoiding aggression. China was angered by this and considered the League for help and support, so the League decided to set up an enquiry headed by Lord Lytton, who rejected Japanese claims and called for a withdrawal of Japanese forces as they refused to recognise Manchukuo as a separate state. However little did China now that the Leagues minor efforts would go to waste once Japan withdraws from the League in 1933 because without its own armed forces the League could not compel Japan to comply with the commissions demands. This shows the Leagues major weakness as it freely allowed countries to leave whenever the conditions didn’t suit them, indicating no clear system and a sense of being powerless. Robert Wolfson and John Laver share the same view as they state â€Å"this was in a sense, the moment of truth for the League – how would it deal with a member who rejected its decisions? , he later indicates â€Å"if collective security is not used effectively in Manchuria there may be a European war in 10 years’ time. † Furthermore, distracted by the great depression, the European powers and U. S lacked the will and resources to oppose Japanese militarism. The League therefore failed to live up to its ‘collective security’ and exposed how weak they were, this is backed up by Tony Howarth who states, â€Å"The invasion of Manchuria had two important side effects – putting aside for a moment its dreadful revelation that the League was powerless in the face a determined aggressor. First it raised the prestige of the Japanese army. Second, it made it possible for the army to pressurise the Japanese government to undertake a policy of armed expansion. † Here we can clearly see that the League was unable to deal with the more powerful and larger states as they were lacking power and authority, this is perfectly linked to the cartoon David Low drew in 1933 where it shows Japan getting away with trampling over the League and a League official freely allowing them to get away with the aggression (giving flowers) . This shows the League being humiliated and blames the weak leaders and not the League itself as they were not taking serious action in order to prevent Japans invasion of Manchuria, this links back to the global economic crisis as it was primarily the great depression which affected the League as the crisis was a result from the 1929 catastrophe. On October 3rd 1935 Italian troops invaded Abyssinia from Eritrea and Italian Somaliland. The League stated that Italy were the aggressors and imposed limited sanctions – they failed to place sanctions on Oil which was needed to enable the continuation of war. Sanctions were not increased or universally applied, even after it emerged that Italian forces were making use of Chemical weapons against civilians. Instead of imposing sanctions the British and French foreign ministers came up with the Hoare-Laval Pact. This pact would end the war but would grant Italy large areas of Abyssinia. This pact weakened the Leagues position as Britain and France (2 leading members) were prepared to give way to Italy. However Antony Eden reveals his contradictory views in his Telegram, â€Å"There is neither sign of any weakening in overwhelming support for the covenant which was feature of debate in Assembly nor any sign that members of the League would be unwilling to shoulder their obligations should situation demand it. The only nation which has shown a marked lack of enthusiasm for effective action under the covenant is France. Antony the British Minister favoured the League so this source can be biased as his interests would without doubt lay upon the League, however he blames France for not following the basic rules of the covenant and does not focus much on Italy’s invasion of Abyssinia, indicating that maybe he was fine with the invasion. However, A. J. P Taylor shares contrary views as he states that â€Å"There is no concrete interest in the state of Abyssinia. Mussolini was concerned to show off Italy’s strength and not require practical gain. Taylor suggests that Italy only did what they did in order to gain security for their country while having no intentions of causing conflicts and having selfish aims. Therefore did not invade Abyssinia for economic reasons. What is more, is that the global economic crisis brought right wing leaders into power e. g. Adolf Hitler, who was looked upon as a great leader and last resort in Germany who could introduce reforms and change Germany’s economy for the better, especially after they were blamed for the outbreak of the war and faced major reparations which worsened their economy, far more than any other major countries economy. The great depression gave Hitler the opportunity to aggressively campaign in order to secure Lebensraum and recover territories lost, this frustrated Leagues efforts to maintain peace as they were not living up to their policy of ‘collective security’. Germany left the League of Nations in 1933, which made it even harder for the other great powers to control and regulate actions taken by Hitler. An example of Hitler’s daring improvisations was the re-occupation of the Rhineland in March 1936, which could no longer be dealt with by the League of Nations as it lost the control to interfere with what Germany did. Therefore in general the great depression had a major impact on the League of Nations as it exposed every bit of the Leagues weakness, as supported by Robert Wolfson and John Laver who states â€Å"each of these coincidences and accidents made it all the easier for a collective security system to fail. † However it is fair to say that the League itself was not initially powerful. It lacked authority and had no police force whatsoever, hence the reason why powers were continuously threatening to leave the League, such as Japan and Germany’s withdrawal in 1933. This undermined the Leagues power as it simply failed to control the League’s members and what was worse it that any country could join the League when it suited them, which caused divisions and conflicts as the policy of ‘collective security’ was not turning out to be very successful as it primarily was thought to be. During Neville Chamberlain’s speech, he stated â€Å"the league of nations and the policy of collective security to which we have given so whole – hearted support with such disappointing results†¦. We should therefore abandon the idea of the League and give up the ideals for which the League stands† He is clearly undermining the Leagues power and indicating that they did not live up to what they promised. Chamberlain shares the views that the League might have been able to sort out little problems but it was clearly unable to stop major crisis as the Nations would have to find another way to deal with that. Hitler’s Mein Kampf reveals how he felt about the League of Nations, â€Å"they did not realise that in most cases they were dealing with persons who had no backing whatsoever, who were not authorized by anybody to conclude any sort of agreement whatsoever; so that the practical result of every negotiation with such individuals was negative and the time spent in such dealings had to be reckoned as utterly lost. † Here Hitler is expressing how the League were clearly not organised and had no authoritative figure or system whatsoever which is a major setback and a failure of how the League was run overall. Another major issue was the fact that the U. S. A and USSR did not join the League. This was a problem as these were the only 2 powers near enough and strong enough to take effective action, however were not members of the League, which is why the League lacked power and authority. â€Å"America’s consistent refusal to use nothing more than words in support of the League had shown just how toothless and helpless the international community was when it came to enforcing and upholding the peace. A dangerous precedent had been set. † This can be linked to the cartoon called ‘the gap in the bridge’, which shows a gap in the bridge and a keystone which represents USA, not joint to the bridge, preventing the League from being stable and unable to function without USA’s support, so consequently all the foreign nations try to pull USA into the League as they are desperate for a Nation which is military and economically stable, hence tied and dependent on the US. In conclusion the global economic crisis had a huge impact on the League as it exposed its weaknesses and undermined its authority and power. †the existence of the League caused cabinets and foreign ministers to wobble between the old and the new diplomacy, usually securing the benefits of neither, as the Manchurian and Abyssinian cases amply demonstrated. † However the setup and running of the League itself lacked enforcement powers and had no real machinery of collective security. Ironically, therefore the Leagues actual contribution turned out to be not deterring aggressors, but confusing the democracies. † Hence after analysing many contemporary sources and historian views it was mainly the global economic crisis which had an impact on the League of Nations as it highlighted and exposed the weaknesses of the League while undermined its system of ‘collective authority’.

Analysis of Scene 5 Act 1 of Macbeth Essay

Macbeth Scene AnalysisAct 5 Scene 11)Plot SummaryIn this scene the gentlewoman who accompanies Lady Macbeth while she sleeps has previously reported to a doctor of her sightings of Lady Macbeths deranged sleepwalking not long after Macbeth left to prepare for battle. Here both of them keep watch to see if any of Lady Macbeths sleepwalking occurs again. It starts off with the doctor and gentlewoman discussing Lady Macbeths condition. During Lady Macbeths sleepwalk she had previously, she confessed to the murder of Duncan that she and her husband committed. However when the doctor asks the Gentlewoman whether In this slumber agitation, besides her walking and other actual performances what at any time have you heard her say? but the gentlewoman refuses to answer as she doesnt want to get involved. Later in the scene Lady Macbeth starts sleepwalking carrying a candle which the gentlewoman states that Lady Macbeth always insists on having it near her bed. 2)Character Analysis Major Characters. In Act V. Scene i. the major character that we see is Lady Macbeth. I think the main message we perceive from this scene about Lady Macbeth is that her bravery was all a pretense and on the outside, but really her conscious was afraid and in shock about what she had driven her husband to do. The metaphor used to describe the lingering shadow of the dirty deed is the spot. When Lady Macbeth starts talking she keeps on repeating the same thing over and over again begging for the damned spot to get off her hands. The spot was the left over blood marks and smell of the murder that all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. Shakespeare uses indirect characterization to show us that Lady Macbeth has a guilt side of her that she tried so hard to mask. Although we have always known Lady Macbeth as the strong, ruthless ambitious one of the two however in this scene she falls apart and becomes vulnerable to the guilt that built up inside her. This shows that although the rest of the people of Scotland think of Lady Macbeth and her husband as strong powerful people, this scene lets us know that there is more behind their dynamic characters. 3)Character Analysis Minor CharactersIn this scene there are two minor  characters, the Doctor and the Gentlewoman. Although they are minor characters they play especially significant roles in this scene as they are the ones to witness the confession of the murder of King Duncan that she and Macbeth committed. Things that we learn about the doctor in this scene include that he is a man with patience as at the beginning of the scene he says I have two nights watched with you but can perceive no truth in your report. When was it she last walked? This showed that he either had the patience to wait and see the condition of Lady Macbeth or he didnt want to disobey command of the rulers. He couldve just said on the first day/night that he didnt see any evidence of Lady Macbeths sleepwalking and left to do his job in other places. The doctor is a flat character as he doesnt appear several times throughout the story yet he is still quite important. He is also an inquisitive person as he honestly reports to the gentlewoman of his observations and he asks several questions where it is required. He is straightforward as he doesnt waste time trying to pretend that he knows how to cure Lady Macbeths sleepwalking as he says This disease is beyond my practice;The gentlewoman is also a flat character as she only served as the link to the doctor finding out about Lady Macbeths sleepwalking. In addition, she doesnt reappear in the rest of the story. However she still played an important part as she was the one to first encounter the sleepwalking Lady Macbeth. The gentlewoman is a straight forward person as she directly answered most of the questions she was given. The only thing she didnt answer was about whether Lady Macbeth spoke while she sleepwalked. The gentlewoman seemed loyal as she did not want to get involved with the situation of Duncans murder so she said to the doctor she wont repeat what Lady Macbeth said. 4)Language FeaturesShakespeare uses a lot of language features in this scene. This scene shows a lot of irony compared to Act 2 Scene 2. In that scene she says Retire we to our chamber; a little water clears us of this deed. Which was basically she telling Macbeth not to worry but their actions will not be found out of. Yet here she is the spirits of the deed haunting her still, after several weeks. Contradiction is also used for the same reason and way irony is used. Lady Macbeth contradicted herself from Act 2 Scene 2, by saying nothing will go wrong when we can clearly see that in this scene  nothing is close to right. 5)ThemesThe theme that Shakespeare explores greatly throughout the whole of Macbeth, is moral thoughts. In this scene he indirectly tells us that there is never an easy way out of a bad deed, for whether you are caught or not your guilt will haunt you forever. However in this scene Macbeth uses the theme of Masks. The theme of masks is basically how throughout the whole play we see different sides of the major characters Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, they put on different masks depending on who they are with. 6)ConnectionsFor this play I found out a very interesting relationship between it and the movie Final Destination. In this movie the story starts off with one of the characters, Alex, having a premonition of him and his friends crashing in a plane ride to Paris, which can be compared to the three witches having a vision of Macbeth as king and giving the information to Macbeth. Then on the plane Alex realizes that everything is going the way things were in his dream, and he runs off the plane in fear, bringing 6 other friends with him. As the story develops, the characters realize they cannot cheat death as one by one they start to die according to how they wouldve died in the plane. They spend the movie trying to find a way to not die, but in the end the only one that survives has locked herself in an asylum room where she goes crazy, just like Lady Macbeth went crazy in Act 5 Scene 1. In Macbeth even though they cheated their way to the throne by killing Duncan, Banquo and the other people meant to get the title of King, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth both die at the end as their plans fail and they end up as miserable people. Bibliography: Macbeth by William Shakespeare

When to Use GET and POST in Ajax

When to Use GET and POST in Ajax When you use Ajax (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) to access the server without reloading the web page, you have two choices on how to pass the information for the request to the server: GET or POST. These are the same two options that you have when passing requests to the server to load a new page, but with two differences. The first is that you are only requesting a small piece of information instead of an entire web page. The second and most noticeable difference is that since the Ajax request doesnt appear in the address bar, your visitors wont notice a difference when the request is made. Calls made using GET will not expose the fields and their values anywhere that using POST does not also expose when the call is made from Ajax. What You Should Not Do So, how should we make the choice as to which of these two alternatives should be used? A mistake that some beginners might make is to use GET for most of their calls simply because it is the easier of the two to code. The most noticeable difference between GET and POST calls in Ajax is that GET calls still have the same limit on the amount of data that can be passed as when requesting a new page load. The only difference is that because youre only processing a small amount of data with an Ajax request (or at least thats how you should use it), you are far less likely to run into this length limit from within Ajax like you would with loading a complete web page. A beginner may reserve using POST requests for the few instances where they do need to pass more information that the GET method allows. The best solution when you have lots of data to pass like that is to make multiple Ajax calls passing a few pieces of information at a time. If you are going to pass huge amounts of data all in the one Ajax call, you would probably be better off simply reloading the entire page since there will be no significant difference in the processing time when huge amounts of data are involved. So, if the amount of data to be passed isnt a good reason for choosing between GET and POST, then what should we use to decide? These two methods were in fact set up for entirely different purposes, and the differences between how they work are in part due to the difference in what they are intended to be used for. This not only applies to using GET and POST from Ajax but really anywhere these methods might be employed. The Purpose of GET and POST GET is used as the name implies: to get information. its intended to be used when you are reading information. Browsers will cache the result from a GET request and if the same GET request is made again, they will display the cached result rather than re-running the entire request. This is not a flaw in the browser processing; its deliberately designed to work that way so as to make GET calls more efficient. A GET call is just retrieving the information; its not meant to change any information on the server, which is why requesting the data again should return the same results. The POST method is for posting or updating information on the server. This type of call is expected to change the data, which is why the results returned from two identical POST calls may very well be completely different from one another. The initial values before the second POST call will be different from the values before the first because the initial call will have updated at least some of those values. A POST call will therefore always obtain the response from the server rather than keep a cached copy of the prior response. How to Choose GET or POST Instead of choosing between GET and POST based on the amount of data you are passing in your Ajax call, you should choose based on what the Ajax call is actually doing. If the call is to retrieve data from the server, then use GET. If the value to be retrieved is expected to vary over time as a result of other processes updating it, add a current time parameter to what you are passing in your GET call so that the later calls will not use an earlier cached copy of the result that is no longer correct. Use POST if your call is going to write any data at all to the server. In fact, you should not only use this criterion for selecting between GET and POST for your Ajax calls but also for when selecting which should be used for processing forms on your web page.

Seleucus as a Successor of Alexander

Seleucus as a Successor of Alexander Seleucus was one of the Diadochi or successors of Alexander. His name was given to the empire he and his successors ruled. These, the Seleucids, may be familiar because they came into contact with the Hellenistic Jews involved in the revolt of the Maccabees (at the heart of the holiday of Hanukkah). Seleucuss Early Life and Family Seleucus himself was one of the Macedonians who fought with Alexander the Great as he conquered Persia and the western part of the Indian subcontinent, from 334 on. His father, Antiochus, had fought with Alexanders father, Philip, and so it is thought Alexander and Seleucus were around the same age, with Seleucus birthdate about 358. His mother was Laodice. Starting his military career while still a young man, Seleucus had become a senior officer by 326, in command of the royal Hypaspistai and on Alexanders staff. He crossed the Hydaspes River, in the Indian subcontinent, along with Alexander, Perdiccas, Lysimachus, and Ptolemy, some of his fellow notables in the empire carved by Alexander. Then, in 324, Seleucus was among those Alexander required to marry Iranian princesses. Seleucus married Apama, daughter of Spitamenes. Appian says Seleucus founded three cities that he named in her honor. She would become the mother of his successor, Antiochus I Soter. This makes the Seleucids par t Macedonian and part Iranian, and so, Persian. Seleucus Flees to Babylonia Perdiccas appointed Seleucus commander of the shield bearers in about 323, but Seleucus was one of those who murdered Perdiccas. Later, Seleucus resigned command, surrendering it to Cassander, son of Antipater so that he could govern as satrap the province of Babylonia when the territorial division was made at Triparadisus in about 320. In c. 315, Seleucus fled from Babylonia and Antigonus Monophthalmus to Egypt and Ptolemy Soter. One day Seleucus insulted an officer without consulting Antigonus, who was present, and Antigonus out of spite asked for accounts of his money and his possessions; Seleucus, being no match for Antigonus, withdrew to Ptolemy in Egypt. Immediately after his flight, Antigonus deposed Blitor, the governor of Mesopotamia, for letting Seleucus escape, and took over personal control of Babylonia, Mesopotamia and all the peoples from the Medes to the Hellespont....- Arrian Seleucus Takes Back Babylonia In 312, at the Battle of Gaza, in the third Diadoch War, Ptolemy and Seleucus defeated Demetrius Polorcetes, son of Antigonus. The next year Seleucus took Babylonia back. When the Babylonian War broke out, Seleucus defeated Nicanor. In 310 he defeated Demetrius. Then Antigonus invaded Babylonia. In 309 Seleucus defeated Antigonus. This marks the start of the Seleucid empire. Then in the Battle of Ipsus, during the fourth Diadoch war, Antigonus was defeated, Seleucus conquered Syria. After Antigonus had fallen in battle [1], the kings who had joined with Seleucus in destroying Antigonus, shared out his territory. Seleucus obtained then Syria from the Euphrates to the sea and inland Phrygia [2]. Always lying in wait for the neighboring peoples, with the power to coerce and the persuasion of diplomacy, he became ruler of Mesopotamia, Armenia, Seleucid Cappadocia (as it is called) [3], the Persians, Parthians, Bactrians, Arians and Tapurians, Sogdia, Arachosia, Hyrcania, and all other neighboring peoples whom Alexander had conquered in war as far as the Indus. The boundaries of his rule in Asia extended further than those of any ruler apart from Alexander; the whole land from Phrygia eastwards to the river Indus was subject to Seleucus. He crossed the Indus and made war on Sandracottus [4], king of the Indians about that river, and eventually arranged friendship and a marriage alliance with him. Some of these achievements belong to the period before the end of Antig onus, others to after his death. [...]- Appian Ptolemy Assassinates Seleucus In September 281, Ptolemy Keraunos assassinated Seleucus, who was buried in a city he had founded and named for himself. Seleucus had 72 satraps under him [7], so vast was the territory he ruled. Most of it he handed over to his son [8], and ruled himself only the land from the sea to the Euphrates. His last war he fought against Lysimachus for the control of Hellespontine Phrygia; he defeated Lysimachus who fell in the battle, and crossed himself the Hellespont [9]. As he was marching up to Lysimachea [10] he was murdered by Ptolemy nicknamed Keraunos who was accompanying him [11].This Keraunos was the son of Ptolemy Soter and Eurydice the daughter of Antipater; he had fled from Egypt through fear, as Ptolemy had in mind to hand over his realm to his youngest son. Seleucus welcomed him as the unfortunate son of his friend, and supported and took everywhere his own future assassin. And so Seleucus met his fate at the age of 73, having been king for 42 years.- Ibid Sources Diodorus xviii Justin xiiiPlutarchNeposJona LenderingCurtius x.5.7 fGreek Coins and Their Parent Cities, by John Ward, Sir George Francis HillMasters of Command by Barry StraussGhost on the Throne, by James RommAlexander the Great and His Empire, by Pierre Briant

Public relations thrives on public opinion Research Paper

Public relations thrives on public opinion - Research Paper Example Soon after, a large number of companies and organizations started employing publicity tactics to attract large audiences. The Excellence Project Vercic, L.A. Grunig (1996) states that nine generic principles govern the basis of setting up global public relations. Edward Louise Barneys is considered an America pioneer in the development of techniques relating to public relations and propaganda. Edward Barneys is considered as the ‘father of public relations’. Edward Barneys developed many influential PR techniques including press release and third party advocacy. Barneys helped remove the taboos surrounding the idea of women smoking in public, thorough his famous campaign of 1920 known as the Women’s Smoking Campaign. Barneys educated the industries regarding the importance of news and stated that it was the most effective method of conveying message to the public. Edward Barneys summarized the importance of PR techniques in his famous quotation given below: This quotation fully explains the importance of public relations and public opinions in setting up a democratic system. In modern world, setting up a democratic system encompasses various aspects. One of the major aspects in establishing democracy is public relations. The research following the development of Excellence theory shows that public relations serve as a pivotal condition for the establishment of a liberal democracy. During the 20th century, public relations gained the status of becoming a powerful and influential industry, not only in the United States of America but across the whole world. In modern society, public relation operations are not just limited to the in-house activity of public corporations and public institutions, but are also being increasingly established as independent consultation firms. Thus, public relation operations have become a prominent constituent in

Violent Crimes And Major Thefts Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Violent Crimes And Major Thefts - Case Study Example Other than the national street gangs, there are other local street gangs found in the rural, suburban and urban areas. Such local gangs pose an increasing threat to the locals as they are responsible for transporting and distribution of drugs in specific areas. In order to gain respect from their rivals, local street gangs imitate the more powerful national gangs which is one cause of street gang fights that keep recurring. Notably, such gangs continue to pose domestic threats to all their neighborhoods. Therefore, there is a probability that these gangs will increase their illegal operations to the US from their international suppliers. Similarly, it is probable that such gangs will increase their relationships with the international criminal organizations and drug trafficking organizations as a way of obtaining access to the global market for illegal businesses. This paper outlines why street gangs are dangerous sections in any society and therefore, state, federal and local govern ment should not hesitate in curbing them. As a result of the increase in the number of street gangs, the Federal Bureau of Investigations continues to play a major role in combating violent crimes and thefts in all cities and towns in US. The FBI works in conjunction with other agents such as the state and local partners, who are involved in the investigation as well as a joint task force. This ensures that the fight against gangs is made possible since one organ cannot fight the crimes by itself (Curry, Ball, & Fox, 2014). Other than investigations, these anti-gang groups look at the bigger picture through analyzing trends and threats from the criminal groups and sharing that intelligence with all their partners. Such strategies enable the involved officer to recognize as well as understand the exact assignment they have to complete or are ongoing. The spread of street gangs has been attributed to lack of sharing information by the officers in charge or poor communication by the

Canadian national identity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Canadian national identity - Essay Example According to public opinion polls, Canadians are proud of their diversity since it reflects the admirable qualities of caring, accepting, and tolerance. Canadians have developed a fairly intense complex about their national identity. Most Canadians share universal conceptions. The Canadian media has identified that 85 percent of Canadians identified their nation with typical behaviors and a typical accent language (Diakiw, 2011). There are numerous historical events that have shaped the current Canadian national identity. Some of the events include the participation of women in World War I, the creation of social welfare services and implementation of the third party system. Canadian political system has led to collective bargaining and equal rights for all workers (Diakiw, 2011). Immigration restrictions especially Asian immigrants and treatment of minority groups during the 20th century including residential schools, aboriginal issues and treaties led to emergency of shared values of tolerance and acceptance of diversity (Berdun & Montserrat, 2007). The Official Languages Act and Canadian role in international peacekeeping led to emergency of a culture of tolerance and caring attitudes among the nationals (Berdun & Montserrat, 2007). Canadians are proud of the cultural image. Canadian government has facilitated the strengthening of national identity and heritage. A unified and tolerant Canadian national ideology inspires many Canadian nationals. Canadian government has promoted cultural diversity and heritage through limiting the effect of foreign influence such an American influence. The official symbols such as the Flag of Canada was modified in order to align it with Canadian culture. Prominent symbols such as the loon, Canada goose, beaver and Canadian horse are some of the symbols that Canadian national identity with in the society (MacKey, 1999). The government has also changed the

Economic Features Of Globalization

Economic Features Of Globalization Compare and contrast the main features of globalization in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Globalisation is the integration of cultures and economies across geographical boarders. Globalisation has made trade and communication possible throughout the world in the shortest possible time. The difference in globalisation in the nineteenth and the twentieth centuries While free trade was imposed on the rest of the world markets in third world countries were opened simply because they were not independent nations. Direct foreign investments increased rapidly during 1870 to 1913. The first half of the nineteenth century saw free trade being practised only by Britain. However, in the twentieth century government debt became tradable in the global market for financial assets. The similarities in globalization in the nineteenth and the twentieth centuries In the nineteenth century international trade was attributed to trade liberalization, direct foreign investment increased rapidly during the nineteenth century. Lending at international bank was also substantial. The late nineteenth and early twentieth century witnessed a significant integration of international markets to provide a channel for portfolio investment flows. The cross-national ownership of securities including government bonds reached very high levels during this period. Also in the twentieth century there was an increase in the degree of openness in most countries, in international trade, investment and finance. While the second half of the twentieth century witnessed a phenomenal expansion in international trade flows. What is deglobalisation? Deglobalisation is the disintegrations of the economies of the world to their individual status where they do not engage in trade, imports and exports with other countries. To what extent has the 2008 crisis and recession brought about deglobalisation? Globalisation brought with it free trade of goods and services between countries and boarders. Many persons left their countries of birth to migrate to other countries in search of a better life, nurses from as far as Trinidad were and still are being employed in England and America. Persons from anywhere in the world can go to America and enjoy a doubles which is a Caribbean (East Indian) delicacy. The debate on globalization continue as people try to make sure that the benefits of global trade outweigh the costs for all countries. However, with the recession of 2008 many developed and developing nations have felt the impact of the recession specifically in Europe and the United States. Recession is caused by inflation, where to much money is chasing to little goods. In Ireland, many home owners took out a second mortgage to purchase second homes. Regretably many of home owners were unable to repay these loan and the banks took control of thes properties. In many instances these homes were sold for less than the homeowner was owing to the financial institution. Many persons who migrated to these countries in search of a better standard of living and employment opportunities are now leaving these countries and returning to their country of birth. This is as a result of an increase of unemployment due to many companies being unable to pay its workforce and meet its overhead expenditures. Though economies of the world are experiencing economic recession, globalisation have to a large extent allowed many countries to survive since countries can still trade their goods and services with other countries with the hope of rebuilding their economies. To what extent do the positive aspects of globalisation outweigh its negative effects? According to Deepak Nayyar globalization is the expansion of economic transactions and the organisation of economic activities across the political boundaries of nation states. Globalisation is associated with increasing economic openness, growing economic independence and deepening economic integration in the world economy. People everywhere, even the poor and the excluded, are exposed to these consumption possibility frontiers because the electronic media has spread the consumerist message far and wide. Negative effects of globalization Nayyar however, stated that those who does not have the incomes cannot buy goods and services in the market which only creates frustration or alienation which can lead to increase in crime, violence and drugs. Some seek refuge in ethnic identities, cultural chauvinism. Globalisation inevitably tends to erode social stabillty. Economic integration with the world outside may accentuate social tensions or provoke social fragmentation within countries. Globalisation have also resulted in a widening in the gap between the rich and the poor in the worlds population, as also between the rich and poor people within countries has widened. Income distribution within countries also worsened with globalization and income inequality increased. The incidence of poverty increased in most countries of Latin America, the Caribbean and Sub-Saharan Africa during the 1980s and the 1990s. Nayyar further went on to state that much of Eastern Europe and Central Asia experiences a sharp rise in poverty during the 1990s. Unemployment in the industrialised countries has increased substantially since the early 1970s and remained at high levels since then. Trade liberalization has led to a growing wage inequality between skilled and unskilled workers, not only in industrialized countries but also in developing countries. As a consequence of privatization and deregulation, capital has gained at the expense of labour, almost everywhere, for profit shares have risen while wage shares have fallen. M. Panic stated in the article negative issues with support what Nayyar also stated in his article the evidence of which are as follows:- Does Europe need neoliberal reforms? the extremely objectionable nature of the unregulated, free market version of the system was demonstrated globally in the 1930s with devastating consequences: its inherent tendency to prolonged and costly crises (the Great Depression, mass unemployment), social deprivation and division (extreme poverty for the many in the mass unemployment), social deprivation and division (extreme poverty for the many in the midst of great wealth for the few) German economic growth and levels of unemployment, for so long among the most impressive in the industrialized world, were only slightly better. Again, empirical evidence in support of the neoliberal claim that unemployment in Germany was caused by over-regulation was found to be extremely weak (Fuchs and Schettkat, 2000, p. 238) Conclusion While, many world trade and export-led growth strategies are collapsing, surplus countries face big obstacles in expanding domestic demand, and many emerging market economies are in deep trouble. World trade is collapsing much faster than expected-and much faster than predicted on the basis of the past example of this can be seen in the United States and Europe specifically Ireland where many homeowners are unable to pay their mortgages. Globalisation have also resulted in the devaluation of the US dollar which is a direct impact of the recession that the country is presently facing. The global imbalances had too important a role to ignore, in contrast to a mainstream view that focuses on mistakes in monetary policy and financial regulation since the negative impact is not only economic but also far reaching social issues. Based on the information listed above I can conclude that the negative effects far outweigh the positive.

George Eliots Adam Bede: Christian Ethics Without God Essay example --

George Eliot's Adam Bede: Christian Ethics Without God The greatest recent event -- that "God is dead," that the belief in the Christian God has ceased to be believable -- is... cast[ing] its shadows over Europe. For the few, at lease, whose eyes....are strong and sensitive enough for this spectacle... What must collapse now that this belief has been undermined... [is] our whole European morality. --Nietzsche, from The Gay Science: Book V (1887) Dr. Richard Niebuhr writes, in his introduction to Eliot's translation of Feuerbach's The Essence of Christianity, that Eliot "sought to retain the ethos of Christianity without its faith, its humanism without its theism." In her first full novel, Adam Bede, Eliot succeeds at doing this. By replacing God's all-seeing eye with a plethora of human eyes, Eliot depicts characters in the close-knit community of Hayslope who don't need God to be good Christians, who can hold their standards without their faith. Eliot begins with the simplistically Christian notion that God can see everything. Adam, our title hero, sings a tune in chapter one that refers to "God's all-seeing eye," (Eliot 24). Meanwhile, Bessy, a local Hayslope country girl, feels that "Jesus [is] close by looking at her, though she cannot see him" (Eliot 40). According to this model, a person must act morally otherwise God will know through sight and he will punish her. But, Eliot abandons these sorts of references to an all-seeing God by chapter four in favor of a structure that does not require God's eye. On the most basic level, Eliot is continually describing the physical eyes of her characters, and reminding us of their presence, although she gives up talking about God's eye. Adam's eyes, for instance,... ...f course, this analysis leaves me with a glaring question. Why does Eliot hold onto the morality defined by Christianity after surrendering its God? Why doesn't she re-evaluate that structure as well, rather than holding onto it by transferring authority? Why bother dismissing God if the visible fabric remains static? Perhaps she's being pragmatic -- perhaps she fears anarchy in the wake of a passing God. Bibliography Dickens, Charles. "Letter to George Eliot on 10 July 1859," in Ed. David Carroll, The Critical Heritage. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, (1971). Eliot, George. Adam Bede. England: Cox and Wyman, 1994. Ferris, Ina, "Realism and the Discord of Ending: The Example of Thackeray," Nineteenth Century Fiction, 38/3 (1983), 289-303. Goode, John. "Adam Bede: A Critical Essay," in Ed. Barbara Hardy, Critical Essays on George Eliot, (1970).

Island of the Sequined Love Nun Chapter 24~26

24 Valhalla: From the Runyonese Vincent Bennidetti was sitting at an oversized table dealing five-card draw to five other guys and relating the story of the crash landing of the Sky Priestess in hopes that the tale would distract his opponents from his creative shuffling. â€Å"So the squirt says to me, he says, ‘I'm Malink, chief of the Shark People,' and he puffs up his little chest like I'm supposed to be impressed and drop down and kiss his ring, except he ain't wearing any ring; in fact, he ain't wearing nothing but a loincloth and a little hat made of palm leaves, so I says, ‘Honored and charmed I'm sure, Chief.' And I gives him a grade A Hershey bar as a peace offering to assure that the kid doesn't get any ideas about ventilating me with his spear. Although I have a roscoe handy in my flight suit, in Manhattan it is considered very bad luck indeed to shoot a kid unless he deserves it, so I am trying to take the diplomatic route. â€Å"So the squirt chief takes the sweet and slaps a lip over a morsel and his little mug splits in a grin so big that I'm figuring I know now how his tribe gets named Shark People. And before I know it the kid yells something to his pals and they vamoose to the jungle while I watch the squirt's spear and he keeps a peeper peeled at the Sky Priestess like any minute she's gonna jump off the plane and do the bump and grind across the airstrip. â€Å"Now we are sure that Sky Priestess is not burning or blowing up, Sparky goes back in and sings Mayday on the radio until I am thinking that even Marconi is sorry he ever invented the machine (another distinguished Italian genius, if I may point out, and it would be impolite for anyone, at this juncture, to mention Mussolini, as I will have to delay the game whilst I pop him in the beezer, thank you), and finally HQ comes back on and requests more than somewhat sternly that we cease broadcasting our position, as they will send someone as soon as they can unless the Japs find us first, in which case it has been an honor serving with us. â€Å"Call and raise a buck. â€Å"So the squirt asks me do I kill Japs? And I tell him that I am killing so many Japs I have to come rest on his island for a few days to give the Japs a chance to send in reinforcements for me to kill, when out of the jungle comes a whole platoon of native guys, mostly real old guys, carrying baskets of fruit and coconuts and dried fish which they are laying at my feet after doing enough bowing and chanting to fill a year of encores on Broadway. â€Å"And the kid says, ‘You more powerful than Father Rodriquez. Japs kill him.' From which I figure where the kid learns to speak English and why I am seeing no young guys, because it is well known that the Japs have killed any missionaries they find and have taken most of the able-bodied native guys which they do not kill off to build airstrips and boat landing ramps and other Jap military stuff. â€Å"‘Yeah,' I tells the kid, ‘too bad about Father Rodriquez, and all the other guys that don't make it, but Vincent and the Sky Priestess is here now and you got nothing to worry about.' Then I inquire as to if there are any available dolls on the island and the kid jabbers something to one of the old guys, who wobbles off and comes back about ten minutes later with a line of young native dolls who are wearing skirts on their bottom but are nothing but bounce and bosoms on the top, except for the odd garnish of flowers here and there for fragrance and color. â€Å"I swear on my mother's grave (should she pass away before I get home) that I am looking at more brown curves than I have seen since I fly over the Mississippi at ten Gs, and they are by no means an unpleasant sight, but as soon as I pick out one of the young dolls and give her my best Tyrone Power wink, she starts bawling like I have broken her heart and runs into the jungle followed, posthaste, by the other lovelies until the airstrip is, once again, strictly stag. â€Å"‘What goes?' I ask the kid. And he explains that because I am a god the dames are most frightened that I will destroy them. Then the squirt starts bawling himself, and I am beginning to feel very low indeed, as I can see that the little guy has taken my god action and it is six to five that he thinks he is on the destruction express along with the dames, and some explanation and consolation are then needed to caulk the kid's waterworks and generally ease his mind. â€Å"So I sits down with the kid under the wing of the Sky Priestess and by and by along comes an old native guy with a jug of the local hooch, of which I am somewhat dubious and which tastes like matchheads mixed with dishwater but smooths out considerably after the first four or five belts, and soon the mood becomes most festive and a good time is had by all (except for Sparky, who is bending over the runway looking at everything he drinks for the second time). â€Å"Now all of this time I am thinking that the kid is running a game on me about being chief until he explains that the Japs killed his father and his older brother as examples and he is next in line, so he is chief whether he likes it or not. And now he is worried that his people will not have enough to eat, as the Japs have taken most of the fruit and coconuts and destroyed all the canoes and cargo, like rice, which the late Father Rodriquez brings in, and my heart is breaking for the kid, who should be playing stickball and stealing candy and other assorted kid activities instead of worrying about a whole population of citizens. So I look at my guys eating all the food the kid gives us, and my heart is feeling very heavy indeed, so I tell him not to worry, as Vincent and the Sky Priestess will see that his people get everything they need and I gives the kid a pack of Luckys and my Zippo to seal the promise. Then, as soon as Sparky finishes doing the rainbow yawn, I tells him t o get on the radio to a friend of mine who is in the quartermaster corps, and I gives him a list of things to place on the PT boat which is coming to get us. â€Å"So as the evening wears on, the kid is telling me stories of how the island was made by a dame from Yap who rides on a turtle with a basketful of dirt which she dumps in the ocean, making the island, which must have been quite some basket, and she tells all the children she is having on the island (although the kid says nothing about her having an old man) that she isn't going to give them a good reef for fishing, so they are going to be eating sharks. And although the people of all the other islands are afraid of sharks, here the sharks are afraid of the people. ‘They will be called the Shark People,' the dame with the dirt says. â€Å"And I says, ‘Yeah, I know that dame.' That, in fact, I take her to the races one day and she is such good luck that I win the trifecta for five Gs. And I can see the kid is most impressed, even though he wouldn't know a G from a G-string. So I begins to lay it on a bit thick and by the time we have consumed all of the local bug juice and most of the fruit and fish, the kid is convinced that if I am not the Second Coming, I am at least pinch-hitting that day. â€Å"By now I am feeling I am in serious need of female company and I mention this to the kid, who says maybe there is something he can do, as there is one doll in the village whose job it is to change the oil of the unmar-ried native guys (I am at once reminded of a costume optional dancer named Chintzy Bilouski, who performs a similar service for myself and many other unmarried male citizens in the Broadway district) and it seems that this native doll has been short of work of late, as all of the young un-married guys are either killed or taken away. And the kid says he will ap-proach this doll on my behalf if I promise that she will not burst into flames or be otherwise harmed and as long as I keep it quiet. As these are similar terms I agree to with Chintzy Bilouski (and a sawbuck cheaper, in fact), I tell the kid to lead the way, which he does. And soon we are in a big grass house by the beach, which he calls the bachelors' house, and which is clearly intended to house many ci tizens, but is currently only the home of one doll, who is by no means hard on the peepers and who proceeds immedi-ately to catch up on any work she has been missing in a most enthusiastic and friendly manner, if you know what I mean. â€Å"So, to make a long story short, the guys and I spend three more days telling stories to the kid and drinking bug juice and creeping to the bachel-ors' house until the PT boat shows with some mechanics and welders and all the supplies I have requested from my pal the quartermaster. And the islanders all line up while I pass out many machetes and knives and chocolate bars and various other luxuries from Uncle Sam. And that night they throw a big party in my honor with much drinking and dancing and a swell time is had by one and all. But as we are ready to leave, the kid chief comes up all leaky-eyed, asking why am I leaving and will I come back and what will his people do without me. So I promise him I will be back soon with many wonderful things and to save me a spot in the bach-elors' house, but until then, every time he sees a plane, he and his people will know that me and the Sky Priestess are looking out for them. â€Å"Then when we are back at base I am working something with the colonel to run a recon mission to inspect the airstrip for emergency use. No bombs. I am thinking we will fill the Sky Priestess up with medicine and supplies for the Shark kid and his people as soon as permission comes through. And I'm fully intending to come through, as I gives the kid my word and he believes it, but how am I to know that on our very next bombing run a squadron of Zeros will surprise us and fill the Sky Priestess with all manner of cannon and machine gun slugs, sending us down in a ball of flames and killing me and everyone aboard quite dead.† The guy with the beard cleared his throat and said, â€Å"That was a swell story the first dozen times we heard it, Vinnie, but are you going to talk or play cards?† â€Å"Bite me, Jewboy, it ain't like we haven't had to fight the yawns through your loaves and fishes epic a hundred fuckin' times.† Then Vincent flashed him a feral grin. â€Å"And since it is now your bet, I will advise you to fold, as I am now holding a hand that is so hot it is about to burst into flames like the proverbial bush.† The guy with the beard held up a punctured palm to silence Vincent. â€Å"You're holding a pair of eights, Vinnie.† â€Å"I hate fuckin' playing with you,† Vincent said. 25 We Ask the Gods for Answers and They Give us Questions Tucker Case heard the beating of wings above his head and suddenly there was a familiar little face in front of him. Roberto was hanging upside down from the harness ropes around Tuck's chest. He never thought he'd be glad to see the little vermin. â€Å"Roberto! Buddy!† Tuck smiled at the bat. Roberto squeaked and bent forward to lick Tucker's face. Tucker sputtered. He could smell papaya on the bat's breath. â€Å"How about climbing up there and gnawing through these ropes, little guy?† Roberto looked at him quizzically, then laid a big lick on him, right across the lips. â€Å"Ack! Bat spit!† Tuck heard a weak voice from above. â€Å"He no gnaw rope. His teeth too little,† Kimi said. Roberto took flight and landed on Kimi's head and began licking and clawing him ecstatically. Kimi was suspended about two feet above Tucker and about five feet away. It hurt his neck, but he could see the navigator dangling if he stretched. â€Å"You're alive!† Tucker said. â€Å"I thought you were dead.† â€Å"I am bery thirsty. Why you put us in tree?† â€Å"I didn't. It was an old island guy. I think he's going to eat us.† â€Å"No, no, no. No cannibal in these islands for many years.† â€Å"Good. You tell him that when he comes back.† Kimi struggled against his bonds and set himself spinning. â€Å"These ropes hurt on my arms. Someone put us in crab harness.† â€Å"I figured that out,† Tuck said. He craned his neck and eyed Kimi's harness. â€Å"Maybe I can swing to you and catch on to your harness. If I can get hold of it, I might be able to untie you.† â€Å"Good plan,† Kimi said. â€Å"Yankee know-how, kid.† As Tuck started to swing his arms and legs, he felt the harness tighten around his chest. Soon he was swinging in a wide elliptical pattern that brought him within a foot of Kimi, but the harness was so tight he could barely breathe. Weakened from lack of food and water, he gave up. â€Å"I can't breathe,† he gasped. â€Å"That good plan, though,† Kimi said. â€Å"Now I have Roberto bring that knife over by door of house and I cut the ropes. Okay?† â€Å"Roberto can fetch?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Why didn't you say so?† â€Å"I want to see Yankee know-how.† Sarapul tried to run back to his hut, but the pain in his ancient knees wouldn't allow him to move faster than a slow amble. If only he could ab-sorb the power of an enemy or two, perhaps the pain would subside and his strength would return along with his courage. It was courage he needed now. Instead, he had questions. Why, if Malink dreamed a message from Vincent, did the white bitch say that he did not? And if Vincent had sent a pilot, why did the Sky Priestess not know about him? And if Vincent had not sent a pilot, who is hanging in the breadfruit tree? In the old days Sarapul would have asked the turtle, his clan animal, for an answer to his questions. Then he would have watched the waves and listened to the wind for an answer, perhaps he would have gone to a sor-cerer for an interpretation. But he was too deaf and blind to see a sign now. And the only sorcerer left was the white man who lived behind the big fence and gave medicine to the Shark People: Vincent's Sorcerer. Sarapul didn't believe in Vincent any more than he believed in the god Father Rodriquez had worn around his neck on a chain. Father Rodriquez had said that the old ways – the taboos and the totem animals – were lies and that the skinny white god on the cross was the only real god. Sarapul was prepared to believe him, especially when he offered everyone a piece of the body of Christ. But Christ tasted like dried pounded taro and Father Rodriquez lost the old cannibal as a convert when he said that you would be thrown into fire forever if you ate anyone besides the stale starchy god on the cross. Then the Japanese came and cut off Father Rodriquez's head and threw his god on a chain into the sea. Sarapul knew for sure then that the Father had been lying all along. The Japanese raped and killed his wife and made his two sons work building the airstrip until they became sick and died. He asked the Turtle why his family had been taken away, and when the sign came in the form of a cloud shaped like an eel, the sorcerer said that it had happened because the Shark People had broken the taboos, had eaten their totem animals and taken fish from the forbidden reef: They were being punished. The next night Sarapul killed a Japanese soldier and built an oom to bake him in, but none of the Shark People would help him. Some were afraid of the god of Father Rodriquez and the rest were afraid of the Japanese. They took the body and fed it to the sharks who lived at the edge of the reef. In the morning the Japanese lined up the old sorcerer and a dozen children and machine-gunned them. And Sarapul lost his mind. Then the American planes came, dropping their bombs and fire from the sky for two days, and when the explosions stopped and the smoke cleared, the Japanese left, taking with them all the coconuts and breadfruit on the island. A week later Vincent arrived in the Sky Priestess. Sarapul still had the machete that the flyer had given him. It was more than he had ever gotten from Father Rodriquez's god, but the cannibal did not believe that Vincent was a god. Even if Vincent had scared away the Japanese and brought the food that saved the Shark People, Sarapul had angered the old gods before and he would not do it again. When the white Sorcerer arrived, he too talked of the god on the cross and although the Shark People took the food and medicine he gave them and even attended his services, they would not forsake Vincent, their savior. The god on the cross had let them down before. Eventually, the white Sorcerer turned to Vincent too. But Sarapul clung to the old ways, even when the Sky Priestess returned with her red scarf and explosions. It was all just entertainment: Christ was just a cracker, Vincent was just a flyer, and he, Sarapul, was a cannibal. Still, he did not blame Malink for banishing him or for clinging to Vincent's promises. Vincent was the god of Malink's childhood, and Malink clung to him in the same way that Sarapul clung to the old ways. Faith grew stronger when planted in a child. Sarapul knew that. He was mad, but he was not stupid. Until now he had never put an ounce of faith in Vincent, but this dream of Malink's vexed him. He would have to figure things out before he ate the man in his breadfruit tree. He had to talk to Malink now. The cannibal took the path that led into the village. He crept between the houses where the sweet rasp of snoring children wafted through the woven grass walls like the sizzle of frying pork, through the smoke of dying cook fires, past the bachelors' house, the men's house, and finally to the beach, where the men sat in a circle, drinking and talking softly, the moon spraying their shoulders with a cold blue light. The men continued to talk as Sarapul joined the circle, politely ignoring the creak and crackle of his old joints as he sat in the sand. Some of the younger men, those who had grown up with the disciplinary specter of the cannibal, subtly changed position so they could reach their knives quickly. Malink greeted Sarapul with a nod, then filled the coconut shell cup from the big glass jug and handed it to him. â€Å"No coffee or sugar for a month,† Malink said. â€Å"Vincent is angry.† Sarapul drained the cup and handed it back. â€Å"How about cigarettes?† â€Å"The Sorcerer says that cigarettes are bad.† â€Å"Vincent smoked cigarettes,† Sarapul pointed out. â€Å"He gave you the lighter.† The young men fidgeted at the firsthand reference to Vincent. It disturbed them when the old men spoke of Vincent as if he was a person. Malink reached inside the long flat basket where he kept the lighter along with his other personal belongings. He touched the Zippo that Vincent had given him. â€Å"Cigarettes aren't good for us,† he repeated. â€Å"Then they should give us cigarettes for punishment,† Sarapul insisted. Malink pulled a copy of People magazine from his basket, drawing everyone's attention away from the cannibal. The old chief tore a small square from the masthead page and handed it to Abo, a muscular young man who tended the tobacco patch for the Shark People. â€Å"Roll one,† Malink said. Abo began filling the paper with tobacco from his basket. Malink opened the magazine on the sand in front of him and squinted at the pages in the moonlight. Everyone in the circle leaned forward to look at the pictures. â€Å"Oprah's skinny again,† Malink pronounced. Sarapul scoffed and the men angrily looked up, the young ones looking away quickly when they saw who had made the noise. Abo finished rolling the cigarette and held it out to Malink. The chief gestured to Sarapul and Abo gave the smoke to the old cannibal. Their hands brushed lightly in the exchange and Sarapul held the young man's gaze as he licked his finger as if tasting a sweet sauce. Abo shuddered and backed to the outside of the circle. Malink lit the cigarette with the sacred Zippo, then he returned to his magazine. â€Å"There will be no more People for a while, not with the Sky Priestess mad at us.† A communal moan rose up from the men and the drinking cup was filled and passed. â€Å"We are cut off,† Malink added. Sarapul shrugged. â€Å"All the people in this book, they shit. It does not matter. They die. It does not matter. If we put them all in a big boat and sank it, you would not even know for six months when the Sky Priestess gives you her old copy, and it still would not matter. This is stupid.† â€Å"But look!† Malink pointed to a picture of a man with unnaturally large ears, â€Å"This man is a king and he wishes to be a tampon. It is quoted.† Sarapul scrunched up his face, his wrinkles folding over each other like venetian blinds, while he tried to figure out what, exactly, a tampon was. Finally he said, â€Å"I was a tampon once, back in the old days, before you were born. All warriors became tampons. It was better then.† â€Å"You have never been a tampon,† Malink stated, although he couldn't be sure. â€Å"Only a king may be a tampon. And now, without People, we will never know if this man who would be a tampon succeeded. It has been a dark day.† The cup had come around again to Sarapul and he drained it before answering. â€Å"Tell me of this dream you had.† â€Å"I should not speak of it.† Malink pretended to be engaged in the magazine. Sarapul pushed on. â€Å"The Sky Priestess said that Vincent spoke to you of a pilot. Is that true?† Malink nodded. â€Å"It is true. But it is only a dream or the Sorcerer would have known.† Sarapul was torn now. This was his chance to discredit the Sorcerer and his white bitch, but if he told Malink about the man in the tree, then he would lose his chance to taste the long pig again. Then again, he found them first, and he was willing to share the meat. â€Å"What if your dream was true?† â€Å"It was just a dream. Vincent speaks to us only through the Sky Priestess now. She has spoken.† â€Å"Vincent smoked and she says smoking is bad. Vincent was an enemy of the Japanese and now she has Japanese guards inside the fence. She lies.† Some of the men moved away from the circle. It was one thing to drink with a cannibal, but it was quite another to tolerate a heretic. (Of the twenty men in the circle, three of the elders were named John, four who had been born during Father Rodriquez's tenure were named Jesus [Hey-zeus], and three of the younger men were named Vincent.) They were a group that honored the gods, whoever the gods might be that week. â€Å"The Sky Priestess does not lie,† Malink said calmly. â€Å"She speaks for Vincent.† Sarapul pinched the flame of his cigarette with his ashy fingers, then popped the stub into his mouth and began to chew as he grinned. â€Å"Your dream was true, Malink. I have seen the pilot. He is on Alualu and he is alive.† â€Å"You are old and you drink too much.† â€Å"I'll show you.† Sarapul leaped to his feet to show that he was not drunk, and in doing so scared the hell out of the younger men. â€Å"Come with me,† he said. 26 Swing Time Kimi had freed his hands and feet with the knife, only to find that he could not reach the rope suspending him from the middle of his back. Now he was forced to follow Tuck's plan of swinging like a human pendulum until he could grab the pilot's rope and cut him down. Roberto hung upside down from a nearby branch, wondering why his friends were behaving like fighting spiders. Tucker found he could only hold his head up for a few seconds at a time before dizziness set in, so he watched the navigator's swinging shadow to gauge his distance. â€Å"One more time, Kimi. Then grab the rope.† It bothered him some that when he was cut loose he would fall six feet and land face-first in the coral gravel, but he was learning to take things as they came and figured he would deal with that on the way down. â€Å"I hear someone,† Kimi said. On the apex of his arc, he grabbed for Tuck's rope, missed, and accidentally raked the knife across the pilot's scalp. â€Å"Ouch! Shit, Kimi. Watch what you're doing.† Tuck braced himself for the next attack, which never came. He looked up to see that Kimi's arc had been stopped in mid-swing. A rotund gray-haired native had caught the navigator around the waist and was prying the knife out of his hand. Tuck felt the hope drain out of him. The leathery old cannibal stood amid a group of twenty men. All of them seemed to be waiting for the fat guy to say something. It was time for a last-ditch effort. â€Å"Look, you motherfuckers, people are expecting me. I'm supposed to be flying medical supplies for a big-time doctor, so if you fuck with me you're all going to die of the tropical creeping crud and I won't give you so much as a fucking aspirin.† The native released Kimi into the hands of two younger men and regarded Tuck. â€Å"You pilot?† He said in English. â€Å"Damn right I am. And I'm sick and infected and stuff, so if you eat me you're going to die like a gut-shot dog – and in addition I would like to add that I don't taste anything like Spam.† Tuck was breathless from the diatribe and he was starting to black out from trying to hold his head back. The native said something in his own language, which Tuck took to be â€Å"Cut him down,† because a second later he found himself falling into the arms of four strong islanders who lowered him to the ground. Tucker's arms and legs burned as the blood rushed back into them. Above him he saw a circle of moonlit brown faces. He managed to grab enough breath to squeak, â€Å"Soon as I'm on my feet, your asses are mine. You all might as well just go practice falling down for a while so you'll be used to it. Just order the body bags now 'cause when I'm done, you're going to look like piles of chocolate pudding. They'll be cleaning you up with shovels – you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Tuck's breath caught in his throat and he passed out. Malink looked at his old friend Favo and smiled. â€Å"Excellent threat,† he said. â€Å"Most excellent threat,† Favo said. Sarapul pushed his way through the kneeling men. â€Å"He's dead. Let's eat him.† â€Å"He no like that,† Kimi said. â€Å"Not even for free.† The Sorcerer heard the lab door open and turned from his microscope just in time to catch her as she ran into his arms. â€Å"Did you see, ‘Bastian? Was I great or what?† He held her for a second, smelling the perfume in her hair. â€Å"You were great,† he said. When he released her, there were two pink spots on his lab coat from the rouge she had rubbed on her nipples. She skipped around the lab like a little girl. â€Å"Malink was shaking in his shoes,† she said. Well, not in his shoes, but you know what I mean.† She stopped and looked into the microscope. â€Å"What's this?† He watched a delicate line of muscle run down the back of her thigh and postulated what kind of genetics went into preserving a body like that on Chee-tos and vodka. He thought a lot about genetics lately. â€Å"I'm doing the last of the tissue typing. I should be finished in a couple of days.† She said, â€Å"Did you like ‘String of Pearls' better than ‘In the Mood'?† High Priestess of the nonsequiter, Sebastian thought. â€Å"It was perfect. You were perfect.† She moved away from the microscope and paced around the table, frowning now, as if she was working on an equation in her head. â€Å"I've been thinking about ‘Pennsylvania 6-5000,' putting the ninjas in top hats and tails in kind of a chorus line. You know, they could carry me across the runway and pause and shout the chorus. There's no singing on the re-cording; they would just have to shout. I mean, if we have to have them around, they might as well do something.† She stopped pacing and turned to him. â€Å"What do you think?† It took Sebastian a second to realize that she was serious. â€Å"I'm not sure that would be a good idea. The Shark People are suspicious of the nin – , the guards. I wish Akiro would have listened to me and found some non-Japanese. This business with Malink's dream is a sign that our credibility is slipping.† â€Å"That's what I'm saying. If we show that they're under the control of the Sky Priestess – â€Å" â€Å"I don't think it's a good idea, Beth.† She dismissed the thought with a wave. â€Å"Fine. We can talk about it later.† Sebastian wanted to stop himself before he ruined her ebullient mood, but he pressed on despite himself. â€Å"Don't you think that no coffee or sugar for a month was a little harsh?† â€Å"You really don't get it, do you? I'll give it all back after a week, ‘Bastian, and they'll love me for it. Generosity of the gods: The Sky Priestess taketh away and the Sky Priestess giveth back. It's how these things work. You put a few people on a boat, then you drown every living creature on the planet – the people on the boat are pretty goddamn grateful.† She flipped the end of her red scarf over her shoulder. â€Å"I wish you wouldn't talk like that.† â€Å"You make the rules and you play the game, ‘Bastian. What's wrong with that?† He turned from her and pretended to go through some notes. â€Å"I guess you're right,† he said, but he felt acid rising from his stomach. She was calling it a game. She came up behind him, pushed her breasts into his back, and reached around inside his lab coat. â€Å"Poor baby. You still feel like you did the right thing by burning your Beatles records.† â€Å"Beth, please.† She unzipped his khakis and snaked her hand in his fly. â€Å"Deep down, you feel like John Lennon got what he deserved, don't you, sweetheart? Saying he was more popular than Jesus. That loony-toon Chapman was the instrument of God, wasn't he?† He whirled on her and grabbed her shoulders. â€Å"Yes, dammit.† His face had gone hot. He could feel the veins pulse in his forehead, in his crotch. â€Å"That's enough, Beth.† â€Å"No, it's not.† She ripped open the front of his trousers and fell back on the lab table, pulling him on top of her. â€Å"Come on, show me the wrath of the Sorcerer.†