Your Favourite Hobby

YOUR FAVOURITE HOBBY Introduction: Hobby means any form of amusement or pleasant occupation. It is also a pleasant pastime, which breaks the monotony of routine life. It refreshes one’s mined as well as body after toile. Hobby is not one’s main profession but it is not less important than one’s main business. Man runs his main business out of sheer necessity but man pursues hobby for sheer delight. In our practical life, every man has a hobby and every man should have a hobby in his life.Choice of hobbies: Different people have different choice of hobbies. Example of some popular hobbies are such as, gardening, reading, fishing, hunting, painting, singing, sewing, doll making, flowering making, sculpture making, coin collecting, angling and so many. Hobbies of great men: If we study the history of great men of the world, we will find that almost every had a hobby. Depending upon that hobby everyman enjoys pleasure and refreshness. Many great men of the world had their hobbies.They took the hobbies as the ways of removing the monotony of their lives. Alexander, Washington, Napoleon, Tolstoy, Rabindranath, Bernard Shaw- all had their hobbies. My hobby – gardening: I am a student. Though my main function is to study, I have a hobby. My favourite hobby is gardening. There is a small piece of land in front of my reading room. I am very lucky to have a plot of land for my garden. I have decided to make a garden there. So I clean it and fence around it.I have to work hard for my garden. At first, I make the soil loose with the help of a spade. When the soil is ready, I plant various types of flower plants and sow seeds there. When many seasonal flowers bloom in my garden, fragrance fills the air and comes into our house. The pleasant hue of the flowers dazzles my eyes. It reminds me the lines: – â€Å"Mind is your garden, Ideas are your seedsLife is the season To sow all your needs. † My activities in the garden: I work in my garden in the morning and in the evening. I make the soil loose with spade and weed out the grass. I plant new flower plants in it. I water the plants and take good care of them. I am happy to do all these with my own hands. The reason foe selecting: Among all other hobbies, I have chosen gardening as my hobby because it gives me more pleasure than any other things.I need physical exercise because of making my body active and strong. If I work in the garden, I do not need extra physical exercise. Considering above-mentioned argument, I have selected gardening as my favourite hobby. Usefulness: I have got much benefit from my garden. Before making my garden, I was sick and weak. But now, my health has been improved as I work in my garden. As a result, I posses a sound health. I give flowers to my neighbours to decorate their houses and gates on some special occasions. Then I become very glad and happy.Besides, I grow vegetables in my garden, which saves a lot of family expenses. Con clusion: My hobby is a source of joy and pleasure, health and wealth to me. It makes my life enjoyable. Really, I am very happy and delighted choosing a hobby like gardening. So I think everybody should have a hobby to make his life happy and merry. But we should guard ourselves against those hobbies, which have no practical utility in life. This is why I keep a harmony between my hobby and duty so that my hobby would be meaningful in my practical life. THE END

Disaster and Emergency Management

The Philosopher Aristotle said that â€Å"the greatest virtues are those which are most useful to other persons† and former US President John Adams also said that â€Å"if we do not lay out ourselves in the service of mankind whom should we serve? † I believe that I have lived up to the sayings of a great thinker and a leader and nothing is more rewarding than to give my life to safeguard the security of Canada and my countrymen. After my Bachelors degree in Criminology in York University, I worked as a Signal Operator in the Canadian Forces Army Reserve Toronto Communication Regiment for seven years.As a Signal Operator, I have installed and operated satellite communication systems and digitized high-frequency in order to facilitate effective emergency communications during domestic emergency operations. The job also allowed me to manage local area networks (LANs) and local distribution networks, operate cryptographic equipment, generate key material, coordinate circui t restoration in communications and information networks, plan communications services, and perform in land operations.Due to my skills and abilities, I have managed three member mobile radio detachment units in various extreme weather conditions, taught new recruits on the use of communications equipment at the Canadian Forces School of Communication and Equipment and manage the safekeeping of top secret communications equipment. In the army, I am tasked to fight as infantry and use personal weapons, reconnaissance and section level tactics when the need arise.From November 5, 2007 to present, I have been working as a Border Service Officer to safeguard the security and protection of the Canadians from people who are entering the border. I have to assure my country that these people will not threaten their lives and no prohibited goods will pass through the border. All people and goods getting into Canada must comply with Canadian laws and regulations. In a fight against terrorism, I assist in combating money laundering activities, prohibit the entry of firearms and detain people who pose as threat to my country.To safeguard the health of our people, I have to be on guard against the introduction of human, animal and plant diseases as well as the flow of narcotics and other illegal and prohibited substances. In compliance with the child abuse and protection law, I prevent the practice of child trafficking and child pornography. In August 2006, I completed my BS Criminology degree with Honours and I was placed on the Dean’s Honour Roll List as well as the Sessional AcademicAchievement list at York University.With my academic achievement, knowledge and skills, I am confident that I would make an excellent addition to the graduate program in Disaster and Emergency Management at York University. My passion for public safety and security will be enhanced when I obtain a Masters degree as I will learn to design and implement effective policies related to eme rgency response and preventative techniques for the Canadian soldiers in order to increase the protection at our borders and airports.Upon completion of the program, I will be prepared to occupy the senior management level position and write new policies, procedures and regulations as well as updating existing ones. I will also be deployed to Afghanistan and several overseas missions throughout my career. The knowledge and skills that I will gain will be used to aid Canadian soldiers, NATO allies and UN personnel who are affected by natural disasters and acts of terrorism. The 911 incidence awakened my passion to be totally committed in safeguarding Canada and protecting the lives of my countrymen.The potential threat to our security has increased tremendously after 911. Something has to be done and I believe that I have a role and a mission in protecting the interest of the Canadians. The birth of the Masters in Disaster and Emergency Management program at York University is the to ol that will help me become professional in this field. The battle cry for a secured and peaceful Canada can never be ignored and nothing can stop me from reaching my goals. References: HeartQuotes (2007).   â€Å"HeartQuotes: Quotes of the Heart†. Retrieved from http://www.heartquotes.net/Service.html on December 19, 2007. Thinkexist.com Quotation.   â€Å"John Adams quotes† Retrieved from http://thinkexist.com/quotes/john_adams/   on December 19, 2007.

Gay Marriage: the Recognition of Equal Human Rights Essay

In America, people hold on to the Declaration of Independence as an implementation of their rights. Part of the Declaration of Independence clearly states, â€Å"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness† (Jefferson 80). Gays are human beings too, and they should equally be able to enjoy the human rights. If we believe that human rights are equal regardless of their sexual orientation; then why do gays have to struggle for equal positions in the church, law, and psychological equality? Gay people, their families, and their friends are fighting for these rights. They want equality for gays including legal marriage, and marriage benefits that the regular man-woman marriages enjoy. Gay marriage becomes an option because many gay couples want the equality of human rights. Gays realize their rights are being abolished by the fact that they are not allowed to legally marry and enjoy the privileges as married couples. Only twelve states in America and District of Columbia legally allow gay marriage. The twelve states are: Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington (Millstone). Massachusetts is the first state that legalized gay marriage on May 2004 (Tying the Knot). Although gays can legally marry in these states, the couples have limited rights. DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act) restricts federal marriage benefits; therefore, it prevents gays from receiving the insurance benefits for government employees, Social Security benefits, immigration, and the filing of joint tax returns (Burns). The documentary, Tying the Knot shows that many gay couples stay together for a long period of time, whether they are married or not. They share their lives: mentally, physically, and economically. But when a spouse dies, the other spouse does not get his/her rights as a normal opposite-sex spouse would get, which includes pension benefits and/or the house (belongings). The movie shows a sad reality to this current unfairness toward gay couples. While gays’ rights are being suppressed, the questions start to come up, â€Å"Is being gay an option? †. This question becomes a part of controversy for gay marriage. According to Dan Eden, a writer for an online journal Viewzone since 1996 on his research, â€Å"Homosexuality is a congenital condition much like being ‘left-handed’. † He provides a scientific point of view that homosexuals are born that way; hormones also affect sexuality, beside chromosomes. Homosexual is not a lifestyle, homosexuals are born gays and they do not choose being gay as a lifestyle. The National Memo, a political newsletter since 2011, interviewed people and asked them, â€Å"Do you think people born gay or choose to be gay? † When they answered, the interviewers added another question, â€Å"When did you choose to be straight? † which made people think. The National Memo wants people to think about this, while Eden wants to make a clear statement that â€Å"being gay is not an option†. The Obama Administration has been trying to bring equal rights for gays, by stating that LGBT’s rights (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) also part of the human rights (Clinton). Hillary Rodham Clinton, the US secretary of state in 2009 stated, â€Å"All people deserve to be treated with dignity and have their human rights respected, no matter who they are or whom they love. † It is clear that people have an equal rights and freedom to love, to choose their partner, and to get married despite their sex’s orientation. On the other hand, according to Ben Newman, a public relations director who had been in position as a â€Å"healed gay†, being gay is an option and can be cured. His name has been changed to protect confidentiality. Newman explained this in his story regarding how his family background and childhood experiences made him being attracted towards men, although he was already married to a woman and had children from her. Later on, he followed a reparative therapy: a reverse treatment through psychotherapy to change his sexual orientation. He succeeded to come back to the society as a â€Å"straight† man after 2 years and 3 months in the reparative therapy (Newman). In this situation, although gay marriage is already legal in some states, gay couples still struggle with their positions in government and law, and also with their positions between church and state. In government and law: when will gay couples receive an equal law for their marriage? Does government have the power to define marriage? It seems that even when gay couples are allowed to marry, they are without any marriage rights, because of DOMA. In regard to their position between church and state, there is much religious objection towards gay marriage. In the United States, Christianity and Catholicism are the primary religions. These religions believe in God and believe that the marriage is rightly between a man and a woman. Although certain churches approve gay marriage (Tying the Knot), the fear is, how it might affect the government, and how it might cause people manipulate the marriage to get the government’s benefits (Boston). Furthermore, in State of the Union 2004, President George W. Bush stated: The union of a man and woman is the most enduring human institution, honored and encouraged in all cultures and by every religious faith. Ages of experience have taught humanity that the commitment of a husband and wife to love and to serve one another promotes the welfare of children and the stability of society. Marriage cannot be severed from its cultural, religious and natural roots without weakening the good influence of society (Burns 7). President Bush described marriage as cultural and natural way to expand the society, because of the fact that marriage between man and woman would produce and foster children. These man-woman marriages are honored by faith and beliefs. He does not want the changes in marriage values affect the society in a bad way. In addition, for people that do not agree on gay marriage, they have skepticism about how gay marriages will affect children in the future. Although people assume that gay couples will not have children, but in reality they do, either from previous relationships, adoptions or simply have to raise children from other family’s member. However, children who are raised by gay couples need legal assurance from their â€Å"gay parents†. According to Anne Pollock, a graduate student in social studies from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, â€Å"The first priority of civil marriage should be to provide a secure environment for all children. The religious right’s claim that children benefit from their [antigay activists] assaults against gay families is nothing less than hypocritical. Burns)† If the gay parents do not have equal legal rights, like what stated in DOMA; so that, if something happens to one of the gay parent, their children also will suffer from the consequences. For example, if a working gay spouse gets into accident at work and dies, the problems would show up for the other surviving spouse when they are denied for the support, which she/he needs to live with the children. For this reason, the benefit is future’s assurance for children themselves; lastly, it seems self-righteous to take away these rights from the children. The other skepticism towards gay marriage is that it will harm children. An author of several books about marriage, Maggie Gallagher states, â€Å"First and foremost, children need stable families to become the kind of adults who will in turn provide stable families for their future children†¦ Legalizing same-sex marriage would sanction families that would deprive children of the experience of either motherhood or fatherhood. (Burns)† Gallagher wants people to think that a normal family has a father and a mother to raise their children; these children will look upon their parents to build their own family in the future. The family that does not have man-woman parents will create a different effect to their children. Therefore, Gallagher believes that man-woman marriage will produce children, and on the other hand, gay couples could not produce children. Specifically, gay marriage will harm children mentally and in long term, our population. Moreover, there are other questions toward gay marriage: will it promote social stability or harm society? For years, gay people have been struggling for their recognition, although they get married in a party with friends and families, but they did not get marry legally. However, they have not think about their future assurance such as: the insurance benefits for government employees, Social Security benefits, immigration, or the filing of joint tax returns. Their futures seem uncertain; something might happen and take away the rights that a normal opposite-sex marriage would legally have. In addition, The California Health Interview Survey held a research regarding physical distress from legal same-sex marriage and how they legally recognized themselves affect their mental heath, and it showed various numbers about how important the recognition from society for whom they are (Wight). If gay marriage becomes legal, there is some assurance for their future; and, if they are socially accepted for whom they are, the society will move forward and become a stable and better society. On the other hand, there are skepticisms that gay marriage will harm the society. According to Sam Schulman, a popular New York writer, gay marriage is selfish and degrades moral values from our society (Burns). People deserve to love and choose their partner, but if their choices are not base on acceptable morality, then they should not do it. Gallagher is strengthening Schulman’s opinion; Gallagher points out about how marriage is the needs of man and woman, in terms sexually, to produce children, financially, and socially (Burns). In conclusion, in term of human rights, gays are human too. They have rights to be treated equally. The searching of equality has been happening for years, from the rights of black people, women’s rights to mix-race marriage rights. People have the rights to choose their own partner, their love, and their assurance in the future. Why legalize gay marriage if the marriage itself has taken its rights (DOMA)? People mention morality and society in terms for our children future, by rejecting gay marriage and its rights. Gay marriage is not the only problem that people have nowadays, there are other occurrences that ignore the morality and society; there are crimes that ignore morality values (rape), shooting in schools or public places, robbery, and many other crimes that occur. We live in a world that demands morality in society; but, what kind of morality and society that we have now – do we value ourselves better than gay people?

Marketing portion update for a Electronic Medical record Business plan Research Paper

Marketing portion update for a Electronic Medical record Business plan - Research Paper Example In order to curb this, the institute of medicine suggested that EMR should be implemented uniformly in the industry to improve the efficiency of care givers. (Erickstad et al, 2011). Target Markets The examination of the target market must be conducted on the basis of important variables that essentially define the characteristics of the market to enhance the achievement of marketing objectives that have been outlined in this plan. Geographic Segmentation – Domestic and International The most significant method of segmentation which has been discovered during the course of this research in relation with EMR is that of geographic segmentation. Research by Accenture has projected that the countries that are most likely to increase their usage of EMR are mostly the Nordics, Australia as well as Spain since they are already leading in adaption of the same. On the other hand, the United States is expected to overtake even these nations in the use of Hospital based EMRs in by the en d of the year 2013. Expected Growth The aforementioned market segments that have been characterized on the basis of their location have displayed varying levels of growth however, a similar feature in this regard is that each segment is expected to expand even though, the extent of this expansion might be different and in accordance with the development of the healthcare system in the identified regions. The largest potential target markets are the hospitals overhauling their systems and incorporating EMR technology; while the risk is high, the rewards are bound to be proportionally high as well. In addition, large markets with significant growth potential especially in clinical support where the maintenance is outsources preferably by small players would provide a conducive target market for the EMR technology both from a domestic and global perspective. Characteristics of Customers Since the target market does not involve the participation of individual consumers, the major segmen tation variables for consumer markets such as demographic, psychographic and behavioral factors would be inappropriate to apply in their entirety however, behavioral patterns suggest that the customer’s attitude towards the product would be positive, with a readiness stage at which they are informed about its potential benefits and understand the benefits of the product. Total Market Valuation The growth trend in domestic and international markets for EMR implies that the market value of each of the identified regions is going to increase in coming years which is a positive sign for the company. According to research based calculations and market assessments the potential value of the market for EMR in the United States currently stands at a staggering $17 billion. This figure has been derived from prior calculations which reported the market value to be $15.7 in 2010. Consequently, similar observations are expected for countries such as Australia and Spain. However, inflatio n rate, exchange rate fluctuations and external factors such as taxes must be taken into account before arriving at concrete figures. Total Company Revenue The company’s commitment to the client is the provision of a high-quality product and our dedication is not limited to the delivery and installation of the product but it also extends to an extensive period of service. The primary costs of EMR that the client shall incur once an order for the product is placed are divided amongst the following categories:

Week3-3dq3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Week3-3dq3 - Essay Example For the purpose of this paper, it will concentrate on the logical view. As its name suggests, everything should follow what the approach feels is logical, without much deviation. It normally followed the Booch Method; an object oriented language, although Booch has mostly been overtaken by Unified Modeling Language (UML). However, Booch is still being taught at most universities, normally called Rational Booch after the company Grady Booch was working at when he developed the method. Rational has since been acquired by IBM. Salehie points out that the logical view should be used first in the process, during the documentation phase (Ibid 2004). The primary documented approach of the logical view is concerned how the end system interacts or reacts with its stakeholders and what service it would exactly provide. IBM has a software tool called â€Å"Rational Rose† which uses UML. Something like biology, the logical view with Rational Booch uses â€Å"classes† to identify certain architecturally significant items and the classes are further broken down into class diagrams (groups of related classes) and class templates (each template is only concerned with one specific class). Meanwhile, items common to all of the classes are referred to as class utilities. As Kruchten says (1995), â€Å"the numerous adornments are not very useful† during the logical view, referring to a confusing array of symbols. So various standardized symbols are used for simplicity’s sake. Even the lines have a certain significance and the key should explain what each means. As an example, he used the example of a modest PBX telephone system versus the blueprint of a complicated national air traffic control system. Using different symbols, Kruchten was able to document both blueprints using a single one for each (he had many years of experience in both industries). If there is a keyword for the technology of this era, it is

Professional Practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Professional Practice - Essay Example Currently, there is a lot of money and resources spent in the ongoing management and maintenance of the green areas of the City hence the need to try and curb the cost incurred. The Urban Nature Parks Programme has enlisted the help of a landscape practice in Sheffield to undertake the lead in the project. I have been appointed to run the point in this project. The area to be worked on is approximately 100metres by 150metres. The area has some grass, some indigenous Oak trees, and weeds that facilitate fly trappings. Local residents do not enjoy the area so much because of these said disadvantages. There have been complaining about hedges growing wildly and this can pose a security threat to the locals of that area. The Urban Parks Programme intends to grow trees to fill up 80% of the Park and Wild grass that needs maintenance once every year to fill up the rest of the Park. The JACI LWC is unambiguously for Landscape systems that include lax Landscape works. However, they are not suitable for use on schemes requiring named or designated sub-contractors, scheduled phased instigation and/or accomplishment, as well as not being suitable for projects of over roughly  £200,000 (Walters, 2010). For projects demanding elements to be deliberate by the Service provider the JCLI Landscape Mechanism Contract with Contractor’s Design (JCLI LWCD) must be used over JCLI LWC. This does not deliver that every adjustment is to be treated as a deviation. Where there are priced Work Programmes any correction which results in a modification of the quantities and/or rates in the Work Programmes will result in a deviation (Walters, 2010). This clause comes to bare because my Company has set out two people to do two similar tasks. In essence, I will be providing an estimate while my colleague is tasked with the actual budgeting of the entire project.

Journal entry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Journal entry - Essay Example They will also be motivated to deliver the work on time and ensure that they make the best use of time. To this end, new entries could be added to the existing journal as follows: The budget of the project is a reflection of the resources that are going to be put into the project. This shall not be in terms of monetary spending alone. Rather, several areas of the project that demand human resource, capital resource, time resource and energy resource have all been factored into the budget. Again, the budget does not only make a representation of the needed resources that are going to be invested into the project but expected income is also featured. On the whole, the procurement of equipment is expected to be the component of the project that will have a lot of drain on the budget. This is because only brand new machine parts are going to be purchased. Moreover, spending to be made by the staff is also expected to put a lot of financial on the budget. In all, sale of the engines to be produced will be the major source of capital for the project. The development of the project budget goes with the following entries in the journal: Calculating estimated income that the project will eventually yield when it is completed. The income shall be dictated by factors including time of completion, quality of project and number of pieces of equipment made. As already hinted, the quality of the project will go a long way to determine the income that the project is going to yield. This is because in today’s competitive world where value for money has become the order of the day, consumers and customers of good and products expect nothing less than absolute quality. This is a demand that puts the team under pressure to ensure maximum adherence to quality restrictions. To this end, there shall be a special review to the quality management plan that has already been structured to take care of management of quality issues in the project. The new modification shall

The importance of body language and gesture in the Couselling exchange Essay

The importance of body language and gesture in the Couselling exchange - Essay Example It is an artistic science and a scientific art. It uses the most sophisticated technical tools to explore the deep depths of an individual’s personality. Guidance and counselling are similar in nature. Both are continuous. The term guidance we use in a much wider sense while counselling often used to specific purposes. Counselling is the centre of all guidance programs. Counselling is more technical in nature and it guides the guidance process. The data obtained in the counselling process is often used in guidance process. Body language on the other hand is the peculiar responses of our body to certain situations. All forms of human communication are not uses verbal languages. Body language often makes use of facial expressions. It is a mean of communication using body movements and gestures instead of verbal language or other communication. Many people send and receive non verbal signals all the time. For example, while playing cricket, a batsman’s thoughts about a difficult bowler will always come out as his gestures and body languages. When the batsman deceived by a particular ball, he often make gestures and the bowler can easily identify the thoughts of the batsman and he can attack him consistently with such balls to get him out. Thus body language or gestures are often the results of the thoughts of the person regarding a particular situation. The counsellor at the time of counselling observes the body language of the counselee along with his responses to the questions. An experienced counsellor can learn more from the body language and gestures of the counselee than his verbal responses. While making conclusion the counsellor will consider all such behaviours of the counselee to assess the problem correctly. â€Å"What people say could often be very different from what theyre thinking or feeling. Its very easy to say something untrue or insincere, so we can never rely on words alone. Fortunately, theres a proven way to

Program facilitator Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Program facilitator - Essay Example Among the possible opponents to the plan to reduce obesity among children are fast food shops like McDonalds and KFC among others. Obviously, fast foods that also include junk food materials are among the major causes of obesity among children. To curb or reduce the prevalence of the condition, the program has to encourage reduced consumption and proper advertisement of fast food materials (Bombak, 2014). Discouraging consumption of fast food materials among children and campaigns against deceptive television adverts about the food will work to threaten the business fast food shops. Successfulness of the program to reduce obesity will mean that children and other victims of obesity will consider reducing their rates of consumption of fast food, which will in turn compromise performance of fast food businesses. Businesses and individuals dealing in online and written video games are also potential opponents to the program to reduce obesity among children of 6-17 years old. Generally, video games have proved to usurp greatest part of time of children and sparing them limited time to engage in physical activities (Etow, 2012). Program to reduce obesity among the children of 6-17 years will include discouragement and call to reduce time spent on playing video games. If successful, dealers in video games will experience sharp decline in consumption of their products. To address opposition from dealers of video games, I would ask the producers to design games that limit playtime. For instance, instead of games that children can play the whole day, the proposed design should turn off a game after a particular period like 2,3,4 or 5 hours. This will help regulate the time that children spend playing a particular

Open source intelligence and privacy - criminology Essay

Open source intelligence and privacy - criminology - Essay Example There is also the hope of stopping the incidence of crime, through addressing the causes of crime at the individual level, which can result in social reforms. The pressure to study crimes and criminal behaviour is also fuelled by the wish to comprehend and give an explanation about the incidences of crime and the reactions of society towards it. Again, some scholar, especially philosophers and sociologists, will study crime, so as to know more about it, and also to find out what it tells the people about the society and its problems. In defining crime, the simple definition developed about the area is this: criminology as the collection of knowledge related to the issue of crime, as a social phenomenon. The field of criminology covers – under it – the law making process, the breaking of laws, and the responses offered to the community members that break the law. The objective of the field of criminology is that of developing a body of general and evidence-based knowledge, among other sets of knowledge, about the processes of law, crime and the treatment offered to the breakers of law. On the other hand, computer science is the practical, specific approach to the field of computation and its applications. It is the methodical exploration of the structure, feasibility, expression and the mechanization of algorithms (methodical processes) behind the process of obtaining, illustrating, processing, storing, transmitting and accessing information, whether it is programmed as bits inside a computer memory bank or transcribed inside the protein structures or the genes of human cells. A computer scientist is a specialist in the field of computing and the designing of computational systems. This report will identify the key concepts of computer science from a criminologist’s point of view. The report will also explore the meaning of the concept, the difficulty of putting the field into operation and the relevance of the field

Interpersonal Relationship and True Friend Essay Example for Free

Interpersonal Relationship and True Friend Essay Tens of thousands, or one million? How many people will we meet in a whole lifetime, and how many of them do we have relationships with? Every person is born into a family without their choice, so they try to keep a good relationship with all family members to live happily, but sometimes it can be a misfortune for some people to get along with family members. However, we can choose to have good a relationship or not with acquaintances. Ive met with lots of people, sometimes I don’t get the chance to introduce myself, sometimes I had a good time with them, Sometimes I was disappointed by their behavior, and decided to say good-bye forever. There are many characteristics that determine whether a person is a friend or acquaintance. Considering my experiences, there are three types of acquaintances: true friends, ex-friends, and temporary acquaintances. I believe for a person to be considered a true friend they must be trustworthy and loyal. Someone whom will always stick by your side through thick and thin and would not sell you out. A true friend needs to be fair, caring, and loving. A true friend is someone who can make you smile or laugh; a person that will make you happy when you are sad. However, a true friend needs to be honest and must be able to tell you the truth even if it isn’t pleasant to hear. A true friend needs to be able to tell you something that you might not want to hear. At the same time, a true friend needs to be someone who wont try to change the way a person is and needs to be able to accept different personalities and characteristics. A true friend must know that it is very hard to gain trust; however. it is easy to lose it. People might say that a life without a true friend is no life at all. On the other hand there are people who I can’t say are friends anymore, so I consider them ex-friends. I was once close to them because of good times, humor, first impression, or similar interests, but later found out they used me, lied, and were selfish. I sometimes felt resentful, and realized I had better

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Freedom of speech Essay The phrase â€Å"freedom of speech† refers to an individual’s right to speak freely, or to express oneself without suppression from the others. In addition, the freedom of speech may refer to a person’s ability to seek, impart, or receive information without influences that may limit the freedom. People can express their opinion or views through the right of freedom to speech. This right is recognized by many nations’ governments, as well as both international and regional human rights organizations. For instance, the United States government protects the peoples’ right of freedom to speech through the First Amendment, which is found in the constitution. The freedom of speech though a right has and can be abused if it’s not limited, and the need to prevent the freedom of speech abuse has made it necessary for governments to put into place some limitations to this right. These limitations are adopted so that cases of abuse through speech such as obscenity and use of insults are curbed. All over the world, the abuse of the freedom of speech has become a common phenomenon. The right to freedom of speech can be dangerous when abused (Andrew, 2005, p. 65). Discussion The freedom of speech can become abused when it’s used to create conflicts, disagreements, and in some cases war. Speech involves the use of words and phrases to express one’s opinion about an issue. These phrases or words can be used to express feelings of hatred, dislike, and dissatisfaction. As human beings, it is very natural for us to go through tragic and painful experiences . These experiences may trigger feelings of hatred and dislike towards those we may perceive as having contributed to our misfortunes. For example, unfair treatment of a person by the others may create negative feelings towards the others. These feelings can be expressed by our actions, deeds, or speech. When negative feelings are expressed through speech, they may lead to the abuse of the freedom . A good example is the use of insults or inappropriate language towards other people. The words that may be used in speech can be insensitive and are most likely to violate the rights of the other people. This no doubt proves that freedom of speech can be used to abuse freedom. It is every person’s right to be respected, and the use of abusive language against a person should not be tolerated. However, many individuals and human rights activists advocate for freedom of speech without any limitations. It is a fact that the use of speech is one of the best ways through which people can express how they feel, as well as their views about different issues (Lee, 1988, p. 24). But the question that we need to ask ourselves is, to what extent should the freedom of speech be allowed? The human nature triggers people to exploit opportunities for their own benefits, which make them abuse the right to speech for their selfish needs. So many conflicts, disagreements, and wars emanate from the abuse of the freedom of speech. The use of feelings and emotions that promote hatred triggers conflicts, which have resulted to loss of human life or injuries. The individuals or a group of people that is insulted tends to retaliate the attacks . It is no wonder then that a single instance of abuse leads to many more successive cases of abuse. Another way through which the freedom of speech can be abused is by suppressing the freedom to speak in other people so that they do not express themselves as they would desire. This occurs when speech is used to manipulate people, or to make them submit to the selfish desires of one person. Such cases of abuse are often experienced in the political world. Individuals or groups may use speech to manipulate and threaten people, so that they do not interfere with their political interests. The people are prevented from making independent decisions through threatening statements. Since we all belong to a certain political system in our respective nations, we are likely to experience political influences. Democracy has nowadays become a common feature in the political systems. This has given the citizens the right to speak freely about the political evils and illegal actions that may exist in the society (Sunstein, 1995, p 63). This is a positive way of using the freedom of speech. However, it becomes tragic when the same right is used to suppress the rights of the others. The people are coerced not to use their freedom to speech, since it’s considered to threaten some selfish needs. The freedom of speech is also abused when people speak to defy the social morals and ethics. For instance, the use of obscene language goes against many societies’ ethics and morals. The modern technology through the Internet is one of the communication channels that people use to exploit the freedom of speech for the wrong reasons. The Internet is currently causing devastating effects on the morals and ethics of the societies. Through this form of communication, the right to speak is being abused through inappropriate use of language, with the websites giving the people an opportunity to exploit the freedom of speech for the wrong reasons. There is no argument that the internet is of great benefits to the people. However, it is being used by the people to offend and to promote hatred against the others. The freedom to speak freely has its merits and demerits. This right to speech is abused through dishonesty. For many of us, we cannot count the number of times that we have used this right to give misleading or false information as a way of protecting our selfish interests. When this information is received by the others, it creates room for more abuse. Any action or deed that goes against the virtues and the ethics of the society can be termed as abuse of the human rights, freedom of speech included. The present day business world is very competitive, and all business enterprises are now capitalizing on marketing their products for maximum returns. Through advertising, many corporate bodies use false information to woo consumers, a situation that represents the abuse of freedom of speech . The freedom of speech then becomes dangerous when it’s abused. Conclusion The freedom of speech is a human right which allows us to express our feelings and opinion. When properly used, it is of great importance. On the other hand, this right can be abused for various reasons. This becomes very dangerous, a situation that brings out the negative side of free speech in people. In order to prevent this, limitations need to be adopted so that this right is used for the good of the people. Works Cited Andrew, Puddephatt. Freedom of Expression: The essentials of Human Rights, Hodder Arnold, pg. 127, 2005 Lee, Bollinger. The Tolerant Society. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1988 Sunstein, Cass. Democracy and the Problem of Free Speech. Publishing Research Quarterly 11 (4): 58–72, 1995

Britannia International Hotel Industry: Analysis

Britannia International Hotel Industry: Analysis This is the strategic report on the Britannia International Hotel industry. It discusses the scheme of the strategic management in the business with the analysing of the tools of the strategy in the day to day operations of the business. Strategic report is focusing on the impact analysis of the business strategy of the hotel industry with the giving of the overall view on the strategic management scheme in the hotel industry. It is ideally giving of the recommendation for the improvement of the performance level of the hotel industry in the current market with the adoption of the suitable , feasible and acceptable techniques of the Hospitality Management to improve the level of the performance in the business. Introduction This is the strategic assignment focusing on the Britannia International Hotel Industry in London. The aim of the assignment is to discuss the strategic policy management of the Britannia International Hotel industry in London in the relation to their internal and external business environment. The Britannia International is one of the prominent hotel industry in the London situated at the heart of the city at Canary Wharf, London. They are having 35 hotels across United Kingdom using 7000 bedrooms, One of the hotel at the prime location of the city in London at the Canary Wharf is the key success factor nearer to the major airports and the seaside resorts surrounded by stunning country side (Lehman,2007) The strategic aim of the hotel industry is to provide the optimum money value at the desired level of the satisfaction facilitating to the easy opportunity of the decision-making to the guests who are coming ion the hotel industry (Buidcon,2009) As the London is an international cit y in the world many guests are used to come here from the different parts of the world in order to enjoy the city of London with its greenery, atmosphere, surroundings – due to which there is a wide scope of the development of the Hospitality industry in this area in order to hospitalise the visitors in this country. As a result many hotel industries are the wide popular in this city used to earn the good source of the potential income and sales turnover. The Britannia International at the Canary Wharf is offering the extremely competitive rates in the combination with the flourishes decoration with the facilities including restaurant, health club, night club, bars and free wireless internet access. (Gary,2010) The hotel is situated on the waters edge next to the Canary Wharf, at the Docklands of the London in the internationally developed renowned office development, the hotel industry is fully modernised in the traditional culture having up to date facilities (Simson,2009) Modern style hotel located on the waterside in Londons docklands closed to Canary Wharf where there are many international businesses as well as large shopping centre , various restaurants and Bars (Gilston,2010) Literature Review Business Strategy of the Britannia hotel industry is purely of the functional and authoritative nature, Hotel industry is rationally divided in to four parts of the line of the organisational set up in which there are the functional departments are diversified as per the core area of the business management, Strategic planning of the hotel industry is made on the basis of the grouping of functions in to four imperative divisions they are the Operations, Human Resource, Marketing and Finance, Information Management section is the co-coordinator of all the departments which is involved in the transfer of the information with in the different active departments as a core functional chain in the business (Tandon,2007) Strategic Management of the hotel industry is having a dynamic and imperative weight in the international cities as per the depending of the nature and scope of activities , many guests and visitors are used to come in the city of London which has created an enormous beauty and scope of the activities of the hospitalisation in the city of London, different services are provided as per the capability and intensity of the hotel industry at the reasonable rates in order to achieve an optimum level of the satisfaction from the customers, supplier power of the hotel industry is really is magnificent they are providing the restaurant, Bar, Kitchen, living and boarding facilities having 4 big halls for the conducting of events such as marriages, birth day parties, functions, meetings, ceremonies in which the area of the potentials of the hotel industry are based, recently they are planning to start the travel and tourism operations as their supportive area of activity to the core functional scheme which is the additional source of the revenue recognition (Rodrics,2010) Glance situation of the hotel industry at the magnified location is the measured strength of the hotel industry at the Canary Wharf , the increasing the number of the people with the large sco pe for the sale of the food items in the glorious location of the hotel industry are some of the ideal characteristics of the hotel industry giving the prominent scope of the development and hospitalisation (Small,2009) Intensity of the buyer towards the hotel industry is strategic and sound as they are willing to get the supreme level of the services with in the reasonable costs and achieving the enjoyment of the city of London, Docklands area near to sea shore is giving the glance opportunity of the business development to the Britannia international hotel industry at the higher rate of income with the global status and the exclusive customer support, they are having a stratified customer relationship management strategy in which functional scope of the CRM dimensions has been predicted through the norms of the customer identification , customer attraction, customer development and the customer retention (Philip,2008) The strategic Management of the Hospitality industry in London is the core activity of the management in which functional scope is administered as a tool of the resource management, Operational activities are coming under the day to day performances of the business and regular services to the guests who are coming in the hospitality industry in order to acquire services and potentialities for the earning of the higher revenue generation in the day to day operational management, Human resource strategy is the core activity of the functional management in which major concentration is given on the process of the recruitment and selection of the new candidates in the service so as to get completion of the business activities in the right strategic order and at the right time with in the reasonable resources, Marketing Activities are the activities which are relating to the development of the market through the making of the strategic relationships with the customers and attracting them in the shoes of the customer in order to develop and expand the business activities, Finance department is involved in the strategic financial operations including the accounting , internal audits, finance management, investments in the area of the business so as to maintain the liquidity and the cash management in the day to day business operations, Information Management department is the channelising information department in the business with the providing of the time to time information in the order to regulate the departmental activities in the business organisation (Shardul,2010) Discussion The strategic report is discussing on the management policy of the Britannia International Hotel industry. In the international city of London the wide scope is available for the hospitalisation sector as many visitors are used to come here from the different parts of the world in order to pursue their education, jobs, picnics and visits, living. In due course of the same there is a wide scope available for the development of the hospitality industry in this city to entertain the visitors . There is a wide scope of the strategic management in the hotel industry so as to administer the group of activities in the business management policy of the hospitalisation. Business strategy has been constructed as per the model guideline of the core hospitalisation. Hotel industry is using the effective and efficient Customer Relationship Management strategy in order to make the long lasting relations with the guests, visitors in the shoes of their customers . The strategy of the Customer Relati onship Management has been constructed in the view of the implementation of the efficient and effective CRM dimensions of the customer identification, attraction, retention and development to make the expansion of the business activities to capture the wider segment of the market. Market development strategies used to be formed with the using of the effective marketing communication techniques such as advertising and publicity , sales promotions, direct marketing , public relations and personal selling which will be helpful to develop the good communication system of the hotel with the creating of the Goodwill in the business. Business strategy of the Britannia international is constructed as per the ideal divisions of the functional activities in the four major departments specifying the executive strategy of the hospitality operations. Critical Analysis Strategic Management policy of the Britannia hotel industry is a constructive idea of the operational profile in which there is a wide scope available for the coverage of the functional area of activities. The strategic idea of the functional approach of the management policy is depending on the availability of the strategic factors which are in the support of the management and get inverse with the management. Following are the SWOT analysis are focusing on the internal and external factors of the hotel industry – a) Strengths Glance location of the hotel industry in the midlands nearer of the dockland airport is facilitating the visitors to take stay in the hotel. Availability of the feasible facilities including the air conditioned rooms, lodging and boarding, Restaurants, Bar,Kithen are all giving the strengths of the business. Staff operations are commensurate to the strategic development of activities , with the expertises of the staff and availability of the potential capacity of the labour services. Availability of the tourism operations is creating an additional constructive strength of the business . The scope of the information management department is to handle the ideal activities of the marketing function through the implementation of the different strategic marketing techniques. Availability of full fledged well furnished rooms , with the big halls for the events, ideal structure of the hotel set up is an added advantage. b) Weaknesses – No scope for the parking facility of the vehicles in the surrounding area of the hotel industry. Increasing the rate of the labour turnover in the business with the improper workforce management activities. There is a serious increases in the budgeted expenditures of the hotel industry in due course of the increasing the labour turnover of the business. Reduction in the profitability of the business over the period of time is affecting on the performance level of the hotel industry. Increasing in the costs expenditures will commensurate to the revenue recognition from the day to day operational control of the business. c) Opportunities – There is a greater scope available for the hospitalisation in the area of Canary Wharf. As London is one of the international city in the world many visitors are used to come here for the visits , picnic, education,travel,living,jobs. So that there is a wide scope of the opportunities for the development of the business is available towards the international visitors. Performance level of the hospitality industry is at the optimum rank , further there is a wide scope of the development to increase the level of the performance of the business with the employment of the skilled, efficient labour in the day to day business operations. Level of the business management can be used as a basis of the chanelising the information management function in order to acquire the objectives of the business. d) Threats – As the London is an international city in the world, many spectators are used to come here from the different parts of the world. It is therefore there is a wide scope for the development of the Hospitality industry in this area. The scope of the Hospitalisation is quite more in this city of London. Due to which many hotel industries are used to operate in this city to entertain the globalise visitors, guests. It is leading to the emergence of the different hotel industries. Hotel Hilton Metropolitan, Hotel Syon Park, Hotel Chariot Mirror are some of the leading hotel industries in the city competing the Britannia International. SWOT analysis is pertaining to the focus on the internal and external business environment which shows an exact picture of the hotel industry in a strategic manner. In depth focus further can be made in the business activities through the applications of the tool of the Porters five forces – Supplier Power – It is the creative idea of the different facilities offered by the Britannia hotel industry in the hospitalisation. They are having Bar , Restaurant, Kitchen services , lodging and boarding facilities , full well furnished air conditioned rooms which are attracting the visitors in the hotel. At one time more than 100 of people can have stay in the hotel in the well furnished rooms. There is an optimum level of the food facility available for the guests and visitors. Bar services are more timely and co-efficient. Operational strategic management has been done based on the implementing the ideal strategy of the hospitality management and its core area of the knowledge. The Hotel industry is having the strategic supply power which can attract the large number of customers in order to increase the capacity sales. Buyer Power – This is the power of the buyer intensity in which study of the buyer behaviour has been conducted. Buyer power is created with the availability of the financial position of the buyer leading to increase in the level of consumption. Understanding of the buyer behaviour in the business is a strategic task of the assessing of the demand position in the current market. On the basis of which the supplier power can be built up in the day to day business operations. In every business intensity of the buyer capacity is playing a strategic role. As the Uk is in the recovery stage of the credit crunch situation in the market, it is leading to the increase in the level of the economy along with the employment opportunities in the business. With the help of that the earning potential capacity of the buyer is now upgrading leading to the increase in the level of consumption. Market Competition – There is a strategic competition in the market. As the London is an international city there is a major scope for the development of the Hospitality sector because people who are coming from the different parts of the world are need to have facility for their hospitalisation and care. In due course of which many hotel industries are used to operate in this city creating a challenging business environment for the hospitality industry. With the availability of the international Hotels such as Hilton Metropolitan, Syon Park, Mirror Chariot there is an ultimate reduction is felt in the business of the Britannia international. Threat of New Entrants – There is a serious threat of the new entrants who are coming in the market. As this city has a wider scope of the hospitalisation business in due course of the international visitors, the scope of the hotel industries has been increased in this area. For the entertaining of the guests, visitors there is a need of the new resraurants,hotels which ultimately had given rise to the commencing of the new hotel industry businesses , which can create a challenging threats for the Britannia International as the same quality food may be available at the more cheaper rates in the new hotels for the sake of the capturing of the market. Barriers to New Entrants There are the certain barriers are available in this country for the new hotel industries. Govt. Licensing is a challenging task which requires the many compliances of the documents and still no assurance of the sanctioning of the license. Another problem is of the capital funding as London is one of the costly city in the world , there are the many requisites are raised for the mobilisation of the capital and still there are the issues which are arising in the starting of the business. These are the serious challenging barriers to the new entrants. Findings It has been found on the basis of the strategic analysis that there are the different strategies and customs are applied in the business. The normative strategic planning of the business is based on the Porters generic scheme. a) Cost Leadership – There is a cost efficiency and effectiveness is maintained in the business which is leading to the maximisation of the profits. Quarterly budgets are prepared indicating the schedule of the expenditures and the actual performance is used to compare with that schedule in order to improve the strategic performance of the business. Executive cost control is maintained in the business as a strategic tool of the business. b) Focused – The ideal focus of the activities is based on the restaurant and lodging and boarding activities. In the restaurant the strategic activities which are focused are the kitchen services, Bar services, Operating services. In the lodging and boarding activities the ideal services are the well furnished rooms along with all the facilities of the toilets, bathrooms. c) Differentiation – With the continuing of the focused core area of activity of the business hotel industry is planning to develop the new activity of the Travelling and Tourism operations which will facilitate the additional source of income of the business as the supportive level of activity to grow the business in the Hospitality sector. Conclusion and Recommendation The Britannia international is one of the reputed hotel industry in London having its strategic significance all over the world. Wide scope of the business with the glance opportunity is available for the expansion and development for the hotel industries. The Britannia hotel is having the imperative strength of the good supplier power , ideal resource management scheme which will be commensurate for the strategic management policy of the business. Good location of the hotel industry , facilities available are of the restaurant, bar , kitchen services , lodging and boarding services which are giving the scope for the business expansion and development. However, as the London is an international city in the world many spectators are used to come here for the travels, visits, education there is a wide scope of the development of the hospitality sector in order to catch the wide area of the business development. This is giving scope for the development of the many hospitality industries creating the market competition . Hotel Hilton, Hotel Syon Park, Hotel Passage to India are the hotels creating a challenging environment for the business. It is recommended to the hotel industry to give scope on the marketing communication techniques of the sales promotions and direct marketing in order to grow and expand the business. In the sales promotions focus can be on the giving of the different attractive discounting offers which can catch the customers. In the direct marketing hotel industry can use the strategic technique of the e-mail communications system to contact directly with the customers.

Analysis of The Lamb and The Tyger by William Blake Essay -- William B

William Blake was a first generation Romantic poet. Many of his poems were critical of a society who thought themselves to be almost perfect, a society run by, not their own free will, but the use of technology. He wanted people to question what they had always done, and whether it was morally right. He did so by using varying techniques that set up clashes between ideologies and reality. His poems allow us to see into ‘the eternal world of the spirit’ and his dreams of the sacred England he had always wanted, a place undamaged by technology, a place that is peaceful and tranquil. But not all his poems reflect this. In fact, from Blake’s ‘Songs of Innocence and of Experience’ there are a number of poems, describing what life could be like and in reality what life is like. Two examples are ‘The Lamb’ and ‘The Tyger’. We can see he uses poetic techniques to set up such clashes. These two poems demonstrate exactly Blake’s views on the ills of society, mainly referring to the industrial revolution and the impacts and consequences it brought. ‘The Lamb’ and ‘The Tyger’ are both poems written in the form of a lyric which describes the capturing of a particular moment and most importantly the mood or insight it stimulates in the poet. Blake thought that a lyric gives the freedom to tell anything and explore the emotions and ideas that some incident has created. Blake shows the original meaning of ‘lyric’ by actually titling his volume ‘Songs of Innocence and of Experience’. The ‘Songs of Innocence’ are poems which bring out happy feelings and show the greatness in life. They represent innocence and a child - like vision, thus ‘The Lamb’ is about God creating a lamb who is a special and holy creature. The ‘So... ...and ‘symmetry’ do not rhyme unlike the other rhyming couplets. This is also to cause confusion and bring about s sense of unease, the same confusion Blake felt through his life and child hood when he had visions and the society around him was changing. ‘The Tyger’ and ‘The Lamb’ are two poems written along the same lines but ending up to be completely different. However both poems show the same beliefs and opinions of William Blake perfectly and emphasize what he wanted everyone to remember and the lesson he wanted everyone to learn. This was that no matter how far man gets with technological advances and no matter how far the industrial revolution takes people; it will never be able to beat down the tool of human imagination, which is by far the strongest, and natures wild spirit, found in creatures such as the ‘fierce’ tyger and ‘meek & mild’ lamb.

Essays --

You maybe, as many people are curious of where online shopping came from? When did it start? Did someone invent it? And how was it created? In 2011, Michael Aldrich published a claim that he had invented online shopping in the United Kingdom in 1979, using a standard dial up telephone line. He connected a modified domestic television to a real-time transaction processing computer to create the Aldrich system. During 1980s he launched the Redifon's Office Revolution that allowed the consumers, distributors, suppliers and companies to be connected on-do business transactions. From 1980 onwards, the system is only used for business to business system and transaction only but during the widespread availability of the internet and computer systems during the 1990s the business to consumer online shopping started to become financially viable. (Michael Aldrich Archive. 2011) Online or e-shopping is a part of e-commerce and a process that allows the consumers to buy products, information and services through the internet. Since the generation today has high technology, it is one of the factors that encourage the people to do online shopping, rather than doing the traditional way of going to the market and store. (Gans. 2011) Shopping online is fast growing to be part of our everyday lives. Increasingly people are using the convenience of online shopping due to people having computers in the home along with high speed connection. Online shopping and visiting an online shop enables the customer to search, find, order and pay for the products, information and services that they need. To be able to do online shopping, one must visit an online shop, like a website or an account in the social networking sites that sells products. The payment o... ...s that online shopping undergoes is revealed. The diagram shows simplicity and can be easily done, that’s why people tends to be an online shopper now a days. Online shopping offers a lot of benefits for the customers. The researcher used different methods of collecting information that was used in this research paper. The researcher gathered information in the internet and in the library. They visited different reliable and credible websites and looked for recent articles and data that were used for the betterment of this research paper. The researchers did a survey to gather some numerical data about the customers who are engaged into online shopping. They did random sampling and gave out approximately 50 survey papers to different people aged from 14-30. These methods where used in order to make this research paper about online shopping credible and factual.

Transformation to Womanhood in Two Kinds by Amy Tan :: Two Kinds, Amy Tan

Transformation to Womanhood in Two Kinds For a lot of us growing up, our mothers have been an integral part of what made us who we are. They have been the one to forgive us when no one else could. They have been the one to comfort us when the world seemed to turn to evil. They have been the one to shelter us when the rain came pouring down. And most importantly, they have been the one to love us when we needed it the most. In "Two Kinds," by Amy Tan, Jing-mei is a young daughter of a Chinese immigrant. Growing up she had to endure being raised by an overbearing mother as well as deal with psychological struggles within herself. She had to learn how to become a woman on her own terms. Throughout the story, her mother repeatedly pressures Jing-mei to be something that she is not. She wants Jing-mei to somehow become a prodigy child. She has such high hopes for her daughter that she doesn't realize the amount of distress she causes Jing-mei. Like all good mothers, she only wants the best for her child. Since immigrating to America, she believes that anything can be accomplished and she uses her daughter as her outlet to prove it. She continuously gives Jing-mei numerous tests to memorize bible passages and world capitals, and eventually coerces her into taking piano lessons, which becomes the prime focus of her 'perfect daughter' determination. Jing-mei reacts extremely negatively to this pressure. This is only exemplified when she states, "'I won't let her change me, I promised myself. I won't be what I am not." She is forced to take a stance against her mother primarily because she doesn't want to be forced into becoming something that she is not. Jing-mei feels she must become her true self, a person whom she feels her mother is not to determine for her. Jing-mei feels uncomfortable with her mother putting so much pressure on her. She is on a continuous struggle within herself to find who she really is. She is constantly distraught over torn feelings of wanting to become her true self and making her mother proud. Still, as time goes on it proves to be better to go against the tide, go against her mother's wishes. "And after seeing my mother's disappointed face once again, something inside of me began to die.

ID Personal statement for Dental School Essay

Since I was a little child, I always dreamed of being a medical doctor or a dentist. This is probably because my parents modelled the desire in me, for both of them were working in a hospital. Although none of my parents was a physician or a nurse, spending times in their offices and noticing the doctors who were working in the hospital was the first glimmer in my mind to become a doctor. What exacerbated the desire is the situation I went through at the age of fifteen. My father was diagnosed with kidney failure at that time. It was the start of the three hard and unforgettable years in my life. This is the time and the situation that greatly influenced my desire for working in a medical field. Before that time, I just saw physicians, and this was the first time that I was experiencing the living with a patient. My father’s disease was harsh, and for the first three or four months, different specialists to make him ready for haemodialysis visited him. Then, for the rest of his life, he had to go to the hospital three times a week and each time for three hours to be dialyzed. During the first months of my father’s disease, noticing different patients with different kind of diseases and all the pains that they were suffering from, made me to think more about being a doctor. I wondered if I could help those patients, or if I was good enough to become a doctor. During last three years of my father’s life, I was always with him. Leaving in a country with well equipped hospitals but poor patient hospitality services, my mother and I had to take care of everything ourselves. During those years, I had the opportunity to observe different departments of hospitals, different physicians, and patients with different disease. All these things made me more serious about my decision to work in a medical field. When my father died, I promised to myself to put all my effort to become a person who can help the patient like my father to have a better and less painful life. Being a dentist therefore offers me the opportunity to get in touch with a diversity of peoples and help them to ease the pain and suffering they get from one the worst pains in human body, which is toothache. I believe that dentistry is a kind of art and a dentist has to have skilled hands. It is just like an art of playing the guitar or making jewellery. Just as it took me time to learn the guitar and I ended up being a very good player, so is my determination in becoming a dentist. I picture it as a very precise art that needs a combination of expertise skills and enjoyment to serve a patient to make them finally happy. Just as the jewel artist is careful to go through a process of skill and expertise application, with the motivation of coming up with a beautiful ornament, so a dentist should in having his or her final product – a happy patient. In all this, I therefore look forward to joining the dental school to pursue this career. My education background is thus as follows: I graduated as an honor student, with high GPA from a high school in Iran. I there after graduated from Northern Virginia Community College as an honor student with GPA of 3. 957(Associate Degree in Biology). Arriving at USA in 2005, community college gave me the opportunity to study and work at the same time. Without my family, it was hard for me to afford to go directly to the university. I was therefore left with this only option. I proceeded to George Mason University where I am a senior student. My Current overall GPA is 3. 3; Program GPA is 3. 95 and I Major in Biology. I have enrolled to Biology honor program and I will be graduating as an honor student in this major. Vested with great responsibility for excellent performance, I am inquisitive and of an analytical mind. Moreover, I am ready and quick to learn, a team player, self-driven and result oriented. In that respect, I am a member of George Mason university pre-dental society and Tau Sigma national honor society. I have pursued the opportunities presented to me to advance my understanding of the subjects I have studied. For instance, I enrolled for the honors program at George Mason University. In the course of my honors program, which was general genetics, I have researched about cancer and telomerase activity. I believe, however, that the pursuit of deeper scientific understanding is not limited to the classroom. I have used my shadowing opportunities not only as practical learning experiences, but also as a chance to ask questions from the dentist I have shadowed. Whenever I heard a word or saw an unfamiliar procedure, I asked about it.

Interpretive vs. Escapist

Interpretive vs. Escapist As defined by Arp and Johnson, commercial fiction, or escapist literature, is â€Å"fiction written to meet the taste of a wide popular audience and relying usually on tested formulas for satisfying such taste† (Arp 744). Arp and Johnson also state that literary fiction, otherwise known as interpretive literature, is â€Å"fiction written with serious artistic intentions, providing an imagined experience yielding authentic insights into some significant aspect of life† (Arp 745). In â€Å"Once upon a Time†, Nadine Gordimer uses a unique combination of both interpretive and escapist literature styles to portray a message that there is no way to absolutely guarantee a person’s safety. Although Nadine Gordimer does use some elements of the escapist literature style to develop this piece of fiction, the story is primarily interpretive literature. Arp and Johnson state that â€Å"literary fiction plunges us, through the author’s imaginative vision and artistic ability, more deeply into the real world† (Arp 4). In â€Å"Once upon a Time†, Gordimer leaves the reader to his or her own insights as to what could have been done to avoid the particular outcome. She does not point out any particular moral to the story, but instead lets the reader absorb the family’s plight. The escapist style is recognized in the bedtime story that the narrator creates—the story within the story. In this story the emphasis is on plot rather than on character development, and the characters are obviously lacking the full dynamic quality that the reader identifies in the round character. Yet, again, unlike escapist literature, the conclusion of this story is far from the â€Å"happily ever after† endings of its type, and, being that there is no real moral to the story, in this way also, it is thus rendered more interpretive. The interpretive style is also apparent in the author’s choice of plot. The plot, unlike the typical escapist piece of literature, is non-linear; the ending, as opposed to the happy ending of an escapist literature piece, is indeterminate. In the beginning, the reader is introduced to a person who is experiencing anxiety, and this person then begins her own story. The reader is never brought back to the story of the narrator. As the narrator’s initial conflict remains unresolved at the closing of the story, the ending is indeterminate. In the bedtime story also, the problem is unsolved at the end. Instead, the narrator ends the story in a decidedly sardonic mocking of the traditional â€Å"They lived happily ever after† story. Due to both of these points, â€Å"Once upon a Time† would be described as a non-linear story. Though she is the most realistic character in the entire work of fiction, the character of the narrator is also more flat than round. Her situation is described to the reader in painful detail and in such a way that the reader will identify with her. However, her behavior is very typical of a person in her position. Awakened in the middle of the night as she was and hearing â€Å"a creaking of the kind made by the weight carried by one foot after another along a wooden floor† (Gordimer 183), the reader could not expect anything else but fear. Her roundness is shown in her slight internal conflict. She believes that she should not be scared, yet she cannot make her imagination—or mind—yield to her will. I couldn’t find a position in which my mind would let go of my body—release me to sleep again† (Gordimer 184). Although she is given an element of roundness, the narrator’s character remains more flat than round. The man, holding the role of a father, a husband, a son, and an employer in the story, is just what a reader would expect of an accommodating man in his positi on—in essence, the stereotypical man. This is shown in a number of ways. He played the role of supporting husband perfectly in always acknowledging his wife’s concerns. In order to calm her fears, â€Å"he had electronically controlled gates fitted† (Gordimer 185), to provide further control of any outsiders’ access to their property, as well as having the wall surrounding their property built higher. For the reason of pacifying the trusted housemaid, he had bars affixed â€Å"to the doors and windows of the house, and an alarm system installed† (Gordimer 185). Throughout the story, the man acquiesces to one after another requests, changing little from the unafraid, doting provider that the author first introduces to the reader. In the beginning of the story, the man is clearly unconcerned about his or his family’s safety from such people as the wife worries about. On more than one occasion, he assured his wife that â€Å"there was nothing to fear† (Gordimer 185). However, in the course of events, he attains some small quality of roundness in that his concern over his family’s security evolves into an obsession, perhaps due to his wife’s influence. During times that the family would go for walks, they would no longer pause â€Å"to admire this show of roses or that perfect lawn† (Gordimer 187); instead â€Å"the husband and ife found themselves comparing the possible effectiveness of each style [of each security system] against its appearance† (Gordimer 187). In changing his mind and/or in his allowance of the circumstances to change him, a slight element of roundness is added to the father’s relatively flat character. The man’s wife does not change by the end of this story, thereby showing her to be a flat character—predictable, stereotypical, static, and, in this case, easily defined as â€Å"good. † However, in the course of the story, the reader will also see a side of her that conflicts with her fears, which gives her some roundness. Women in general are typically more concerned than men with safety issues. Danger, whether real or perceived, is seen as a threat to their well-being, as well as to that of their loved ones. Be that as it may, the wife’s actions and fears are entirely understandable and predictable in â€Å"Once Upon A Time. † â€Å"She was afraid that some day†¦people might come up the street†¦and open the gates and stream in† (Gordimer 185). Perhaps not entirely logical, but such behavior is considered the norm for women, thus displaying her flatness as a character. However, at the same time, she also has a quality of roundness to her as well. Even though she advocates every extra security measure to protect herself and her family from â€Å"such people† (Gordimer 185), from the streets, those are the very ones that she feels compassion for. â€Å"The wife could never see anyone go hungry. She sent the trusted housemaid out with bread and tea† (Gordimer 186). The fact that she feels torn over the plight of these individuals and then her very attempts to isolate herself from them shows her internal conflict, thus giving a small element of roundness to her otherwise flat character. In the little boy, Gordimer paints the picture of endearing, playful innocence as well as naivete. His naivete and playfulness is demonstrated in his â€Å"[fascination] with the [intercom] device† (Gordimer 185), as well as in his tendency to imagine himself the hero in a fairytale story, which leads to his demise: â€Å"he pretended to be the Prince who braves the terrible thicket of thorns to enter the palace and kiss the Sleeping Beauty back to life† (Gordimer 188). Interestingly enough, the boy has the smallest role throughout the story and yet he becomes the character that the narrator uses to bring his/her point home. However, due to the fact that his character never undergoes any kind of change, he cannot be labeled as a round character. The trustworthy maid is also a stereotypical, flat character. This is suggested simply by her given name of â€Å"trusted housemaid† (Gordimer 185). Despite the circumstances of the times and the distrust that the wife feels towards people of her kind, the man and his wife trusted the housemaid enough to leave her â€Å"with responsibility for [their] possessions† (Gordimer 185). Also, not unlike the typical housemaid, she was an influence on her mistress. The housemaid fed the wife’s fears of these â€Å"people of another color† (Gordimer 185), telling the wife that â€Å"these were loafers and tsotsis† (Gordimer 186). In pointing out the â€Å"loafers’† shortcomings, perhaps because of her insecurities, she redirected the wife’s attentions away from caring for these people—typical behavior from an employee anxious to keep her job. On account of this stereotypical behavior, as well as the fact that she remains a static character throughout the story, the housemaid is a flat character. The last human character, the itinerant gardener, is also a flat character. The only thing that the author mentions concerning the gardener is that he was â€Å"highly recommended by the neighbors† (Gordimer 184). The gardener’s one purpose in the story was to aid in getting the little boy out of the security coil. â€Å"†¦the itinerant gardener, whose day it was, came running†¦and tore his hands trying to get at the little boy† (Gordimer 188). Typical of a man of service, he seemed willing to help in whatever way necessary. In the beginning of the story the narrator battles to control her own fears regarding physical security. The â€Å"bedtime story† created to alleviate his or her discomfort attempts to convince the hearer or the reader of the fact that one’s fate is out of one’s control. The author uses â€Å"Once upon a Time† to illustrate that there is no real way to guarantee anyone’s safety, no matter how hard the person tries.

Poetry and Happiness

In the poem, â€Å"Happiness†, the poet, Priscilla Leonard, illustrates for the reader that happiness cannot be contained and that one human cannot own all happiness. The poem happiness is about how to live life to the fullest. In the first two lines of the poem, †Happiness is a crystal/ fair and exquisite and clear† the feeling and emotion that the poet gives the reader, is peaceful and tranquil(1-2). Leonard throws a different perspective at the reader when she write ,†broken in a million pieces/shattered scattered far and near(4-5).The emotion has now been cut off. It is like an alarm clock to the reader. She goes onto say in the last part of the stanza that if one understands this and â€Å"now and then along life’s pathway/lo! Some shining fragments fall† and they are lucky enough to behold these pieces of happiness, they will experience great joy(5-6). Leonard writes that â€Å"there are so many pieces/ no one ever finds them all† t o say happiness is not bought, nor to be stolen, but it is to be earned, found, and given to one another(7-8). There are different pieces of happiness.Some pieces of happiness that Leonard says, are that â€Å"you may find a bit of beauty/or an honest share of wealth†(9-10). beauty and honest wealth are two things modern women wish to have and to be. Leonard being a woman might have placed these two elements of beauty to reach out to certain woman readers, so that they could relate to the poem. Leonard tells a tale about a neighbor, and how their greed got them no happiness, and no matter how much they searched and reached out to grab all happiness, it escaped their grasp.Before that she tells of the wise on their journey of life. She wrote that they â€Å"treasure every fragment clear/[and] fit them as they may together/imaging the shattered sphere†(17-19). The wise care about and realize that they are â€Å"to be ever thankful† even though their share of wisdo m is tiny, they understand that â€Å"it has so many pieces no one ever finds them all†(20,22-23). The wise know that their gift of happiness is being wise and that there are also many other great gifts in the world. There is, of course, a difference etween the fool and the wise. Once the fool receives a gift , he tries to get all he can. The wise get a gift and know to be satisfied with what they have, and not to wander around looking for more satisfaction. The wise, being wise imagine not just a sphere that the poet has put into context for u, but the true meaning of happiness. The reason why the author uses a crystal ball as a symbol for happiness is because a crystal seems fragile and priceless, but at the same time a sense of immortality.A crystal is treasured and admired by all who see it. Thieves and fools want it so they can have more pleasures. Respectable and wise people use it as a gift and are humble. Holding all happiness in your hands can have a strange effect t hough. Even some of the wisest men have fallen under its luring spell. Don’t be deceived by happiness, it is like a double-edged sword. If people would pay more careful attention to poets like Priscilla Leonard there might not be so many corrupted souls in the world.Happiness is not a toy that can be pulled out and played with, only to be lost when searching for more. Since happiness cannot be contained, but it can easily be destructive and lost. Treat it like a crystal; clear, true, and exquisite. When happiness seems to be out of reach, wait a little until some falls on your lap. Until then admire it as you would a passing cloud. This close reading has helped to take a step back and to realize the value of looking at life through a wide angled lens. And to not just look at happiness, but in all the elements of life.

Zoe’s Tale PART II Chapter Twelve

There was a rattle and then a thump and then a whine as the shuttle's lifters and engines died down. That was it; we had landed on Roanoke. We were home, for the very first time. â€Å"What's that smell?† Gretchen said, and wrinkled her nose. I took a sniff and did some nose wrinkling of my own. â€Å"I think the pilot landed in a pile of rancid socks,† I said. I calmed Babar, who was with us and who seemed excited about something; maybe he liked the smell. â€Å"That's the planet,† said Anna Faulks. She was one of the Magellan crew, and had been down to the planet several times, unloading cargo. The colony's base camp was almost ready for the colonists; Gretchen and I, as children of colony leaders, were being allowed to come down on one of the last cargo shuttles rather than having to take a cattle car shuttle with everyone else. Our parents had already been on planet for days, supervising the unloading. â€Å"And I've got news for you,† Faulks said. â€Å"This is about as pretty as the smells get around here. When you get a breeze coming in from the forest, then it gets really bad.† â€Å"Why?† I asked. â€Å"What does it smell like then?† â€Å"Like everyone you know just threw up on your shoes,† Faulks said. â€Å"Wonderful,† Gretchen said. There was a grinding clang as the massive doors of the cargo shuttle opened. There was a slight breeze as the air in the cargo bay puffed out into the Roanoke sky. And then the smell really hit us. Faulks smiled at us. â€Å"Enjoy it, ladies. You're going to be smelling it every day for the rest of your lives.† â€Å"So are you,† Gretchen said to Faulks. Faulks stopped smiling at us. â€Å"We're going to start moving these cargo containers in a couple of minutes,† she said. â€Å"You two need to clear out and get out of our way. It would be a shame if your precious selves got squashed underneath them.† She turned away from us and started toward the rest of the shuttle cargo crew. â€Å"Nice,† I said, to Gretchen. â€Å"I don't think now was a smart time to remind her that she's stuck here.† Gretchen shrugged. â€Å"She deserved it,† she said, and started toward the cargo doors. I bit the inside of my cheek and decided not to comment. The last several days had made everyone edgy. This is what happens when you know you're lost. On the day we skipped to Roanoke, this is how Dad broke the news that we were lost. â€Å"Because I know there are rumors already, let me say this first: We are safe,† Dad said to the colonists. He stood on the platform where just a couple of hours earlier we had counted down the skip to Roanoke. â€Å"The Magellan is safe. We are not in any danger at the moment.† Around us the crowd visibly relaxed. I wondered how many of them caught the â€Å"at the moment† part. I suspected John put it in there for a reason. He did. â€Å"But we are not where we were told we would be,† he said. â€Å"The Colonial Union has sent us to a different planet than we had expected to go to. It did this because it learned that a coalition of alien races called the Conclave were planning to keep us from colonizing, by force if necessary. There is no doubt they would have been waiting for us when we skipped. So we were sent somewhere else: to another planet entirely. We are now above the real Roanoke. â€Å"We are not in danger at the moment,† John said. â€Å"But the Conclave is looking for us. If it finds us it will try to take us from here, again likely by force. If it cannot remove us, it will destroy the colony. We are safe now, but I won't lie to you. We are being hunted.† â€Å"Take us back!† someone shouted. There were murmurings of agreement. â€Å"We can't go back,† John said. â€Å"Captain Zane has been remotely locked out of the Magellan's control systems by the Colonial Defense Forces. He and his crew will be joining our colony. The Magellan will be destroyed once we have landed ourselves and all our supplies on Roanoke. We can't go back. None of us can.† The room erupted in angry shouts and discussions. Dad eventually calmed them down. â€Å"None of us knew about this. I didn't. Jane didn't. Your colony representatives didn't. And certainly Captain Zane didn't. This was kept from all of us equally. The Colonial Union and the Colonial Defense Forces have decided for reasons of their own that it is safer to keep us here than to bring us back to Phoenix. Whether we agree with this or not, this is what we have to work with.† â€Å"What are we going to do?† Another voice from the crowd. Dad looked out in the direction the voice came from. â€Å"We're going to do what we came here to do in the first place,† he said. â€Å"We're going to colonize. Understand this: When we all chose to colonize, we knew there were risks. You all know that seed colonies are dangerous places. Even without this Conclave searching for us, our colony would still have been at risk for attack, still a target for other races. None of this has changed. What has changed is that the Colonial Union knew ahead of time who was looking for us and why. That allowed them to keep us safe in the short run. It gives an advantage in the long run. Because now we know how to keep ourselves from being found. We know how to keep ourselves safe.† More murmurings from the crowd. Just to the right of me a woman asked, â€Å"And just how are we going to keep ourselves safe?† â€Å"Your colonial representatives are going to explain that,† John said. â€Å"Check your PDAs; each of you has a location on the Magellan where you and your former worldmates will meet with your representative. They'll explain to you what we'll need to do, and answer the questions you have from there. But there is one thing I want to be clear about. This is going to require cooperation from everyone. It's going to require sacrifice from everyone. Our job of colonizing this world was never going to be easy. It's just become a lot harder. â€Å"But we can do it,† Dad said, and the forcefulness with which he said it seemed to surprise some people in the crowd. â€Å"What's being asked of us is hard, but it's not impossible. We can do it if we work together. We can do it if we know we can rely on each other. Wherever we've come from, we all have to be Roanokers now. This isn't how I would have chosen for this to happen. But this is how we are going to have to make it work. We can do this. We have to do this. We have to do it together.† I stepped out of the shuttle, and put my feet on the ground of the new world. The ground's mud oozed over the top of my boot. â€Å"Lovely,† I said. I started walking. The mud sucked at my feet. I tried not to think of the sucking as a larger metaphor. Babar bounded off the shuttle and commenced sniffing his surroundings. He was happy, at least. Around me, the Magellan crew was on the job. Other shuttles that had landed before were disgorging their cargo; another shuttle was coming in for a landing some distance away. The cargo containers, standard-sized, littered the ground. Normally, once the contents of the containers were taken out, the containers would be sent back up in the shuttles to be reused; waste not, want not. This time, there was no reason to take them back up to the Magellan. It wasn't going back; these containers wouldn't ever be refilled. And as it happened, some of these containers wouldn't even be unpacked; our new situation here on Roanoke didn't make it worth the effort. But it didn't mean that the containers didn't have a purpose; they did. That purpose was in front of me, a couple hundred meters away, where a barrier was forming, a barrier made from the containers. Inside the barrier would be our new temporary home; a tiny village, already named Croatoan, in which all twenty-five hundred of us – and the newly-resentful Magellan crew – would be stuck while Dad, Mom and the other colony leaders did a survey of this new planet to see what we needed to do in order to live on it. As I watched, some of the Magellan crew were moving one of the containers into place into the barrier, using top lifters to set the container in place and then turning off their power and letting the container fall a couple of millimeters to the ground with a thump. Even from this distance I felt the vibration in the ground. Whatever was in that container, it was heavy. Probably farming equipment that we weren't allowed to use anymore. Gretchen had already gotten far ahead of me. I thought about racing to catch up with her but then noticed Jane coming out from behind the newly placed container and talking to one of the Magellan crew. I walked toward her instead. When Dad talked about sacrifice, in the immediate term he was talking about two things. First: no contact between Roanoke and the rest of the Colonial Union. Anything we sent back in the direction of the Colonial Union was something that could give us away, even a simple skip drone full of data. Anything sent to us could give us away, too. This meant we were truly isolated: no help, no supplies, not even any mail from friends and loved ones left behind. We were alone. At first this didn't seem like much of a big deal. After all, we left our old lives behind when we became colonists. We said good-bye to the people who we weren't taking with us, and most of us knew it would be a very long time if ever until we saw those people again. But even for all that, the lines weren't completely severed. A skip drone was supposed to leave the colony on a daily basis, carrying letters and news and information back to the Colonial Union. A skip drone was supposed to arrive on a daily basis, too, with mail, and news and new shows and songs and stories and other ways that we could still feel that we were part of humanity, despite being stuck on a colony, planting corn. And now, none of that. It was all gone. The no new stories and music and shows were what hit you first – a bad thing if you were hooked on a show or band before you left and were hoping to keep up with it – but then you realized that what it really meant was from now on you wouldn't know anything about the lives of the people you left behind. You wouldn't see a beloved baby nephew's first steps. You wouldn't know if your grandmother had passed away. You wouldn't see the recordings your best friend took of her wedding, or read the stories that another friend was writing and desperately trying to sell, or see pictures of the places you used to love, with the people you still love standing in the foreground. All of it was gone, maybe forever. When that realization hit, it hit people hard – and an even harder hit was the realization that everyone else that any of us ever cared about knew nothing about what happened to us. If the Colonial Union wasn't going to tell us where we were going in order to fool this Conclave thing, they certainly weren't going to tell everyone else that they had pulled a fast one with our whereabouts. Everyone we ever knew thought we were lost. Some of them probably thought we had been killed. John and Jane and I didn't have much to worry about on this score – we were each other's family, and all the family we had – but everyone else had someone who was even now mourning them. Savitri's mother and grandmother were still alive; the expression on her face when she realized that they probably thought she was dead made me rush over to give her a hug. I didn't even want to think about how the Obin were handling our disappearance. I just hoped the Colonial Union ambassador to the Obin had on clean underwear when the Obin came to call. The second sacrifice was harder. â€Å"You're here,† Jane said, as I walked up to her. She reached down to pet Babar, who had come bounding up to her. â€Å"Apparently,† I said. â€Å"Is it always like this?† â€Å"Like what?† Jane said. â€Å"Muddy,† I said. â€Å"Rainy. Cold. Sucky.† â€Å"We're arriving at the beginning of spring here,† Jane said. â€Å"It's going to be like this for a little while. I think things will get better.† â€Å"You think so?† I asked. â€Å"I hope so,† Jane said. â€Å"But we don't know. The information we have on the planet is slim. The Colonial Union doesn't seem to have done a normal survey here. And we won't be able to put up a satellite to track weather and climate. So we have to hope it gets better. It would be better if we could know. But hoping is what we have. Where's Gretchen?† I nodded in the direction I saw her go. â€Å"I think she's looking for her dad,† I said. â€Å"Everything all right between you two?† Jane said. â€Å"You're rarely without each other.† â€Å"It's fine,† I said. â€Å"Everyone's twitchy these last few days, Mom. So are we, I guess.† â€Å"How about your other friends?† Jane asked. I shrugged. â€Å"I haven't seen too much of Enzo in the last couple of days,† I said. â€Å"I think he's taking the idea of being stranded out here pretty badly. Even Magdy hasn't been able to cheer him up. I went to go visit him a couple of times, but he doesn't want to say much, and it's not like I've been that cheerful myself. He's sending me poems, still, though. On paper. He has Magdy deliver them. Magdy hates that, by the way.† Jane smiled. â€Å"Enzo's a nice boy,† she said. â€Å"I know,† I said. â€Å"I think I didn't pick a great time to decide to make him my boyfriend, though.† â€Å"Well, you said it, everyone's twitchy the last few days,† Jane said. â€Å"It'll get better.† â€Å"I hope so,† I said, and I did. I did moody and depressed with the best of them, but even I have my limits, and I was getting near them. â€Å"Where's Dad? And where's Hickory and Dickory?† The two of them had gone down in one of the first shuttles with Mom and Dad; between them making themselves scarce on the Magellan and being away for the last few days, I was starting to miss them. â€Å"Hickory and Dickory we have out doing a survey of the surrounding area,† Jane said. â€Å"They're helping us get a lay of the land. It keeps them busy and useful, and keeps them out of the way of most of the colonists at the moment. I don't think any of them are feeling very friendly toward nonhumans at the moment, and we'd just as soon avoid someone trying to pick a fight with them.† I nodded at this. Anyone who tried to pick a fight with Hickory or Dickory was going to end up with something broken, at least. Which would not make the two of them popular, even (or maybe especially) if they were in the right. Mom and Dad were smart to get them out of the way for now. â€Å"Your dad is with Manfred Trujillo,† Jane said, mentioning Gretchen's dad. â€Å"They're laying out the temporary village. They're laying it out like a Roman Legion encampment.† â€Å"We're expecting an attack from the Visigoths,† I said. â€Å"We don't know what to expect an attack from,† Jane said. The matter-of-fact way she said it did absolutely nothing to cheer me up. â€Å"I expect you'll find Gretchen with them. Just head into the encampment and you'll find them.† â€Å"It'd be easier if I could just ping Gretchen's PDA and find her that way,† I said. â€Å"It would be,† Jane agreed. â€Å"But we don't get to do that anymore. Try using your eyes instead.† She gave me a quick peck on the temple and then walked off to talk to the Magellan crew. I sighed and then headed into the encampment to find Dad. The second sacrifice: Every single thing we had with a computer in it, we could no longer use. Which meant we couldn't use most things we had. The reason was radio waves. Every piece of electronic equipment communicated with every other piece of electronic equipment through radio waves. Even the tiny radio transmissions they sent could be discovered if someone was looking hard enough, as we were assured that they were. But just turning off the connecting capability was not enough, since we were told that not only did our equipment use radio waves to communicate with each other, they used them internally to have one part of the equipment talk to other parts. Our electronics couldn't help transmitting evidence that we were here, and if someone knew what frequencies they used to work, they could be detected simply by sending the radio signal that turned them on. Or so we were told. I'm not an engineer. All I knew was that a huge amount of our equipment was no longer usable – and not just unusable, but a danger to us. We had to risk using this equipment to land on Roanoke and set up the colony. We couldn't very well land shuttles without using electronics; it wasn't the trip down that would be a problem, but the landings would be pretty tricky (and messy). But once everything was on the ground, it was over. We went dark, and everything we had in cargo containers that contained electronics would stay in those containers. Possibly forever. This included data servers, entertainment monitors, modern farm equipment, scientific tools, medical tools, kitchen appliances, vehicles and toys. And PDAs. This was not a popular announcement. Everyone had PDAs, and everyone had their lives in them. PDAs were where you kept your messages, your mail, your favorite shows and music and reading. It's how you connected with your friends, and played games with them. It's how you made recordings and video. It's how you shared the stuff you loved, to the people you liked. It was everyone's outboard brain. And suddenly they were gone; every single PDA among the colonists – slightly more than one per person – was collected and accounted for. Some folks tried to hide them; at least one colonist tried to sock the Magellan crew member who'd been assigned to collect them. That colonist spent the night in the Magellan brig, courtesy of Captain Zane; rumor had it the captain cranked down the temperature in the brig and the colonist spent the night shivering himself awake. I sympathized with the colonist. I'd been without my PDA for three days now and I still kept catching myself reaching for it when I wanted to talk to Gretchen, or listen to some music, or to check to see if Enzo had sent me something, or any one of a hundred different things I used my PDA for on a daily basis. I suspected that part of the reason people were so cranky was because they'd had their outboard brains amputated; you don't realize how much you use your PDA until the stupid thing is gone. We were all outraged that we didn't have our PDAs anymore, but I had this itchy feeling in the back of my brain that one of the reasons people were so worked up about their PDAs was that it kept them from having to think about the fact that so much of the equipment we needed to use to survive, we couldn't use at all. You can't just disconnect the computers from our farm equipment; it can't run without it, it's too much a part of the machine. It'd be like taking out your brain and expecting your body to get along without it. I don't think anyone really wanted to face the fact of just how deep the trouble was. In fact, only one thing was going to keep all of us alive: the two hundred and fifty Colonial Mennonites who were part of our colony. Their religion had kept them using outdated and antique technology; none of their equipment had computers, and only Hiram Yoder, their colony representative, had used a PDA at all (and only then, Dad explained to me, to stay in contact with other members of the Roanoke colonial council). Working without electronics wasn't a state of deprivation for them; it's how they lived. It made them the odd folks out on the Magellan, especially among us teens. But now it was going to save us. This didn't reassure everyone. Magdy and a few of his less appealing friends pointed to the Colonial Mennonites as evidence that the Colonial Union had been planning to strand us all along and seemed to resent them for it, as if they had known it all along rather than being just as surprised as the rest of us. Thus we confirmed that Magdy's way of dealing with stress was to get angry and pick nonexistent fights; his near-brawl at the beginning of the trip was no fluke. Magdy got angry when stressed. Enzo got withdrawn. Gretchen got snappish. I wasn't entirely sure how I got. â€Å"You're mopey,† Dad said to me. We were standing outside the tent that was our new temporary home. â€Å"So that's how I get,† I said. I watched Babar wander around the area, looking for places to mark his territory. What can I say. He's a dog. â€Å"I'm not following you,† Dad said. I explained how my friends were acting since we'd gotten lost. â€Å"Oh, okay,† Dad said. â€Å"That makes sense. Well, if it's any comfort, if I have the time to do anything else but work, I think I would be mopey, too.† â€Å"I'm thrilled it runs in the family,† I said. â€Å"We can't even blame it on genetics,† Dad said. He looked around. All around us were cargo containers, stacks of tents under tarps and surveyor's twine, blocking off where the streets of our new little town will be. Then he looked back to me. â€Å"What do you think of it?† â€Å"I think this is what it looks like when God takes a dump,† I said. â€Å"Well, yes, now it does,† Dad said. â€Å"But with a lot of work and a little love, we can work our way up to being a festering pit. And what a day that will be.† I laughed. â€Å"Don't make me laugh,† I said. â€Å"I'm trying to work on this mopey thing.† â€Å"Sorry,† Dad said. He wasn't actually sorry in the slightest. He pointed at the tent next to ours. â€Å"At the very least, you'll be close to your friend. This is Trujillo's tent. He and Gretchen will be living here.† â€Å"Good,† I said. I had caught up with Dad with Gretchen and her dad; the two of them had gone off to look at the little river that ran near the edge of our soon-to-be settlement to find out the best place to put the waste collector and purifier. No indoor plumbing for the first few weeks at least, we were told; we'd be doing our business in buckets. I can't begin to tell you how excited I was to hear that. Gretchen had rolled her eyes a little bit at her dad as he dragged her off to look at likely locations; I think she was regretting taking the early trip. â€Å"How long until we start bringing down the other colonists?† I asked. Dad pointed. â€Å"We want to get the perimeter set up first,† he said. â€Å"We've been here a couple of days and nothing dangerous has popped out of those woods over there, but I think we want to be safer rather than sorrier. We're getting the last containers out of the cargo hold tonight. By tomorrow we should have the perimeter completely walled and the interior blocked out. So two days, I think. In three days everyone will be down. Why? Bored already?† â€Å"Maybe,† I said. Babar had come around to me and was grinning up at me, tongue lolling and paws caked with mud. I could tell he was trying to decide whether or not to leap up on two legs and get mud all over my shirt. I sent him my best don't even think about it telepathy and hoped for the best. â€Å"Not that it's any less boring on the Magellan right now. Everyone's in a foul mood. I don't know, I didn't expect colonizing to be like this.† â€Å"It's not,† Dad said. â€Å"We're sort of an exceptional case here.† â€Å"Oh, to be like everyone else, then,† I said. â€Å"Too late for that,† Dad said, and then motioned at the tent. â€Å"Jane and I have the tent pretty well set up. It's small and crowded, but it's also cramped. And I know how much you like that.† This got another smile from me. â€Å"I've got to join Manfred and then talk to Jane, but after that we can all have lunch and try to see if we can't actually enjoy ourselves a little. Why don't you go in and relax until we get back. At least that way you don't have to be mopey and windblown.† â€Å"All right,† I said. I gave Dad a peck on the cheek, and then he headed off toward the creek. I went inside the tent, Babar right behind. â€Å"Nice,† I said to Babar, as I looked around. â€Å"Furnished in tasteful Modern Refugee style. And I love what they've done with those cots.† Babar looked up at me with that stupid doggy grin of his and then leaped up on one of the cots and laid himself down. â€Å"You idiot,† I said. â€Å"You could have at least wiped off your paws.† Babar, notably unconcerned with criticism, yawned and then closed his eyes. I got on the cot with him, brushed off the chunkier bits of mud, and then used him as a pillow. He didn't seem to mind. And a good thing, too, since he was taking up half my cot. â€Å"Well, here we are,† I said. â€Å"Hope you like it here.† Babar made some sort of snuffling noise. Well said, I thought. Even after everything was explained to us, there were still some folks who had a hard time getting it through their heads that we were cut off and on our own. In the group sessions headed by each of the colonial representatives, there was always someone (or someones) who said things couldn't be as bad as Dad was making them out to be, that there had to be some way for us to stay in contact with the rest of humanity or at least use our PDAs. That's when the colony representatives sent each colonist the last file their PDAs would receive. It was a video file, shot by the Conclave and sent to every other race in our slice of space. In it, the Conclave leader, named General Gau, stood on a rise over-looking a small settlement. When I first saw the video I thought it was a human settlement, but was told that it was a settlement of Whaid colonists, the Whaid being a race I knew nothing about. What I did know was that their homes and buildings looked like ours, or close enough to ours not to matter. This General Gau stood on the rise just long enough for you to wonder what it was he was looking at down there in the settlement, and the settlement disappeared, turned into ash and fire by what seemed like a thousand beams of light stabbing down from what we were told were hundreds of spaceships floating high above the colony. In just a few seconds there was nothing left of the colony, or the people who lived in it, other than a rising column of smoke. No one questioned the wisdom of hiding after that. I don't know how many times I watched the video of the Conclave attack; it must have been a few dozen times before Dad came up to me and made me hand over my PDA – no special privileges just because I was the colony leader's kid. But I wasn't watching because of the attack. Or, well, I should say that wasn't really what I was looking at when I watched it. What I was looking at was the figure, standing on the rise. The creature who ordered the attack. The one who had the blood of an entire colony on his hands. I was looking at this General Gau. I was wondering what he was thinking when he gave the order. Did he feel regret? Satisfaction? Pleasure? Pain? I tried to imagine what it would take to order the deaths of thousands of innocent people. I felt happy that I couldn't wrap my brain around it. I was terrified that this general could. And that he was out there. Hunting us.