Social Media And Its Effect On Our Daily Lives - 1121 Words

In recent years reporting has become a manufacturer of division. Bold headlines, terse descriptions, and mindless calls to action, capture the minds of consumers. These hooks then funnel users into one of many competitive media cleavages, where their ideas can be rewarded by a corrupt editorial board. The practice of seeking resources that validate existing beliefs is by no means a new phenomenon, but social media further enables a participant to intentionally narrow their minds. The infectious and demanding nature of social media prompted this analysis of its effect on our news consumption. The search for amusement and truth in our daily lives is easily transmitted to our virtual persona, an inherent truth of social networking. We†¦show more content†¦I conducted the interviews with five close acquaintances, all of whom regularly use some form of social media and are enrolled at the university. The fragmentation of media is an evolution of a publication or outlet, choosing to direct its support towards a specific platform, or idea, in an attempt to pander to specific sect. The most obvious example of this phenomenon is the polarization of American politics, and the subsequent polarization of American news. The act of choosing a specific media source based on mutual support for a party or issue is often referred to as selective exposure. The interviews were focused on the prevalence of selective exposure in a student’s social media habits and their primary sources for newsworthy information. I was prompted to alter my original task to include the analysis of primary sources as a result of the topic regularly appearing in the planned interviews. I had intended to exclusively address the consumption of news through the virtual arms of traditional publications. However, most interviewees recalled learning of an event

Philip Zimbardo s Father Of The Stanford Prison Experiment

Philip Zimbardo: Father of the Stanford Prison Experiment Philip Zimbardo is known for his famous prison experiment that revealed some important facts about human nature. This type of experiment had never been done before. The Stanford prison experiment was designed to find out â€Å"whether the brutality reported among guards in American prisons was due to the sadistic personalities of the guards or had more to do with the prison environment† (McLeod 1). Zimbardo was influenced by the Milgram experiment, which was a study of the power of the situation. He says that the Milgram experiment was focused on one-on-one social power. Zimbardo’s experiment was focused on institutional power over the individual in groups due to the change of the†¦show more content†¦Zimbardo want to find out â€Å"whether the brutality reported among guards in American prisons was due to the sadistic personalities of the guards or had more to do with the prison environment† (McLeod 1). The prisoners were powerless The Stanford prison experiment was done in 1973. Twenty-four college students who took part in the experiment were randomly assigned their role as guards or prisoners. Zimbardo choose his participants to be normal, intelligent, bright, and college students in order to make his experiment. Zimbardo chose those certain college students to reflect the common or average individuals in the current society. Zimbardo also spent a great deal of time with the details such as the appearance of the prison and the cells, the uniforms of the guards, and the entry process for the prisoners on the first day. All of these components were planned by Zimbardo to create the most realistic prison environment. â€Å"He consulted the â€Å"guards† in such a way: â€Å"You can create in the prisoner’s boredom, a sense of fear to some degree, you can create a notion of arbitrariness that their life is totally controlled by us, by the system, you, me, and theyâ⠂¬â„¢ll have no privacy†¦We’re going to take away their individuality in various way†. He wanted to take away their privacy, their individuality and make them feel powerless. Basically, he wanted to do these things to the prisoners to get the most out of them, abuseShow MoreRelatedOverview and Significance of Zimbardo’s Prison Experiment1825 Words   |  8 PagesOverview and Significance of Zimbardo’s Prison Experiment Have you ever wondered why ordinary people do unusual things that seem alien to their natures? Why do good people sometimes act evil? Who do smart people sometimes do dumb or irrational things? Zimbardo is one of the most significant social psychologist and all his work aims to find the answers to these questions. The purpose of this paper is to go into depth on the previous prison experiment, how it came about, and how the findings playRead MoreWords Printed Under The Part-Time Job Section Of A Local1886 Words   |  8 Pagesstudents needed for psychological study of prison life. $15 per day for 1 – 2 weeks beginning at Aug. 14. For further information applications, come to Room 248, Jordan Hall, Stanford U.† In only a few days following the publication of this ad, 24 young men would enter what can only be described as one of the most psychologically horrifying experiments that would ever be carried out. The Stanford Prison Experiment was an iconic study conducted by Philip Zimbardo that aimed to observe the response ofRead MoreThe Stanford Prison Experiment: Philip Zimbardo Essay1482 Words   |  6 Pagesevents that happened to twenty four college males who participated in the Stanford Prison Experiment. This is just one example of many controversial psychological experiments. Certain psychological experiments suggest major controversy and their methods should be reconsidered. The example above took place in 1971. Philip Zimbardo, the head administrator of Stanford University in Palo Alto, California conducted this experiment with the help of some other professors at the university, and twenty fourRead MoreUrban Crime1501 Words   |  7 Pagesas urban crime, this was studied in detail. One of the most reported rural crimes was the one of Tony Martin (1999) in Norfolk where he shot a burglar dead after two men tried to break into his property. Martin was charged with murder and sent to prison but the sentence was later reduced to manslaughter. Before this there was an ideological concept that the countryside was a crime free place to live (Mingay, 1989) After the Martin case it was thought that rural crime was overlooked (Aust amp; SimmonsRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 Pagesand permission should be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibi ted reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. To obtain permission(s) to use material from this work, please submit a written request to Pearson Education, Inc., Permissions Department, One Lake Street, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458, or you may fax your request to 201-236-3290. Many of the designations by manufacturers

The dramatic significance Essay Example For Students

The dramatic significance Essay In this scene when Miranda says What ist? A spirit? she is referring to  Ferdinand, they both have a similar response to each other; he also responds to her in  wonder, Most sure the goddess on whom these airs attend. Miranda and Ferdinand  have fallen in love at first sight.  This scene is very near the beginning of the play; it is in the second act. This  shows the audience that the scene is going to be very significant to the rest of the play  and that the love between Miranda and Ferdinand is a major theme. Ferdinand is lured  to Prosperos cave by Ariels singing, this is no mortal business, nor no sound that  the earth owes. I hear it now above me. This straight away brings the question into  the minds of the audience whether this manipulation over Miranda is right; Prospero  has obviously brought these two together in the inevitability that they will fall in love,  The fringed curtains of thine eye advance, and say what thou seest yond. As  Prospero planned they do fall in love, At the first sight they have changed eyes.  Ferdinand loses no time in proposing to Miranda, Ill make you the Queen of  Naples. We will write a custom essay on The dramatic significance specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now This is significant because Ferdinand is giving Miranda her rightful position  as royalty back to her without realising who she is. Prospero loves his daughter dearly  as he proves throughout the play I have done nothing but in care of thee- of thee my  dear one, thee my daughter. Because of Prosperos strong love for his daughter and  his desire to make everything perfect for her he decides to make Ferdinand work hard  for her love so that he learns what real love is, and treats Miranda properly, but this  swift business I must uneasy make, lest too light winning make the prize light. Ferdinand then shows himself to be worthy of Miranda by working as a slave for  Prospero saying that nothing is a burden to him as long as he can see Miranda, Might  I but through my prison once a day behold this maid. Miranda also proves to  Prospero that she deeply loves Ferdinand by arguing even with her for father for him, Theres nothing ill can dwell in such a temple. If the ill spirit have so fair a house,  good things will strive to dwell witht.  In this episode between Miranda and Ferdinand, the audience sees both their  characters and personalities develop as they go through changes when they have  new experiences. Mirandas wonder at Ferdinand is shown in all her language when  addressing him and talking about him, What ist? A spirit? she does not even know  what he is as she never seen men before, only knowing her father and Caliban on the  island. From the first moment she sees him Mirandas language shows herself in awe  of Ferdinand as she exclaims, Lord, how it looks about! Believe me, sir, it carries a  brave form. Miranda has the simplicity and forthrightness to openly declare her love  for Ferdinand, I might call him a thing divine, for nothing natural I ever saw so  noble. This simplicity is because of Mirandas seclusion; she does not know many  people and has no knowledge of the real world, she is impressed by what she sees and  expects the inside to match the outside not able to see past peoples good looks into  their deeper character. This directness is shown again later when she openly admires  the attractive men of the court party, How many goodly creatures are there here!  How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world, that has such people int! Even  when Ferdinand showers Miranda with praise of her beauty she remains modest, No  wonder, sir, but certainly a maid. Miranda shows her compassion in every scene that  she appears in from her first words of sympathy for those in the shipwreck, O, I have  suffered with those that I saw suffer! .u92e71acfb935f746db304b0853264e13 , .u92e71acfb935f746db304b0853264e13 .postImageUrl , .u92e71acfb935f746db304b0853264e13 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u92e71acfb935f746db304b0853264e13 , .u92e71acfb935f746db304b0853264e13:hover , .u92e71acfb935f746db304b0853264e13:visited , .u92e71acfb935f746db304b0853264e13:active { border:0!important; } .u92e71acfb935f746db304b0853264e13 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u92e71acfb935f746db304b0853264e13 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u92e71acfb935f746db304b0853264e13:active , .u92e71acfb935f746db304b0853264e13:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u92e71acfb935f746db304b0853264e13 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u92e71acfb935f746db304b0853264e13 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u92e71acfb935f746db304b0853264e13 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u92e71acfb935f746db304b0853264e13 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u92e71acfb935f746db304b0853264e13:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u92e71acfb935f746db304b0853264e13 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u92e71acfb935f746db304b0853264e13 .u92e71acfb935f746db304b0853264e13-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u92e71acfb935f746db304b0853264e13:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Creative Writing : Factory Work in 1911 EssayShe shows sympathy for everyone in pain  except Caliban, Tis a villain, sir I do not love to look on. When she sees Ferdinand  carrying logs she is eager to share his labour; she would rather suffer than see him  suffer, If youll sit down, Ill bear your logs the while: pray give me that; Ill carry it  to the pile. Miranda stands up for herself and Ferdinand against Prospero showing  strength of character, O dear father, make not too rash a trial of him, for hes gentle,  and not fearful. Though she does want her father to like Ferdinand so that she can  marry him, Is the third man that eer I saw; the first that eer I sighed for. Pity move  my father to be inclined my way.  Ferdinand when he first sees Miranda responds to her in the same way as she  responded to him, he uses the same wonderous language as she used, My prime  request, which I do last pronounce, is O you wonder If you be maid, or no? in  Ferdinands next speech he is letting her know he is a man of position; at this point in  the play he thinks he is King which is significant because he is not King, which he  will realise later in the play when he realises overjoyed that his father is still alive,  Though the seas threaten, they are merciful; Ive cursed them without cause. Ferdinand quickly proposes to Miranda, this is significant because it is exactly what  Prospero wants; it is all part of his plan to create harmony at the end of the play; their  marriage would unite Prospero and Alonso therefore uniting Naples and Milan  returning both Prospero and Miranda to their rightful positions in the kingdom, Ill  make you the Queen of Naples. Though this is what Prospero wants he makes it hard  for the sake of his daughter as a test of Ferdinands love, I must uneasy make, lest  too light winning make the prize light. Though at the end Prospero succeeds in his  plan and the play ends in harmony with both Miranda and Ferdinand happy after  being made to suffer for their love, I must be here confined by you, or sent to Naples,  let me not. Since I have my dukedom got. This episode has great impact on the audience as it is the beginning of  Prosperos plan to put past wrongs right and the audience can see that in the near  future calm and harmony will be created out of a tempest which has obviously been  going on for many years. The uniting of Miranda and Ferdinand has great significance  in bringing about the final harmony that their marriage will help to keep, and stop  another tempest arising.

The Glass Manegerie Essays - English-language Films,

The Glass Manegerie The Glass Managerie In ?The Glass Managerie?,by Tennesee Williams, symbols are used to describe the characters in the play. Laura, a very frail and insecure character from the play, lives in a world of illusions. Crippled with one leg shorter than the other from a childhood illness, she lives her life through her collection of glass animals. They provide Laura's refuge from reality. One particular glass animal the ?fragile and rare? unicorn symbolizes the character's sufferings. The brilliant use of the imagery of the glass unicorn helps express the emotional anguish of Laura. Only when the unicorn loses its horn, and become like the other glass horses does Laura too break free from her fantasy world and snap into reality and realize that she is not a ?freak? as she thought she was. The obsession that Laura has for her glass ornaments is first eminent in scene two where she is seated in her delicate ivory chair, washing and polishing her collection. It is also in this scene where it is obvious that her mother has criticized her many times for her unusual fascination of the glass animals because at the sound her mother approaching, she nervously shoves away them away. And before entering the room, the mother, Amanda, peeks through the door to see what Laura is doing and ?purses her lips, opens her eyes very wide, rolls them upward and shakes her head? (11). Amanda scorns Laura for deceiving her by pretending to go to business school even though she dropped out. Her reason was that ?it frightened her so bad it made her sick in the stomach? (35). Because Laura does not have the courage to live a normal sociable life, the glass animals in this scene represent her hopes and dreams of another life. This fantasy life that Laura longs for is probably why she thought she could get away with deceiving her mother about going to business school. In scene three, the glass ornaments represent Laura's shattered emotion. Amanda and her son Tom gets into a quarrel. Tom accidentally breaks some of Laura's treasured glass collection as he rushes out the door. Laura screams ?My glass!--menagerie?(24), covering her face and turning away. The shattered glass represents Laura's shattered feeling as her family is in turmoil. She turns away from broken glass because she wants to turn away from reality. It is obvious that Laura feels at fault for the tension in the house because in scene four, she persuades Tom to apologize to Amanda and make peace. It is in this scene where Amanda tells Tom that Laura cannot spend the rest of her life playing the Victrola and fooling with the pieces of glass . The reference to the glass in this scene used by Amanda suggests Laura's wasting life. On page 16, Amanda's fear is exposed when she ridicules Laura of how she will stay home and amuse herself with the glass menagerie and eternally play the worn-ou t phonograph records for the rest of her life. In scene five, Tom and his mother discuss about the gentleman caller that Tom has invited over for dinner to meet Laura. Amanda goes on about what trait the man should have and not have and Tom tries to snap Amanda into reality by telling her that she should not expect too much of her crippled daughter who lives in a world of glass ornaments. Because they love her so much , they do not realize what other people visualize Laura as--a very different girl. In this scene Tom's reference to the glass refers to Laura's different and fragile character. She is very fragile because she gets sick at the slightest uncomfortable situation, such as being in public or when she is asked to eat dinner with the gentleman caller. In scene six, page 57, when Amanda desperately asks Laura to open the door for the gentleman caller, Laura is very hesitant and tells her mom she's sick. Amanda goes on saying she's sick too of her nonsense and asks why she can't be a normal person. Laura ends up very sick an d ends up lying down on the sofa during the dinner. Amanda tries to cover

Postwar Petroleum Order

Managing Change and Innovation in Worley Parson

Managing Change and Innovation in Worley Parson Introduction Change and innovation are crucial aspects of management in any organization. Worley Parson’s management seeks to create improvements in its operations to allow change and innovation to have a positive impact. The firm’s management seeks to include all stakeholders in this vision to ensure that the company’s work systems improve.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Managing Change and Innovation in Worley Parson specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Therefore, it is necessary for the management to consult workers and make them prepared of changes which they will face while working in the organization (Thomke 2003, p. 45). They need to encourage workers to be more open to changes in operations to make their work environments conducive for various innovative practices. This will make them resilient and open minded to different situation at the work place. This paper will make recommendation s on how Worley Parsons Company needs to initiate change management and innovative practices. Worley Parsons’ management needs to make all employees understand that change and innovation have a positive role to play in the organization. There are various external and internal factors which drive an organization to change its processes to make it more competitive in the market. The firm’s managers need to take an active role in preparing their organizations for change to create a culture of continuous learning in the organization (Thomke 2003, p. 49). They need to act as change agents to encourage employees to improve internal work procedures which have a direct contribution to performance and growth. Worley Parsons’ managers need to understand external and internal forces, which require the organization to change and innovate its operations. These forces determine the direction which the firm moves and the manner it is likely to operate in the market. External F orces External forces such as changes in customer needs and expectations, increase in competition, availability of new technology and changes in industry outlook, influence change and innovation. Worley Parsons needs to make its employees aware of these external forces to ensure they learn how to deal with them when they occur.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Changes in customer needs and expectations require the organization to improve the quality of its products to make them satisfy customers’ preferences and needs (Mosey 2005, p. 115). The introduction of innovative processes will enable the company to improve the design and quality of its products to strengthen their reputation in the market. Worley Parsons needs to encourage constant learning in the organization to make employees have better attitudes to work. It is necessary for the firm to create a conducive work environment which encourages employees to use their creative instincts to achieve positive work outcomes. Technology has a crucial effect on the organization. Therefore, Worley Parsons needs to implement changes in its policies to make various organizational processes benefit from technological improvements. Effective training needs to be done to all employees to make them acquire strong technological skills to make them more effective in their duties. Worley Parsons needs to have a strong team of employees who constantly assess technology needs in the organization and how these needs can be addressed. In essence, technologies chosen need to be appropriate for functions which are performed in the firm to ensure they contribute positively to the process of innovation. Any increase in competition in the market compels a firm to initiate appropriate changes in its operations to strengthen its market position (Mosey 2005, p. 119). Therefore, managers of Worley Parsons need to make their employees more skilled to enable them contribute new ideas to help the organization maintain its competitive edge in the market. Internal Forces There are several internal forces which require a firm to change the way it operates to enable it move effectively into a new direction. A strategic shift in Worley Parsons’ business objectives may create appropriate conditions for the introduction of changes the firm’s operations. Workers need to be informed on the importance of this change in strategy and how this affects their relationship to the organization. Workers need to be assured that a strategic shift in organizational objectives will not threaten their status to make them more committed (Mosey 2005, p.122).Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Managing Change and Innovation in Worley Parson specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This will make them improve their contribution to various work processes, which will help the firm to benefit from innovative practices. Worley Parson’s workers need to be assured that the firm takes their interests seriously to enable them share its vision. This will motivate them to work harder to achieve positive results. Other internal forces which may compel an organization to introduce change include workers’ attitudes, introduction of new equipment and changes in work processes. Worley Parsons’ management needs to implement effective strategies that encourage workers to embrace organizational changes, which are caused by these factors. Workers may have negative attitudes towards work due to poor job design or weak relationships with their superiors. This in turn impacts negatively on their ability to perform (Davila, Epstein Shelton 2006, p. 78). Therefore, workers should be made aware of any changes in equipment and work processes to make them perform their roles more effectively. This approach stimulates thei r creativity to come up with new concepts, which makes it possible for the organization to develop new products and services. Streamlining Operations The firm needs to have a clear policy which addresses the way change and innovation concepts are related to its overall objectives. Worley Parsons’ management needs to manage expectations of their employees effectively to ensure change initiatives which are introduced have the desired impact. All costs which are associated with the change proposed need to be evaluated to estimate returns which the organization stands to gain. Worley Parsons needs to put in place appropriate mechanisms which measure how changes and innovations in the firm add value to its operations. The management needs to evaluate how innovations in the firm’s internal and external functions will contribute positively to its growth in the market (Davila, Epstein Shelton 2006, p. 82). This evaluation will help managers to allocate resources to satisfy pri ority needs in the organization. Worley Parsons’ managers need to assess ideas which are generated by creative thinking processes in the organization. All innovative processes which are proposed in the organization need to be evaluated for their value proposition and competitive advantage before they are effected. Worley Parsons also needs to encourage employees to collaborate to develop plans on how concepts, which are developed internally can be applied to the market.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This will make it easy for the organization to develop products which add value to customers in the market (Davila, Epstein Shelton 2006, p. 87). This approach will enable the business firm to invest in development of products which are viable in the market to ensure efficient utilization of resources. References Davila, T, Epstein, MJ Shelton, R 2006, Making innovation work: how to manage it, measure it, and profit from it, Pearson, Upper Saddle River. Mosey, S 2005, ‘Understanding new-to-market product development in SMEs’, International Journal of Operations and Production Management, vol. 25, no. 2, pp. 114-130. Thomke, S 2003, Experimentation matters: unlocking the potential of new technologies for innovation, Harvard Business School Publishing, Boston.

Effectiveness of reminders in increasing compliance to SBGM Essay

Effectiveness of reminders in increasing compliance to SBGM - Essay Example According to the research various studies have been carried out on the impact of self reminders and the use of SMBG in the monitoring of diabetes. In a paper by Karter, et.al., the authors sought to assess the impact of self-monitoring blood glucose levels in improving blood sugar levels. Their study was carried out as a cohort design which was applied in order to detect the relation between self-monitoring frequency and the first glycosylated hemoglobin level in 1997. The authors were able to establish clear results which indicated that the use of self-monitoring blood glucose tests was also associated with lower HbA1c levels. All in all, the study revealed that with more frequent SMBG processes applied, it was possible to achieve lower glucose levels and therefore better outcomes for patients with diabetes. In yet another study by Karter and colleagues, the authors set out to establish the various barriers in the application of SMBG. Their study was a cross-sectional study which so ught to evaluate SMBG use and its barriers in about 44,000 diabetic patients who were being treated in the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Region. The authors were able to establish that 60% of type 1 diabetic patients and 67% type 2 diabetic patients indicated a lesser frequency in their SMBG. Most of the reasons for their failure to carry out their SMBG included the following: longer time since diagnosis, male sex, age, ethnic minority, lower education, lower income, non-English speaking, high cost of glucometer strips, smoking, and excessive smoking. In effect, the authors were able to highlight that there were significant gaps in the actual and recommended SMBG practices in the organization covered with the dominant elements relating to ethnicity and language barriers being strong determinants of SMBG compliance. Moreover, low income also seems to impact the use of SMBG with the affordability of these strips put to issue (Karter, et.al., 2000). Despite studies proving that patients’ improved blood glucose levels with SMBG, various studies reveal that there is a lack of compliance with home blood glucose monitoring. Burge (2001) discusses that about 67% of patients with diabetes fail to routinely evaluate their blood glucose and they have various reasons for such failure. These reasons include: pain and soreness, wide variation in the recommended frequency of blood sugar monitoring, and the perception that home SMBG is less recommended in their care. The study by Burge (2001) sought to study current

A Caucasian Man Changed by the Grace of God Essay

A Caucasian Man Changed by the Grace of God - Essay Example The paper talks about my feelings and the risk of being a Christian. It talks about my personal experiences and my way of life after being changed. The paper also contains the story when I entered into my High School life. It talks about the fears I had and the things I did that made me walked away from the presence of God. It tells about how I overcame those trials and testing in my life. It talks about the result of overcoming those trials.Before the world began, everything is nothing but then God created life and light throughout the world. Whoever repents, believe and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior will be saved and will receive the great joy of being a Christian.I was young and aggressive back then when I heard the most beautiful story that I have ever heard. It is the complete, enjoyable and touching story of Jesus Christ that was delivered by a very tiny and soft voice, the voice of my Sunday school teacher. As I was hearing the story of Jesus Christ’s suffering s with thirty-nine lashes and was tortured to death, I felt like I was a lost sheep that have gone astray. I was just like a lost sheep turning and running from nowhere. But then with the realization that God will accept me because of His grace and mercy, I willingly offered my life into His hands. That was the time that I have received Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. In that very sincere prayer I uttered, I felt like I was floating on the air. I felt like I was free from any kinds of bondage. I felt like no one can defeat me because my life is already in God’s hands.

Clean Fuels and Dirty Fuels Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Clean Fuels and Dirty Fuels - Essay Example (US Sec 963) Emission Benefits: Clean fuels have numerous properties which make them cleaner than other dirty fuels like gasoline or adulterated diesel mixtures. Usually these fuels release fewer hydrocarbons, and the hydrocarbons emitted are less toxic and less reactive. Emissions from electricity, natural gas, or alcohol-powered vehicles can be roughly about 90% lesser than in toxics and ozone-forming hydrocarbons than emissions from vehicles using dirty fuel. (Chemical Engineering Tools and Information) Mileage Benefits: Apart from the emission benefits, the best thing that appeals the minds of the users is that the mileage difference is notable, which results in a lot of cost saving. Here, it is to be noted that there is a win-win situation. The better mileage advantage helps the companies increase their sale. Moreover, the customers get more than just cost effectiveness. European and Japanese automakers are about to invade the market with new clean-diesel models that catch much better mileage than the standard gasoline-burning model. Among the many contenders, Mercedes shall offer its SUVs -- M-Class, R-Class and GL-Class --with diesel engines. BMW aims to bring its popular turbo diesel engines to US models. And Nissan is coming with a diesel Maxima sedan. Volkswagen was an early pioneer in diesel in the US, but it will convert to new cleaner diesel technology in models starting 2008, which it dubs "Blue Motion." VW is betting its new TDI Jetta, which launches in February, will h elp stoke its US sales. (Business week May 04 2007) This makes it clear that the model is not only gaining popularity for its air benefits but also finding high acceptance with the users, which is why the major players have shifted their focus to it. The concept of clean fuels actually came up to start with its clean atmosphere benefits, but eventually in the drive vehicle manufacturers opened their eyes to its selling points too. Today, they have been able to design innovative models resulting in cost effectiveness, speed, lower maintenance etc. for the users compared to the conventional petrol and diesel run trucks/cars. It is to be noted that The 2007 Mercedes-Benz E320 BLUETEC is the first model in America to take advantage of the clean low-sulfer diesel (Autos, MSN) Feasibility Clean fueled transport vessels are in use and widespread usage in the near future is feasible. To facilitate the changeover, technologies must be polished so that the vehicles can be made to attain optimal performance and emissions features. Users must show their acceptability to better and newer vehicles and fuels, and industry as well as government must cooperate to ensure their availability. It would take a concerted endeavor by all segment s of the society, but a shift to clean fuels can be the most feasible way for cities to have clean air and for users to have a better performance along with cost cutting. Dirty Fuels Meaning Fuel that is contaminated with water, particles, etc., generally causing an engine to

The Public Relations Theory

The Public Relations Theory According to Johnsten and Zawawi (2004) on the public relations theory, they defined public relations as the principle and a strategic management functions which provides and to maintain mutually beneficial relationship of the company and the public in order to create a develop conditions and policy. In regards of this, public relations as a management functions in the company also has a big role and responsibility to assist the company in significant to achieve companys main objectivity. On top of that, the role of the public relation practitioners can be also classify as the ethical heart in every organization. They seek to be able to communicate with all of the significant publicans, not just in the internal but also external, in the effort to handle the company problems and to preserve the positive image of the company in public. When we talk about the code of ethics of public relations, Patricia J. Parsons on her book has defined ethic as The application of knowledge, understanding, and reasoning to questions of right and wrong behaviour in the professional practice of public relations (2004). The concept of ethics itself is fundamentally important to be kept and practiced by all of the public relation practitioners in carrying out its duties on professional lives. Even said so, there are several code of ethics are having in every public relation organization which every member are expected to abide and need to be understood when they carry out their job as a PR practitioners. Thus, the main objective of these codes of ethics is to perform a guideline to educate their members, so that they can easily to conduct and present themselves in a better way when they do their job in the professional lives. Based on Patricia A. Curtin and Lois A. Boynton (2001), they defined the ethical thoughts into two concepts, te leological and deontological approaches. The teleological concept is basically more into doing actions and by double checking the outcomes, because in this concept it simply believes that the end justify the means. While the deontological approaches, is more into doing a good actions by following the proper rules. Thus, this can be say that the concept is always reminds the public relations practitioners that they should provide the best results for company and society by following up the proper ethics when it comes to solve the problem. In these past few years, the ethical concept is become even more crucial and essential to be followed by the organizations and the companies to deal with the internal and external priorities. Basically, the code of ethics concept is always reminds by the nature of what should be valued and done by the public relation in their professional lives; which includes such as respects, public interest, openness, confidence and privacy, professional reputation, honesty, loyalty, credibility, and integrity towards the company and the society (Curtin and Boynton, 2001). In the professional lives, the public relation practitioners have a heavy task to share the truth and the actual facts to the society, without forgetting their main priorities to protect the companys image. When it comes to the honesty, it would reminds us with the main ethical rule to be observed by public relations is that do not ever tell a lie to anyone. Basically, it comes very naturally to say that public relations in thei r professional practices have a tarnished historical reputation by using some of the unethical way, including manipulative, misleading, spin doctoring, and lying. It comes to everyones mind that either the concept of lying can be identify as an ethical or unethical, moreover some of them may think either public relation practitioners should used the type of white lie to inform people? Are they a part of the ethics which should be followed by PR practitioners? We can not doubt that sometimes people may say lie to cover up mistakes and to protect the images of the company. But, we could not forget that the basic way of communication has taught us that communication is irreversible, which by means once we say something to people then we would not be able to un-say it in the future. However, we understood that the role of the public relation as the main foundation is to always protect the company, but also not to giving any harm or negative effect to society. This become a main reason of why PR practitioners should be able to find a good tactics in solving problems, by always keeping up the benefit conditions for both company and the society. One example of the ethical actions of public relations practices can be seen from one of the issues existed around the year of 2007 in Malaysia. During that time, it was reported that the Malaysians Health of the Ministry Department has announced all of the fast food advertisements to be stopped and banned with the immediate effect; including all of the print and electronic media advertisements from the multinational fast food company such Mc Donalds, Burger King, and KFC. The main reason of why the Malaysians Government was intended to banned all of the fast food advertisement was only to protect children and citizens; since the foods provided by the companies contains with the unhealthiest food, and it has caused the rising rates of the sicknesses in Malaysia, like obesity, diabetes, also hypertension among the people. Even though the issue was still under investigation and consideration, thus, it makes one of a fast food company in Malaysia, Mc Donald, feels aggrieved and unfortun ate caused by the situation. In the mean time, Mc Donald as one of the biggest multinational fast food company which also having a lot of branches in Malaysia, has given their comment in regarding of this problem. Based on the research provided about the case study, it was reported that the Managing Director of Mc Donald Company in Malaysia deplored the thoughts of the Malaysians Government who wanted to ban all of the fast food advertisement in Malaysia. Moreover, the Managing Director also stated that instead of banning all of the advertisement, the Health of Ministry Department should provide more information about the caloric and the nutritional content of the fast food to the Malaysians citizens. On top of that, Mc Donald also claimed that they are actively been promoting the healthy campaign by providing the new set of meals, such Grilled Mc Chicken and Soya Bean to maintain the healthy nutrition of the consumer. Moreover, the Managing Director also stated that in these past few days they would like to pro mote the new-brands of healthy food from Mc Donald, such as salad, fruit juices, and many more. In relation to the ethical concept, in this case, can be say that the PR of Mc Donald company is very professional as they did the right thing to handle the case. Based on Patricia J. Parson theory, she describes the five values of the public relations ethical theory that need to be recognize; which are veracity (truth telling), non-maleficence (no harm doing), beneficence (doing good), confidentiality (respecting privacy), and fairness (social responsibility). By looking out from the ethical perspective, they are trying to handle this case in a professional way as following the code ethics of PR practitioners. Actually, it is a fact that the fast food company is providing us with unhealthy and sell it mostly with the oily food which cause obesity and some other dangerous disease. In the meantime, Mc Donalds Managing Director as a PR did not denial the facts. Instead of that, they are trying to cover up the whole main issue to keep the image of the company, by gathering up the new fa cts that the company now has promoting the new sets of healthy menu for consumer, such the new set of Grilled Mc Chicken and Soya Bean. Another point that can be considered as a PR ethics is that, they are trying to respond the issue with caution and give a positive feedback to the Government by way willingly to attend meetings that have been on schedule by the Health of Ministry to discuss the whole issue. These steps can be says as preventive steps done by the PR practitioners of the company to avoid large losses without having to harm the other party. As a result of using these tactics, Mc Donald did not get much losses and still exists in Malaysia, as well as the consumer still enjoy with the foods provides by the Mc Donald. When we talk about the longer term impacts of either ethical or unethical concept of public relations towards the stakeholder, society, and the public relations itself; it can be say that having a trustworthy especially from society can be the strongest long term impact for either company or for the PR professions. Moloney Kevin (2006) on his theory has argued that, there is a mutual beneficial relationship between the organisations (the stakeholders) and the individuals (the society). He also stated that, The PR producer is involved with corporate ethics in another way as well. So basically, there is an indirect link between the personal ethics to the moral and philosophical values when they carry out their job as a PR, to keep the professional balance between organisational and the society as well. In simply says, society indirectly provides a major influence on the corporate survival. When the company and PR practitioners gained the real trustworthy from the public, it would autom atically help to give more profit to the company. Thus, we can not doubt that to get trustworthiness from the society, public relation practitioners are required to understand the real concept of the PR ethics. As already mentioned above, public relation practitioners during their professional lives are having a bad historical reputation, such by always using spin doctoring. This tactic has caused a bad image of public relations because some people may assume that this profession is just a form to deceit people. From here, it can be seen that ethical theory is very important for PR to create a new standard of good image in front of the public. As for conclusion of the essay, public relation is fundamentally important to establish the mutual beneficial relationship between the company and the society. In regards of this, public relations have a big role in business industries, to build a strong connection between organisation and the public. By seeing it from this perspective, we can say the ethical concepts are very important and still need to be followed by all of the public relations practitioners in every company, in order to obtain trustworthiness from society. Words Count: 1,769

The Families of Flowering Plants :: essays research papers

Asphodelaceae (Aloe Family) CLASSIFICATION Dahlgren et al. (1985) divided the Monocotyledons into several superorders of which the Liliiflorae is the largest. The order Asparagales is the largest of the five orders within Liliiflorea. One of the families within Asparagales recognized by Dahlgren and his co-workers was Asphodelaceae (Chase et al. (2000). Asphodelaceae consists of the sub-families, the Asphodeloideae and the Alooideae. The Alooideae consists of six genera of which Aloe is the largest. The sub-family Alooideae are noted for their spectacular secondary growth, a characteristic used to define the Alooideae as monophyletic. On the other hand, some workers within the taxa have considered the above two subfamilies were for sometime, considered to be separate families, the Asphodelaceae and Alooideae (Dagne and Yenesaw 1994). Determining the proper phylogeny was difficult because some authors have argued that Aspodeloideae is not a monophyletic group. Also, the Aspodeloideae are more varied and share a great deal of m orphological similarities between other groups (Chase et al. 2000). The latest generation of chemical information on species belonging to these two groups is believed to reveal the relationships among the various taxa and to assist in establishing taxonomic classifications at various levels (Dagne and Yenesaw 1994). However, there is still not strong enough evidence suggesting both sub-families should not be included in a single family, the Asphodelaceae (Bisrata 2000). MORPHOLOGY Asphodelaceae is a distinct family from other liliod monocot groups by a combination of several morphological and reproductive features: simultaneous microsporogensis, atypical ovular structure, lacking steroidal saponins, producing seeds with arils, and the general presence of anthraquinones. Basic morphological features of genera within the Asphodelaceae consist of mostly herbs, shrubs, and sometimes arborescent, which grows into woody forms with trunks that can grow up to several meters high. The leaves are arrangement is alternate, spiral or 2-ranked that usually form rosettes at base or ends of the branches. The leaves are often thick and succulent with parallel venation. The succulent aloes vary in size and morphology from the dwarf rosettes (Adams et al. 2000). Vascular bundles are arranged in rings around mucilaginous parenchyma tissue, the bundles have parenchymatous aloin cells in inner bundle sheath near the phloem poles. The association of aloin cells and central gelatino us zones are synapomorphic for species with Alooideae (Judd et al. 1999). The perianth is usually bisexual and showy, with 6 distinct to strongly connate, non-spotted tepals. Reproductive flower parts have 6 distinct stamens and 3 connate carpels and a superior ovary that contain nectaries in septa.

Importance of Minor Characters in Shakespear Essay

In the main plot of Shakespeare’s famous play Hamlet, Hamlet’s father, the king, is murdered, and as a result, Hamlet swears revenge and ultimately succumbs to madness. Hamlet plays the role of the protagonist, while his uncle, Claudius, serves as the antagonist of the story. Besides the two main characters, there are a number of secondary characters, of unusual importance both to the action and to the themes of the play. Many of the themes of the play, including decay and corruption, revenge, and appearance vs. eality, are outlined through the description and progression of the secondary characters. Shakespeare creates minor characters Ophelia, the ghost and Polonius to play a very crucial role in Hamlet as they shape the thematic elements of the play. The character of Ophelia plays the role of Hamlet’s love interest and is easily manipulated by her family; portraying various themes of the play through her actions and behaviour. At the onset of the play Ophelia appears to have her wits about her, with the ability to be objective and coherent when she recognizes the mad behaviour of Hamlet. In act 3 scene 1 during a contentious conversation between Ophelia and Hamlet, he expresses his disgust with Ophelia and women in general, insisting that â€Å"it hath made me mad†. Ophelia is able to identify the frantic behaviour of Hamlet proclaiming â€Å"oh what a noble mind is here o’erthrown! † Although Ophelia is of sound mind during this portion of the play, she quickly spirals out of control, losing her mind as a result of the murder of her father. Ophelia’s insanity is witnessed during act 4 scene 5 when she proceeds to sing everything she says â€Å"How can you tell the difference between you true lover and some other? Ophelia’s madness is also described by Horatio when he tells the queen â€Å"she is importunate, indeed distract†¦ says she hears there’s tricks I’ th’ world, and hems, and beats her heart, spurns enviously at straws, speaks things in doubt that carry but hald sense†. The tragic downfall of Ophelia depicted in the play illustrates the theme of decay and corruption. The ghost of Hamlets dead father, King Hamlet, drives Hamlets determination to avenge his father, setting the revenge plot into motion, a major theme in the play. Upon Hamlet and the ghost’s first meeting, he informs Hamlet of his father’s horrible murder by Claudius, encouraging him to avenge the king â€Å"revenge his foul and most unnatural murder†. Before even explaining to Hamlet the details of the murder Hamlet insists â€Å"haste me to know’t, that I, with wings as swift as meditation or the thoughts of love, may sweep my revenge†, driving the action of the play forward and initiating the theme. Although Hamlet swears to get revenge quickly his procrastination and uncertainty prevents him from achieving his goal. When Hamlet begins to veer away from his attempt to kill Claudius, obsessing over his mother’s behaviour, the ghost returns to remind him of his true purpose â€Å"do not forget. This visitation is but to whet thy almost blunted purpose†. The ghost is a constant reminder throughout the play of the theme of revenge, encouraging Hamlet to avenge his father. At the beginning of Hamlet, Polonius is introduced as the father of Laertes and Ophelia and is later revealed to illustrate the theme of appearance vs. reality. Polonius’ has the appearance of a well natured wise old man yet in reality he is a poor excuse for a man who’s obsessed with self gain. Polonius enjoys giving advice, including â€Å"this above all: to thine ownself be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man†, insisting that if you are true to yourself, you cannot deceive anyone else. In reality, Polonius is in no position to be preaching about honesty and truthfulness, due to his shady behaviour spying on his children and Hamlet. Polonius presents himself as a very caring father, concerned about his children; however, in an attempt to keep an eye on his son, Laertes, he does not consider the possible repercussions of his plan. Polonius instructs his servant to spread rumors about his son, in the hopes of possibly discovering Laertes’s true behavior, disregarding Reynaldo’s protest that â€Å"that would dishonour him! † Due to his constant use of subterfuge, the character Polonius is one of the play’s best examples of the major theme of appearance vs. reality. It is uncommon in pieces of literature for secondary characters to be of such importance, both to the action and to the themes, as they are in Hamlet. The themes of the play, including decay and corruption, revenge, and appearance vs. reality, are highlighted through the description and progression of the secondary characters. Shakespeare creates minor characters Ophelia, the ghost and Polonius with the intention for them to play a very crucial role in Hamlet; shaping the thematic elements of the play. Secondary characters are often used in a play to supplement the main characters and the story line; however Shakespeare creates them with a much greater importance to reveal the themes of the play.

Free Essays on Massachusetts Bay Colony

The Massachusetts Bay Company was formed by a group of non-Separatist Puritans who was being persecuted for their beliefs in England. The charter was brought along with the colonists, and was used as a constitution. The immigrants from England set sail on eleven ships in 1630 to the shores of Massachusetts. The Bay Colony’s first governor, John Winthrop, was an affluent Englishman who believed that a God had propelled him to lead the new colony. The skills of Winthrop facilitated the prosperity of Massachusetts. Fur trading, fishing, and shipbuilding industries boomed, as the Bay Colony quickly became the most dominant of the New England colonies. The Puritans believed that they had created a safe haven for freedom, but in truth, the Massachusetts Bay Colony was hypocritical in its religious, social, and political foundations. One of the main reasons the Puritans escaped to America was for religious freedom. It would be sensible for the Puritans to allow religious freedom in their fledgling colony, but the conflicts were inevitable. The Quakers, who ignored the Puritan authority, were persecuted with fines, floggings, and evictions. Anne Hutchinson challenged the Puritan clergy with unorthodox views. She claimed that people did not need to obey the laws of God in order to be saved. This was considered high heresy in the Puritan colony. Hutchinson committed another sacrilege at her trial, when she testified that her beliefs had come through God. The Puritans had little choice but to expel her, for she would contaminate the religious purity of the Bay Colony if she were allowed to stay. Another threat to the Puritans was a minister, Roger Williams. He demanded that the colony break from the Church of England and opposed the power of government to control religious behavior. The outraged Puritans planned to ship Williams off to England, but he fled to the Rhode Island area in 1636, where he established the first Baptist church in Ameri... Free Essays on Massachusetts Bay Colony Free Essays on Massachusetts Bay Colony The Massachusetts Bay Company was formed by a group of non-Separatist Puritans who was being persecuted for their beliefs in England. The charter was brought along with the colonists, and was used as a constitution. The immigrants from England set sail on eleven ships in 1630 to the shores of Massachusetts. The Bay Colony’s first governor, John Winthrop, was an affluent Englishman who believed that a God had propelled him to lead the new colony. The skills of Winthrop facilitated the prosperity of Massachusetts. Fur trading, fishing, and shipbuilding industries boomed, as the Bay Colony quickly became the most dominant of the New England colonies. The Puritans believed that they had created a safe haven for freedom, but in truth, the Massachusetts Bay Colony was hypocritical in its religious, social, and political foundations. One of the main reasons the Puritans escaped to America was for religious freedom. It would be sensible for the Puritans to allow religious freedom in their fledgling colony, but the conflicts were inevitable. The Quakers, who ignored the Puritan authority, were persecuted with fines, floggings, and evictions. Anne Hutchinson challenged the Puritan clergy with unorthodox views. She claimed that people did not need to obey the laws of God in order to be saved. This was considered high heresy in the Puritan colony. Hutchinson committed another sacrilege at her trial, when she testified that her beliefs had come through God. The Puritans had little choice but to expel her, for she would contaminate the religious purity of the Bay Colony if she were allowed to stay. Another threat to the Puritans was a minister, Roger Williams. He demanded that the colony break from the Church of England and opposed the power of government to control religious behavior. The outraged Puritans planned to ship Williams off to England, but he fled to the Rhode Island area in 1636, where he established the first Baptist church in Ameri...

buy custom Mobile Phone Technology essay

buy custom Mobile Phone Technology essay Technology caused a lot of excitement and many people think that this is the thing that they have been waiting for especially with the invention of mobile phones. However, some things may not really be as they seem. Mobile phones have more disadvantages than advantages in modern world systems. Thus, this essay highlights the very little and harmful contribution that mobile phones have made to the contemporary world. Have you ever sat down with yourself and considered what mobile technology has caused? There is a lot of fuss about it but this technology has got nothing to show especially when compared to histrical inventions in technology in ancient Greece. There was much development than what the mobile technology has achieved. Mobile phones are just but a mere psychological revolutionary thing meant to lure people to lose their money to others. The manufacturer of this technology has nothing much to do with the mobile phones other than selling to ignorant masses and gaining profits. I have seen many wealthy people in my locality with what can be referred to as low class mobile phones whereas you could find a person who is struggling to survive with a very expensive phone. It is very much distuurbing to find that the user of the expensive phone utilizes only a small percentage of the mobile phone features. The fact that something is available and is new does not make it a valuable substance. It could as well be a retrogressive development. Phones have so much detrimental effects than their benefits. It is only an excitement that gets us going without really looking at its benefits. Indeed, this is the nature of human beings. They can easily be lured into something without their knowledge and before they realize it, it has already become hard to withdraw. That is the hard truth. I have gotten you the facts, so you can decide. Buy custom Mobile Phone Technology essay

Skills Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6250 words

Skills Development - Essay Example Skills need to be upgraded if the individual or organization wants to survive in the global competition of today. Organizations offer extensive training to their employees for specific skill sets. However, individuals can also choose to develop their skills by carrying out a self analysis. The result of self analysis will highlight those areas which need to be developed for personal growth and sustenance. Areas for Improvement After carrying out a self analysis and building a strong understanding of the concept of organizational behavior, I have come to the conclusion that my skills need to be developed in five areas. These areas are mentioned below: 1) Communication 2) Managing Change 3) Coping up with Emotions and Managing Stress 4) Conflict Management 5) Motivation Reasons for Picking These Areas For Improvement After bringing to your attention the areas which I feel need improvement, I would like to justify my choice with reasons Communication What on the earth would we do if we were unable to get our message across? How would we inform others what we want and respond to their messages without communication? Communication is equally important on individual and organizational level. In the absence of communication, every human being would become isolate. Communication is a way of expressing thoughts, ideas and feelings. It is due to communication that two persons are able to exchange views; and also understand what the other person wants. Timely and effective communication is required to make a better society. On the organizational level, communications helps employees understand the vision of the Chief Executive Officer. It is important for organizations to communicate the policies and strategies to employees within the organization so that they follow it and reach the defined goals. On the other hand, organizations also need to communicate their performance to the stakeholders outside the organization for building brand awareness, loyalty and enticing inve stors. Managing Change I see change as an idea or process introduced into any organization. Change, as we see it, is a transition from present to future state. Naturally, the first reaction to change is resistance. Even on individual level- whenever we are exposed to change, we respond by showing reluctance. Change is natural and should be welcomed. In reality, when we are faced with change, we get disturbed because we are coping well in our comfort zone and don’t want any outside force to act. Philosophically, things never remain stagnant- change is required to bring them into motion so that they develop and attain a better state. Coping up with Emotions and Managing Stress Emotions and stress are probably the two aspects that leave negative impacts on a personality. Emotions and stress need to be managed very carefully because these two factors are clearly those which are known to interfere with the individual/organizational growth and success. Emotions distract attention a nd may provoke an individual to take illogical or irrational decisions. In the same way, stress which arises due to various reasons needs to be controlled because it also affects the individual/employee’s thinking and focusing abilities. In case stress is left untreated, it may prolong and result in chronic health and mental diseases. Conflict Management The literal meaning of conflict is disagreement, dissension and divergence. At individual level, we are exposed to a number of situations

Compare and contrast the achievements and failures of the various (not Essay

Compare and contrast the achievements and failures of the various (not just African-American) civil rights movements since 1945 - Essay Example During that period they started a movement regarded as civil disobedience in which they resorted to protests that were nonviolent in nature. Several methods of protest were used in these movements, such as boycotts of Montgomery Bus. Another major protest conducted by the blacks for civil rights was the march recognized as the march for autonomy and jobs conducted on Washington. In this march, Martin Luther King, Jr. presented his most famous speech which was regarded as â€Å"I have a dream† (Norton, 2012, p.755). During the period of 1965 there experienced a tremendous change in the movement for Black Power. Those who were fighting in the favor of Black Power argued in the favor of autonomy of the blacks and believed that the African Americans of that time were not being provided with dignity and were being kept away from their heritage. For example: Omali Yeshitela argued that the blacks have fought hard to safeguard their homes, autonomy and culture against colonialists of Europe. Yeshitela further stated that actions that actions such as stealing another individuals wealth and freedom are denoted as treason. Some of the great outcomes of this movement were the victory achieved in Brown v. Board of education case that helped in eliminating the legal issue of separate but equal. Another major Civil Rights Movement in the US was the Chicano Movement. This movement was led by the Mexicans that were living in America. The purpose of this movement was to gain a say for the Mexicans in the political arena of US. According to those who were in favor of this movement, US had failed to comply with the promises they made during the Guadalupe Hidalgo Treaty. The movement did not concentrated on the issues that were experienced by the early Mexicans who migrated to US; it did not even address the issue of political rights for Mexicans as at that time immigrants had no political significance. The activities of this movement were involved in various issues such as unequal educational and job opportunities for Mexicans and the ill treatment they faced at the hands of the police. Students who were associated with this movement conducted activities such as walkouts, one of such activities was a walkout conducted by students in the state of Denver. The African American right for equal rights were quite peaceful in nature and only conducted activities such as marches and sit-ins, on the other hand the civil rights movement conducted by American Indians was quite violent in nature. The actions ranged from huge gatherings with the purpose of protest to hijacking of governmental facilities with the aid of arms and ammunition. During the period of 1971, the movement took over an obsolete, left alone property of the Naval Air Station located in the region of Minnesota. During the period of 1972, they even took over the Headquarters of bureau of Indian Affairs located in Washington and they arrested 24 individuals. The Courthouse of Custer County was e ven abducted by the activities of this group; later police was able to handle the situation after a severe right arose. A confrontation even took place between the military and the activists of the movement and after the death of two individuals and passage of seventy one days, the violent activity came to an end. Feminist movements even took place, after the era of 1946, the feminist movements aimed at countering the issue of changing the

John Brown- Terrorist or Freedom Fighter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

John Brown- Terrorist or Freedom Fighter - Essay Example Using one of the most famous accounts of such a confrontation in America, the author illustrates the impact of humanitarians’ calls for abolition linking John Brown’s Raid as a possible origin of the American Civil War. However, the noble intentions of the raid are usually taken out of context to associate its consequences with acts of terrorism. In spite of the dangerous approach adopted by John Brown and his associates in the Harpers Ferry episode, abolition campaign was like a time bomb that would have anyway exploded due to neglect and contempt of human rights issues. Flanked by this thesis statement, this essay will attempt to analyze the life of John Brown and the events at Harpers Ferry raid to pick a position on legality of his actions as reiterated in the accompanying conclusion. Inequality and slavery in the polarized American society concerned John Brown to the extent that he found an alternative to peaceful abolition campaign that had not delivered results. Besides his desire to have a successful campaign for a slave free country, he was angered by some abolition positions that did not advocate for equality to the marginalized slave community (Earle, 13). Terrible aggression had been observed against slaves who were also subjected to inhumane conditions, a matter that inspired John Brown to apply similar tactics on the perpetrators of the violence on slaves. Alternatively, there was an apparent division into two southern and northern factions along hard-line positions on the issue of slavery. John Brown was a northerner, the faction that largely advocated for peaceful resolution of the American humanitarian concerns. Despite the fact that religious input into the campaign quelled application of any hostility tactic, the emergence of certain abolition acti vists who were desperate for the continued suppression of slaves and minorities was on the rise. The hostile abolitionists had realized that however dangerous it appeared, hostility

Perception and Reality Essay Example for Free

Perception and Reality Essay ?Introduction This paper will attempt to argue against the common misconceptions about reality and perception. It will try to explain that perception and reality are interconnected, and that our five human senses are not the sole basis of reality, they are just instrumental to am additional process of perception that will bring the truth in our lives. This paper will briefly discuss the historical progression of human apprehension of the world he exists in. From Plato to Quantum Physics, the paper will clearly show how our perception can change the way we view the world. Admittedly this topic is broad and the paper could not possibly cover all its aspects. The paper will only focus wherein it will show that the creation of our reality is significantly based on our perception, there are important aspects that were left out like the nature of consciousness and its role on perception. Although this will enhance the understanding of perception and reality, it is no longer a necessity for this concept to be elaborated further. Some citations and explanations are self evident; other examples are very technical, if the reader would like to have a further understanding of the cited examples, a different reference might be needed. I. What is Reality? â€Å"What is real? How do you define real? If youre talking about what you can hear, what you can smell, taste and fee, then real is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain. † -Morpheus, The Matrix Reality in its simplest explanation is â€Å"everything that exists. † It covers everything from atoms to the stars in a faraway galaxy and everything in between, including the everyday objects we encounter. Non-material objects like thoughts and ideas, love, purpose, meaning can also be ascribed some semblance of reality to them. However, all these and everything that exists can be said to only exist because we perceived them. So if everything that exists are only objects of our perception, what is real then? More than 2000 years ago, some guy named Zeno presented a riddle that up to now baffled scientists and thinkers alike. It was called the â€Å"The Arrow Paradox. † Zeno argued that the flight of an arrow is an example of motion. He stated that in any given moment of time, the arrow is either where it is, or where it is not, if the arrow is where it is, then it is not moving, if it is where it is not, then it cannot possibly be there, the arrow can only be where it is; thus, it cannot move and is always at rest, although in different locations in space. To understand this better consider the light bulbs we usually see as Christmas decors, there is a perception that lights are running from one direction to the other, but in reality, the lights just blink on and off in a sequential pattern so as to create the illusion that it is moving. Here we have a paradox, on one hand; no one can repute what Zeno had claimed. That the arrow never moves. Logically speaking, no one has ever succeeded in disproving what he said. In other words, he was so correct in his analysis that no one can dispute them. On the other hand, our common sense will undeniably tell us that the arrow is moving, thus the paradox. This paper was not meant to present a resolution to Zeno’s riddle, (although there is a perfectly logical explanation based on our latest scientific knowledge, this paper will no longer tackle it. ) the paradox was only cited to illustrate the dilemma of human perception, that the reality based on our perception is not absolute and varies as our perspective changes. Reality will always be dependent on what we perceive and how we perceive it. II. The Nature of Perception The most common model of perception is that what we see, hear, smell, touch and feel is what is real. These are input data sensors that go straight to our brain. The brain then interprets the vibratory information to construct images that evoke ideas and emotions to name a few. These images in turn are further conceptualized by assigning meanings to these mental constructs, completing the whole process of perception. Without interpretation there is no perception, we commonly think that two different people looking at the same object would see the same thing. But it is possible that the interpretation of the brain will tell us that the two persons may not be seeing the same thing. A good example would be the case of a glass half filled with water, two persons may see the same sensory input that tells them that there is a glass and there is water in it, but if you ask them what they see, one may tell that the glass is half-full and the other may tell that the glass is half-empty. Why is this so? The sensory inputs of our perception, when it goes to the brain, are filtered by the mind. So, the way those signals or inputs are constructed inside the brain are affected by various factors. The factors that affect our perception maybe our environment, culture, upbringing, experiences, beliefs, etc. there may not be a conflict to see a single object with nothing in the background, they would surely see the same thing. But imagine seeing everything and the relata of all objects all around us all at once. It is easy to imagine now how challenging to the brain the process of perception is. However, though our naked perception is only limited, by the help of our instruments we are able to perceive a world that is totally different from what we commonly see, by the use of these devices, we were able to magnify the scale and scope of our perception. This enables us to see and imagine the worlds on both end of the spectra of the infinitely large and the infinitely small. With this capability, we were able to hold varying world views throughout our history. These world views are how we see ourselves and the world around us. It seems that for humans, bare perception and its interpretation are inseparable. Because of this, the nature of perception has an intrinsic illusory aspect, we believe that the things we see are actually what they are, although we can hold this to be relatively true, most of the time, it is not always the case. There have been some serious studies to show that the universe is nothing more than a holographic representation of the brain ( a hologram is a 3d image projected into space by the aid of lasers. ). This theory will sure shake the very foundation of our sense of reality, and if true, then the illusory nature of perception is very possible. Why? Because what we see to be real is totally different from what a holographic universe will suggest. In other words, we should always be prepared to at least accept a new world view based on the implications of the latest scientific knowledge. III. The Role of Perception in Reality The Allegory of Plato’s Cave Plato imagined humans living in an underground cave, with an opening where light enters as big as the cave a long way at the top. They’ve been there since birth, their bodies held in place by metal shackles. Their eyes are only limited to see what is in front of them because their bonds restrict them from turning their heads around. There is a fire burning behind them on higher ground. These men cannot see the fire or the objects behind them, only their shadows. The shadows are their only idea of reality. Plato suggested in his allegory that the world our senses show us is not necessarily what it seems to be, our perception can fool us into believing what is actual. A long time ago, the world was believed to be flat, by common sense, that’s what our eyes would tell us, and then later on, when men circumnavigated the world, they imagined and started to believe that the world was round, there was a change in perception, and later on, when our astronauts saw the world in outer space and satellites took pictures of the globe, they confirmed that what was previously believe that the world is flat was false. As another example, our senses will tell us that the earth is still, but actually, it spins at a specific velocity around its axis. Reality as a paradigm of our Perception To further understand the evolution of our beliefs and perception, let us discuss the various world views and beliefs human beings had throughout its history. In the Newtonian era, more than 200 years ago, the prevailing world view was that everything was mechanical and deterministic, that the world is governed and follow very specific physical laws and the that universe was made out of solid spherical objects with independent existence that interact with one another. Now this paradigm was radically altered by the discovery of Einstein’s theory of Relativity. The era of relativity told us that these objects had no independent existence of its own, that the existence of one object is dependent on the existence of another. This idea becomes clear when we try to define something. For example, what is energy? We define energy as the product of mass and motion, if you will notice, energy can only be defined by relating it to mass and motion, and the same goes with mass and motion, nothing can be defined and understood without referring to each other. By the late 20th century, when scientist began to understand quantum mechanics, a more radical world view has been realized. It was so radical because it states that objects have no cause. The subatomic particles, which are the building blocks of everything we can see, come out of nowhere randomly and spontaneously. It is so weird that people have not fully understood the implication of this new scientific discovery. Einstein who understood the implication of quantum mechanics made a comment that if quantum theory is correct, there is no objective reality at all. Today quantum theory is the most successful theory man ever conceived. And for sure for better or for worse, our perception of reality will never be the same again. The most common interpretation in the implication of quantum mechanics for example is that perception and objects are inseparable from one another. This idea further proves that perception plays a major role in our reality. IV. Perception becomes reality Perception is reality. By now, It is clear that there are levels of perception brought about by different points of views. The levels of this perception therefore have corresponding levels of reality. Using the example of a flat earth perception, imagine that you went back in time to the medieval ages and told a peasant that earth is not flat but round, what would you think he would say? He would probably gather his neighbours and a laughed at you and dismissed you as a loony. There is no way you could possibly convince these people unless you take them to a space ship and show them the world from outer space. It was so obvious to them that the world that they feel and see is flat. Another example on how we perceive objects, science will tell us that objects are composed of subatomic particles but when broken down further it was revealed that 99. 99% of it consisted of empty space, yet we perceive objects as something as a solid figure with form and colour. We are not denying that there is validity and truth to what we perceive. These examples were only to demonstrate that reality actually changes when there is a shift of a higher level of perception. In other words, there are many points of view that create our reality. It is not the case that all we can see is all that there is. It is the most common mistake to consider that the limit of our perception is the limit of all that can be perceived. The human mind and its ability to perceive is very limited and it can only comprehend a tiny fraction of what is really out there. The false sense of confidence and the high regard we uphold our beliefs actually obscures us to perceive reality as clear as it can be. An open mind, especially on the area of beliefs on our world, shaped about by our limited perception, can be very useful in shattering even the most persistent illusions we hold about the world and ourselves. There is a serious and profound consequence to our perceptions being influenced by our reality and of held reality influenced and altered by our new way of perceiving things. To understand the dynamic relationship between the two is great advantage. V. Conclusion Phenomenal reality is personal truths brought about by one’s beliefs and ideas about the world. Each one of us tends to think we see things as they actually are. that we are objective, but this is not the case. We see the world not as it is, but as we are – or how we are conditioned to see it. Our behaviors, attitudes, mindsets and relationship towards the world and other people are profoundly affected by how we perceive things. A case of a believer of a particular religion who held a particular belief system that there is only one god and it’s his god is the true one god, then tends to treat others’ beliefs as false. These attitudes rather convinced the believer that those people are ignorant and are being deceived by their own religion. Worse, he is also very inclined to consider these poor people as something inferior. Now, imagine that human beings can believe that there is only one God, manifested in many ways, and in various belief systems. Imagine the implications of this new way of perceiving things, instead of focusing on endless arguments brought about by their differences, they can acknowledge and tolerate each other’s beliefs. The energy and resources that is used once to affirm, protect and propagate their faiths are now available to to spend in truly worthwhile activities that will truly uplift the human conditions. Imagine the peace and harmony brought about by focusing on shared similarities rather that difference. There is a great potential for this new world view. Our latest knowledge in science, our knowledge in philosophy and religion are already here to tell us that we are one, all that is needed is a â€Å"shift† of perception and we can create a world where everyone can truly live in prosperity. Whether collectively or in a personal level, we are responsible for our lives, we create our reality based on our perception. What is important is what we are conscious about. It is my contention that raising or even changing one’s level of perception gives him the ability to create a life with quality. For better or for worse, perception makes or breaks us. â€Å"When he approaches the light his eyes will be dazzled, and he will not be able to see anything at all of what are now called realities He will require to grow accustomed to the sight of the upper world. And first he will see the shadows best, next the reflections of men and other objects in the water, and then the objects themselves; then he will gaze upon the light of the moon and the stars and the spangled heaven Last of he will be able to see the sun. † —Plato, The Republic.

The Writing Style and Beliefs of Kate Chopin Essay -- Biography Biogra

The Writing Style and Beliefs of Kate Chopin  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   Kate Chopin was an extraordinary writer of the nineteenth century. Despite failure to receive positive critical response, she became one of the most powerful and controversial writers of her time. She dared to write her thoughts on topics considered radical: the institution of marriage and women's desire for social, economic, and political equality. With a focus on the reality of relationships between men and women, she draws stunning and intelligent characters in a rich and bold writing style that was not accepted because it was so far ahead of its time. She risked her reputation by creating female heroines as independent women who wish to receive sexual and emotional fulfillment, an idea unheard of in the 1800s. In the late nineteenth century, the central belief of the vast majority was that the woman's job was to support and nurture her husband and children. Women were given no individual identity and were seen only in relation to a family. Women of this time could not vote and therefore had no say in any political matter. Women who wished to comment politically did so with some form of art, including music, painting, and writing (Magill, American 387). According to Frank Magill, when a woman considers herself only as a part of a relationship with someone, then that relationship becomes the central issue of her life (American 386). As a woman whose husband died young, leaving her six children to raise alone, Chopin understands that kind of dependency upon relationships (Magill, American 384). Almost as working out of her own role, she explores in her writing the complexity between men and women. Readers realize that Chopin's writing in the 1890s was far ahead of ... ...'The Storm'." The Markham Review 2.2 (1970): 1-4. Baker, Christopher. "Chopin's 'The Storm.'" Explicator 52.4 (1994): 225-226. Chopin, Kate. "The Storm." Literature Across Cultures. 2nd ed. Sheena Gillespie, Terezinha Fonseca, Carol A. Sanger. Boston, Allyn: 1998. 345-348. ---. "A Respectable Woman." Gillepsie, Fonseca, and Sanger. 342-344. ---. "At the 'Cadian Ball." The Awakening and selected stories by Kate Chopin. Ed. Sandra M. Gilbert. New York: Viking Penguin Inc., 1983.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  179-188. ---. "Athà ©naà ¯se." Gilbert. 229-261. Dyer, Joyce. "Gouvernail, Kate Chopin's Sensitive Bachelor." The Southern Literary Journal 14.1 (1981): 46-55. Magill, Frank N., ed. Critical Survey of Short Fiction. New Jersey: Salem Press, 1981. 1132-1136. ---. Magill's Survey of American Literature New York: Marshall Cavendish Corporation, 1991. 386-391.

Chapter 37 The Beginning

When he looked back, even a month later, Harry found he had only scattered memories of the next few days. It was as though he had been through too much to take in any more. The recollections he did have were very painful. The worst, perhaps, was the meeting with the Diggory's that took place the following morning. They did not blame him for what had happened; on the contrary, both thanked him for returning Cedric's body to them. Mr. Diggory sobbed through most of the interview. Mrs. Diggory's grief seemed to be beyond tears. â€Å"He suffered very little then,† she said, when Harry had told her how Cedric had died. â€Å"And after all, Amos†¦he died just when he'd won the tournament. He must have been happy.† When they got to their feet, she looked down at Harry and said, â€Å"You look after yourself, now.† Harry seized the sack of gold on the bedside table. â€Å"You take this,† he muttered to her. â€Å"It should've been Cedric's, he got there first, you take it -â€Å" But she backed away from him. â€Å"Oh no, it's yours, dear, I couldn't†¦you keep it.† Harry returned to Gryffindor Tower the following evening. From what Hermione and Ron told him, Dumbledore had spoken to the school that morning at breakfast. He had merely requested that they leave Harry alone, that nobody ask him questions or badger him to tell the story of what had happened in the maze. Most people, he noticed, were skirting him in the corridors, avoiding his eyes. Some whispered behind their hands as he passed. He guessed that many of them had believed Rita Skeeter's article about how disturbed and possibly dangerous he was. Perhaps they were formulating their own theories about how Cedric had died. He found he didn't care very much. He liked it best when he was with Ron and Hermione and they were talking about other things, or else letting him sit in silence while they played chess. He felt as though all three of them had reached an understanding they didn't need to put into words; that each was waiting for some sign, some word, of what was going on outside Hogwa rts – and that it was useless to speculate about what might be coming until they knew anything for certain. The only time they touched upon the subject was when Ron told Harry about a meeting Mrs. Weasley had had with Dumbledore before going home. â€Å"She went to ask him if you could come straight to us this summer,† he said. â€Å"But he wants you to go back to the Dursleys, at least at first.† â€Å"Why?† said Harry. â€Å"She said Dumbledore's got his reasons,† said Ron, shaking his head darkly. â€Å"I suppose we've got to trust him, haven't we?† The only person apart from Ron and Hermione that Harry felt able to talk to was Hagrid. As there was no longer a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, they had those lessons free. They used the one on Thursday afternoon to go down and visit Hagrid in his cabin. It was a bright and sunny day; Fang bounded out of the open door as they approached, barking and wagging his tail madly. â€Å"Who's that?† called Hagrid, coming to the door. â€Å"Harry!† He strode out to meet them, pulled Harry into a one-armed hug, ruffled his hair, and said, â€Å"Good ter see yeh, mate. Good ter see yeh.† They saw two bucket-size cups and saucers on the wooden table in front of the fireplace when they entered Hagrid's cabin. â€Å"Bin havin' a cuppa with Olympe,† Hagrid said. â€Å"She's jus' left.† â€Å"Who?† said Ron curiously. â€Å"Madame Maxime, o' course!† said Hagrid. â€Å"You two made up, have you?† said Ron. â€Å"Dunno what yeh're talkin' about,† said Hagrid airily, fetching more cups from the dresser. When he had made tea and offered around a plate of doughy cookies, he leaned back in his chair and surveyed Harry closely through his beetle-black eyes. â€Å"You all righ'?† he said gruffly â€Å"Yeah,† said Harry. â€Å"No, yeh're not,† said Hagrid. â€Å"Course yeh're not. But yeh will be.† Harry said nothing. â€Å"Knew he was goin' ter come back,† said Hagrid, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked up at him, shocked. â€Å"Known it fer years. Harry. Knew he was out there, bidin' his time. It had ter happen. Well, now it has, an' we'll jus' have ter get on with it. We'll fight. Migh' be able ter stop him before he gets a good hold. That's Dumbledores plan, anyway. Great man, Dumbledore. ‘S long as we've got him, I'm not too worried.† Hagrid raised his bushy eyebrows at the disbelieving expressions on their faces. â€Å"No good sittin' worryin' abou' it,† he said. â€Å"What's comin' will come, an we'll meet it when it does. Dumbledore told me wha' you did. Harry.† Hagrid's chest swelled as he looked at Harry. â€Å"Yeh did as much as yer father would've done, an' I can' give yeh no higher praise than that.† Harry smiled back at him. It was the first time he'd smiled in days. â€Å"What's Dumbledore asked you to do, Hagrid?† he asked. â€Å"He sent Professor McGonagall to ask you and Madame Maxime to meet him – that night.† â€Å"Got a little job fer me over the summer,† said Hagrid. â€Å"Secret, though. I'm not s'pposed ter talk abou' it, no, not even ter you lot. Olympe – Madame Maxime ter you – might be comin' with me. I think she will. Think I got her persuaded.† â€Å"Is it to do with Voldemort?† Hagrid flinched at the sound of the name. â€Å"Migh' be,† he said evasively. â€Å"Now†¦who'd like ter come an' visit the las' skrewt with me? I was jokin' – jokin'!† he added hastily, seeing the looks on their faces. It was with a heavy heart that Harry packed his trunk up in the dormitory on the night before his return to Privet Drive. He was dreading the Leaving Feast, which was usually a cause for celebration, when the winner of the Inter-House Championship would be announced. He had avoided being in the Great Hall when it was full ever since he had left the hospital wing, preferring to eat when it was nearly empty to avoid the stares of his fellow students. When he, Ron, and Hermione entered the Hall, they saw at once that the usual decorations were missing. The Great Hall was normally decorated with the winning House's colors for the Leaving Feast. Tonight, however, there were black drapes on the wall behind the teachers' table. Harry knew instantly that they were there as a mark of respect to Cedric. The real Mad-Eye Moody was at the staff table now, his wooden leg and his magical eye back in place. He was extremely twitchy, jumping every time someone spoke to him. Harry couldn't blame him; Moody's fear of attack was bound to have been increased by his ten-month imprisonment in his own trunk. Professor Karkaroff's chair was empty. Harry wondered, as he sat down with the other Gryffindors, where Karkaroff was now, and whether Voldemort had caught up with him. Madame Maxime was still there. She was sitting next to Hagrid. They were talking quietly together. Further along the table, sitting next to Professor McGonagall, was Snape. His eyes lingered on Harry for a moment as Harry looked at him. His expression was difficult to read. He looked as sour and unpleasant as ever. Harry continued to watch him, long after Snape had looked away. What was it that Snape had done on Dumbledores orders, the night that Voldemort had returned? And why†¦why†¦was Dumbledore so convinced that Snape was truly on their side? He had been their spy, Dumbledore had said so in the Pensieve. Snape had turned spy against Voldemort, â€Å"at great personal risk.† Was that the job he had taken up again? Had he made contact with the Death Eaters, perhaps? Pretended that he had never really gone over to Dumbledore, that he had been, like Voldemort himself, biding his time? Harry's musings were ended by Professor Dumbledore, who stood up at the staff table. The Great Hall, which in any case had been less noisy than it usually was at the Leaving Feast, became very quiet. â€Å"The end,† said Dumbledore, looking around at them all, â€Å"of another year.† He paused, and his eyes fell upon the Hufflepuff table. Theirs had been the most subdued table before he had gotten to his feet, and theirs were still the saddest and palest faces in the Hall. â€Å"There is much that I would like to say to you all tonight,† said Dumbledore, â€Å"but I must first acknowledge the loss of a very fine person, who should be sitting here,† he gestured toward the Hufflepuffs, â€Å"enjoying our feast with us. I would like you all, please, to stand, and raise your glasses, to Cedric Diggory.† They did it, all of them; the benches scraped as everyone in the Hall stood, and raised their goblets, and echoed, in one loud, low, rumbling voice, â€Å"Cedric Diggory.† Harry caught a glimpse of Cho through the crowd. There were tears pouring silently down her face. He looked down at the table as they all sat down again. â€Å"Cedric was a person who exemplified many of the qualities that distinguish Hufflepuff house,† Dumbledore continued. â€Å"He was a good and loyal friend, a hard worker, he valued fair play. His death has affected you all, whether you knew him well or not. I think that you have the right, therefore, to know exactly how it came about.† Harry raised his head and stared at Dumbledore. â€Å"Cedric Diggory was murdered by Lord Voldemort.† A panicked whisper swept the Great Hall. People were staring at Dumbledore in disbelief, in horror. He looked perfectly calm as he watched them mutter themselves into silence. â€Å"The Ministry of Magic,† Dumbledore continued, â€Å"does not wish me to tell you this. It is possible that some of your parents will be horrified that I have done so – either because they will not believe that Lord Voldemort has returned, or because they think I should not tell you so, young as you are. It is my belief, however, that the truth is generally preferable to lies, and that any attempt to pretend that Cedric died as the result of an accident, or some sort of blunder of his own, is an insult to his memory.† Stunned and frightened, every face in the Hall was turned toward Dumbledore now†¦or almost every face. Over at the Slytherin table. Harry saw Draco Malfoy muttering something to Crabbe and Goyle. Harry felt a hot, sick swoop of anger in his stomach. He forced himself to look back at Dumbledore. â€Å"There is somebody else who must be mentioned in connection with Cedric's death,† Dumbledore went on. â€Å"I am talking, of course, about Harry Potter.† A kind of ripple crossed the Great Hall as a few heads turned in Harry's direction before flicking back to face Dumbledore. â€Å"Harry Potter managed to escape Lord Voldemort,† said Dumbledore. â€Å"He risked his own life to return Cedric's body to Hogwarts. He showed, in every respect, the sort of bravery that few wizards have ever shown in facing Lord Voldemort, and for this, I honor him.† Dumbledore turned gravely to Harry and raised his goblet once more. Nearly everyone in the Great Hall followed suit. They murmured his name, as they had murmured Cedric's, and drank to him. But through a gap in the standing figures. Harry saw that Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and many of the other Slytherins had remained defiantly in their seats, their goblets untouched. Dumbledore, who after all possessed no magical eye, did not see them. When everyone had once again resumed their seats, Dumbledore continued, â€Å"The Triwizard Tournament's aim was to further and promote magical understanding. In the light of what has happened – of Lord Voldemort's return – such ties are more important than ever before.† Dumbledore looked from Madame Maxime and Hagrid, to Fleur Delacour and her fellow Beauxbatons students, to Viktor Krum and the Durmstrangs at the Slytherin table. Krum, Harry saw, looked wary, almost frightened, as though he expected Dumbledore to say something harsh. â€Å"Every guest in this Hall,† said Dumbledore, and his eyes lingered upon the Durmstrang students, â€Å"will be welcomed back here at any time, should they wish to come. I say to you all, once again – in the light of Lord Voldemort's return, we are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided. Lord Voldemort's gift for spreading discord and enmity is very great. We can fight it only by showing an equally strong bond of friendship and trust. Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open. â€Å"It is my belief- and never have I so hoped that I am mistaken – that we are all facing dark and difficult times. Some of you in this Hall have already suffered directly at the hands of Lord Voldemort. Many of your families have been torn asunder. A week ago, a student was taken from our midst. â€Å"Remember Cedric. Remember, if the time should come when you have to make a choice between what is right and what is easy, remember what happened to a boy who was good, and kind, and brave, because he strayed across the path of Lord Voldemort. Remember Cedric Diggory.† Harry's trunk was packed; Hedwig was back in her cage on top of it. He, Ron, and Hermione were waiting in the crowded entrance hall with the rest of the fourth years for the carriages that would take them back to Hogsmeade station. It was another beautiful summer's day. He supposed that Privet Drive would be hot and leafy, its flower beds a riot of color, when he arrived there that evening. The thought gave him no pleasure at all. â€Å"‘Arry!† He looked around. Fleur Delacour was hurrying up the stone steps into the castle. Beyond her, far across the grounds. Harry could see Hagrid helping Madame Maxime to back two of the giant horses into their harness. The Beauxbatons carriage was about to take off. â€Å"We will see each uzzer again, I ‘ope,† said Fleur as she reached him, holding out her hand. â€Å"I am ‘oping to get a job ‘ere, to improve my Eenglish.† â€Å"It's very good already,† said Ron in a strangled sort of voice. Fleur smiled at him; Hermione scowled. â€Å"Good-bye, ‘Arry,† said Fleur, turning to go. â€Å"It ‘az been a pleasure meeting you!† Harry's spirits couldn't help but lift slightly as he watched Fleur hurry back across the lawns to Madame Maxime, her silvery hair rippling in the sunlight. Wonder how the Durmstrang students are getting back,† said Ron. â€Å"D' you reckon they can steer that ship without Karkaroff?† â€Å"Karkaroff did not steer,† said a gruff voice. â€Å"He stayed in his cabin and let us do the vork.† Krum had come to say good-bye to Hermione. â€Å"Could I have a vord?† he asked her. â€Å"Oh†¦yes†¦all right,† said Hermione, looking slightly flustered, and following Krum through the crowd and out of sight. â€Å"You'd better hurry up!† Ron called loudly after her. â€Å"The carriages'll be here in a minute!† He let Harry keep a watch for the carriages, however, and spent the next few minutes craning his neck over the crowd to try and see what Krum and Hermione might be up to. They returned quite soon. Ron stared at Hermione, but her face was quite impassive. â€Å"I liked Diggory,† said Krum abruptly to Harry. â€Å"He vos alvays polite to me. Alvays. Even though I vos from Durmstrang – with Karkaroff,† he added, scowling. â€Å"Have you got a new headmaster yet?† said Harry Krum shrugged. He held out his hand as Fleur had done, shook Harry's hand, and then Ron's. Ron looked as though he was suffering some sort of painful internal struggle. Krum had already started walking away when Ron burst out, â€Å"Can I have your autograph?† Hermione turned away, smiling at the horseless carriages that were now trundling toward them up the drive, as Krum, looking surprised but gratified, signed a fragment of parchment for Ron. The weather could not have been more different on the journey back to King's Cross than it had been on their way to Hogwarts the previous September. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had managed to get a compartment to themselves. Pigwidgeon was once again hidden under Ron's dress robes to stop him from hooting continually; Hedwig was dozing, her head under her wing, and Crookshanks was curled up in a spare seat like a large, furry ginger cushion. Harry, Ron, and Hermione talked more fully and freely than they had all week as the train sped them southward. Harry felt as though Dumbledore's speech at the Leaving Feast had unblocked him, somehow. It was less painful to discuss what had happened now. They broke off their conversation about what action Dumbledore might be taking, even now, to stop Voldemort only when the lunch trolley arrived. When Hermione returned from the trolley and put her money back into her schoolbag, she dislodged a copy of the Daily Prophet that she had been carrying in there. Harry looked at it, unsure whether he really wanted to know what it might say, but Hermione, seeing him looking at it, said calmly, â€Å"There's nothing in there. You can look for yourself, but there's nothing at all. I've been checking every day. Just a small piece the day after the third task saying you won the tournament. They didn't even mention Cedric. Nothing about any of it. If you ask me. Fudge is forcing them to keep quiet.† â€Å"He'll never keep Rita quiet,† said Harry. â€Å"Not on a story like this.† â€Å"Oh, Rita hasn't written anything at all since the third task,† said Hermione in an oddly constrained voice. â€Å"As a matter of fact,† she added, her voice now trembling slightly, â€Å"Rita Skeeter isn't going to be writing anything at all for a while. Not unless she wants me to spill the beans on her.† â€Å"What are you talking about?† said Ron. â€Å"I found out how she was listening in on private conversations when she wasn't supposed to be coming onto the grounds,† said Hermione in a rush. Harry had the impression that Hermione had been dying to tell them this for days, but that she had restrained herself in light of everything else that had happened. â€Å"How was she doing it?† said Harry at once. â€Å"How did you find out?† said Ron, staring at her. â€Å"Well, it was you, really, who gave me the idea. Harry,† she said. â€Å"Did I?† said Harry, perplexed. â€Å"How?† â€Å"Bugging,† said Hermione happily. â€Å"But you said they didn't work -â€Å" â€Å"Oh not electronic bugs,† said Hermione. â€Å"No, you see†¦Rita Skeeter† – Hermione's voice trembled with quiet triumph – â€Å"is an unregistered Animagus. She can turn -â€Å" Hermione pulled a small sealed glass jar out other bag. â€Å"- into a beetle.† â€Å"You're kidding,† said Ron. â€Å"You haven't†¦she's not†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Oh yes she is,† said Hermione happily, brandishing the jar at them. Inside were a few twigs and leaves and one large, fat beetle. â€Å"That's never – you're kidding -† Ron whispered, lifting the jar to his eyes. â€Å"No, I'm not,† said Hermione, beaming. â€Å"I caught her on the windowsill in the hospital wing. Look very closely, and you'll notice the markings around her antennae are exactly like those foul glasses she wears.† Harry looked and saw that she was quite right. He also remembered something. â€Å"There was a beetle on the statue the night we heard Hagrid telling Madame Maxime about his mum!† â€Å"Exactly,† said Hermione. â€Å"And Viktor pulled a beetle out of my hair after we'd had our conversation by the lake. And unless I'm very much mistaken, Rita was perched on the windowsill of the Divination class the day your scar hurt. She's been buzzing around for stories all year.† â€Å"When we saw Malfoy under that tree†¦Ã¢â‚¬  said Ron slowly. â€Å"He was talking to her, in his hand,† said Hermione. â€Å"He knew, of course. That's how she's been getting all those nice little interviews with the Slytherins. They wouldn't care that she was doing something illegal, as long as they were giving her horrible stuff about us and Hagrid.† Hermione took the glass jar back from Ron and smiled at the beetle, which buzzed angrily against the glass. â€Å"I've told her I'll let her out when we get back to London,† said Hermione. â€Å"I've put an Unbreakable Charm on the jar, you see, so she can't transform. And I've told her she's to keep her quill to herself for a whole year. See if she can't break the habit of writing horrible lies about people.† Smiling serenely, Hermione placed the beetle back inside her schoolbag. The door of the compartment slid open. â€Å"Very clever. Granger,† said Draco Malfoy. Crabbe and Goyle were standing behind him. All three of them looked more pleased with themselves, more arrogant and more menacing, than Harry had ever seen them. â€Å"So,† said Malfoy slowly, advancing slightly into the compartment and looking slowly around at them, a smirk quivering on his lips. â€Å"You caught some pathetic reporter, and Potter's Dumbledore's favorite boy again. Big deal.† His smirk widened. Crabbe and Goyle leered. â€Å"Trying not to think about it, are we?† said Malfoy softly, looking around at all three of them. â€Å"Trying to pretend it hasn't happened?† â€Å"Get out,† said Harry. He had not been this close to Malfoy since he had watched him muttering to Crabbe and Goyle during Dumbledores speech about Cedric. He could feel a kind of ringing in his ears. His hand gripped his wand under his robes. â€Å"You've picked the losing side, Potter! I warned you! I told you you ought to choose your company more carefully, remember? When we met on the train, first day at Hogwarts? I told you not to hang around with riffraff like this!† He jerked his head at Ron and Hermione. â€Å"Too late now. Potter! They'll be the first to go, now the Dark Lord's back! Mudbloods and Muggle-lovers first! Well – second – Diggory was the f-â€Å" It was as though someone had exploded a box of fireworks within the compartment. Blinded by the blaze of the spells that had blasted from every direction, deafened by a series of bangs, Harry blinked and looked down at the floor. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were all lying unconscious in the doorway. He, Ron, and Hermione were on their feet, all three of them having used a different hex. Nor were they the only ones to have done so. â€Å"Thought we'd see what those three were up to,† said Fred matter-of-factly, stepping onto Goyle and into the compartment. He had his wand out, and so did George, who was careful to tread on Malfoy as he followed Fred inside. â€Å"Interesting effect,† said George, looking down at Crabbe. â€Å"Who used the Furnunculus Curse?† â€Å"Me,† said Harry. â€Å"Odd,† said George lightly. â€Å"I used Jelly-Legs. Looks as though those two shouldn't be mixed. He seems to have sprouted little tentacles all over his face. Well, let's not leave them here, they don't add much to the decor.† Ron, Harry, and George kicked, rolled, and pushed the unconscious Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle – each of whom looked distinctly the worse for the jumble of jinxes with which they had been hit – out into the corridor, then came back into the compartment and rolled the door shut. â€Å"Exploding Snap, anyone?† said Fred, pulling out a pack of cards. They were halfway through their fifth game when Harry decided to ask them. â€Å"You going to tell us, then?† he said to George. â€Å"Who you were blackmailing?† â€Å"Oh,† said George darkly. â€Å"That.† â€Å"It doesn't matter,† said Fred, shaking his head impatiently. â€Å"It wasn't anything important. Not now, anyway.† â€Å"We've given up,† said George, shrugging. But Harry, Ron, and Hermione kept on asking, and finally, Fred said, â€Å"All right, all right, if you really want to know†¦it was Ludo Bagman.† â€Å"Bagman?† said Harry sharply. â€Å"Are you saying he was involved in -â€Å" â€Å"Nah,† said George gloomily. â€Å"Nothing like that. Stupid git. He wouldn't have the brains.† â€Å"Well, what, then?† said Ron. Fred hesitated, then said, â€Å"You remember that bet we had with him at the Quidditch World Cup? About how Ireland would win, but Krum would get the Snitch?† â€Å"Yeah,† said Harry and Ron slowly. â€Å"Well, the git paid us in leprechaun gold he'd caught from the Irish mascots.† â€Å"So?† â€Å"So,† said Fred impatiently, â€Å"it vanished, didn't it? By next morning, it had gone!† â€Å"But – it must've been an accident, mustn't it?† said Hermione. George laughed very bitterly. â€Å"Yeah, that's what we thought, at first. We thought if we just wrote to him, and told him he'd made a mistake, he'd cough up. But nothing doing. Ignored our letter. We kept trying to talk to him about it at Hogwarts, but he was always making some excuse to get away from us.† â€Å"In the end, he turned pretty nasty,† said Fred. â€Å"Told us we were too young to gamble, and he wasn't giving us anything.† â€Å"So we asked for our money back,† said George glowering. â€Å"He didn't refuse!† gasped Hermione. â€Å"Right in one,† said Fred. â€Å"But that was all your savings!† said Ron. â€Å"Tell me about it,† said George. â€Å"‘Course, we found out what was going on in the end. Lee Jordan's dad had had a bit of trouble getting money off Bagman as well. Turns out he's in big trouble with the goblins. Borrowed loads of gold off them. A gang of them cornered him in the woods after the World Cup and took all the gold he had, and it still wasn't enough to cover all his debts. They followed him all the way to Hogwarts to keep an eye on him. He's lost everything gambling. Hasn't got two Galleons to rub together. And you know how the idiot tried to pay the goblins back?† â€Å"How?† said Harry. â€Å"He put a bet on you, mate,† said Fred. â€Å"Put a big bet on you to win the tournament. Bet against the goblins.† â€Å"So that's why he kept trying to help me win!† said Harry. â€Å"Well – I did win, didn't I? So he can pay you your gold!† â€Å"Nope,† said George, shaking his head. â€Å"The goblins play as dirty as him. They say you drew with Diggory, and Bagman was betting you'd win outright. So Bagman had to run for it. He did run for it right after the third task.† George sighed deeply and started dealing out the cards again. The rest of the journey passed pleasantly enough; Harry wished it could have gone on all summer, in fact, and that he would never arrive at King's Cross†¦but as he had learned the hard way that year, time will not slow down when something unpleasant lies ahead, and all too soon, the Hogwarts Express was pulling in at platform nine and three-quarters. The usual confusion and noise filled the corridors as the students began to disembark. Ron and Hermione struggled out past Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, carrying their trunks. Harry, however, stayed put. â€Å"Fred – George – wait a moment.† The twins turned. Harry pulled open his trunk and drew out his Triwizard winnings. â€Å"Take it,† he said, and he thrust the sack into George's hands. â€Å"What?† said Fred, looking flabbergasted. â€Å"Take it,† Harry repeated firmly. â€Å"I don't want it.† â€Å"You're mental,† said George, trying to push it back at Harry. â€Å"No, I'm not,† said Harry. â€Å"You take it, and get inventing. It's for the joke shop.† â€Å"He is mental,† Fred said in an almost awed voice. â€Å"Listen,† said Harry firmly. â€Å"If you don't take it, I'm throwing it down the drain. I don't want it and I don't need it. But I could do with a few laughs. We could all do with a few laughs. I've got a feeling we're going to need them more than usual before long.† â€Å"Harry,† said George weakly, weighing the money bag in his hands, â€Å"there's got to be a thousand Galleons in here.† â€Å"Yeah,† said Harry, grinning. â€Å"Think how many Canary Creams that is.† The twins stared at him. â€Å"Just don't tell your mum where you got it†¦although she might not be so keen for you to join the Ministry anymore, come to think of it†¦.† â€Å"Harry,† Fred began, but Harry pulled out his wand. â€Å"Look,† he said flatly, â€Å"take it, or I'll hex you. I know some good ones now. Just do me one favor, okay? Buy Ron some different dress robes and say they're from you.† He left the compartment before they could say another word, stepping over Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, who were still lying on the floor, covered in hex marks. Uncle Vernon was waiting beyond the barrier. Mrs. Weasley was close by him. She hugged Harry very tightly when she saw him and whispered in his ear, â€Å"I think Dumbledore will let you come to us later in the summer. Keep in touch, Harry.† â€Å"See you. Harry,† said Ron, clapping him on the back. â€Å"‘Bye, Harry!† said Hermione, and she did something she had never done before, and kissed him on the cheek. â€Å"Harry – thanks,† George muttered, while Fred nodded fervently at his side. Harry winked at them, turned to Uncle Vernon, and followed him silently from the station. There was no point worrying yet, he told himself, as he got into the back of the Dursleys' car. As Hagrid had said, what would come, would come†¦and he would have to meet it when it did.