Poetry Essay Essay

In the poems ‘How to Eat a Poem’ by Eve Merriam and ‘Introduction to Poetry’ by Billy Collins, important ideas are presented about how poetry should be experienced and enjoyed. The poets used the techniques extended metaphor, repetition, metaphors and personification to show me how these ideas is important. In ‘How to Eat a Poem’ by Eve Merriam, the author describes how poetry is to be experienced. Poetry doesn’t need any manners and has no rules. â€Å"Don’t be polite / Bite in.† is an example of just jumping in to poetry because it’s got no manners and it’s for everyone. â€Å"It is ready and ripe now, whenever you are.† Shows us that poetry is for everyone. Poetry never goes away because it always written on paper. It’s not hard you don’t have to be clever to enjoy poetry because it’s always there to be read. Poetry is to be experienced and enjoyed by anyone. In the poem ‘How to Eat a Poem’, the techniques of Extended metaphor and repetition are used to show me the important idea. Extended metaphor us used in the lines â€Å" Pick it up with your fingers and lick the juice that. / May rush down your chin. / It is ready and ripe now, whenever you are.† To compare juicy fruit to poetry. Through doing this, the poet helps me understand that poetry is about experiencing poetry, and not holding back but in fact diving in. It also helps me understand that you can be messy and enjoy your poem. Repetition is used in the lines â€Å"or stem / or rind / or pit / or seed or skin.† To compare poetry to the inside of a fruit. Doing this has helped me understand that poems aren’t hard, that they are fun and don’t have the bad bit of a fruit. That it’s really tasty and anyone can do it. These two techniques help compare juicy fruit to poems. In the poem ‘Introduction to Poetry’ the poet shows me the important idea that poetry is about having fun. Poems are made to have fun for everybody not just cleverest people. It’s for people who like having fun. â€Å"I want them to waterski / across the surface of a poem / waiving at the authors name on the shore.† The author is also trying to tell you to not over  analyze things. In the poem it states that all we want to do is torture it and get a confession out of it. Poems are to be about having fun, not trying to find every possible meaning and to just skim across getting the ideas that the poet wants us too. Poems are about having fun and not over analyzing them. In the poem ‘Introduction to Poetry’, the techniques metaphor and personification are used to show me the important idea. Metaphor is used in the lines â€Å"I want them to waterski / across the surface of a poem / waving at the authors name on the surface.† Which compares waterskiing and having fun to a poem that is fun and relaxing. This helps me understand that poetry is fun and relaxing just like waterskiing. When you imagine yourself waterskiing you imagine a sunny day, speeding along bouncing up and down on waves while waving to your friends on the shore in the sand. Poems are the same you can enjoy yourself through rhyming or using alliteration. All the techniques that make a poem fun and enjoyable to write and read. Personification is used in the lines â€Å" But all they want to do / is tie the poem to a chair with a rope / and torture a confession out of it† to compare tying up a person to a chair and trying to get a confession out of it. Over analyzing a poem and taking meanings that aren’t meant to be instead of taking the idea that the poet tries to convey. Doing this the poet helps me understand that poetry is to be about the images or the meanings that the poet is telling you. That poetry doesn’t need to be â€Å" tied to a chair and tortured†, so it gives a confession that it doesn’t have to be an expert that needs to analyze it, anyone can do it. Poetry is intended to be enjoyed, anyone can do it, it doesn’t need to be over analyzed. Both of these poems have helped me understand more about poetry and what it’s about. That poetry is about having fun and to be experienced by everyone. Anyone and everyone can enjoy poems, they don’t have to be the cleverest or the smartest to understand poetry. I think these two poems represent what poems are about.

Go and Come Back Essay

The author of Go and come back, Joan Abelove, acutely makes us realize that. The author, Joan Abelove has won many awards for Go and come back; It was chosen as ‘an ALA notable book,’ ‘an ALA best book for young adults,’ and ‘a 1999 Los Angeles Times book prize finalist. ’ Her first book, Go and come back is a fiction based on real places, experiences, and people. The people who live in the village of Poincushmana in Peru only know each other. However, one day, two white women, who are strangers come to Poincushmana to study the people’s lives. Everybody is fascinated and mesmerized by the two white anthropologists, Joanna and Margarita. So, the tribe people allow Joanna and Margarita to live with them in the village. Despite the fact that Joanna and Margarita’s unique behaviors and boxes full of mysterious things seem very interesting to the Peruvian tribe, the main character, Alicia does not like that Joanna and Margarita are going to live in the village. However, due to the fact that Alicia, Joanna, and Margarita are not friends from the beginning, makes this book more impressive. Reading that total strangers have become part of the family, even though when there is no similarity between them, is beautiful enough to warm our hearts. Everybody would be able to feel the line that connects each person in the tribe, including Joanna and Margarita. Although there are no big sensations, the quiet and tranquil friendship between Alicia and Joanna is so intimate that it is enough to make us not lonely, And thus, I want to recommend this book to people who are lonely and apart from their families. Go and comeback made me(whose family is in another country) realize that there is always a line that connects a family, even though the family is 1000 miles apart from each other. Moreover, I also realized that I have a place to return to. For example, at the end of the book , when it is time for Margarita and Joanna to leave, Alicia tells them, â€Å"†Catanhue†, I said, Go and come back. † (177) The word â€Å"Catanhue† was more powerful than â€Å"I love you,† or â€Å"I will never forget you,† or any other words. The phrase, â€Å"Go and come back† to me, seemed like a sign of eternal connection between family. Moreover, Go and come back plant abiding belief in people, about people. For example, when Joanna feels guilty because she thought that she made Margarita sick, Alicia goes to her and tells her, â€Å"How can you think you have such power, to be able to harm people? No, it can’t be. Only if you ate a tabooed food, or asked a witch to cast a spell. People don’t have that kind of power over each other by accident, by chance, for no reason, without spending much time learning to be a witch. No. You can only harm people if you mean to. † (75) Everybody knows that people have power to harm other people. However, influenced by the author’s unique and memorable writing style, we are mysteriously convinced that people do not have such power to harm people. We are strangely assimilated with the author, and Abelove’s writing leads us to have credence in people. Go and come back is a book that people can finish in a short time, despite the fact that it contains a theme that can affect many people, especially people who are lonely. This book tells us that a family is always connected and we all have place to return to. At the end, Joan Abelove’s dreamy yet, realistic style of writing is not a waste of time to explore. In Joan Abelove’s †Go and Come Back,† married women have boyfriends, teen-agers have sex and become mothers, couples invent excuses to slip off to the bushes for amorous encounters and everyone skinny-dips in the river. Were all this activity happening in the Hamptons it would raise an eyebrow or two, but since the ovel takes place in a village in the Peruvian jungle we have to look with fresh eyes, brows at ease. The author did her doctoral research in cultural anthropology in the Amazon jungle more than 25 years ago, and this, her first novel, is based on her experiences there. Instead of narrating events as the pale explorer recording the oddities of the dark savages, she has written the story through the eyes of a young woman in the village who is alternately intrigued and appalled by the behavior of the two strange white women who come to stay for a year. Missionaries pass through and want to change the toilet habits of the Isabo (the fictive name the author gives the people of the region), but the anthropologists are there to observe and take notes. While the narrator, Alicia, does gain a measure of new perspective (she gets a ride in an airplane near the end of the book to see her village from a bird’s-eye view), it is the two visitors, Joanna and Margarita, who change the most. Alicia instructs them in everything from cleanliness to the proper behavior of boyfriends. They learn what it means to be hospitable and generous. Abelove offers us a radical view of property. When the two white women have more sugar, more beads or more liquor than the villagers, the villagers simply take what they want: the sin is in having too much when others have less, not in stealing. When property is theft, theft is proper. We also learn that when you wash a turtle, it will rain. What is work? What is hygiene? What is family? What is death? Alicia explains about sex: †Even little boys who have sex for the first time bring their little girlfriends gifts, just a little something, some fruit or nuts. It is what sex is about, a trade, a barter, an exchange. ‘ †Go and Come Back† provides a nice antidote to the fear that surrounds sex in our culture. It has no steamy scenes of lovemaking, just matter-of-fact conversation and giggling. Abelove’s writing is charming, although in striving for the simple language used between people who don’t understand each other it reads as though intended fo r a younger audience than it really is. There is not enough plot to the novel, but by its end the reader has nonetheless become attached to the characters and their relationships. We are left with a lot to think about in our own culture — why we think the things we think and do the things we do. On the afternoon the white women arrive at her village, Alicia is baffled: Why do they sing songs that have no meaning? †Shboom, shboom† is nice music, but it’s nonsense. After a year of sharing and learning on both sides, she and Joanna listen to a cassette and have this conversation: † ‘What does it say? ‘ I asked. If she talked she wouldn’t cry. ‘It says, †In the end, at the end of it all, the love you have, the friendship you have, the love you are left with, is just the same, is only the same, as the love you gave, the love, the friendship you had for others. ‘ ‘ † ‘Of course,’ I said. Who didn’t know that? ‘That is why it is so important to learn not to be stingy,’ I said. ‘Now, in the end, you finally understand. ‘ † ‘Yes,’ she said. † ‘But your music, your bug music, was telling you that all along. ‘ † ‘Yes. Bu t the Beatles, our bug music, said it a little different. They also are saying that as much love as you have in the end is only how much love you made, how much push-push you did in your life. ‘ † ‘These bugs know something about life, don’t they? ‘ I said. ‘ The lesson: We all live in a yellow submarine, and it’s a good idea to try to understand one another so we can enjoy the ride. I saw this book at one of the big bookstores downtown and just couldn’t take my eyes off the cover. I was fascinated by the pattern of the tattoo and perhaps because it is kinda greenish. I assume this is Alicia’s picture, the main character of the book. The background location was her village of Poincushmana, located deep inside the Peruvian Jungle of Amazon. It was during early 1970s. Alicia’s tribe is called Isabo, the people of little monkeys. â€Å"Go and come back† is said as â€Å"catanhue† in Isabo language to reply when someone says good bye. Alicia, in my opinion, is a sweet and sensitive person. She thinks and considers others’ feeling before she does something or says something so that it wouldn’t hurt people. Alicia felt herself to be less attractive because she is rather serious and skinny compared to Elena, her cousin (also her best friend), who is short, fat, with round cheeks and has a big hearty laugh. Definition of beauty for the Isabos reflects the culture and lifestyle. A beauty is for someone who is fat and round (because eating meat was quite luxurious in the village, perhaps only once a week after the men returned from hunting), has flattened forehead, has bind anklets and wears loads of beads and accessories. Days at the Poincushmana changed one day after two white females (nawa) anthropologists arrived to live with the Isabos for one year, in exchange for medicine supplies. They were doing research for their thesis. It turned out that these two nawa were weird (because they wore pants though they didn’t have penises), stingy (they had so many things and never shared, so the Isabos had to steal from them), lazy (never worked like any of Isabos women, only sitting and writing and asking so many questions) and impolite (they were so dirty and insulting the cleanliness of the village because they didn’t wet their hairs on morning showers while morning is the most important time to start your day). The difference in thinking and sharing is part of one’s upbringing. To survive in their jungle, Alicia and the Isabos were used to share everything (especially food) with everyone. Alcohol is a famous thing in the jungle because its taste and effects to the drinkers could lighten a party, thus the presence of alcohol in the village for the Isabos means party time. In contrast, that wasn’t the case with Margarita and Joanna, because they came from America, they were more used to alcoholic drinks. Alicia and the Isabos only knew their own world so they thought their culture was the correct one. Alicia believed that these nawa were very ignorant about many things, so she tried to help them to understand her culture. I have been to a similar situation so I could feel the confusions, angers and depressions of Margarita and Joanna being strangers in the middle of the Isabos. It’s like whatever you do is always wrong, even though you’ve tried so hard to please them. It’s never going to be enough! Alicia’s decision to adopt one nawa baby emphasised more of her personality. She was only a teenager and still unmarried; young and naive, I suppose. Adopting a nawa baby is surely one big responsibility even for adults in her village. But from Alicia’s perspective, she was just saving a life and it had nothing to do with skin colours. She did try hard to care for the baby. Her motherhood ability was provided by nature (Sure every woman has the thing. Remember when we were young we used to play with dolls and barbies pretending they were our kids? :). As the book is targeted for younger readers, the flow is simple and easy to follow. I could easily imagine how the village looks like with its neat lines of river, houses, path and kitchens, as described by the author. The wordings are a mixture of English and Isabo, which confused me in the beginning. Nevertheless, I could grasp some Isabo words later on to add onto my vocabulary database, how cool is that? hehe†¦ 😉 Cultural clashes on the story reminded me of my first months in the foreign country where I now live. Trust me, we could always learn something good from other cultures by being open-minded (listen more and ask more, that really helps). With that, foreign country would not be so â€Å"foreign† in the end. Hahuetian raibirai, whatever that would be.

Summary of the three ethical theories that are most central in Research Paper

Summary of the three ethical theories that are most central in philosophic ethics today - Research Paper Example One renowned deontologist is Immanuel Kant who has proposed that those actions should be considered as moral for which the reason for conducting an action was that the performer of the action is ready to accept the same action being considered against him in the same situation or in any other situation. This reason has been regarded as the maxim by the theorist. According to the principle of virtue ethics an act is considered as ethical or virtuous if and only if the person carrying out that act complies with the standards of honesty as well as righteousness (trinity.edu, 2014). Virtue ethics emphasizes upon the significant characteristics of an individual who can be regarded as a good human being. The theory of ethics of virtue has proposed the position that a person who can be regarded as good in nature is an individual who complied with various principles of

Old Smoke case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Old Smoke - Case Study Example Medically speaking, smoking is unhealthy. But for those who see smoking as something that is good for them, then stopping them would be otiose. As a matter of fact a Spanish film director named Luis Buà ±uel (1900-1983) called tobacco a loyal friend through fair weather and foul while Oscar Wilde (1854-1900), an Irish poet, playwright and wit, addressed cigarette as an exquisite and perfect type of perfect pleasure. Even though Thomas Edison did not have any smoker employees, in the present era, smoking is something that is included in the choice and freedom of an individual. As long as this freedom does not interfere with other’s freedom, then there should be no problem. In this case, banning of smoking among employees inside their private vehicles in a company’s parking lot is unacceptable in a democratic country. Higher number of subordinates means a more diverse set of personalities and cultures to deal with. Thus, as a part of management team, a supervisor should know how to balance things for the benefit of all of his subordinates and not just for the good of some. It is unethical to put away something that is already embedded in one’s culture if it is not affecting the person’s productivity and the organization’s well-being. Hence, the essentiality of one’s choice/ right and the responsibility attached therein should be made clear to all members of an organization, regardless of rank/ position. In this case, smoking, as a choice and right, has also its corresponding responsibility. An individual may enjoy this right as long as he/ she do not hamper the right of other people. Also, the consequences of a person’s choice should not jeopardize the welfare of the organization where he/she belongs to. Management interventions arise once productivity is being compromised. Thus, in order to prevent conflicts, the management should ensure fairness in creating/ implementing rules and regulations. For

Wed Class Cases due Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Wed Class Cases due - Assignment Example In fact, I can say that the success of the whole project lies on the design you produced. Currently, there is some distraction with technical composition of the project and that is taking up everyone’s focus. The details in the technical bit will enhance the design you come up with, therefore, as much as few comments arise currently, you are a key person in the success of this team. Hello Vander, this is an expression of my interest in the upcoming position is very high because I believe I have what it takes. I can support this because I have an engineering degree, record of accomplishment for excellence, excellent employee record, and adequate experience. I am exceptionally keen on customer satisfaction and aims at production of quality. I request for your support of my interest in this position because I believe you are focused on supporting the best talent for the position. On 3 April 2012, I paid for my electricity bill through mobile money specifications, but things never worked out. I stayed in darkness for several hours before opting to buy units through other means following several hours of trying to reach customer care in vain. My phone number is +4457898769 and I am requesting for a refund because, two weeks later, I have not received the tokens I had bought. Dear Sir, following the information customers has been receiving recently regarding warranties; it means that there is more information to the customers than our company ever expected. This is not a good thing for the reputation of our company, as the customers will soon look at our company as swindlers, especially if we do not deliver the promise we make to them. It is not appropriate forging ahead with the efforts of training the sales team if the company has to save its reputation from negative opinions of customers. Social media has become a great way for executives meeting with their clients. That is what Opra Winfrey, Richard Branson and Donald Trump

Journal Analysis Australian Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Journal Analysis Australian Law - Essay Example ad issued public statements that were â€Å"misleading the customers and the public.† It can be recalled that SF, previously considered as one of the foremost financial planners of the nation, began to crumble when it defaulted payments of debts, that ran by tens of million, to the CB. Underpinning this financial collapse was the company’s failure to issue margin calls to hundreds of its clients whose securities have fallen below margin minimum requirements after the sharemarket plunged. The company was forced to place itself under voluntary administration after CB gave it just one day to pay its debts (O’Shaughnessy 2009). As indicated above, the SF case seems to have catalyzed allegations of deception and misrepresentation being bandied back and forth from one side to another. Initially, SF had accused CB of misleading its clients to think that the former has the sole responsibility to advise them on margin loans. The banking institution, on the other hand, now accuses SF to be guilty of the same thing with regards to statements it has issued to the public. The doctrine of misleading conduct under the Australian corporate law is embodied in different Commonwealth Acts. In the Trade Practices Act of 1974, for example, s 52 thereof specifically prohibits corporations engage in trade and commerce from conduct precisely described therein as â€Å"misleading or deceptive or is likely to mislead or deceive. A follow-up provision under the same law is s 53 which enumerates ten misleading acts. The enumerated conduct are, among others, â€Å"falsely represent that services are of a particular standard, quality, value or grade† and â€Å"make a false or misleading representation concerning the existence, exclusion or effect of any condition, warranty, guarantee or, right or remedy† (s 53, Trade Practices Act 1974). On the other hand, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act 2001 (ASIC) likewise have a corresponding provision touching on the doctrine of

Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 26

Philosophy - Essay Example Besides, Aristotle took into account those objects or notions which are impossible to sense, so he called them ideas. Hence, it is quite easy to explain reality of such notions as love, hate, happiness, etc. Different philosophers of different time explained nature of human knowledge differently. At the same time, however, they all agreed that human knowledge is limited. One of the philosophers, who claimed that it is impossible for a human being to know everything, was Lock. Human knowledge is defined as being aware of ideas and understanding relations between them. Limitation of our knowledge serves as an engine for a constant search of eternal truth and acquiring wisdom. Science is our understanding and explanation of the natural world. Human beings get to know the laws and phenomena of science with the help of their senses which are aided by the means of instruments and different technological innovations. Unfortunately, natural laws and patterns do not keep stable over the time, because they tend to change under the influence of different conditions. Science is limited due to changeability of the natural world. Moral responsibility of every human being is essential component of happy life. Such moral responsibility is called ethics. According to Aristotle, in order to have a good life and to live happily one has to be intrinsically good. Thus, the good created or delivered by one person will increase the total amount of the whole good existing in the world, that will make each person feel happy in the end. In order to have the good society, there is a need in everyone’s becoming good. The good society is the one, which does not have conflicts and wars; besides, it is a society, each member of which is respected and equally treated. Many kind, reasonable, generous people living in one community and cooperating comprise the good society. In philosophical perspective our free will to do anything is always

Ludwig van Beethoven Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ludwig van Beethoven - Essay Example Having been instilled with the passion for music, he furthers his skill by taking lessons from notable musical figures in Vienna including Haydn, Albrechtsberger, Schenck and Salieri. Before long, "he has earned a name for himself as a pianist of great fantasy and verve, admired in particular for his brilliant improvisations" (Ludwig van Beethoven 2). In his twenties, Beethoven begins to suffer hearing disorder which gradually led his loss of hearing. However, this does not affect his ability in producing notable masterpieces. As stated above, the life of Beethoven spans the end of the classical until the early romantic era. Owing to this, the compositional career of Beethoven is divided into three periods namely, Early, Middle, and Late Periods which reflect his use of distinct musical styles. The Early Period features his earliest musical compositions which strongly emulates his predecessors like Mozart and Haydn yet "concurrently exploring new directions and gradually expanding the scope and ambition of the work" (Ludwig van Beethoven 3). The Middle Period comprises the compositions of Beethoven during the gradual loss of his hearing. Thus, his works exudes themes of struggle and heroism and are categorized as the most popular examples for the classical period. The Late Period includes the last compositions of Beethoven and is noted by their intellectual depth, intense and highly personal expression, and formal innovation. These works are regarded as the commencement of the Romantic Era (Ludwig van Bee thoven 3). Included in the Early Period, Beethoven's Piano Sonata No.14 in C-sharp Minor is more popularly known as the Moonlight Sonata. This composition which is originally entitled by Beethoven as "Quasi una Fantasia" (Almost a Fantasy) is dedicated to the 17 year old pupil of the musical genius Countess Giulietta Guicciardi. As the title suggests, the composition is more of a Fantasia than a sonata as it does not follow the latter's fast-slow-fast form. Moonlight Sonata can be regarded as Beethoven's expression of love to this aristocrat whom she proposed to afterwards (Moonlight Sonata 1). The Moonlight Sonata is comprised of three movements: Adagio sostenuto, Allegreto, and Presto Agitato. The first movement sounds like a "lamentation" with a dark and whisper like melody. It is played against an accompanying ostinato triplet rhythm. The dynamics of the movement ranges from pianissimo (very quietly) to mezzo forte (moderately loud) giving a powerful impact to listeners. The second movement is regarded as a moment of relative calm in the piece. This part is written as a scherzo which denotes to a "comic composition, usually fast moving and used in place of a minuet or trio during Beethoven's time." The Moonlight Sonata peaks on its final movement where the composer wrote with fast arpeggios and strongly accented notes. In contrast to the first two movements, this movement is more powerful and invigorating with fast rhythm, loud dynamics, and more powerful texture. The Moonlight Sonata is noted for its simple yet beautiful melody (Rosen 126). The Eroica is Beethoven's composition in his middle musical career which is highly influenced by the political situation during his time. It should be noted that Beethoven lived during the time of French Revolution which ended in chaos. Out this chaos arose a French

Israeli military calculations towards iran Essay

Israeli military calculations towards iran - Essay Example Iran is also perceived by Israel to be offensive as it supports militant and terrorist groups that oppose Israel rule and existence. These groups are given financial help and military training and they include Palestine Islamic jihad and Hezbollah which threatens the security of Israel. The outrageous statements uttered by Iranian leaders and which are supported by the neighboring Arab countries clearly indicate that Iran is committed to ensuring that the state of Israel faces many problems ranging from terrorism to destruction of the whole nation. For example, Ahmedinejaad the president of Iran has denied holocaust and has threatened to wipe Israel from the map and has characterized Israel as an artificial state whose end is near. This verbal attacks are meant to enhance the primacy of Iran has a powerful country in the region, something Israel considers to be a threat to its security. Meanwhile in Israel the government is under pressure with how it is handling the terrorist groups, their continuous firing of rockets toward Israel and how the events are related to Iran’s outbursts. This pressure is revealed in the Sunday times newspaper which says that Israel has been preparing to attack Iran’s nuclear sites using nuclear weapons because the sites are heavily protected by thick rocks. To make sure that this happens, Israel president has appointed right wing politicians for example Lieberman and Effie Eitem who believe that all Israel enemies have to be subdued. However, USA the main ally of Israel has given mixed issue to Iranian issued.USA asserts that it will not allow Iran to have nuclear weapons but the chances of giving such approval are not there at the moment. USA is ready to strike Iran as long as there is believable intelligence evidence that it has weaponized its uranium programs. Attacking Iranian nuclear require complex planning because most targets are far

Homelessness & state Essay Example for Free

Homelessness state Essay Homelessness is a state that people do not have to experience. It is the right of every human to live in a decent place and to have all the necessities in life. Homelessness is not merely being without a place to stay in. Homelessness reflects the lack of life’s basic essentials and the lack of decent means to secure it. Homeless people live under bridges, in parks, and in any other place that they can find temporary shelter. Shelter, that seems to be the word that most people associate with the state of homelessness. Sadly though, people tend to forget the homeless need more essential things that merely shelter. These people, just like everyone else, need and deserve food, water, and clothing. These are the essentials of life that both law and ethics consider as the right of every human being. It is the basic right of all humans. Every human being deserves the dignity of life. This does not mean affluent ways of living. It only means that the basic needs of daily life are provided or available. I do not speak of the luxuries for it is a fact of life that not everyone can have these. I only speak of the things that we need to survive. These are not hard to get, nor are they hard to give. However, it seems that the right to life’s basic essentials has become a forgotten right especially for those who are in the position to help the needy in acquiring these necessities fail to act. I speak of both the civil governments and private entities who possess the capability to help the homeless. The homeless live primarily from the excesses of other people. The scourge through dumpsters and garbage cans to find the things they need to survive. It puzzles me why these people need to wait for others to throw away their excesses before they can actually get a hold of them. If people can afford to throw away these things, why can’t we all just set these aside for the homeless? Why do we have to wait for food to rot or for clothes to become out-of-fashion for our taste to throw them away? Our excesses are valuable to other people. We do not have to throw them away. We can simply give it to those in need. It is not very difficult. In fact, it is very simple. Homelessness is a problem not just of the people who experience it but of society in general. It is just much of the homeless people’s right to have their basic needs as it is the duty of the government to provide these people with the means to acquire what they need. Employment opportunities must be given. Training programs to acquire the necessary skills to join the labor market must likewise be provided. Although these might not completely eradicate homelessness, these measures can help the homeless move up in life and to live a more decent and dignified life. Homeless shelters are not the answer to the problem for these place only serve as temporary spaces for the homeless. Once they step out of the shelter, they are right back in the state of homelessness. What the government needs to do is to give the homeless the means they need to provide themselves with their own needs. Lars Eighner is an exception for prior to becoming homeless, he actually had skills and talents to move up in the world. Other homeless people are not so fortunate. Thus, it is the duty of the government and of private corporations as well to give the homeless the chance to overcome the state of homelessness for no one deserves to become homeless.

Overview of HTTPS and VPN

Overview of HTTPS and VPN HTTPS HTTPS (originally developed by Nestscape) stands for HyperText Transport Protocol Secure and is basically similar to an HTTP but uses a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) or Transport Layer Security (TLS) as a sublayer for security purposes. It enables secure communication and connection between a remote user and a web server by encrypting and decrypting pages that are requested, delivered and received. For example, while using the web page that has a prefix https://, when the user clicks Send, to transmit the page back to the vendor or service provider, the HTTPS layer from the users browser will encrypt it. Likewise, the acknowledgment returned by or received from the server will also be transmitted in encrypted form, i.e., it will be delivered and will arrive encrypted, in turn to be decrypted for the user by the HTTPS sublayer of the users browser. In the likelihood that connection is compromised and intermediary hackers/attackers acquire the data being transmitted via HTTPS, the information would be undecipherable. Note that the decrypted data arriving at its destination is only as secure as the host computer. (Rouse.) Additionally, secure web sites also typically display a small padlock icon somewhere next to the URL. By clicking the lock icon, one is able to view the secure certificate that authenticates the website. (Christensen.) Not only is it the de facto protocol for conducting sensitive transactions on the web (especially ones that involve credit card and bank account information), it can also protect users from censorship by a government or an ISP.ÂÂ   (ComputerHope.com.) SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is a popular implementation of public-key encryption. Once the browser sends out the public key and the certificate, it checks to make sure that (1)ÂÂ   the certificate is provided by a trusted party; (2) the current certificate is valid; and (3)ÂÂ   the certificate has a relationship with the site generating it. The public key is used to encrypt a randomly selected symmetric key. In other words, most systems use a combination of public key and symmetric key encryption. Under a secure session, one computer creates a symmetric key and sends it to the other computer using public-keyÂÂ   encryption. When the session is completed, each computer disposes the key that was created and that was used for the particular session. For any ensuing sessions, a new symmetric key is created, and the routine is repeated. (ComputerHope.com.) VPN VPN (Virtual Private Network) is a private network that uses a public network to connect remote sites or users together instead of using a dedicated line or physical network connection. The virtual connections are routed through the Internet from a private network (such as a company) to the remote site (such as an employee). The technology enables the creation of an encrypted connection over a less secure network. A well-designed VPN incorporates security, reliability, scalability, network management and policy management (Cisco.com.) Two common types of VPN: Remote-Access (or, Virtual Private Dial-up Network [VPDN]), is a user-to-LAN connection created by a company for its employees who are on various remote locations and who need to connect to the private network. Site-to-Site (categorized into intranets or extranets) uses dedicated equipment and large-scale encryption and can connect multiple fixed sites over a public network such as the Internet, or over a large distance (much like a WAN), with each site needing only a local connection to the same public network. (Cisco.com.) In order to gain access to the private network, a user must first be authenticated by using a unique PIN (personal identification number) and a password. The PIN changes according to a specific frequency, usually every 30 seconds or so. VPN technology uses complex algorithm encryption to guarantee secure and private communicationÂÂ   as well as to prevent any unintentional or unauthorized interception of data between private sites. (whatismyipaddress.com.) Commonality/Difference VPNs use IPSec (Internet Protocol Security) connection to tunnel between the two endpoints and require third-party hardware and/or software. An extra layer of security is provided since in order to access or connect to a VPN, the remote device must have an IPSec client software application installed but must also have it properly configured. In other words, although all data/traffic is encrypted, users on can only access the encrypted applications that they are configured to access in the SSL VPN connection and not the entire network. (Lifewire.com.) HTTPS relies on SSL, which is a common protocol that most web browsers have built in. The secure connection exists between the users browser and the server or a specific web site. All data exchanged between the two are encrypted. Unlike VPN, it does not provide access to anything other than what is currently being communicated. Comparatively, it does not require an authentication code or PIN. Instead it creates a temporary public or symmetric key, which is discarded as soon as the communication is finished.

Kubla Khan and Ode on Grecian Urn Essay -- Comparative, Coleridge, Kea

Although both â€Å"Kubla Khan,† by Samuel Coleridge and â€Å"Ode on Grecian Urn,† by John Keats are poems originating from the poets’ inspiration from historical figure, the two poems convey different messages through their respective metaphors. While Coleridge emphasizes on the process of creating a Romantic poem, Keats expresses his opinion about art by carefully examining the details of the Grecian urn. In â€Å"Kubla Khan,† Coleridge expresses his desire to use the inspirations from nature to create his own â€Å"Paradise† of poetry (54, p.1634). In the first stanza, Coleridge creates an exotic oriental garden, where the trees, gardens, hills, and the â€Å"Alph† river, together present the beauty of Mother Nature (3, p.1633). Here, the poet carefully observes his surroundings, as the nature will serve as the source of inspiration for his poetry. The â€Å"pleasure dome† (2, p.1633) in line two has two functions, one representing the creation of human beings on earth, and the other being the foundation of Coleridge’s poetic paradise. As the clash between nature and humans takes place in the second stanza with a â€Å"woman wailing for her demon-lover† (16, p.1633) the poet calls upon nature for his inspiration, represented by the powerful activity of nature. The energy of nature is released in forms of â€Å"a might fountain† (19, p .1633), â€Å"rebounding hail† (21, p.1633), or â€Å"dancing rocks† (23, p.1633) and eventually the natural disasters will accompanied by man-made destruction as â€Å"Kubla heard from far Ancestral voices prophesying war† (29-30, p.1634)! Coleridge on one hand reinforces that man and nature are inseparable and one the other uses the energy of nature to represent the spontaneous spurring of emotions in the poet’s mind. In the third stanza, all o... ...storal† (45, p.1848). The urn’s eternity only exists artistically and does not reflect human life because only the urn â€Å"shou remain† forever (47, p.1848). Keats contrasts the ephemeral nature of human life with the longevity of the urn. In last two lines, Keats declares, â€Å"beauty is truth, truth beauty† (29, p.1848) embodying both sides of his perspective. By establishing a relationship between beauty and truth, Keats acknowledges that like truth, the beauty of the Grecian urn is unchangeable and that the ability accept reality is beautiful. While Coleridge describes the process of creating Romantic poetry and encourages poets to use the combination of nature and imagination in this process, Keats is more focused on reality and is well aware of the limitations of the Grecian urn. With the poets’ admiration of nature present in both poems †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ to be completed.

Anthem Paper -- essays research papers

â€Å"We do not think of them as Liberty 5-3000 any longer. We have given them a name in our thoughts. We call them the Golden One. But it is a sin to give men names which distinguish them from other men. Yet we call them the Golden One, for they are not like the others. The Golden One are not like the others.† In Anthem, by Ayn Rand, the character Equality 7-2521 writes this passage about the female character Liberty 5-3000. He states that he (rather, ‘we’, since he still refers to himself in the plural) has given her a name, other than the noun and number she was assigned. Throughout the book, the significance of names is that, among other things, they imply independence, and freedom from the collective ‘we’ of society. A name is inherent to the person to whom it belongs, and by having a name, the Golden One automatically rises above the other members of the city. The fact that her name is given to her by someone else, as opposed to being chosen by herself, implies possession. By naming her ‘in his thoughts’, Equality has made her inherently his as well. Her name is a part of her identity which belongs to him, since he is the one who has bestowed it upon her. The name itself is a statement of individuality for both Liberty and Equality. For her because it singles her out among the others as being better and worth naming. For Equality, it is a testament to how much he has progressed in his thinking. He calls her the Golden One, implying singularity and individuality in a socie...

White Fang :: essays research papers

Jack London is an author known for his stories of the North. My author’s contribution to American literature is gargantuan. Jack London has produced many well-known American novels. He has had a difference on the approach writers take on crafting their literature. His most well known novel â€Å"To Build A Fire† is one of the greatest American short stories ever created. In a good number of his stories the central conflict is man vs. nature. His impact on American literature has altered the way people write stories.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My favorite character in the story would have to be White Fang. White Fang is the key character of the novel. His mother Kiche, (she-wolf) mated with a full wolf and had a litter of pups. White Fang was the only pup to survive a series of famines. White Fang starts his life out in the wild rather than being pampered. He progresses and becomes more of a dog rather than a wolf. This is all the added reasoning to why White Fang is my favorite character. He dodges adversity and becomes more like a man rather than a monster. Though, as the book progresses he becomes more fierce and untamed. This undoubtedly leads to his demise, but White Fang pulls through. Scott eventually saves White Fang, and is the first human to show him kindness. Scott changes White Fang’s comprehension of human’s and becomes an affectionate loving dog.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The character I detest the most would have to be Gray Beaver, White Fang’s first master. A harsh and unkind man like Gray Beaver showed no care for White Fang. Nevertheless for some odd reason White Fang bonds to him out of certain mutual admiration. White Fang becomes extremely vicious because of Gray Beaver’s care for him. When Gray Beaver becomes addicted to alcohol he heads to Fort Yukon to buy and sell goods. He eventually sells White Fang to monster of man named Beauty Smith. This is why Gray Beaver is the antagonist in the novel White Fang and why I dislike him the most.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Judge Scott, Weedon Scott’s father reminds me of my dad. Judge Scott throughout the novel doesn’t believe in White Fang until White Fang saves his life. Judge Scott ultimately refers to White Fang as the â€Å"Blessed Wolf.† This event connects to my life a lot, when I was out driving with my father he wanted to teach me to parallel park.

Hypertension: Normal Blood Pressure

Hypertension is a chronic or persistent medical condition also known as high blood pressure. This condition causes the arteries to consistently elevate blood pressure. When high blood pressure is normal, the blood flows through smoothly because the artery wall is smooth. However, when an individual is diagnosed with high blood pressure, the blood flows through the arteries with too much force. Eventually, high blood pressure can cause serious damage to the arteries if it goes untreated. Also, high blood pressure causes the heart to have to work much harder than normal to keep up the flow of blood through the arteries.Hypertension can lead to damaged organs and several illnesses such as kidney failure and strokes. About 33% of people aren’t aware that they have high blood pressure. This ignorance can go on for years. For this reason, it is important to do periodic blood pressure screenings even if there are no symptoms present.The normal blood pressure for an individual is 120/ 80 where 120 represents the systolic measure (peak pressure in the arteries) and 80 represents the diastolic measure (minimum pressure in the arteries). Blood pressure of between 120/80 and 130/89 is called pre-hypertension. Blood pressure of 140/90 or above is considered hypertension.There are two classifications for hypertension, which are essential or secondary. Essential is the term used for high blood pressure when its cause is unknown. Unknown causes for hypertension accounts for about 95% of cases. Alternatively, secondary hypertension is the term for high blood pressure with causes related to kidney disease, tumors or birth control pills. Although the exact causes of hypertension are unknown, there are several factors that are often associated with this condition such as:Smoking Obesity or being overweight Childhood obesity Diabetes Sedentary lifestyle Lack of physical High levels of salt intake Insufficient calcium, potassium or magnesium intake Vitamin D deficiency High le vels of alcohol consumption Aging Stress, Medications such as birth control pills Genetics (a family history of hypertension) Clinic Kidney Disease Adrenal or thyroid problems or tumors.Symptoms associated with severe hypertension are severe headaches, fatigue or confusion, dizziness, nausea, problems with vision, chest pain, breathing problems, irregular heartbeat, and blood in the urine. You can find out whether or not you have hypertension by visiting a health professional who measures blood pressure. Remember, if your blood pressure is over 140/90 you will be diagnosed with hypertension. However, you can treat hypertension medically or by making lifestyle adjustments such as weight-loss, quit smoking, eating a healthy diet, reducing sodium intake, exercising regularly, and eliminating alcohol consumption. Medical options for treating hypertension include several classes of drugs that your health professional would prescribe based upon your specific condition and needs.

International Mother Language Day Essay

UNESCO’s declaration of 21st February as the International Mother Language Day has brought fresh glory and prestige to Bangladesh which is making significant strides towards peace, progress and prosperity at home and discharging international obligations abroad. After 1952, the people of Bangladesh have been observing every year the 21st day of February as their glorious and unforgettable Language Martyrs Day. What happened on 21st February 1952 is widely known. Still let us very briefly recount the fateful happenings of that day and the circumstances that led to and followed them. In August 1947, a new state called Pakistan, comprising two far-flung wings in the west and east, separated by 1600 kilometers of foreign territory, emerged on the world map. The ideological basis of that strange phenomenon was the absurd and pernicious two nation theory of Mr. Jinnah that ignored such basic elements as language and culture and considered religion as a bond strong and sufficient enough to transform a people into a nation. The language of the people of eastern wing of Pakistan, and they were the majority, was Bangla. It had a rich tradition of literature of over a thousand years. The Bangalees also had a highly developed culture that had little in common with the culture of the people of western wing of Pakistan. The Bangalees love for and attachment to their language and culture were great and when in 1952 the neo-colonial, power-hungry, arrogant rulers of Pakistan declared that ‘Urdu and Urdu alone would be the state language of Pakistan, they sowed the seed of its future disintegration. The people of the then East Pakistan, particularly the students, rose in angry protest against the vicious undemocratic designs of the government. Those designs really amounted to the destruction of Bangla language and culture and imposition of the language and culture of the people of western wing on the people of eastern wing. The reaction was strong and spontaneous. The government decided to quell protests by brute force. The police opened  fire on 21st February 1952 on unarmed peaceful protesters, most of whom were students, resulting in the death, among others, of Rafiq, Barkat, Jabbar and Salam. As the news of those deaths spread, the entire people of the eastern wing felt greatly involved emotionally. Those who lost their lives to uphold the prestige defend the rights of their mother-language became hallowed martyrs. [Barkat] [Rafiq] [Saifur] Their sacrifice at once tragic glorious and the indignation of the people against an autocratic government had far reaching effect. 21st February became a symbol and attained mythic properties, it nourished the concepts of democracy and secularism. It also contributed significantly to the flowering of Bangalee nationalism. It led to the dawning of the realization in the minds of the Bangalees that they constituted a separate nation and their destiny lay not with Pakistan but elsewhere as an independent country. The subsequent democratic mass movements of the late fifties, throughout the sixties and the seventies, and finally the struggle for independence and the war of liberation owed a great deal to 21st February. From 1953 onwards, starting from 21st February 1953, the immortal 21st February has been observed as a great national event all over Bangladesh, and also beyond the frontiers of Bangladesh: in several places of India, UK, USA, Canada and elsewhere, wherever there is a sizeable concentration of Bangla speaking people. Yet so long, it has been mainly a national event of Bangladesh. But with the declaration of 21st February as the International Mother Language Day, it has transcended the national borders of Bangladesh and acquired an international significance and a global dimension. International Mother Language Day is particularly significant in the sense that it has a cultural importance. From now on, 21st February – so long observed in Bangladesh as the Bangla Language Martyrs’ Day – will be observed here simultaneously as the Bangla Language Martyrs’ Day and the International Mother Language Day. And in nearly 200 countries of the world, various peoples speaking various languages and belonging to various national cultures will observe 21st February as the International Mother Language Day. They will naturally celebrate their own mother languages, but while doing so, it is more than likely that they will refer to Bangladesh and the Language Movement launched by her people that reached a climactic point on 21st February 1952. The declaration made by the UNESCO in November 1999 designating 21st February as the International Mother Language Day has placed Bangladesh on the cultural map of the world with a highly positive image. We, people of Bangladesh, should now do all that we can to further develop our mother language Bangla in all branches of knowledge so that it can play a worthy role in the community of world languages. We shall love, cherish and promote Bangla, our own mother language, but we shall not indulged in any kind of chauvinism. While devotedly serving our own language, we shall respect the languages of all the peoples of the world make 21st February – The International Mother Language Day – a great day, to be observed worldwide in the new century and the millennium that we have recently stepped into. Long live 21st February the International Mother Language Day!

Peloponnesian War Essay

Nearly during fifty years that preceded Peloponnesian War, the Greek history was characterized by development of the city of Athens as the main power in the Mediterranean world. The ancient Greece is a term used to describe the Greek speaking world in the ancient times which included the Hellenic culture that were settled in Greek during the ancient times. The ancient times in Greece was influenced by frequent migration as several people were forced to leave their land due to pressure from superior tribes. People were not free to cultivate their land since they could not predict when the invaders would come. Most of these people sort refuge in the city of Athens as a safe retreat. No form of communication, no freedom of trade and the richest soil were frequently invaded thus changed master. Such fertile district included most parts of Peloponnese, Boeotia, and Thessaly (Hanson, V, 2005). The city of Athens in Europe was the birthplace of democracy and became the most powerful and the leading city in the Ancient Greece during the first millennium BC. Classical democracy which was also called Athenian democracy was the democratic system that greatly developed in the Ancient Greek city state Athens and it’s surrounding such the Attica. Many states in Greek also had democracies but not in the Athenian model nor were they as powerful and stable as the Athenian democracy. It started as a small group of city states who merged in order to bring to an end the then intense Persian war. It had several cultural achievements that laid the foundation for the western civilization. Just before the commencement of the Peloponnesian war, the city of Athens had grown in power and wealth and was the strongest city state in Greece. After a short while the city of Athens started dominated and invading other city-states. They succeeded in dominating all the Greece except the Sparta and its allies thus making the Athens Empire with which they were able to defeat the Persians and thereafter formed a coalition of Greek city-states. Just after the departure of the Persians friction began between the Athens and the Peloponnese states including Sparta who were trying to hinder the Athenians from building the walls of Athens but their hindrances were thwarted (Cawkwell, G, 1997). The Peloponnesians believed that without the walls the Athenians would defenseless against land attack and thus would be easily subjects to Sparta since they (the Spartans) overpowered the Athenians in land war. Since they did not succeed in their bid, they felt secretly grieved. All this events marked the birthpangs of Peloponnesian war. Other events that fueled the war involved the Athens and the Corinth. After Corinth faced defeated from Corcyra which happened to be one of their colony, they started building naval power but the Corcyra formed an ally with the Athens so as to gain defense against any farther attack from the Corinth. Peloponnesian war which is also known as Athenian war commenced in 431BC between the Athenians and the Spartans who were leading the Peloponnesian league at that time. Many were the underlying factors behind this war which lasted up to 404BC. These two countries had made a peace treaty which had lasted for thirty years at that time. However, the Spartans felt threatened by the increasing power and wealth of the Athenians since they (the Athenians) being power hungry had began to reassert their control on the mainland of Greece. The other factor that triggered the war was the trade sanctions that the Athenians gave to the Megarans who were Spartans allies. As a result of this, Spartans and the Athenians fell into another war which was named Peloponnesian war after the Peloponnesian league which was led by the Spartans. This war lasted for over twenty seven years and it occurred in three different phases namely: Archidamian War, the attack of the Syracuse in Sicily and the Decelean war or the Lonian war. First phase of the war named Archidamian war, after the king of Sparta called Archidamus II, took place between 431BC and 421 BC. At the outbreak of the war the Spartans attacked Attica and burned all their crops with an aim to starve the Athenians forcing many of the citizens in Attica to leave their farms and seek refuge inside the long walls that joined Athens and its port known Piraeus. The general of the Spartan army during this period was Brasidas while the general of the Athenian army was Cleon. They highly wished to fight the land war which they were good at to the disadvantage of the Athenians who anchored on the powerful navy they had. A good number of the population of the Athenians died during this period not only as a result of the war but also an outbreak of plague which consumed almost two thirds of entire Athens population. Each of the sides believed that it would over power the other and therefore force a surrender which was not the case (Kallet, L, 2001). After ten years of struggles and fighting, both the two nations were worn down and thus they agreed and signed a fifty-year peace treaty which was called the Peace of Nicias. The peace treaty was named Nicia after an Athenian politician and general leader of the Athens at that time. However, the treaty lasted for only six years after the death of Brasidas and Cleon thereafter there was an outbreak of another war which ushered the second phase of the war. During these six years there were constant skirmishes and even though the Spartans kept themselves from war their allies constantly conversed on the possibility of revolt. As a result of these talks the allies got good support from Argos one of the cities within Peloponnesus which was quite independent from Lacedaemon (another Greek name for Sparta). They managed to form a coalition with other democratic states within the Peloponnese such as Elis and Mantinea and the Spartans were unable to break this coalition despite all their efforts. A small portion of Athenians including Alcibiades backed this coalition too. History has it that the war which occurred in Mantinea was the fiercest war that was ever fought during Peloponnesian war. The Lacedaemonians together with their neighbors Tegean faced a tough opposition from the combined forces of the Mantinea, Argos, Arcadia and the Athens. The Spartans who were also known as Lacedaemonians were able to put down this coalition forcing the democratic alliance to break. Finally, the members of this coalition joined the Peloponnesian league. The second phase of this war was characterized by the attack in Sicily from Syracuse. The people of Syracuse were Dorians as the Spartans whereas the Sicilians were Ionians as the Athenians. The colonization of the Sicily would have been a great door for getting immense wealth by the Athenians. During this time the Athenian religious statute was destroyed by an anonymous figure but the charges were placed upon Alcibiades who demanded trial immediately so that he could defend himself. Instead, the Athenians allowed him to go for expedition. He was then summoned back to Athens when he was in Sicily but he fearing that he could possibly be condemned unjustly, he opted not to return to Athens and instead defected to the side of Spartans (Krentz, P, 1982). He became a resourceful person to the Spartans by revealing to the Spartans the underlying plans of the Athenians as pertained to the city of Sicily including the Athenian plan to use Sicily as a springboard to conquer Italy and use the resources plus the soldiers in these new conquests to conquer all the Peloponnese. In order to counteract this move, Nicia was taken to replace Alcibiades as mission who then was commissioned to mount an attack on the Syracuse. But with the help from Spartans, the Athenians were all defeated miserably thus they were unable to invade the city. The joint reinforcement of the Spartans, Corinth and Peloponnese league to Syracuse were able to entirely destroy the Athenian fleet and consequently all their army was sold off into slavery The Sicily attack almost left the Athenians powerless since their power was more vested in the naval power and any of their troops that remained were killed and enslaved by the Syracusans. This war had detrimental effect on the Athenian empire as their treasury was reading empty and their strong youths were held prisoners in a strange land. Through the advice of Alcibiades, the Spartans were able to fortify Decelea, a city near Athens, thus preventing the shipment of supplies to Athens and also hindering them from using their land in a full year. This move disrupted the sliver mines that were nearby and thus forced the supplies to be taken by sea at an increased cost. Worst of all, the Spartans freed most of the Athenian slaves at Decelea forcing the Athenians to seek tribute from their subject allies which farther caused tension and a threat of rebellion within the Athenian empire (Robert B, 1996). Despite all these humiliating defeat in the Sicily the Athenians never gave up on their fight but they managed to escape. For instance, the slow with which the Spartans furnished their troops and ship. The Syracuse and the Corinth were also not speedy enough in letting their fleet in Aegean thus giving the Athenians an opportunity to survive. The Spartan officers lacked necessary skills and these accounted for their slowness in furnishing the troops. During the last phase of the war, the Spartans received reinforcement from the Persians who offered assistance in form of money and ship. The Persians allied with the bid to revenge on the Athenians for the war they had prosecuted in the earlier century. Whenever war was shifted to the sea the Athenians could enjoy victory. Under the leadership of General Lysander, the Spartans got an overall victory over the Athenians. As a result of this Alcibiades exiled himself from Athens because he was not re-elected as the general of the Athenians. Unfortunately their fleets were completely destroyed due to a surprise attack which then left them very hopeless and consequently they surrendered to the Spartans who broke the walls of their cities and barred them from possessing a navy. The aftermaths of the Peloponnesian included the overthrowing of oligarchs and restoration of democracy. This war reshaped the ancient Greek world. Sparta was established as the leading power in Greece whereas Athens which was the powerful state was lowered into subjection. Poverty was greatly experienced in Peloponnesus due to the economic costs of the war across the entire Greece. Reference: Cawkwell, G. L. (1997). Thucydides and the Peloponnesian War. London: Routledge. Hanson, V. (2005). How the Athenians and Spartans Fought the Peloponnesian War. New York: Random House. Kallet, L. (2001). The Sicilia Expedition and its Aftermath. Berkeley: University of California Press, Krentz, P. (1982). The Thirty at Athens. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, Robert B. (1996). A Guide to the Peloponnesian War. New York: The Free Press.

Finnegan’s Garden Essay

The shared costs of each service line can be allocated in several different ways. You can allocate based on FTE’s, direct-labor costs, direct labor plus direct materials or by square footage usage. If you were to allocate the shared costs for Finnegan’s Gardens by FTE you would allocate $24,778 to design, $89,203 to installation, $56,991 to maintenance and $24,778 to administration. To calculate the allocation based on FTE’s, I divided the FTE number given for each service line and divided it by the total number of FTE’s. I then multiplied the result by the total shared costs of $195,750. If you chose to allocate based on direct labor, you would allocate $43,843 to design, $119,360 to installation and $76,390 to maintenance. To allocate the costs based on direct labor, I calculated the direct labor rate per hour for each service line. I divided this number by the total direct labor hours and multiplied that result by the total of the shared costs. If you add in the direct materials to the direct labor, you would allocate $42,231 to design, $94,736 to installation and $58,782 to maintenance. I used the same method to allocate the direct labor plus direct materials as I used to allocate the costs based on direct labor. The last method I used for allocating the shared costs was based on the square footage. To allocate the shared costs based on square footage, you would allocate $$113,661 to design, $20,522 to installation, $20,522 to maintenance and $41,044 to administration. When you look at the Earnings Statement by Service Line, it appears that maintenance has the largest profit margin. This can be attributed to the fact that Finnegan’s design and installation customers often use them for their maintenance services too. I would have to agree with the earnings statement. The maintenance service line produces decent revenue that more than covers their expenses. Even if you add in the shared costs, it will still have the largest profit margin. I think Finnegan’s should expand the maintenance service line. I believe that expanding this service line by 10% would be in the best interest of the company. Even though this expansion would require Finnegan to purchase an additional vehicle and rent additional nursery space, the expense of these wo items is not more than 10% increase in the revenue. I believe that in order for the company to make more money, it would need to spend a little more money to do so. I believe that expanding the maintenance service line would also be easier to achieve than expanding the other two service lines. Even though the majority of the maintenance business comes from the design and installation service lines, I believe finding customers to sign up for maintenance of their lawns would be easier than trying to find customers who want to redo their landscape.

Practical 6-Liquid preparations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Practical 6-Liquid preparations - Essay Example Asphyxiating effects noted. Carcinogenic, Mutagenic, Teratogenic and Developmental toxicity not identified. (7) Follow written procedure as laid down by EPA and Material safety sheet. Proper usage of splash goggles, lab coat and gloves (PPE) and work in the fume cupboard when dealing with the chemicals. Correct wearing of Self containing breathing apparatus. Eye contact: In case of eye contact with irritant, harmful or corrosive chemicals eye should be rinsed with water for at least 15 minutes or Dipoterine (found at the first aid point . Diphoterine wash is available for treating exposure of skin or eyes to hazardous chemicals), make sure to carefully part the upper and lower eyelids without rubbing the eyes. Staff will be immediately consulted and medical aid will be followed consulting a physician. Skin contact: In case of skin contact with chemicals, the areas of contact will be carefully washed with water and soap for at least 15 minutes. If necessary cloths and shoes will be removed and destroyed. A physician will be consulted for further advice and treatments. Ingestion/Inhalation:Â  In case of ingestion or inhalation best thing to consult a physician for further advice. If chemicals are swallowed, mouth should be rinsed with water without inducing vomit. If vomiting occurs naturally, make the victim lean forward. Never give anything by mouth to an unconscious

Macro and Micro Economics - 2 Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Macro and Micro Economics - 2 - Case Study Example Federal Reserves’s ability to increase the money supply because when the FRB lowers the reserve requirements, the excess reserves increase automatically. The commercial banks would have more freedom in lending out money and money supply would increase. The MPC of the economy is 1/3. The total government spending is $20 billion. This means that out of $20 billion, $6.66 billion would be spent and the rest would be saved. This $6.66 billion would become the income of subsequent consumers, who would spend $2.22 billion and save the rest. This is a geometric progression and its sum can be found out by the formula 1/1-r. Since MPC is 1/3, MPS becomes 2/3 or 0.66. The multiplier becomes 1.5 (1/0.66). Therefore, the total impact of initial increase of $20 billion is $30 billion ($20 billion* 1.5). A. Irving Fisher’s equation of exchange is derived from the equation of velocity (V) which is number of times in a year that a dollar is used to purchased goods and services. Firstly, GDP is required to be calculated. Then, the quantity of money in the economy (M) is to be calculated. GDP is divided by M to calculate V. It is given as follows: B. In the stock market, the timing of investment decisions is of paramount importance. When a major market correction is expected, people look to sell their stocks and increase their holding of money because of the possibility that the market might soon turn into a bear market. During a market correction, the values of the stocks fall and losses are suffered. Therefore, it is better to sell the stock before the â€Å"correction† arrives. A. Imposition of tariffs saves the local producers from the competition of foreign producers. It also brings tax revenue and helps in decreasing the imports of undesirable items. Importantly, it serves for the betterment of balance of trade. Quotas tend to be more protective than tariffs. They require a lot of paperwork and are hard to administer. Tariffs are easier to manage and unlike quotas,

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF FOCUS ON FORM IN L2 LEARNERS' CLASSROOM Essay

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF FOCUS ON FORM IN L2 LEARNERS' CLASSROOM - Essay Example Thus, recasting is perfect for classroom use and is often applied by teachers to see the degree of production reached by their student (Loewn & Philp). However, there is an alternative view to this mode of teaching. Critic Lyster feels recasts to be an ineffective form of teaching (2001). This claim lays on the idea that the other forms of feedback make a more impressive difference. This is because recasts are unable to prove the difference they make. Recasts in their own form are indefinite in showing he progress that is obtained from being used. The advantage of recasts is their similarity to different types of corrective methods used to L2 learning. This makes 50% of the results used by this form prove to be of great benefit to any learner. Recasts take up different forms. Each form has different characteristics which help determine the effectiveness of its model. The success of this form is evident in the help it provides to the learner and the use of this form. Thus, despite the overriding criticism, this essay will move to prove the different types of recasts and the methods that can be employed to make it a very effective form of learning. Research: including theoretical articles and reviews on this form of study have found support that a linguistic form of teaching adds to the communication that focuses solely on creating meaning and is thus of great help in the classroom (Doughty & Williams). Greater emphasis is laid for focus on form because it allows the student to learn from mistakes that arise in linguistics instead of paying too much attention to meaning and communication (Long 2002). This allows a natural flow in the class as it allows the student to learn from their mistakes instead of focusing on a specific and particular way of teaching. This is known as response moves and allows the student to decipher their own error in the words they make. van Lier considers this form of recast to be present in the

Care and Feeding of Exotic Pets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Care and Feeding of Exotic Pets - Essay Example As such, this analysis will concern itself with analyzing the argument against exotic pets based on the following areas: the practice is disrespectful to animals that are not predisposed to being pets, the practice encourages harm to the natural habitat and environment from whence the exotic pet is taken, the practice encourages the illegal trade and black market sale of such animals, the practice puts many already endangered species at risk of extinction, the practice creates a perception in the mind that ownership of such creatures is both normal and moral, and lastly, the practice encourages the transfer of animals for non educational purposes to live out the remainder of their lives in captivity. The first of these reasons hinges upon the fact that animals that are not predisposed by nature to being pets are kept in such a manner. As anyone with experience with animals that for generations have been kept and handled as pets can attest, the evolutionary nature of these animals has shifted to create normalized relations between pets and humans that are the result of many hundreds (even thousands) of years. With the dog or cat, for instance, the earliest known examples of civilization refer to the fact that these animals have been living side by side with humans, enjoying a symbiotic relationship that has developed over long lengths of evolutionary history (Hessler 43). However, the same cannot be said for the recent trend towards exotic pets.  

Business and Management for Engineers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business and Management for Engineers - Essay Example Its management remains in control during the period of Chapter 11 but the important thing is that it gives the company â€Å"automatic stay† and â€Å"breathing room† to put its house in order by not allowing parties to take legal action or take away its assets (http://www.gmreinvention.com). General Motors was originally founded on September 16, 1908 as a holding company for Buick by two partners, William C. Durant and Charles S. Mott. Two years later or around 1910, Durant lost control of General Motors because of a default in its bank loan obligations. However, he was able to regain control through a proxy war he waged by using the Chevrolet Motor Car Company to acquire shares secretly but then he lost control again when the vehicle market collapsed during the Great Depression. General Motors Corporation was part of the so called three generals in American business – the other two being General Electric and General Mills. Years of mismanagement and a bureaucratic corporate culture led to its collapse in the last financial crisis and is now owned by the US government through its Treasury Department under the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP); it was overtaken by Toyota last year. After its restructuring under Chapter 11 rules, it is now a limited liability company. It means being an LLC, it provides limited liability to its owners which are the US government and to a lesser extent, also the Canadian government. Other present owners include the United Auto Workers Union Employee Association and various bondholders of Motors Liquidation Corporation (the new name of General Motors while it is undergoing rehabilitation at present) while the previous stockholders of the company are now holding worthless pieces of paper as company liabilities are much greater than its total assets (a negative net-worth of $86 billion). Before the restructuring, it was a

Compareable between lean and six sigma Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Compareable between lean and six sigma - Article Example Thus this paper will identify the weaknesses and strengths of both Six Sigma and lean and the ways in which they compliment each other. Six Sigma and lean are among the two most commonly used continuous improvement tools (Mousa, 2013, p. 1137). Lean originated out of the Toyota Production System and its focus is on the elimination of waste in production which begins from the time an order is placed and ends when the order is delivered (Pojasek, 2003, p. 85). Six Sigma was introduced by the Motorola Corporation and is designed to eliminate variations in production and services and their processes so that defects are reduced and customer satisfaction is improved (Desai, 2006). In other words, lean focuses on reducing waste, while Six Sigma focuses on reducing defects. Therefore, it has been suggested that when lean and Six Sigma philosophies are combined an organization may benefit from significant improvements in a short period of time at a significantly reduced cost (Mousa, 2013, p. 1137). This paper will compare and contrast Six Sigma and Lean with a view to demonstrating their compatibility and differences for continuous improvement. The paper is divided into four parts. The first part of this paper presents a review of literature on lean and Six Sigma. The second part of this paper provides a comparison of the two philosophies. The third part of this paper will discuss the implications for practice and the final part of this paper will make suggestions for further studies. Lean is a philosophical approach to managing production and consist of facilitating a system for eliminating or reducing waste and any activity that does not add value for the end customer (Dora, Kumar, Goubergen, Molnar, & Gellynck, 2013). At its core, lean is a continuous improvement technique focused on â€Å"just-in-time (JIT), quality systems and team works† (Wong, Wong, & Ali, 2009, p.

Why have the educational policies of both the province of Quebec and Essay

Why have the educational policies of both the province of Quebec and the First Nation people rejected the policy of mu - Essay Example However, in Quebec, functions of schools are regarded as being highly political institutions in which language legislation is used to educate politics. In different parts of Canada, both multicultural and intercultural educations are at transient phase between accommodation and incorporation. Both multicultural and intercultural policies are productive of dominant culture, specifically in Quebec, where francization is significant. The above mentioned phase is attempted to accommodate the need of other groups but yet, minority language and cultural programs are excluded from compensatory programs. Focusing on non-political version of culture gave a symbolic understanding to other ethnic groups for which the state of Quebec has showed resistance by giving rise to politicized intercultural policies. The main rejecting reason of multicultural programs in education was to prevent the fall of dominance of one’s own culture and identity. Multicultural education is least erroneous program in present days which assures that people from different cultures won’t lose their identities and culture and at the same time, it prevents the cultural and linguistic dominance of other cultures. However, multicultural education programs will not eliminate the issue of racism from different ethnic groups; nevertheless, this program will bring the different culture and groups as well as communities to accommodate each other for the better society where everyone lives without other cultural influence in peace and

Socrates, Body and Soul Essay Example for Free

Socrates, Body and Soul Essay In the first part of the Phaedo, Socrates lays out his theory regarding the immortality of the soul. Near the end of this part he breaks down the body and soul and shows us that they are very different in permanence and structure. The body and soul, which are are interlinked when alive and separated at death, are fundamentally different constructs. The dichotomy here is expressed through the argument as opposites of composition, ideal forms, solidity, spirituality, and visibility. Socrates opens the overall discussion at 64c by defining death as separation of the soul from the body while the argument regarding the duality of body and soul is picked up again at the end of 78b with the major premise being whether or not the soul is something that can be scattered. Socrates continues by stating that anything that is non-composite will likely stay in one piece over time, while composite or compound items will eventually break down into individual parts. Furthermore, composite objects are subject to change and â€Å"vary from one time to another† (78c) with things that are static likely being non-composite in nature. Socrates now elects to pull in the invisible perfect forms that are the ideals of the corporeal existence. â€Å"The Equal itself, the Beautiful itself, each thing in itself, the real †¦ remain the same and never in any way tolerate any change whatever. † (78d) This is a continuation of a previous line of reasoning that starts at 65d with the introduction of the pure concepts that are partially enumerated as the Beautiful, the Just, and the Good and culminating with the realization that perfect knowledge of these can only be obtained with a total disconnect of the soul from the body. The perfect forms presented are actually assumptions that serve to further the argument along. Our direct existence allows us to experience the particulars of the beautiful such as â€Å"men, horses, clothes, or other such things †¦ and all those which bear the same name as the others. † (78e) These particulars help to form our day to day experience and are always in a constant state of flux with relation to themselves or each other. Socrates goes on to posit that those that are static in nature can be grasped only directly by the mind and are among the invisible. Furthermore, we are to assume that the classes of visible and invisible exist and are real and that the visible is in constant change and the invisible is static in nature. Socrates then establishes the visible and invisible existences and states that the visible is in constant change, while the invisible in absolutely never changes. The argument is further refined at 79c by defining the body and soul as parts that can be split into two separate entities with the body being visible and the soul invisible. Now, at the bottom of 79c, the soul is described as being â€Å"dragged by the body to the things that are never the same, and the soul itself strays and is confused and dizzy as if it were drunk, in so far as it is in contact with that kind of thing. † This is a continuation of the argument near 66a, whereby â€Å"the body confuses the soul and does not allow it to acquire truth and wisdom whenever it is associated with it. † In 79d, Socrates tells us that the soul is akin to the â€Å"pure, ever existing, immortal, and unchanging. † When investigation is done by the soul itself, it enters the spiritual realm and â€Å"will cease straying and only then will it experience wisdom. The logical conclusion of this argument is that â€Å"the soul is altogether more like that which always exists in the same state rather than like that which does not. † (79e) The argument proceeds to lay out the notions of the nature of the divine and the mortal as that of to lead and to follow. Next the body is posited to resemble most closely the mortal and the soul the divine. To summarize the argument , at 80b, Socrates said â€Å"that the soul is most like the divine, deathless, intelligible, uniform, indissoluble, always the same as itself, whereas the body is most like that which is human, mortal, mustiform. Unintelligible, soluble and never consistently the same. † Based on this Socratean argument, the body and soul are fundamentally different constructs. Their properties are diametrically opposite to each other, with the soul being immortal, unchangeable and non-composite. On the other hand, the body is mortal, changeable, and a composite structure. It has been shown that composites really has a risk of blowing away after death, while the soul does not. References Morito, Bruce (2000). Introduction to Philosophy West and East, Study Guide. Athabasca: Athabasca University. Grube, G. M. A. (1977). Plato Phaedo (translation). Indianapolis, Indiana: Hacket Publishing Company, Inc.

Horoscopes and Astrology Essay Example for Free

Horoscopes and Astrology Essay Horoscopes are charts created by astrologers. A definition of a horoscope is: the illustration of the position of the sun, moon, and planets from a given location on earth, usually at birth. Which simply means, where everything in the universe was in relation to everything else when you were born. People have been finding their horoscopes for a long time now, its nothing new. The earliest known horoscope was from 409 B.C. where it started to spread in the East with the conquerors of the Roman Empire. From there, it started spreading all the way across to Western Europe, where it was almost considered a science itself by all learned people. Everyone has an astrological sign. There are 12 in all. They are called the signs of the zodiac. The 12 signs are called : Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces. Each sign represents a set of human characteristics. They deal with certain area of a persons life, such as marriage, health, work, travel, and death. Astrologers believe that the position of the objects in the sky when you were born and their movements reflect the persons character and destiny. The horoscope also is divided into 12 houses. Unlike the zodiacal signs, which represent the annual cycle of the sun, the house represent the 24 hours of a day of the Earths daily rotation. Astrologers make predictions by studying the position of the objects with all of the 12 signs and of the 12 houses. You might see your horoscope in the newspaper today. Its based on the signs of the zodiac I mentioned, and where the Sun was located when you were born. It implies that all people born under the same sign anywhere in the world at any time share common characteristics. Today, even though only a small percentage of people believe in it, books and  columns on astrology rate higher than ever no one can say why! I think curiosity has a big effect on the overall popularity of astrology and horoscopes. Horoscopes are illustrated by circles, called the ecliptic. Its the way the earth orbits around the sun in a year. Every planet (including the sun and moon) has a sign, depending on where the planet is on the ecliptic when the horoscope was made to be for. The astrology that horoscopes are based on are criticised and questioned often, and although many scientists disagree with the science involved in getting your horoscope, millions of people continue to believe or practice it.

Overview Of The Tangshan Earthquake History Essay

Overview Of The Tangshan Earthquake History Essay It is important to develop some general knowledge what causes earthquakes, in order to gain a better understanding about the Tangshan event. Earths crust is broken into major tectonic plates that move towards and away from each other in different directions. Debated driving forces behind this movement includes Earths rotation, gravity related forces and mantle dynamics. Generally, it is accepted that tectonic plates are able to move because of the relative density of oceanic lithosphere and the relative weakness of the asthenosphere. While these plates are moving, they can collide or slide past each other creating high energy phenomena such as volcanoes and earthquakes. Specific to earthquakes, the edge of one plate is forced under another. This process is called subduction and results in intense vibrations in Earths crust. More specifically to Northeast China, the tectonic environment is driven by collisions between the Indian and Asian plates, and Pacific and Asian plates. An important component of the Tangshan earthquake is the role of an extensive strike-slip fault system, known as Tancheng-Lujiang, or Tan-Lu. This system extends in a north-northeast direction for more than 3,200 miles from the north bank of the Yangtze River in eastern China to the west across the Russian border. It is an intertwined zone of faults 5000km long and 1000km wide, neighbored by other sub-faults. These collectively played a significant part in what resulted in the Tangshan earthquake. In fact, the Tangshan earthquake sequence has been explained as the result of sequential ruptures of the Tangshan fault produced by NNE extensive faulting and associated NE-SW regional compression. The earthquake sequence then initiated at the bending region (near Tangshan City) due to continued tectonic stress that had been increasing for a long time. The relationship between the rupture geometries of the Tangshan earthquake sequence and the regional compression stresses. The Tangshan Event Pre-cursors Earthquakes have occurred in the surrounding area in the past, including 22 earthquakes of magnitude 4.75 or greater since 1485. Despite these previous activities, there were no foreshocks or clear precursory phenomenon prior to the Tangshan earthquake. However, there had been a series of abnormal signals observed in the regions of Beijing, Tianjin, Tangshan, Bohai and Zhangjiakou. Tangshan indicated that there was a consistent drop in the pumping rate (and hence groundwater levels) in the years before the event with a sharp increase in the days prior to the earthquake. Additionally, survivors interviewed following the earthquake noted that well water levels changed abruptly in the hours before the event e.g. with rises of over a meter in at least on village in the region. There was also strange animal behavior reported, including city dwellers from the downtown area who had fish discovered that the fish were restless, jumping out of the aquarium as if wanting to escape. Unfortunate ly the anomalous precursory phenomena were widely scattered and inconclusive. The main quake The main quake struck Tangshan at 3:42 am on July 28, 1976, and lasted approximately 23 seconds. This short lived quake was at an intensity of XI (out of XII), according to the State Seismological Bureau report, with a magnitude of 7.5 on the Richter magnitude scale. Although the epicenter was located in the city of Tangshan, the earthquake was felt in fourteen provinces of China, and as far as Xian, in Beijing and in Tientsin. The stress of the Tangshan quake was caused by the compression along the plate boundaries of the Indian and Asian plates, as well as the compression along the boundaries of the Pacific and Asian plates. The quake ruptured a five-mile (8 km) section of a 25-mile long fault that passes through the city Tangshan. In addition, along the west side the ground moved laterally for about five feet, in a north/northeast direction sub parallel to the major axis of the meizoseismic zone with some areas with horizontal ground displacements of up to 7 meters. On the eastern side of the rupture, the ground block tipped upward near the south end and downward at the northern end. Although the earthquake was a shallow focal depth of 15 kilometers, it created both horizontal and vertical movement, causing the ground to rent apart by several feet, cave in to form craters, previously flat agricultural land being undulated, and soil liquefaction. Aftershocks Following the main earthquake, the many aftershocks also had devastating effects. There were two major aftershocks which caused additional damage to the region. On July 28, 1976 at 6:45 pm local time an Mw 7.0 earthquake struck, centered in Shangjialin Luanxian to the northeast of Tangshan. This caused 50 km (31 mi) rupture along the Luanxian-Laoting fault. The second major aftershock of Mw 6.4 struck on November 15, 1976 at 9:53 pm local time, centered south of Lutai to the southwest of Tangshan. This aftershock ruptured 20 km (12 mi) of the Jing Canal fault. In all, over 850 aftershocks occurred through the end of 1978 and were distributed throughout an area approximately 140 km (87 mi) in length and 50 km (31 mi) in width along a northeast trend, indicating the Tangshan fault as the main fault rupture. Destruction and Casualties The destruction of the earthquake included 242,400 deaths; 164,600 people severely wounded; 3,800 people disabled; 360,000 people suffering minor injuries; and various damages to residential areas, industrial areas, roads, railways and sewage systems. Here, the report will examine what effects the earthquake had on infrastructure and casualties. Infrastructure Before the 1976 earthquake, scientists did not believe Tangshan was susceptible to a large earthquake. Thus, the seismic design code for the area was zoned an intensity level of VI and the buildings in Tangshan were not built to withstand such a large earthquake. Furthermore, the city of Tangshan is located in the center of an area surrounded with major faults, where many of its structures had been built on unstable, alluvial soils. The 7.8 earthquake that hit Tangshan was given an intensity level of XI and left hundreds of thousands of buildings destroyed. The infrastructure damage affected many different areas. Ninety-three percent of residential buildings and 78 percent of industrial buildings were completely destroyed. Eighty percent of the water pumping stations and fourteen percent of the sewage pipes were seriously damaged. In addition, the foundations of bridges gave way, bridges collapsed, railroad lines bent, closed roads were covered with debris, highway bridges and at least two dams collapsed, all telephone and radio communications systems stopped functioning and almost all of the irrigation wells became inoperative. The seismic waves of the earthquake spread the damage to various regions, such as Qinhuangdao and Tianjin, and a few buildings as far away as Beijing. As was the case in Tangshan city, earthquake resistance was not generally considered in the design of buildings in these other regions. Newer buildings with seismic capacity and any buildings strengthened after the 1975 Haicheng Earthquake performed much better during the Tangshan Earthquake than those designed without seismic design considerations. Casualty Along with infrastructure damage, there were devastating amounts of casualties. As mentioned earlier, the earthquake struck just before 4 am, when many people were asleep and unprepared. Before the earthquake, the total population of Tangshan city was approximately 1.2 million, with 2 million within 40 km (25 mi) of the epicenter. As mentioned earlier, the official death count from the earthquake was 242,400; however, other sources have cited the death toll to be as high as 655,000 to 779,000 people. Contributing to the high number of casualties was the structure of residential buildings. Most residential structures in Tangshan and surrounding rural regions consisted of older, single-story brick or stone wall homes with only few newer multi-story brick apartment buildings built in the 1960s. Due to this structure, many buildings collapsed because of the lack of proper connections between the walls and roof, as did many reinforced concrete and masonry industrial buildings with heavy roofs, weighing as much as 400 kg (890 lbs). Finally, another contributing factor to the high death toll was the density of buildings and population in Tangshan city being extremely high. This concentration contributed to the seriousness of the loss in particular because the source of the earthquake was directly beneath the city. Relief Response The earthquake disaster required both short-term and long-term response. To begin, the Chinese government refused to accept international aid from the United Nations, and insisted on self reliance. This required rescue workers accompanied by appropriate equipment in order to rescue people from the collapsed buildings, as well as a pre-established plan to coordinate the effort, which was made difficult since vehicular traffic brought the few clear streets to a standstill. Also, since most of the population lost their homes due to the infrastructure destruction, there was a great need for temporary shelters. Clearing of the debris did not begin in earnest until September 1981, leaving the vast majority of the population not being able to live in permanent housing until 1985. In addition, there was the need for long-term strategic planning. Much of this had to do with future design codes for the city. The Tangshan Earthquake led to a major update to the seismic design code, released in 1978. The study of the Tangshan Earthquake and its tectonic setting also resulted in the reclassification of hazard zonation of the Hebei province (particularly the Tangshan region). Updates to the code included performance criteria increases with the raising of expected ground shaking intensity, introduction of a new understanding of how the liquefaction of underlying soils impacts building foundations, and the inclusion of increased vertical forces from seismic loads good building practice from the collapsed buildings in Tangshan. The earthquake also highlighted the requirement for redundancy in the provision of lifelines, accompanied by the assessment of the appropriate design standards to guarantee the minimum necessary function of roads, bridges, or utility supplies wh ich were greatly affected by the earthquake. The relief responses resulting from the Tangshan Earthquake created the opportunity to build and incorporate increased earthquake resistance for future seismic events. Moreover, the layout of the city was planned to reduce both the number of casualties and injured, in addition to increasing the efficacy of emergency relief and disaster rehabilitation. The 2008 Sichuan earthquake had the same measurement on the Richter scale at 8.0 in magnitude. It, however, occurred in a mountainous region where relief efforts were noticeably hampered by the geographical makeup of the land nearby. The Sichuan earthquake also had a much quicker and more organized response system than Tangshan, as the political, social and technological environment was different. Discussion Conclusion In summary, this report has presented many important concepts to gain an understanding about the Tangshan Earthquake. It has examined the underlying driving forces, such as the Tancheng-Lujiang fault system and Tangshan fault; the various effects from the precursors, main quake, aftershocks; the destruction and casualties from the disaster, including factors that lead to an increased death toll and infrastructure damage; the relief response to the disaster and how it affected future earthquake responses; and a discussion of how amateur seismologists and professionals made predictions about the Tangshan Earthquake. Discussing these topics brings awareness on the importance of understanding natural disasters, and how a population can learn and prepare itself for future natural disasters.