Somalia essays

Somalia essays It was God-awful hot and the dust was everywhere. We were just coming back to the airfield in Moghedishu from an 18 hour patrol in southern Somalia. Jeff was concentrating on driving while Brad was manning the .50 caliber machinegun mounted on the top of the armored humvee. This left me plenty of time to take in the sights, sounds and smells, very rich ones, of the countryside and city. Dust from the afternoon winds found every cranny and nook you could imagine. It was brutal on our weapons, which had to be constantly wiped free. Even when I would take a drink of water from my canteen the taste of dirt was prevalent. When I started this paper, I found out that much has changed in this ancient land. I also found out that much has remained the same. Somalia is a land with a rich history and one full of sorrows. When I set out to start my research, I turned mostly to Government and Non-government web sites for information. Many of these sites were full of valuable information relating to Somalia, its past and how Somalia stands in the world today. I used one book, Delong, Kent, and Steven Tuckey. Mogadishu! Heroism and Tragedy. Westport: Praeger, 1994, for part of my research. Several other news sites were helpful in setting the scene for Somalias current place in the world, to include the War on Terrorism. Also the State department web site was a great help. I had some difficulties in finding books written about Somalia. There were many books written about the Battle of Mogadishu but few about the country itself. The State Department and CIA web sites were most helpful in this area. Both sites had a complete and comprehensive database of the history of Somalia. I also went to several African web sites for information and for their own perspective on events affecting Somalia, both past and present. I was able to use some of the databases from the ECPI library. For the most part this database was very good on the curr...

BiblioBoard Getting your ebook into libraries The Reedsy Blog

BiblioBoard Getting your ebook into libraries The Reedsy Blog Getting Indie Authors Into Libraries - An Interview with Mitchell Davis of BiblioBoard When you want to know where to sell your ebooks, availability is always king. Why do you want your book on the Kindle store? Because Kindles are everywhere. Why do you want to be on the iBook store? Because iBooks is is available on over 800 million iOS devices. So when BiblioBoard say they want to help indie authors reach a network of over 2500 participating libraries, every single indie author should be paying attention.Part of their strategy for this comes back to two big ideas we’ve encountered across conversations with authors and entrepreneurs. First they offer curation that helps buyers, whether they’re readers or librarians, find the kind of books they’re looking for. Second, they’re helping to normalise independent publishing, giving indie authors an equal footing with traditionally published authors, and of course by getting their books into new spaces like public libraries.Mitchell Davis is the founder and chief business officer of  BiblioLabs ,  the creators of BiblioBoard. We spoke to Mitchell about why they started BiblioBoard, and how they’re going to help introduce the work of self-published authors to libraries across first America, and eventually the world.MITCHELL DAVISLibraries had talked to us quite a bit about knowing there were good self-published books out there, but not having the time, energy or resources to sift through them to figure out which ones they should make available to patrons. I think our background made us a natural fit for wanting to solve this problem.We first visited Library Journal in early 2014 and they knew they wanted to do something with self-publishing, but felt the LJ brand was not right to sell reviews (other publications had started selling reviews to self-published authors). As we talked, it became clear that LJ and their network of librarian reviewers were the perfect â€Å"advisory† for self-published books. They could apply their expertise to helping librarians l icense the best self-published books by genre. By paying a subscription fee and trusting LJ’s review process the library could make self-published books available to their patrons for small cost and with no headaches or hassles.What we bring to the table is the technology, product development and sales. Libraries have a huge untapped potential as a book discovery platform, but they have never had an eBook distribution platform that would let them do this successfully. LJ did a patron profile survey a couple of years ago that showed 50% of people who discover an author in the library go on to buy a book by that author. This partnership unlocks the potential of that statistic to the benefit of self-published authors.Authors selected for SELF-e get a â€Å"badge† for their book and marketing materials, exposure via Library Journal and inclusion in a service that will reach millions of potential readers. This is a marketing exercise for them to have their writing discovere d.Since our platform allows unlimited multi-user access to books (most library lending systems force books to be loaned out one at a time) librarians do not have to be terrified that if a book becomes popular it will cost them more money or create long waiting lists. Librarians can now be allies with self-published authors to help them build readership.Once an author has built an audience, they can start trying to build a writing career if that is their desire (by selling other books or selling print books). And, of course, there are plenty of self-published authors who aren’t writing for the money. So for them this is about getting people to discover and read their writing or ensure their library can have an eBook available to the local community. Whatever an author’s motivations for self-publishing, we think SELF-e can help them achieve their objectives.REEDSYCuration seems to be the #1 word in any book distribution business nowadays. How will you curate the content for SELF-e?MITCHELL DAVISThe Library Journal has developed a process to manage the workflow. The books are being assessed for ease of reading, pacing, editing and other common issues seen with self-published books. Publishers do this for books- but librarians have done this for decades as well. This gives librarians a chance to get on the front end of the process. I wrote an interesting article called â€Å"How Libraries and Patrons Can Beat Publishers at Publishing† that dives into this a bit more. The title is a bit tongue in cheek, but the points are valid.REEDSYAnother great feature of BiblioBoard/SELF-e is the â€Å"local library† approach. You can make your book available to your local library (something many indies are already trying to do on their own). How does this work exactly, and how does your platform make it easier?MITCHELL DAVISLibraries have been struggling to solve this problem since self-published eBooks began. Libraries get a branded submission form from their own website. It takes about 5 minutes for the author to submit their eBook. We accept ePubs and PDFs (meaning, that even if an author has not yet converted their book to ePub, they can still make their book available). The author can then opt to make the book available through any public library in the state that subscribes to BiblioBoard. It is a very simple process for both the author and the library.REEDSYHow big is your network of local libraries? Is it U.S.-only or do you cover other countries?MITCHELL DAVISCurrently we reach over 2500 libraries in the U.S. We have customers in the U.K. and continental Europe, but these are mostly academic and national libraries so they are not really involved in SELF-e yet.REEDSYNow to the good old startup question: the business model. Authors hate to pay, and libraries provide â€Å"free content†, so it’s even more difficult to take money from their side†¦ so, where do you make money?MITCHELL DAVISSELF-e is free to authors, but we also do not pay royalties. It is common for authors to pay commercial services like BookBub to give books away for free in order to promote themselves. We thought there was a better business model around this activity than charging the authors.We sell a platform to libraries- BiblioBoard- and we also sell content that libraries can make available to patrons on the same platform. The platform pricing is based on the size and budget of the library (larger libraries with more patrons pay more, smaller libraries pay less). The SELF-e submission system is part of the core BiblioBoard platform.The modules that will be curated by Library Journal (by genre) are an additional product sold as a subscription service to the libraries. There is a compelling value proposition to the library in the work of selecting and making available hundreds of great self-published books on an elegant platform. New titles will come in every quarter and the subscription will grow its conten t offering over time. The first products will come out next year and our intent is to price them inexpensively to encourage as many libraries as possible to participate.REEDSYI see that some of the biggest names in the indie author community (Barbara Freethy, CJ Lyons, Hugh Howey) actively endorse you guys. So I guess they are themselves using SELF-e to have their book distributed to your network of libraries, right?MITCHELL DAVISThese authors see the value in what we are doing because doing these kinds of promotions and building readership launched their own careers. And they endorse what we are doing because they believe in the power of libraries to help authors. But these authors are not part of SELF-e. We have created a different model for the distribution of books by self-published authors who are already successful.We just announced a new product called Indie Rock Stars where Hugh, Barbara, CJ and around 30 other successful self-published author’s books will be availabl e for reasonably priced, multi-user access on BiblioBoard. We do see ways SELF-e and Indie Rock Stars can work together as things move forward. As authors start to take off within SELF-e we believe some of them will break out and become Indie Rock Stars.REEDSYI discussed this question with Libiro (an indie-only eBook store) a few weeks ago, and it’d be interesting to have your view on it from an indie-only distribution-to-libraries platform perspective. Can you envision a future where readers, libraries and bookstores don’t care how the book has been published? If yes, how far away is this future?MITCHELL DAVISI don’t think readers really care much today. I think librarians care to the extent that the publishers make their jobs easier in selecting books. One big problem that publishers solve for librarians is they give a degree of confidence that the books they purchase will not embarrass them.What we are doing with SELF-e solves that problem also, but much furt her upstream and with libraries actively engaged in the process. Library Journal (and eventually librarians themselves) can sit on this wellspring of self-published content and start having a formative voice in how books reach readers. It is not outlandish to think that if we create the right user-experience that in five years a massive number of people (think: Amazon or Instagram type numbers) will think of the local library first when they want to discover a new author digitally.REEDSYReedsy is all about providing author publishers with the same level of quality they’d get through a big 5 publisher, and, in a way, raising the standard of self-publishing. So we are definitely chasing this future. How do you see both our startups integrating or collaborating in the next few years?MITCHELL DAVISI think our partnership will help authors get the help they need to go from being writers to being authors. If an author has already published their book, then that is pretty straightfo rward, but we are working with library writers programs and many other library-connected services that will generate first time manuscripts. Reedsy can provide a place for them to find the professional services they need to succeed. I am excited to see what develops between us as time goes forward.REEDSYAn easy one to finish: what’s the next big thing/milestone for Biblioboard?MITCHELL DAVISOur â€Å"next big thing† is a new user interface that will roll out in mid 2015. We have learned a lot over the past two years from library patrons and library partners; and, of course, technology stacks improve over a two-year period.Individual libraries will be branded on the new interface and we have incorporated a more visual and social way for libraries to â€Å"desk curate† the experience for their own patrons in a super simple way. We have added a whole set of tools for patrons to build their own lists and boards to help them easily organize books, videos, images, his torical documents, audio- anything their library makes available to them digitally- in one simple place.BiblioBoard will ultimately succeed by word-of-mouth and return users. We know this is what it takes for platforms to succeed today- just look at Uber, AirBnB and Evernote. Libraries live in the same world as these companies, and to be digitally relevant they have to deliver equally compelling user experiences.REEDSYThanks for your time Mitchell.What do you think about this innovative way of getting indie authors into libraries? We (Reedsy and Biblioboard) would love to hear your comments, so do join the conversation below!

Charolett Murder Case Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Charolett Murder Case - Assignment Example The couple has no children. They kept to themselves and did not have a social life. There is nothing relevant in their past that can be a reason for Tina Smith’s killing. The incident was reported to the police by the victim’s husband. He saw his wife lying on the floor when he came home from work. A search of the victim’s car came up negative for evidence regarding the crime. There was no information gathered from the couple’s computer/s as well. An interview with the husband revealed that he works as a Maintenance Supervisor for the local municipal airport. On the day of the murder, cell phone records show that the husband was in his area of work. Moreover, there was no entry recorded on his time sheet that he had left his workplace. A scan of his truck did not come up with any significant legal evidence. There are also no witnesses to verify if he had left work and had returned at any time. A check of his co-workers shows that none has a criminal background. No one from his place of work has ever been convicted of a felony. That he had killed his wife for the insurance money has been ruled out. Research has gathered that there is no significant amount of life insurance between husband and wife. Since there is also no evidence to place blame on the husband, I am not considering him as a suspect as of this time. A common reason for spouses to kill their partner is to claim insurance. With Tina and Tony, there is no large amount of insurance money waiting for Tony in the event of Tina’s death. Interviews with the apartment complex maintenance staff resulted in nothing significant. There are no issues tying them to the victim or her husband. A background check on the couple shows they did not have any problems with anyone before moving in the apartment complex. Because there is no evidence incriminating the maintenance staff, I do not believe any one of them killed Tina. If any one of the maintenance people wanted to kill

The Major Issue In The Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Major Issue In The Economy - Essay Example The protests of the Occupy Wall Street state its objectives: â€Å"to end corruption in Wall Street and the political process.† This straightforward statement and the protest that expresses it appeared to be a very rational extension of opinionated dialogue. This has been a voiced proclamation by the presidential candidates, as well as activists for a very long time. On the other hand, under entrepreneurship, there is just no way to get rid of the greed and the sleaze from Wall Street, or to â€Å"get cash out of politics.† Known that takings are already entrenched in the ‘goods’ exchanged on Wall Street, ‘voracity’ is utterly, totally, and necessarily inherent from the very outset. Capitalism has been found to be the systemization of gluttony and that Wall Street is its figural and fiduciary quintessence. Trying to get rid of greed in Wall Street is like trying to get blood out of the body and commanding it to walk around. Gluttony is the bloo d of free enterprise and Wall Street is the heart. To do away with the supremacy of systemic greed, we cannot remove greediness from Wall Street; we must get rid of Wall Street from the world itself (Van 112). Supplementary, the free enterprise is in a condition of systemic crisis. This makes its paroxysms felt across the globe and in every locality thereof. The era of ‘progressive’ reformism had ended, and it is not going to come back. This is lucid if one takes a view at Europe, where old-age reforms are being undone, country after country.

Dream Analysis Essay Example for Free

Dream Analysis Essay John [customer may change/remove his/her name here] has a military background and has spent his childhood in a boarding school. Overall, his childhood was happy and content and his favorite toys to play were trucks which he sometimes even wanted to build out of stray wooden logs and old tires. For the past couple of days John has been having a few recurrent dreams. In the following discourse of dream analysis and analysis on the basis of psychoanalytic personality theory, it will be examined how the fascinating world of the unconscious portrays to the conscious world a glimpse of that infinite universe that resides within each and every one of us. Every night John dreams that he is being chased by a figure in a hooded cloak and long hair that suddenly fades into a door which he cannot open. Bizarre as it may seem, John walks into the door and there is darkness everywhere – but as soon as there is enough light for him to see, he realizes that he is walking on water and there are ships all around him. Without furtherance, the dream ends and John wakes up confused and worried. John can neither comprehend the worry he has nor can he understand the odd turn of events in his dream. It is often said that each human being is a tiny universe within himself or herself. Each person has within him/her a great constellation of ideas, feelings, emotions, wants, needs and many other such aspects which make the person unique and individual and thus even a single case study can prove to be a study of a lifetime. â€Å"The dream is a little hidden door in the innermost and most secret recesses of the soul, opening into that cosmic night which was psyche long before there was any ego-consciousness, and which will remain psyche no matter how far our ego-consciousness extends. † These words belonged to this very noted and lauded psychoanalyst, Carl Gustav Jung, a proponent of Analytical Psychology and the inventor of the famous terms of today such as ‘collective unconscious’, ‘archetypes’ and ‘persona’. In the therapy, Jung’s methodology of treatment worked on the profound principles of word associations, free associations, dream analysis, transference and counter-transference. Dreams remained, however, one of the most significant works of Jung since there had been little work done on it since Freud. Jung’s therapeutic techniques and analysis of dreams provide a much more culturally rich and avid interpretations that cover a great breadth of subjects and ideas. Whereas Freud would interpret dreams as a ‘royal road to the unconscious’ that mostly leads to sexual discussions of a male-dominated structure, Jung’s discussion would profit the reader more in terms of how rich his theory is with motifs from all across the world. He had the cultural and cognitive openness to absorb ideas and patterns from cultures which belonged to distant lands as well as to designs which were close to his own religion, nation and race. His theory of personality speaks of not simplistic desires of sex and aggression; rather it takes a comprehensive look at the various types of personality in terms of their functions. According to Jungs theory, personalities are categorized in both extroverted and oriented toward subjective experiences (Miller 2004). Dreams are not looked up by a codebook, dictionary or even an almanac. You cannot have a standard glossary of dreams (Coolidge, 2006) which can simply pinpoint to you the exact source and destination of your dream. Even the most simplest of psychoanalysis would require a complete case study of the person and delve into the backgrounds and relationships of the dreamer rather than arbitrary guesswork. â€Å"Nobody doubts the importance of conscious experience; why then should we doubt the significance of unconscious happenings? They are also the part of our life, and sometimes more truly a pert of it for weal or woe than any happenings of the day† (Jung, 1970). Jung wrote a variety of articles, developing and perfecting his theory over a period of time (Adams 2004) which led to the collection of all his articles under a book called Dreams (1974). For John’s case we will discuss the two basic categories of dreams given by Jung: (1) Reactive (2) Compensatory Reactive dreams are coming as a reaction to some kind of trauma or repression faced by the individual. Most dreams fall, however, in the compensatory category, where the present moment attitudes or compromises of the ego are reflected back. Compensatory dreams present alternative perspectives that have been repressed, dissociated or otherwise defensively excluded by the ego (Addams 2004). Jung’s theory of personality suggested that there exists the ‘collective unconscious’, a set of influences that we inherit from our own particular ancestors, the whole human race, and even animal ancestors from the past. This collective unconscious is shared by everyone and is displayed by behavior that is shown as common across all cultures. Loving your mother, belief in a supreme being, fear of dark, cold places, and perceiving certain images as positive and certain images as negative are all results of the collective unconscious of which the entire race is a part of. Jung believed that the collective unconscious has ‘archetypes’ which were the universal symbolic representations of a particular person object or experience (Feldman, 1993). One of these archetypes is the ‘mother archetype’, a symbolic representation of a mother-figure present across all cultures, religions, literature, myths and even fairy tales (Virgin Mary, Mother Hubbard, Kali, fairy godmother etc. ). In John’s case the dreams seem to be of the second kind, which is the most common kind. Owing from John’s history that was taken prior to analysis (as per rule of psychoanalysis itself), it is seen that John has not been in any kind of traumatic experience lately which could lead to show that his dreams are in any way a reactive phenomenon to some event. It seems as if the ego, which is conducting the job of maintaining the deep secrets of the collective unconscious which tries to seep through our dreams, feelings, premonitions and behavioral idiosyncrasies. John’s history reveals that his favorite passion as a child was building tracks, as mentioned before, and he would often use his mother’s stray clips and pins while trying to make trucks. Once, he recalls, during his free association sessions, that his mother had gone out for the afternoon for a little while and he was left alone with his toys. John had sneaked into his mother’s room and taken all the clips and pins he could find to build a tiny engine for his truck out of the old cardboard boxes lying around in the attic. It did not thus struck as odd to the therapist when John responded with the word ‘road’ with the word ‘pins’. Word association technique, also propounded by Carl Jung, was a technique where the individual is given a list of words. To these set of words, the individual is asked to respond to the first response that comes to the mind. In modern day interpretation, reaction time and expressions are also noted. In Jung’s original version the main practices were focused on the response the individual gave to the words. In John’s case, the response to the word ‘road’ came as ‘pins’ which could have explained his recollection of his childhood methodology of building trucks through borrowing the pins from his mother’s dresser. John also remembers being scolded by his mother very sternly regarding the stealing of pins. He remembers his mother telling him that although what he stole was not of much significance, it did however matter that he stole something which was wrong on every account. John remembers crying and repeating the word ‘sorry’ many times and considers this to be one of his more memorable events in his childhood. The military set up, of which John is a part of, also establishes a certain emphasis on rule-abiding and a formidable outlook on immoral practices. Discipline and control are a big part of John’s life, so it is not surprising that such an event in childhood where his moral qualities were called into question continue to remain vivid in his memories. Although John’s energies have been channelized constructively, he does report feeling more inclined towards construction and manual labor oriented tasks, which speak of his childhood pastime of building trucks. In his dream John is chased by a figure which has long hair and a cloak, easily represented by an evil mother archetype. John may be harboring feelings in his personal unconscious, which is different from the collective unconscious. The personal unconscious is the combination of the residue of the personal events and experiences of the individual’s life, whereas the collective unconscious is the collective residue of the events and lives of the ancestors’ of the individual which is shared by all members of the society. Here since the archetype is professed as the evil mother archetype (given in the form of various myths and religions such as Kali, the Death Goddess, Evil Enchantress, Vivien and the Witch in Hansel and Gretel (Fox, 1994), we can understand John’s residual and unconscious fear of his mother. The dream can be further interpreted in terms of his fear and overall overpowering sense of moral code and ethics which guides his childhood memories as well as present day ambitions. This fear of childhood and present day fear of judgment may be symbolized as the evil mother since the ‘shadow’ may have a will of its own. The concept of ‘shadow’ by Carl Jung is synonymous to the concept of ‘id’ by Sigmund Freud, which represents all the carnal and basic desires of the person. The Greeks separated the mother archetype in both good and bad ways, whether it was the sexual version of Aphrodite, the virgin Artemis, the motherly Demeter and the dominating Hera (Fox, 1994). The mother figure symbolized as evil in John’s dream does not necessarily mean that John hates his mother or considers her as evil. It is simply a symbolic representation and interpretation of ideas and themes that are considered as overwhelming or powerful which have taken the connection of childhood memories, themes and ideas. The door and the sea both represent an initiation into a world that is unknown and thus a voyage into the unknown is found in this particular sequence of the dream. The sea has various interpretations in terms of archetypes and expresses a vast majority of meanings including an initiation, a voyage, an uneasy division between order and chaos, the eternal mother, etc (Carlson, 1986). A study was conducted on the archetype of doors and it was found that doors represent safety and keep bad things from getting in or help in escape if danger threatens. A door may represent a way out, a way to safety (Hatala, 1992). This dream could possibly mean that the door symbolizes a certain escape and balance that was brought from the uncertainty in life. The uncertainty that could have arisen from the difference in ambition and the difference in the current profession is absolved through the doorway of channelizing the energies into a positive way, for example, by joining the military. For the process of deindividuation, which Jung called the process of discovering the deepest of potentials of a person, dreams provide as powerful tools and cues in order to discover and fulfill the calls of the inner psyche. In John’s dreams the call of the unconscious seems to be towards the ego and the persona (synonymous to the Freudian ‘ego’ or reality principle) which absolves the conflicts of the ego. John seems to doubt his ego which the ego in turn does not want it to do. It wants John to make peace with the investment of his energies. The dream starts with the evil mother archetype and seems to end with the ‘sea’ or the eternal mother archetype. This means that there is peace within the system of John’s unconscious, yet this peace needs to be maintained, accepted and realized by the individual himself. Works Cited: Addams, M. V. (2004). The Fantasy Principle: Psychoanalysis of the Imagination. New York: Brunner-Routledge. Carlson, P. A. (1986). Literature and lore of the sea. Costerus, new ser. , v. 52. Amsterdam: Rodopi. Coolidge, F. L. (2006). Dream interpretation as a psychotherapeutic technique. Oxford: Radcliffe. Feldman, R. S. (1993). Psychology. [New York]: McGraw-Hill. Fox, R. (1994). The challenge of anthropology old encounters and new excursions. New Brunswick, N. J. , U. S. A. : Transaction. Hatala, L. J. (1992). Incredibly American releasing the heart of quality. Milwaukee, Wis: ASQC Quality Press. Jung, C. G. (1953). Psychological reflections an anthology of the writings of C. G. Jung. London: Routledge and K. Paul. Miller, C. A. , Miller, C. A. (2004). Nursing for wellness in older adults: theory and practice. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams Wilkins.

Comparing Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and Otway’s History and Fall of Caius Marius :: Comparison Compare Contrast Essays

Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and Otway’s History and Fall of Caius Marius William Shakespeare’s well-known play Romeo and Juliet addresses the ill-fated love of two young children from feuding households set in Verona. Over the centuries since the play was first published around 1595, many different versions have been produced and reproduced. While the basic story remains the same in these different renditions, certain aspects of the play are handled very differently. Thomas Otway wrote one of the most varied versions in 1680 entitled The History and Fall of Caius Marius. Set in ancient Rome this version focuses much more on politics than a story of true love. With this variation many of the characters are in much varied roles. One of the most obvious character disparities is found in the title character of Romeo, or Marius junior as he is called in Otway’s version. While both versions of the male lead go through little or no character development, Romeo and Marius junior are very different in their regard and understanding of filial duty and responsibility. Due to the political context of Caius Marius, Marius junior is much more aware and receptive of his filial and social duty, while Romeo rejects any sort of filial or social responsibility. Romeo and Juliet was first published around 1595. At this time in England the family was one of the most central and pivotal figures of social order. Children were expected to honor and obey their parents and seek their assistance in any decisions made. Especially in choices made concerning marriage. At this time children were finally able to take a more active role in choosing their husband/wife, but parents were essentially given the final decision (Amussen 94). Romeo and Juliet took it upon themselves to make such an important decision and hardly even considered their parents in the process. During the first half of the 17th century the average age for a woman to marry was 26 and for a man, 28 (Amussen 86). Shakespeare’s central characters are barely entering their teen years. As a son coming of age, and more importantly the singular male heir for the Montague family, Romeo should be entering University to prepare himself for handling the family fortune, not marrying in sec ret. This is merely the beginning of his show of irresponsibility towards his family and ultimately the role he is meant to play in society.

Antigone’s Purpose

Brooks Fridey Antigone’s Purpose In the story of Antigone, originally written by Sophocles, explains the story, of a woman who stands up for her own beliefs against the king. At the time of Sophocles, women had little power and authority. They were expected to listen to their husband, king, or any man that speaks to or asks a woman of something. The story starts up where the story of Oedipus ends, in his death. Trouble and war are about to begin in Thebes, so Antigone travels there to try and stop what may become of her family and country.From my observations, this story can be analyzed in multiple ways, whether it is about the struggles of women, defying the higher power, or responding to the will of the gods. It is said that the royal family of Thebes is cursed to endure suffering, pain, death and loss. Antigone is aware of her family’s fate, but is ready to change her possible destiny for herself and her family. In Thebes, the members of the royal family are either k illing themselves or are being murdered. Antigone is torn by this and decides she must go to Thebes to fix this.She got word that her brothers, Polyneices and Eteocles, were going to fight each other until one was dead. She tried to be there before any fight happened, but was too late, and found out from her sister, that bother brothers were killed during the fight. The king ordered that Eteocles deserved a proper burial, but Polyneices was to not be touched and would not get a burial underground. Antigone asked her sister, Ismene, to help her bury their brother properly, but she refused. It was ordered that anyone who touches the body will be arrested and shall be punished by death.Ismene told Antigone that she cannot bring herself to do it. She feels that her family’s consistently terrible luck and the fact that she’s a woman are quite inhibiting. Antigone was ready to stand up for the women who would not defy men’s authority. She was fine with doing what she needed to herself. Ismene, who is trapped under the influence and power of man, tries to beg Antigone she will be making a mistake and will suffer great consequences. Stating, â€Å"It is a losing battle, fighting Man† (Sophocles). It is obvious throughout the story, that nothing will prevent or slow Antigone from what she is going to do.Not man, nor power, or laws is enough to change her mind. Creon’s reasoning as to why Eteocles gets a burial service and Polyneices is to be left out for the birds, is to him, justified that Eteocles died honorably defending the city, while Polyneices was just a dishonorable exile. This was no real justification to Antigone, and she was going to take matters into her own hands, defying the king. It was soon discovered that Polyneices’ body had been ritually prepared for a burial, so the messenger relayed the news to the king. He ordered that the messenger find who is responsible for this or he will die if he fails.As what seemed , intended the sentry soon found Antigone trying to bury her brother. She was arrested, and taken to Creon. Antigone does not deny her crime, she tells Creon her actions were for justice and obedience to the gods. With all of Antigone’s stubbornness, she continues to still disrespect the king even after she has been caught. She will not give in to the king, disagreeing with any justification he promotes. Creon attempts to shame her for her actions, but this has no real effect on her due to a large amount of pride dignity she has left for herself.Creon feels it is particularly important not to be beaten by a person of the female persuasion. The battle of opposite effect continues with Antigone and Ismene, as she is brought into question as well from a hunch the king has that Ismene is also involved in this crime. She immediately pleads guilty to the accusations, saying she aided in the burial of Polyneices. Antigone is enraged that she would plead guilty to something she had n ot done, but Ismene confronts the fact she will not be able to go on without Antigone alive.It is expressed throughout the story, the importance of obeying the gods. To Antigone, it is not necessary that someone should obey their leader at all times. She believes what Creon declared to happen to her brothers was unfair and that the gods were telling her she needed to bury her brother. Antigone was unapproved to the treatment of women in these times, and that the king must be obeyed in all causes. She believed the gods were the true powers, and bad things would come upon you if you did not cooperate with their requests.When Haemon comes into the story, acknowledged as Antigone’s fiancee, who is the son of Creon, makes it clear why Antigone was even still alive. Although Creon was cruel and often harsh, there was still something or someone holding him back from simply killing her. Haemon told his father it would be wrong to kill Antigone and would bring great mourning to the pe ople of Thebes following her death. He wants Creon to be open to others views, but Creon responds by calling Haemon a woman’s slave for backing up a woman and not his own father.A blind prophet advises Creon that he should properly bury Polyneices and release Antigone. He says if he does not he will greatly anger the gods, and might create his own misfortune for his disobedience. Possibly leading to his own death. As Creon ponders his possibilities and future, he finally decides to release Antigone and bury Polyneices. As he thought he was then making the right decision, he would soon find out what his choice will cause. Antigone knew she didn’t want to keep living in this world of mistreatment and cruelty, and was willing to end her life.Creon did not think she would actually go through anything like suicide, but upon her release, she quickly hung herself and gave herself to the gods. Haemon found out what happened, and enraged, attacked his father, and missed leading to Haemon striking himself with the sword and killing himself. As if the story for Creon could be any more devastating, instantly regretting his choice, is told by a messenger that his wife enrages by Creon’s actions, as well, and killed herself. Creon is left with nothing and no one close to him in his life, and wonders what to do now.This is a story that depicts the power of anyone, especially women. With enough determination and manipulation, anything is possible. Antigone was dealt with an accumulation of anger towards her genders rights, the abuse of power, and being righteous enough to still follow her gods. She is seen as one of the first feminists in this time, and although may have gone to an extreme to defend her honor, clearly made a point to Creon, leaving him with nothing, what neglect of someone’s abilities are and abusing one’s power can do.

Excessive Happiness with Patch Adams Essay

â€Å"Patch Adams† is one brilliant movie that touches the hearts of those who watch it and also has this very strong force that attracts the viewer’s attention to continue indulging into every scene, to listen in every line spoken by each actor, for in each line hides a deeper meaning. Lastly, this movie truly affects the lives of the people watching, young and old alike. Patch Adams is truthfully a very heartwarming story that makes one person think and focus on one’s own purpose and plan in life. It thought me to enjoy every moment of my life and to keep on pursuing what my heart truly desires. As Arthur Mendelson said, â€Å"If you focus on the problem, you can’t see the solution. Never focus on the problem! See what no one else sees. See what everyone chooses not to see†¦ out of fear, conformity or laziness. See the whole world anew each day!† This movie is also packed with humor, sorrow, love, but most of all hope. It is a one of a kind story that lifts the spirit of all who are depressed, of those who feel as if they’re all alone in life, and those people who are battling with sickness. It teaches us that death is a natural phenomenon which we can’t avoid and escape from, and at the same time it instill in our minds that as long as we live, we should make the most out of our lives, fix all the misunderstandings, communicate to the person we haven’t talked for a long time, and above all, continue serving the people and God. I could not say anything negative against the movie because in the first place, it has excellently portrayed the beauty of life. Also, the story imparted a lesson that what matters most is the happiness and feeling of fulfillment in ourselves as we take care of the others and not just the payment that comes for the service offered. When we do service wholeheartedly, we touch lives, we change perception, and we are able to be appreciated by the people whose lives we were able to transform. To end this reaction paper, all I can say is that God works amazingly and that each one of us has a purpose in life. The realization of this purpose depends on the person if he will accept this unreservedly and will commit to it ready to face all the hurdles that will block his way. We must never be afraid to take risks and when we do things, when we make a decision, we must always offer it to God that He may guide us along the right path. When we do this, we are assured of not only extreme happiness, but also ETERNAL AND EVERLASTING SERENITY with God.

Strategies in a Global Environment MBA C695 Essays

Strategies in a Global Environment MBA C695 Essays Strategies in a Global Environment MBA C695 Essay Strategies in a Global Environment MBA C695 Essay Shoe industry represents a separate market segment in apparel industry. This segment relies on innovations and fashion which determines main trends in this industry. Today, many companies have been dramatically influenced by the rise of globalization and internalization of trade seeking to maximize their global reach, in the belief that those that offer a global service will be in the strongest competitive position. Athletic shoe industry is a fast growing segment which is influenced by changing demographics, new lifestyle trends and a shift in consumers attitudes towards accessories. The major competitors in athletic shoe industry are Adidas, Nike, Reebok, New Balance and smaller firms such as Fila. On the functional level, high rates of its development, great volumes of currency receipts have an active influence on its various sectors. The main objective of the companies is to maintain the level of product quality and develop strategies to improve their performance. In the infrastructure of athletic shoe industry quality is the major question. With the success of new technologies, stating in the end of 1990s, athletic shoe industry began to rationalize its product lines reducing prices and production costs 1. The development and management of new technology has, in recent years, become a central focus of marketing policy and conceptualization of a firm. In order to compete on the market, many companies implement new product lines based on natural materials only for those who are health conscious and are willing to pay for natural fabric. This strategy helps to create a core of loyal supporters and repeat buyers. For instance, â€Å"New Balances successful 950, a $90, technical -looking, hybrid cross-training/running shoe exclusive to Foot Locker that is popular with young consumers† 2 1.Cassidy, H. (2001). Lifestyle, Teens Fuel Recovery athletic shoe industry experiences economic growth Brief Article Statistical Data Included. Brandweek. Jam 8, p. 34. 2. ibid, p. 34. To compete on the market and remain profitable, many companies introduce strategic business unit strategy within organizations. The strategy allows the companies to reduce product costs and operational expenses through effective budgeting and price setting, product innovations and, hiring decisions. Adidas, Nike, Reebok are engaged in a network including expert distributors, agents, foreign customers, competitors, and consultants as well as regulatory and other agencies. Approaches, aimed to meet high service standards, are based on customers environment interaction and changes affected both of them. Developments in IT have led to interactive communication tools such as the telephone and the Internet being used to complement less interactive mechan ­isms such as mail or media advertisements. Nike and New Balance increases their advertising budget to be â€Å"well-positioned for a consumer push† 3. Business strategy level can be regarded as the company’s philosophy governing how customers should be treated and how staff could meet their standards and needs. Taking into account the major competitors in the industry, Adidas, Nike and Reebok, it is possible to say that they employ similar business strategies aimed to improve product quality and deliver customer satisfaction. The main business strategies in athletic shoe industry include differentiation and focus-differentiation strategies. Adidas and Nike follow a differentiation advantage because their products have a perceived uniqueness in a broad mar ­ket For instance, â€Å"Many of Nike’s customers are athletes on school, college, or professional teams and use shoes specially developed for their sports† 4. This is an extremely effec ­tive strategy for defending market position and obtaining above-average finan ­cial returns; unique products often command premium price. This marketing strategy helps to deliver customer value in a 3. Cassidy, H. (2001). Lifestyle, Teens Fuel Recovery athletic shoe industry experiences economic growth Brief Article Statistical Data Included. Brandweek. Jam 8, p. 35. 4.Part VI in a Series About Investing your Money. (2006). http://googolplex.cuna.org/18672/cnote/story.html?doc_id=682 way that clearly distinguishes the product from its competitors.   Differentiation focus allows both major and minor competitors to concentrate on a particular target audience and product line segment for instance, shoes for a specific purpose (a soccer shoe, a marathon runner’s shoe) 5. Some of the companies, like Fila, concentrate on a small geographic market which ensures profitability and market share.   Competitive advantage in athletic shoe industry is driven by manufacturing and product innovation, customer relationships and sales. The direct sales model (or other near-direct models) has been successful in the U.S., and the industry is moving more in that direction. â€Å"Competition in the shoe industry is fairly intense† 6 On the corporate level, many companies are driven by technological innovations and knowledge management systems. In addition, this industry began to follow a strategy of withdrawing from small markets with limited potential for its core products and to look for markets in countries with a major growth potential for athletic shoe industry products. Such giants as Adidas, Nike, Reebok, New Balance are globally oriented companies. Relationship marketing approach is applied by many competitors within athletic shoe industry in order to ensure long-term partnerships with customers and suppliers. Mergers and acquisition strategy opens new opportunities for the main competitors who have access to information and channels of influence which are not available to many other stakeholders. To maintain public relations athletic shoe companies use Internet as the main tool of advertising and communication7. Some companies, like New Balance, use computerized stitching department to reduce operationa l costs and other expenses.

Overcoming Speaking Anxiety When Speaking French

Overcoming Speaking Anxiety When Speaking French Shyness apart, if you feel nervous when speaking French, its probably due to a lack of confidence in your skills: you dont feel you have the grammar, vocabulary, and/or pronunciation needed in order to express yourself. The obvious solution is to improve your French, and this site is filled with resources to help you do just that. Beyond lessons and learning, however, there are other ways to increase your confidence and feel more comfortable speaking French. We All Make Mistakes First of all, you should know that most people are forgiving of mistakes in their native language.* Think about it - when a non-native speaker addresses you in English, are you really thinking what a dummy, his sentence is all out of order, and thats the wrong verb, and the less said about his pronunciation the better? Or do you try to meet him halfway, ignoring or perhaps mentally correcting mistakes in order to understand what he is working so hard to say? For most of us, its the latter, because we appreciate the effort people make to communicate. In my experience, the French much prefer that you speak to them in broken French, rather than being asked to speak to you in broken English - because theyre just as anxious about their English! So dont let fear of how you speak French stop you. Prepare Yourself If youre going to ask a question or buy a train ticket, think about what you want to say and how to say it before your turn comes. Try to anticipate what questions you might be asked and what additional information might be needed. Talk About Yourself Whether youre interested in current events, wine, or traveling around Alsace, read about those topics and make a list of the words and phrases that crop up repeatedly. And if you find that youre regularly getting pulled into discussions about tennis or movies, try to learn some of that vocabulary too. Practice Every Chance You Get Speaking French is like playing the piano or making bread - the more you do it, the more comfortable it feels and the easier it gets. Join the Alliance franà §aise, take a class, or place a classified ad to find someone to chat with regularly, even if s/he isnt fluent or native, but just another nervous French speaker like you. Even introverts can make friends - and have to if you are serious about improving your French. As you practice, youll gradually feel more comfortable and confident. Just Do It Finally, just try to relax, have fun, and remember why youre learning French in the first place. Its all about communication, so get out there and speak!

The European Union is being successful in spite of itself and its Essay

The European Union is being successful in spite of itself and its skeptics - Essay Example Napoleon and Hitler had no better success than the Roman Empire and the staggering costs of the last two world wars was motive enough to inspire another more democratic solution. The fact that nations continue to apply for acceptance into the European Union (EU) and the fact that only one EU member has ever renounced its EU citizenship speaks for the effectiveness in unifying diverse and autonomous nations. This combined with the lack of war on the European continent despite major differences and the fall of the Soviet Union, demonstrates the pacifying influence of the EU. While the world wide press continues to coin gleefully cynical terms like Euro-Skeptics, Europhobiles, Euro-pessimists and Euro-cynics, the unification of Europe is an idea whose time has come. This union is maintaining peace. Regardless of all of the sovereignty issues, problems with democracies and economies...its fundamental reason for conception has been more or less maintained by standing as a pillar uniting the Continent of Europe rather than allowing it to dissolve into war. One of the ways that this peace has been maintained is through the creation and acceptance of European wide rules of law and economic criterium. The source of some criticism comes from younger ages groups disenchanted with unemployment issues. Seeking easy answers to their plight they have blamed the European Union on their situation. One potential pitfall to the unification of Europe is changing demographics of the continent as those with vivid memories of war pass on business and political leadership to a generation that doesn't remember what a real air raid drill was all about. The memory and fear of world war had a lot to do with the creation of the EU. New treaties and agreements will have to go beyond peaceful co-existence and address employment and social issues more directly than the original organizing policies have done if long term stability is to be maintained. With post World War II reconstruction proceeding to return Europe to a functioning collection of individual nations, the idea of a unified Europe rose to the top of the continental discussion as it had after World War I. "A number of European leaders in the late 1940s became convinced that the only way to establish a lasting peace was to unite the two chief belligerent nations - France and Germany - both economically and politically"(U.S. Central Intelligence Agency 2006). The Treaty of Amsterdam on the European Union (EU) which came into force on 1 May 1999 states that the EU: must be maintained and developed as an area of freedom, security and justice; (an area) in which the free movement of persons is assured; in conjunction with appropriate measures with respect to external border controls, asylum, immigration and the prevention and combating of crime. (Directorate-General for Justice, Freedom and Security of the European Commission, 2006) The European Commission has gained the ability to resolve international disputes peaceful because member nations have given up some of their autonomy for the greater benefits afforded its members in politics, economics as well as social structure. The EU -15 as they were referred to seem to have come to the Union for economic reasons according to most

Technology religion and globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Technology religion and globalization - Essay Example For example, no other species can survive both in the tropics and close to the poles and at the same time have the potential to survive in outer space (Herzfeld 117). The ability of people to survive entails the necessity of application of responsible interaction platforms to preserve other forms of life in the different environments. Responsibility is among the core values of human wellbeing as dictated by religion. However, technology enables exploitation and supports a growing human population, while marginalizing the rest of creation (Herzfeld 121). Therefore, in violating the relationships between man and nature, technology and globalization reduce human wellbeing. One of the effects of globalization is a growing disparity between the rich and the meager. The rich are getting wealthier while the meager are getting poorer. The disparity is fueled by the ability of the rich to exploit a bigger area due to globalization of world markets and growth of facilitating technology (Herzfeld 120). Though globalization opens up employment opportunities in the developing countries, though there is concern about the value of exploitation in the employment. For example, the employment opportunities benefit individuals as opposed to their societies. In addition, individual employment leads to low salaries because of a big pool of labor (Herzfeld 120). Therefore, in facilitating irresponsible dominions, and unequal relationships, globalization and technological advancement inhibit human wellbeing. One of the most important roles of a government is to regulate the application of technology to maintain a balance of the ethical and legal implications of the technology. For example, after the emergence of legal and ethical issues in stem cell research, the American government banned stem cell research in the country (Herzfeld 120). However, the lack of similar laws in other countries make such controls futile because the research firms simply relocate to