I Was With ______ When ...... Essays - English-language Films

I Was With ______ When ...... Chapter I I was with george in a small town that afternoon. We were playing horseshoes and we were betting on them horseshoes. As George leaned over the bench shot a glanceat me and said "Watch 'ya plannin' on doin' afterwards..." i told him i was going to hike over to the bunk house and have a short nap. I looked back at the playing area. I slammed down 5 bucks on the wooden betting table over player 1. I heard George yell and scream. 2 seconds later the player i bet on won and i won double. Content with my winnings i screamed over to George to tell him i was going back to the bunk house. George told me to wait up. We left the barn and ran over to see where lennie was. We both stopped straight in our tracks we saw something that almost made us faint. Chapter II In front of us stood lennie, he was standing over the slouched curley's wife and was mumbling "I've done another bad thing..." We asked lennie what the heck he did. He just stood there looking at us like we were some alien from a diffrent planet. He just started screaming and ran off in the distance. I told george we had better tell the gang this. We gonna get our hides whipped when curley finds out about this. A few minutes later when curley and the gang came over and saw this he said to george "You fat Son-of-a-*****" you killed my wife. I'm going to beat the living daylights outta you. George sensing curley's fustration moved back a few feet. George stammered " I didn't kill your wife it must've been lennie, The crazy idiot must've did it. he ran off when we ran to him ", " i don't believe you, you lying scoundrel's ll' pay for this'". I shook my hand at George to tell him to run. We suddenly dashed off into the distance. I heard curley yelling at us but we couldn't hear him in out fear of getting killed. Chapter III When we thought we lost curley a few shotgun blast hit the side of a tree as we dashed past it. We were both frightened as hell, but we kept on running for our lives. Another 2 shots rang out. As we were running we spotted a cave on the left hand side of the country road and dove in it. Chapter IV Inside the cave was a thin piece of some type of glass. It was glowing a deep red and looked like it was hollow. i put my hand in and it looked like it just dissapeared in the glass. I withdrew my hand in fright. I asked george what it was, he replied with a shrug of his shoulders. We then heard shotgun blasts again from the outside but this time it was much closer than the other blast. George said " We better dive in that whatever it is or we'll get ourselves shot ". With that he dived in the blank void. I jumped in after him. I saw a huge amount of swirling colours around me and then it disappeared. I looked at my surroundings. I saw huge metal boxes in the distance and desert sand all around me. the sun was in the early east which meant it must be sometime in the morning. I felt a tap on my shoulder. I whirled around and put my hand around the person's neck. " Ack. It's me man. George i not no alien." I released my hold. He went on " Whatever in that place may be ". I started to talk when George interuppted me. " Let's go and check them place out ". He started to walk, i followed along. A few hours laters. The metal boxes we had seen earlier were not as small as before they had rised way over our heads and were huge. We saw people like ourselves all around the streets walking. Funny thing though they were wearing funny clothing that seemed to stick to their skins. We also saw sliding pieces of glasses in the openings of the boxes. We approached a man standing on the street block carry a funny round object. We approached him. I asked him " Were's here? ". He replied in a strange language whichwe couldn't understand. He took out a small black box

Liberation Of The Netherlands Essay

Liberation Of The Netherlands Essay Liberation Of The Netherlands Essay Liberation of the Netherlands ( 1944-1945) Leaders: German leader Johannes blaskowitz : was a German general during World War .Blaskowitz remained in Holland he was suddenly recalled and ordered to attack. Blaskowitz was subsequently transferred to Holland. Blaskowitz allowed Allied airdrops of food and medicine to the Dutch civilian population.On May 5, Blaskowitz was summoned to surrender the German forces in the Netherlands Blaskowitz surrenders to the Canadians. Johannes Blaskowitz - Jewish Virtual Library Canadian leader Charles Foulkes: British-Canadian soldier, and an officer of The Royal Canadian Regiment. On 5 May 1945, Foulkes summoned German General Blaskowitz to the surrender of German forces in the Netherlands. Juno Beach Centre - Lieutenant-General Charles Foulkes Primary sources : Journal about the Netherlands in English. The Dutch Famine of 1944–45: Mortality and Morbidity in Past and ... Youtube: 1. Liberation of Holland 2. The Liberation of the Netherlands 3. Liberation of the Netherlands Liberation of the Netherlands The liberation of the Netherlands from September 1944 to April 1945 played a key role in the ending of the 2nd world war. The first Canadian Army had a key role in the liberation of the Dutch people, they had suffered terrible hunger and hardship under the increasingly desperate German occupiers. The First Canadian Army had a leading role in opening the Belgium and the Netherland's Scheldt estuary (tidal rives) , gave way to the port of Antwerp .Which supplied the allied armies. They continued their push towards Germany to defeat Adolf Halter's forces and free western Europe from four years of Nazi occupation. Add picture here ( map of Netherlands) Canada's Role In Liberation The Netherlands Canadian forces played an important role in liberating the Netherlands. Canadians who landed on D-Day fought battles throughout Europe. The Canadians orders were to push the German troops occupying the northeast back to the sea and to drive German troops in the west back in to Germany. the advance was halted on April 12, because of concern for the well-being of citizens in were the western Netherlands. they were being starved for months running the risk of having their country flooded if the Germans were to open the dykes. On April 28 th the Canadians were given permitted to give supplies which entered the western of Netherlands and ended the " Hunger winter". No part of the western Europe was liberated at a bitter time then the Netherlands. The Dutch people were very appreciation of the Canadians as they feed them one town at a time. The Dutch were so happy that on many rooftops they would say " Thanks you Canadians. " In honor of the Canadians and there greatly appreciated effort . The Dutch donated 10,000 tulips bulls to Canada for the National Capital Region annually since the war. maybe add about the royals. Dutch Famine 1944 The Dutch famine of the 1944-1945. known as the " Hunger winter" in Dutch was a famine that took place in the German_ occupied part of the Netherlands especially in the densely populated western provinces. A German blockade cut off food and fuel shipments from farm areas to punish the reluctance of the Dutch to aid the Nazi war effort. Some 4.5 million were affected and some survived by eating their tulip bubs. About 22,000 died because of the famine. most vulnerable according to the death reports were elderly men, women and children. Liberation of Holland Liberation of Holland, WW II begun by American troops who entered Maastricht on September 13, 1944; British Troops also played a major part in liberating southern Holland along their advance

The Epistemology of Conspiracy Theories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Epistemology of Conspiracy Theories - Essay Example As was demonstrated for example with the Iran-Contra Affair. Nonetheless, he points out that unwarranted conspiracy theories (UCT's) are the ones that pose philosophical difficulties, and it is these that he sets out to analyze by offering an explanation as to why they are popular, and why people should not believe in them. He also expresses an interest in discussing the wider philosophical issues surrounding conspiracy theories as well as examining the wider implications of many people nowadays accepting them as true explanations of events. This situation deserves being studied because it indicates a growing conflict between opposing views with some people accepting the mainstream received views and others that are more acceptive of the views of conspiracy theorists. The author terms the main tool of conspiracy theorists as 'errant data'. This type of data is considered to exist as either contradictory data, or data that is unaccounted for. Whereas the former is concerned with data that conflicts with official explanations, the latter is concerned with data which the official explanations are unable to account for satisfactorily. He makes the point that â€Å"Conspiracy theories are attractive, a fact demonstrated by their current popularity. But their alleged virtues are subtly flawed.†, and then tries to prove this. The attractiveness, or rather strength, of conspiracy theories, lies in their ability to seemingly unify the explanations of different events.  ... studied because it indicates a growing conflict between opposing views with some people accepting the mainstream received views and others that are more acceptive of the views of conspiracy theorists. The author terms the main tool of conspiracy theorists as 'errant data'. This type of data is considered to exist as either contradictory data, or data that is unaccounted for. Whereas the former is concerned with data that conflicts with official explanations, the latter is concerned with data which the official explanations are unable to account for satisfactorily. He makes the point that â€Å"Conspiracy theories are attractive, a fact demonstrated by their current popularity. But their alleged virtues are subtly flawed.†, and then tries to prove this. The attractiveness, or rather strength, of conspiracy theories lies in their ability to seemingly unify the explanations of different events. By their very nature, they are always able to explain more than other competing theori es. Conspiracy theories explain not only the 'received account' of events, but also the errant data that these official explanations generate. It is precisely this 'virtue' of conspiracy theories that the author describes as their 'beauty', i.e. their â€Å"wonderfully unified accounts of all the data at hand, both those the official story explains, plus those niggling, overlooked errant data.† Also, conspiracy theories are sustained by making people believe they are indeed only conspiracy theories, i.e. not widely believed, which might otherwise make the truth be revealed. Errant data is believed by the author to play a critical role in UCTs. He believes that when an official received account fails to explain certain errant facts, the existence of a conspiracy becomes the best explanation of the

Research Paper About The Business And Operations Of Fedex

About The Business And Operations Of Fedex - Research Paper Example In addition to that, FedEx bought Kinko’s in 2004 and rebranded the offering into FedEx Office. With this brand, the company provides office supplies and printing services to consumers including computer use products, USBs, paper, business and greeting cards, stationery, mailing boxes and supplies, etc. b. Role of technology FedEx uses topnotch technology and MIS in everyday business that allows tracking of big and small packages across the globe. With the most advanced telecommunications and computer networks in place, a customer is able to log into the FedEx online website and track the exact location of the shipment and have an accurate understanding of when the product will reach destination. FedEx also offers FedEx Ship Manager at fedex.com, FedEx WorldTM Shipping Software and well staffed call centers (fedex.com) for the help of customers in tracking their shipments. In addition to that, FedEx utilizes advanced software and programs to assist employees in their everyday work and to be more efficient. For corporate clients, the company has innovative products such as Critical Inventory Logistics service through FedEx Supply Chain. c. Product life cycle FedEx is a mature company that has been in business since 1973. FedEx is in the maturity stage, as shown in the diagram1. However, the company has managed through innovation, new product development, increased customer outreach and efficient business practices to expand this cycle with higher sales volume. d. Price elasticities The logistics industry is highly competitive with not only international players such as DHL, FedEx and Maersk but also an abundance of local (domestic) players in various countries. This means high price elasticity for some of FedEx products. In the U.S. market alone, the two biggest players are UPS and FedEx and customers switch between the two based on the product and service prices. e. Substitute products and service The logistics industry is directly related to businesses and consumer demand for their products. A logistics company is run on a huge investment and requires use of infrastructure. The occurrence of FedEx substitutes is limited to competition such as UPS and DHL; there are no real substitute options for logistics companies that can service the customer need satisfactorily. Market trends Economic activity has a direct impact on the demand for logistics and transport. The logistics industry sees a boom when economies are robust and active: businesses have consumer demand for their products and the timely delivery of the products is based on the performance of the transport company. Conversely, a slow or bad economy shows a sluggish demand for logistics services. The economic downturn of 2007 impacted the logistics industry in a negative way. With a recessing global economy, trade slowdown and conservative consumer demand, logistics industry also faced scarce demand. a. Consumer behavior FedEx has individual customers as well as business or corporate customers. Both types of consumers have a few definite needs. They want specialized, customized products that target their specific needs. While creating a customized product for a corporate customer is more feasible and cost effective than creating one

A SMALL PLACE JAMAICAN KINCAID Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

A SMALL PLACE JAMAICAN KINCAID - Essay Example However, as I kept on reading, I figured that Jamaican Kincaid is about a journey of a tourist, who comes far away from his every day world to have a good time. It shows the ignorance we use as bliss in order to go through an ordinary life. Starting from the customs at the airport, writer Annie John has tried to show the difference the tourist is likely to notice once he/she arrives in Antigua. The cab ride, which starts with the driver quoting a high price than the one he would charge the local people. The writer shows here that people in these countries, especially cab drivers feel that their best chance of earning easy money is to quote a high price to a western tourist as the drivers would feel that these tourists would not mind spending these amounts of money since they do not have any idea about the regular charge. The ride to the hotel might seem dangerous if narrated, with nearly no traffic rules being followed and the condition of the roads giving you the feeling that you are in Disney Land and taking a ride in a roller-coaster. However, the writer says that the tourist would not feel much of a difference as the cab drivers in New York are also from these parts of the world and would have a similar style of dr iving. The writer talks about the possible confusion of the tourist when he sees expensive cars Made in Japan, he must wonder how can these people afford it, do these people have equally expensive houses to go with this car? The writer posing this question gets the chance to take a dig at the government of Antigua which owns two major car dealerships in Antigua. The government hence makes car/auto loans easier for consumers while home loans remain stringent. Describing the god awful look of the hospitals and the quality of the doctors, Annie John makes the reader think about the helpless condition of people in Antigua. As the writer said, the ministers can take a

Characteristics and Advantages of Database Approach

Characteristics and Advantages of Database Approach Database Design Concepts Nitya Mandal Introduction The overall assignment deals with characteristics of database system, its approach and how it replaced the file based approach. In every organization there is need of database. Database is collection of data in a structured and more systematic way that helps in retrieving the data easily and efficiently. Before database system came in to picture there was file based approach in which there were application programs which were used to perform services for end user and produce reports. However every program used to manage its own data. Due to this and various other limitations file system was replaced by database system. The modern database approach has much advantage that helps not only the organization but also the common people in their day today life. In the below assignment all the characteristics of database has been described. Task 1: Describe the main characteristics of the database approach and contrast it with the file-based approach. Analyze the key issues and application of databases within organizational environments. Main Characteristics of the Database Approach Self-describing nature of a database system: A DBMS catalog stores the description of the database. The description is called meta-data which is data about data. This allows the DBMS software to work with different databases. Insulation between programs and data: Also known as program-data independence. Without making any change to DBMS access programs the data storage structures and operations can be changed. Data Abstraction: The availability of data model approach helps in hiding the physical view of data i.e. the storage details and other internal level information and provides the conceptual view of database. Support of multiple views of the data: The database approach allows each user to have their own view of the database which describes only the data of interest to that user. There are various benefits of having multiple views such as: Reduce complexity Provide a level of security Provide a mechanism to customize the appearance of the database Present a consistent, unchanging picture of the structure of the database, even if the underlying database is changed Sharing of data and multi-user transaction processing: The database approach allows a set of concurrent users to retrieve and to update the database. Spreadsheets cannot offer several users the ability to view and work on the different data in the same file, because once the first user opens the file it is locked to other users. Other users can read the file, but may not edit data. For example, when one user is changing data then the database should not allow other users who query the same data to view the changed, unsaved data. Instead the user should only view the original data. Controlled access to database may include: a security system an integrity system a concurrency control system a recovery control system a user-accessible catalog. File-based System File-based systems were the manual based approached used for managing the files. It’s mainly the collection of application programs that used to provide services for the end-users. Each program was defined for a specific task and can’t be used simultaneously with each other. However, there are many pitfalls of file based system. Separation and isolation of data When data is isolated in separate files, it is more difficult for us to access data that should be available. The application programmer is required to synchronize the processing of two or more files to ensure the correct data is extracted. Duplication of data With the use of the decentralized file-based approach, the uncontrolled duplication of data used to occur which can lead to loss of data integrity as well as is wasteful as it occupies unnecessary space in memory storage area. Data dependence Using file-based system, the physical structure and storage of the data files and records are defined in the application program code. This makes the file to be program-data dependent. If the user want to make any change in the existing structure it was a difficult a task and will lead to a modification of program. Such maintenance activities are time-consuming and subject to error. Incompatible file formats The structures of the file are dependent on the application programming language. However file structure provided in one programming language such as direct file, indexed-sequential file which is available in COBOL programming, may be different from the structure generated by other programming language such as C. The direct incompatibility makes them difficult to process jointly. Fixed queries / proliferation of application programs File-based systems are very dependent upon the application programmer. Any required queries or reports have to be written by the application programmer. Normally, a fixed format query or report can only be entertained and no facility for ad-hoc queries if offered. Database Approach: In order to overcome the limitations of the file-based approach, the concept of database and the Database Management System (DMS) was emerged in 60s. Advantages of DBMSs Control of data redundancy Data consistency More information from the same amount of data Sharing of data Improved data integrity Improved security Enforcement of standards Economy of scale Balance conflicting requirements Improved data accessibility and responsiveness Increased productivity Improved maintenance through data independence Increased concurrency Improved backup and recovery services Difference between file system and DBMS [2] Both systems contain a collection of data and a set of programs which access that data. A database management system coordinates both the physical and the logical access to the data, whereas a file-processing system coordinates only the physical access. A database management system reduces the amount of data duplication by ensuring that a physical piece of data is available to all programs authorized to have access to it, whereas data written by one program in a file-processing system may not be readable by another program. A database management system is designed to allow flexible access to data (i.e., queries), whereas a file-processing system is designed to allow predetermined access to data (i.e., compiled programs). A database management system is designed to coordinate multiple users accessing the same data at the same time. A file-processing system is usually designed to allow one or more programs to access different data files at the same time. In a file-processing system, a file can be accessed by two programs concurrently only if both programs have read-only access to the file. Redundancy is control in DBMS, but not in file system. Unauthorized access is restricted in DBMS but not in file system. DBMS provide backup and recovery. When data is lost in file system then it not recover. DBMS provide multiple user interfaces. Data is isolated in file system. In file system there is no concept of tables orrelationsbetween tables it just organize the records row by row. Database system contains table and relationbetween the tables. A File manager is used to store all relationships in directories in File Systems where as a data base manager (administrator) stores the relationshipin form ofstructural tables. Disadvantages of database approach The Database approach too has some disadvantages. They are: Complexity: Database management system is an extremely complex piece of software. The users must be familiar with its functionality in-order to make full use of it. Therefore, training for the administrators, designers and users is required. Size The database management system consumes a substantial amount of main memory as well as a large amount of disk space in order to make it run efficiently. Cost of DBMS A multi-user database management system may be very expensive. Even after the installation, there is a high recurrent annual maintenance cost on the software. Cost of conversion When moving from a file-base system to a database system, the company is required to have additional expenses on hardware acquisition and training cost. Performance As the database approach is to manage many applications rather than exclusively for a particular one, some applications may not run as fast as before. Higher impact of a failure The database approach increases the vulnerability of the system due to the centralization. As all users and applications reply on the database availability, the failure of any component can bring operations to a halt and affect the services to the customer seriously. Application of database in an organization A management information system(MIS) is an integrated, user machine system for providing information to support operations, management, analysis, and decision making functions in an organization. The system utilizes computer hardware and software, manual procedures, models for analysis, planning, control and decision making and a data base. Managers at all levels use similar data. Operating managers require data which is timely, precise, detailed, internal and historical. Upper level managers need data which is aggregated, external as well as internal, future oriented as well as historical and covering a longer span time. An effective MIS cannot be built without viable data management tools. Any organization has management planning and control activities in the middle and strategic planning and policy making in top management. The database related to an organization contains data relating to the organization, its operations, its plan and its environment that helps in decision making. Transactions record actual results of organizational activities and environmental changes and update the database to maintain a current image. People in the organization query the database for information to conduct the daily operations. Middle management receives reports comparing actual results to previously recorded plans and expectations. The corporate database provides data for modeling and forecasting which support top management needs. The corporate database supports all levels of an organization and is vital for operations, decision making and the management process. Network database: This model stores the records with links to other records. Most network database include hierarchical model. This type of database can spread over the geographical area when used in large organization. Another database application is OLTP (Online Transaction Processing). Database applicants are any type of company that has customers/clients, keeps stocks of products, provides a service etc. Finance institutions, accountants, estate agents, solicitors, training organizations, schools, colleges, motor dealers, opticians etc. Practically every category of business uses the database system. Database id used in Universities for student information, course details, and grades. It is used in Airlines for reservations and schedule information. Also in Credit card transactions database approach is used for purchase on credit cards and generations of monthly statements. Apart from this in Human resource database is used for information about employees, salaries, payroll taxes, benefits and for generations of paychecks. In Banking too database is used for customer information, accounts, and banking transactions. Task 2: The database management system (DBMS) has promising potential advantages. Critically evaluate the advantages and features of database management systems. Advantages [4] There are various advantages of introducing database system approach in an application system. Some of them are discussed below: Control of data redundancy In the database approach there is central repository of data that not only helps in avoiding the wastage of storage space but also helps in controlling the redundancy by data integration. It helps in avoiding the duplication of data by following techniques like normalization and key concepts. Thus the data is stored in database table at only one place from where it can be retrieved when needed, by avoiding redundancy. Data consistency This is maintained by following the concept â€Å"control of redundancy†. If the data is stored at one place in a database then while updating any information the changes will be done at only one place which is reflected at all place where ever it is present in whole database. There is no need to change at all places where that data is present. For example if an employee has a change in his address then only in employee table the address will be changed. From there it will be updated every where in database. Thus it ensures all copies of the data are kept consistent. This helps in maintaining consistency of information throughout the system without any loss or misleading of information. More information from the same amount of data With the integration of the operated data in the database approach, it may be possible to derive additional information for the same data. All data is stored in a single database, instead of being stored in various other separate files, making the process of obtaining information quicker and in an easy way. For example, in the file-based system of a property company, the Contracts Department does not know who owns a leased property. Similarly, the Sales Department has no knowledge of lease details. Now when we combine these files, the Contracts Department has access to owner details and the Sales Department has access to lease details. Thus more information can be derived now from same available data. Sharing of data There is central repository of data in a database system that makes it available to the entire organization and can be shared by all authorized users. Improved data integrity †¦.[5] Data integrity mainly refers to ensuring that data is recorded exactly as intended and when retrieved it’s in the same way as it was when it was recorded. There should not be any data loss when data is retrieved. It mainly provides the validity and consistency of stored data. The database application has various Integrity Constraints, which are consistency rules that the database is not permitted to violate. One of the constraints is specifying data type for every data item. Another is referential integrity constraint in which a record in one file must be related to records in other files. These constraints help in maintaining integrity of data. Improved security Database approach provides a protection of the data from the unauthorized users. It may take the term of user names and passwords to identify user type and their access right in the operation including retrieval, insertion, updating and deletion. Providing the facility of accessible rights in database system for various levels in an organization makes it secure for use. For example, the DBA has access to all the data in the database where as a branch manager may have access to all data that is related to only his branch office. In a similar way a sales assistant may have access to all data relating to properties but don’t have any access to sensitive data such as staff salary details. Enforcement of standards The integration of the database enforces the necessary standards including data formats, naming conventions, documentation standards, update procedures and access rules. It helps in maintaining standards among the user in an organization. The sharing of data within departments, exchange of information among the users on various projects become easy following the standard database on a centralized environment. Economy of scale Using centralized database helps in combining all organizations operational data into one database with applications to work on one source of data. This helps in cost saving as well as reducing redundancy among the applications. The organizations can invest their money on buying new tools like good processors, storage space and communications devices. Instead of each department buying individually, the organization as whole can do this by saving operational and management time and money. Balance of conflicting requirements By having a structural design in the database, the conflicts between users or departments can be resolved. Decisions will be based on the base use of resources for the organization as a whole rather that for an individual entity. Improved data accessibility and responsiveness By having integration in the database approach, data accessing can be crossed departmental boundaries. This feature provides more functionality and better services to the users. Increased productivity The database approach provides all the low-level file-handling routines. The provision of these functions allows the programmer to concentrate more on the specific functionality required by the users. The fourth-generation environment provided by the database can simplify the database application development. Improved maintenance Database approach provides a data independence. As a change of data structure in the database will be affect the application program, it simplifies database application maintenance. Increased concurrency Database can manage concurrent data access effectively. It ensures no interference between users that would not result any loss of information nor loss of integrity. Multiple User Interface DBMS provides a variety of user interface like query language for casual users, programming language interface for application programmers, command codes for parametric users, menu-driven interface for standalone users. It provides web based GUI interface to database. Improved backup and recovery services Modern database management system provides facilities to minimize the amount of processing that can be lost following a failure by using the transaction approach. References http://www.gitta.info/IntroToDBS/en/html/DBApproaChar_mehrfachn.html http://1upto.blogspot.sg/2012/09/list-four-significant-differences.html. http://databases.about.com/od/administration/a/choosing_a_db.htm DATABASE SYSTEMS- A Practical approach to design, implementation and management by Thomas Connolly and Carolyn Begg- 4rth Edition http://www.cvauni.edu.vn/imgupload_dinhkem/file/CSDL/Fundamentals_of_Database_Systems, _6th_Edition.pdf [http://databases.about.com/od/administration/a/choosing_a_db.htm]

Free Things They Carried Essays: Another World :: Things They Carried Essays

Another World Portrayed in The Things They Carried In several stories from The Things They Carried, Tim O'Brien deals with the way that American soldiers of the Vietnam War related to being "in country," or out of their own country and halfway across the world. O'Brien creates the concept that Vietnam and the war there is "another world" throughout the stories. None of the soldiers he writes about feel at home in Vietnam, and none of them successfully adapt emotionally to being so far from home. O'Brien subtly introduces the concept of "another world" in the title story of the book. In describing how easy it would be for a soldier to give in to the pressures of war and just collapse on the trail, thereby getting sent home or to a hospital, the narrator says that "the chopper... would... carry you off to the world [italics added]" (21-22). The careful reader will pick up on O'Brien's subtlety and realize that if the soldiers - for the narrator does speak for the soldiers as a collective - feel as if Vietnam is not in the world, then they must feel as if they are in "another world." This exact phrase is used later in the same story. When Lieutenant Cross is thinking about his girlfriend Martha, he chastizes himself for his useless fantasies. He thinks to himself that Vietnam is "not Mount Sebastian, it [is] another world" (24). Then in "How To Tell A True War Story," O'Brien reiteraties the concept. The soldiers of the story are hearing music coming from afar, and the narrator describes it as "all very civilized, except this isn't civilization. This is Nam" (74). This blunt statement captures the soldiers' feelings that they are in "another world." To them, Vietnam is a world without civilization; it is a world so different than the one they are accustomed to that they cannot function. O'Brien returns to the "another world" idea once more in "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong." As the narrator is describing the loss of Mary Anne's feminitiy, O'Brien writes that "Cleveland Heights now seemed very far away" (98). Mary Anne has joined the world of Vietnam, the world of the war, and lost contact with the "real world." This is the same thing that happened to O'Brien's soldiers. Being in another world caused them to lose their ability to relate to their own world, and this manifested itself in veterans as soon as they came back from the war.

Animal Should Not Be Kept in Zoo

In Luke 7, when John the Baptist sends his disciples to find out if Jesus was the Messiah, Jesus tells them, â€Å"Go back and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind see again, the lame walk, those suffering from virulent skin-diseases are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, the good news is proclaimed to the poor. † So, who are the poor? The poor are those who are in need of the help of God; those who are open to the plan of God in their lives; those who are simple hearted; the humble.When Elizabeth hears the ‘good news’ (Lk 1:19) that was announced to Zachariah, she acknowledges that the Lord has removed her humiliation of being barren (Cf. Lk 1:25). When Mary sings her magnificat in the presence of Elizabeth, she would say, â€Å"The Lord has looked upon the humiliation of his servant† (Lk 1:48). In short, being poor simply means being open to God. It is to those who rely, depend on God that the Good News is proclaimed. A nd it is to us that the Good News is proclaimed.If we consider the Good News as a message, then, it is liberty to captives – the experience of freedom from all that binds us including sin; it is healing to the sick. It is the promise of the favorable year (kairos), the time of Grace. So Good News is not a set of information. It is an experience! Again, the Good News is a community and personal experience with Jesus. It is the possibility to experience God in the person of Jesus. Jesus Christ is the Good News. This is what actually amazed the hearts of those listeners in the synagogue, as Jesus said: â€Å"Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing† (Lk 4:21).In other words Jesus was saying, â€Å"The times that Isaiah prophesied are here. It is possible to experience the Good News in my person! † Therefore, today Jesus is bringing hope, joy and favor to us. On the table of his altar we will have the greatest opportunity of being able to experience Jesus i n person. He is the living word that has power to change and transform lives, and bring freedom and healing to those who receive him as their Lord and Savior. Open your heart. Do not be afraid. Let him to make you free from any oppression, spiritual emptiness or lack of happiness. The gospel of salvation is â€Å"good news† for us today.

Suicide in the Military

Suicide in the Military Free Online Research Papers Stressed by war and long overseas tours, U.S. soldiers killed themselves last year at the highest rate on record, the toll rising for a fourth straight year and even surpassing the suicide rate among comparable civilians. Army leaders said they were doing everything they could think of to curb the deaths and appealed for more mental health professionals to join and help out. Clearly, the military is going above and beyond to try and prevent further lives from being taken. According to the sociologist Emile Durkheim, when a person has a very strong degree of social connectedness, he or she may identify with its values or causes to such an extent that the sense of his or her own personal identity is diminished. For example, the values of the military predominated over the individual’s values. Such is the case in altruistic suicide, which has been defined as the â€Å"the self destruction demanded by a society as a price for being a member of that society.† (DeSpelder Strickland). The highest officer in each service told lawmakers they are working hard to fix the problems - devoting more senior leadership attention, instituting more and better training, attacking the stigma of asking for help, hiring more mental health providers and working across agency lines to keep an eye on and fund care for at-risk troops who transition back to civilian life. The specific steps range from implementing or strengthening â€Å"battle buddy† programs to ensure troops look out for each other; embedding, as the Marines have done, more mental health professionals within units; improving the â€Å"handoff† from the war zone to providers back home; and ensuring better continuity of care when troops transition from military to VA care, officials said. (Air Force Times, 2009) This is the first time since the Vietnam War that the rate of suicide in the Army, about 20 deaths per 100,000 soldiers, has surpassed the civilian suicide rate. Last year in the Army alone there were 140 suicides, translating into a rate of 20.2 per 100,000 soldiers. Also, the number of Army suicides increased for the fourth consecutive year, according to the Army’s 2008 Suicide Data report released on January 29, 2009. The Army’s high suicide rate is attributable in large part to deployment stress, Gen. Peter Chiarelli, Army vice chief of staff stated. Long deployments and other factors including job-related difficulties and financial, personal and legal problems are other contributing factors. â€Å"A high mission tempo clearly can place strain on a military, and with wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, 12 months or longer deployment rotations and 12 months or less downtime at home, the Army certainly has been busy,† Chiarelli said. The Army found about 35 percent of suicides came after soldiers returned home from deployment, while another 35 percent of suicides occurred among soldiers with no history of deployment. 30 percent occurred while soldiers were in the field. To help combat the suicide increases, the Army has entered into an unprecedented five-year, $50 million partnership with the National Institute of Mental Health (American Forces Press Service). The purpose of the study is to understand the urgency of the situation, to identify risks and prevention factors, and to develop new and better intervention. The knowledge will benefit both soldiers and families as well as the civilian population. One of the key issues the Army has been trying to address is the feeling among many soldiers that seeking psychological help is a sign of weakness and could be harmful to their career. Since Oct. 1, an average of three hot line callers per day have identified themselves as being on active duty, said Kathryn Power, director of the Center for Mental Health Services in the Department of Health and Human Services. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said that indicates many conflicted troops continue to feel a sense of stigma over reporting suicidal thoughts to superiors or military mental health officials. â€Å"When you’ve got this many people feeling they can’t talk to someone within the system, that’s a problem,† Graham said. â€Å"We must eliminate the perceived stigma, shame and dishonor of asking for help,† said Adm. Patrick Walsh, vice chief of naval operations. â€Å"This is not simply an issue isolated to the medical community to recognize and reso lve† Such efforts should include keeping an eye on those closest to the suicide victim, said Brian Altman, acting chief operating officer for Suicide Prevention Action Network USA, a Washington-based public policy and advocacy group. (Air Force Times). The Air Force lost 38 airmen to suicide in 2008, a rate of 11.5 suicides per 100,000 airmen. The average over the past five years - since the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom - was 11 deaths per 100,000 annually. Of the airmen lost in 2008, 95 percent were men and 89 percent were enlisted. Young enlisted men with a rank of E1 to E4 and between the ages of 21 and 25 have the highest risk of suicide. Recently released data indicates that active duty males carry, for the first time in known history, a suicide risk greater than that of comparable males in the general population (Psychotherapy Brown Bag, 2009). This is particularly noteworthy considering that the military entrance process screens out serious mental illness prior to entry onto active duty, and that the rate of suicide in military males has historically been significantly lower than comparable civilian populations. To help prevent and reduce these alarming statistics, military psychologists and mental health professionals have begun research to gain empirical support for a simple model to improve assessment, treatment, and prevention of suicidal behaviors in active duty members. In a report to Congress, Craig Duehring, assistant secretary of the Air Force for manpower, said, â€Å"there does not appear to be a strong correlation between deployments and suicide.† A check of deployment records found that from 2003 to 2008, only 39 Air Force suicide victims had deployed in the previous 12 months. Another 150 had never deployed. A more common indicator of risk was seeking mental health counseling for issues ranging from alcohol abuse to marriage counseling, Duehring’s report said. Fifty-five percent of airmen who killed themselves had attended counseling sessions (Air Force Times, 2009). Other factors in the Air Force suicide rate include relationships gone awry and poor communication between the treating mental health providers and commanders. There is always tension in the military between confidentiality and the need to communicate with supervisors. This is now being addressed so that soldiers can discuss personal issues without being worried a bout facing discharge. The Navy’s suicide rate has remained roughly steady over the past four years, but suicide ranks as the service’s third-leading cause of death, said Walsh. The Navy reported 41 suicides in 2008, a rate of 11.6 per 100,000. About 39 percent of the sailors who committed suicide last year were facing disciplinary action, he added. Financial issues were also a factor, said Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Rick West. West added that the Navy has been setting up support programs such as operational stress control, and has also vamped up its financial counseling programs. The Marine Corps lost 41 Marines last year to confirmed or suspected suicides - up from 25 two years earlier - a rate of 19 per 100,000. General James F. Amos, USMC, Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps, said the most likely Marine to die by suicide is a Caucasian male, 18 to 24 years old, between the ranks of private and sergeant. The most likely cause is a failed relationship with a woman. Active duty military members aren’t the only ones who are affected by suicide. According to Dr. Thomas Insel, the director of the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Maryland, post-war suicides may outnumber deaths from combat. In the aftermath of war, many experience symptoms such as numbness, irritability, depression, difficulties in relationships, and guilt at surviving when others did not. The term posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been used to describe such symptoms, although such reactions have also been termed â€Å"delayed grief syndrome† or posttraumatic grief disorder.† (DeSpelder Strickland, 2005) People who suffer from PTSD often relive the experience through nightmares and flashbacks, have difficulty sleeping, and feel detached or estranged, and these symptoms can be severe enough and last long enough to significantly impair the persons daily life. The two main forms of post combat mental illness include PTSD and depression, both of which are cited most often as causes of suicides by returning soldiers. Among additional factors related to the suicide rates are personal, marital and family problems, repeated and extended deployments, extended periods of hard combat and even undiagnosed preexisting mental disorders. The military has stated that at least one in five American soldiers who were deployed overseas to Iraq or Afghanistan suffer from some degree of PTSD. Army officials have been committed to finding out why more soldiers committed suicide in 2008 than ever recorded. â€Å"It’s a national problem we’re committed to doing everything we can to address (the issues) better and (and) put programs in place,† said Army Secretary Pete Geren. The Army is using a variety of short- and long-term programs. One of those is the Strong Bonds program. Strong Bonds has specialized programs for single Soldiers, couples and families. Those Soldiers being deployed or redeployed can also learn special coping tactics. Strong Bonds empowers Soldiers and their loved ones with relationship-building skills, and connects them to community health and support resources. It is a holistic, preventative program committed to the restoration and preservation of Army families, even those near crisis. The program is initiated and led by the Army Chaplains. More than 90% of those who have attended the program rate it positively. Another program recen tly launched is called Battlemind. The objective of Battlemind is to reduce combat stress reactions. The staggering statistics of combat are eye-opening: 65% of deployed soldiers have have seen a dead or seriously injured American, 50% have had to handle or uncover human remains, 48% are responsible for the death of an enemy combatant, and 21% have had to save the life of a Soldier or civilian. Combat leaves haunting memories. After the shooting stops, the mind must â€Å"sort out and file the almost incomprehensible facts of war† (DeSpelder Strickland). The Air Force has aggressively pursued increasing community awareness of suicide risks and available services and decreasing the stigma surrounding accessing mental health services. Senior Air Force staff reinforce the perspective that suicide prevention is a community effort and regularly distribute notices to personnel regarding the problem of suicide within the Air Force (USAFMS, 2000). Regular staff development courses have also now incorporated suicide prevention education for all officers. Such training describes the risk and protective factors for suicide, including contexts and symptoms of acute suicide risk, and when and to whom to refer individuals at risk of suicide. Enhancing the mental well-being of the entire unit is conveyed as each staff member’s responsibility. Supervisors and unit members alike are encouraged to persuade those facing mental health issues (including substance abuse and domestic violence) to self-refer to counseling. The Air Force presents such actions as a means of increasing unit productivity and helping the individual reach his or her fullest potential, and explicitly states these goals as motivation for commander-directed mental health evaluations when individuals do not self-refer (USAFMS, 2000). Further, the Air Force has implemented suicide awareness training for staff, changed certain Air Force policies in response to epidemiological research, and developed a database for collecting a broad array of information regarding suicide attempts and completions throughout Air Force personnel and their families. Clearly military suicide numbers are rising at an alarming rate, but I believe the military is doing all it can to reverse this disturbing trend. Some people wonder why we should care so much about military suicides compared to civilian ones. Service members go to war because we ask, or rather demand, that they do so. We owe them our best effort to make them as whole as they can be. I care about members of the military because theyre serving their country by doing difficult and dangerous work for small tangible reward. For that, they deserve the best of medical care, including mental health care, and if something about their current situation is causing a significant increase in depression, that needs to be investigated and dealt with. REFERENCES Carden, M.J. (2009, January 29). Army Works to Combat Rising Suicide. Retrieved from defenselink.mil/utility/printitem.aspx?print=defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=52879 DeSpelder, L.A., Strickland, A.E. (2005). The last dance. Boston: McGraw-Hill. McMichael, W.H. (2009, March 23). Suicide rates remain high. Retrieved from airforcetimes.com/news/2009/03/airforce_suicide_032309w/ Morrow, C. (2009, September 1). Suicide in active duty military personnel. Retrieved from psychotherapybrownbag.com/psychotherapy_brown_bag_a/2009/09/suicide-in-active-duty-military-personnel-the-september-2009-psychotherapy-brown-bag-featured-articl.html Ritchey, J. (2009, February 09). US military suicide on the increase. Retrieved from speroforum.com/a/18082/US-military-suicide-on-the-increase SUICIDE IN THE MILITARY 1 Research Papers on Suicide in the MilitaryArguments for Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS)Influences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesQuebec and CanadaIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductAppeasement Policy Towards the Outbreak of World War 2Assess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeTwilight of the UAWLifes What Ifs

City Council Meeting essays

City Council Meeting essays After searching deperatly to find a City Hall that has its meetings on a day that I can actually go to, because the previous meetings conflicted with my classes. I tried the City Hall in Bellflower, and the meetings were on Monday nights, which conflicted with one of my English classes. Then finally I arrived at the City Hall in Lakewood when it was open; it had been closed each other time I came. I came last week in advance to find out when the next meeting was going to be. She told me that it was on the next Tuesday at 7:30 in the evening. She wasnt sure so she told me to come back and double check with another representative (because she was the only person in the building or go online and check their web site at www.lakewoodcity.org. After checking back I found that the City Council holds regular meetings on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month at 7:30 in the evening. The next meeting was December 10, 2002. So I marked it on my calendar and waited patiently until t hat day came. Finally, it is 6:00pm when I arrive at the building. To my dismay, the doors were locked, the lights were off, the janitors were cleaning, and there was no one else in sight. In a panic I wonder around the building fearing that somehow, with my luck, I missed the date or time. After arguing with myself for I get back in my car and wonder the block to clear my mind, then I head back. Everything was just the way I left it. I get out of the car, which was hard to do because the heater was on, I was in a T-shirt, and it was freezing outside. Finally I decide to ask one of the janitors if there was supposed to be a meeting tonight. So I run to the glass double doors and wait for one of them to come out of a room, any room. In the distance I see a woman walking toward me. She looks like she word there, so I wait for her to reach the doors. She gets to the glass double doors and just stares at me like I didnt belong the...

Define empathy.Include what the text says Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

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