Latin American Abortions essays

Latin American Abortions essays Latin America and Caribbean nations are estimated to have some of the highest numbers of abortion worldwide, despite also having some of the most restrictive abortion laws. Most of these countries allow abortion only to save a woman's life, and a couple of them prohibit abortion under any circumstances. As a result, abortion is a main cause of maternal mortality, constituting nearly 50 percent of maternal mortality in some countries and 21 percent in the region as a whole. Most abortion procedures are unsafe; an average of one unsafe abortion occurs for every three live births. (Ipas website). A number of different human rights organizations are working with the citizenry, state health departments, and pro-abortion organizations to change the existing laws. In Latin America millions of abortions are performed annually, normally in unsafe and covert conditions. The procedure is done secretly, sometimes by the pregnant woman herself, because they are illegal. Chile and El Salvador impose criminal penalties for abortion in all circumstances including the safety of the mothers life. Nearly every other country in the region has extremely restrictive abortion laws that include exceptions permitting abortion in certain narrow circumstances, such as where the life or health of the woman is in danger, or where the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. Cuba, the regional anomaly, has made elective abortion available since the mid-1960s. (Mariner, 2005). The situation in each country is relatively more or less restrictive. For example, in Mexico the situation is even more complicated due to a federal system that places the regulation of abortion in the hands of state governments. Thus, each state is different. Some states have passed relatively progressive laws. Local authorities in Mexico City amended the penal code in 2000 to liberalize abortion rules where the woman's health is at risk or fetal defects exist. It also reduced ...

5 Halloween Party Ideas for Students - EssaySupply.com

5 Halloween Party Ideas for Students 5 Halloween Party Ideas for Students Halloween is the best time of year! Wouldn't it be great if we could turn Thanksgiving into Halloween 2.0? What better idea is there than to throw a great Halloween party for your friends. That's right! We aren't just here to help students who ask 'help me write my paper'. We're also here to help students have as much fun as possible. Check out these great Halloween Party Ideas for students! 1. Throw a Geeky Theme Party Are you and your friends part of any fun yet geeky fandoms? Embrace your inner nerd and throw a themed Halloween party. All you have to do is pick something you love and build a party around it. Harry Potter, Doctor Who, Minions, My Little Pony, Steven Universe, Orange is the New Black, The Walking Dead, and Supernatural are all sure to be popular themes this year. 2. Send Your Friends Out on a Halloween Scavenger Hunt Have fun creating a list of Halloween themed items for your friends to find and spooky tasks for them to complete. Just be sure to keep things on the right side of the law. If you aren't sure about what to add to your list, here are few suggestions: Take a selfie in a grave yard Buy a can of pumpkin flavored beer Call a local radio station and get them to play a fun Halloween song Find the most elaborately decorated yard in town Get your picture taken with somebody in a costume Another option is to turn your scavenger hunt into a treasure hunt. In this version, you give party goers a list of clues and puzzles. As they solve each one, it gets them closer and closer to the grand prize. 3. Murder Mystery Dinner You'll need a few friends to serve as actors in order to pull this off, but if you plan things right, your guests will never forget the great party that you threw. You'll need to think of   a crime, and assign roles to victims, perpetrators, and witnesses. Throw together a great meal, and then see which of your friends is the best detective. 4. Movie Marathon The beauty of this party idea is that it is so versatile. If you are looking for a last minute Haloween party idea, this is perfect. All you need is a decent TV set, some DVDs, and a few snacks. You can get your party going in just a couple of hours. If you want to put together something a bit more elaborate, you can fix some Haloween themed snacks, decorate your place, and carefully select movies based on a theme. Maybe a marathon of zombie movies, some foreign horror films, or some campy monster movies from the 1950s? 5. Have a Costume Contest Have a costume contest, but don't make it too easy for your guests. After all, anybody can buy a great costume. Consider instituting a rule that all costumes must be homemade. If you want to make sure that everybody is a winner, why not create a few categories... Strangest Costume Best Costume Based on an Internet Meme Best Literary Character Geekiest Costume Sexiest Costume Spookiest Costume Costume that was   Most Likely Designed by an Engineering Student The Clearly Last Minute Costume Award

Wireless Networks and Pervasive Computing SLP Research Paper

Wireless Networks and Pervasive Computing SLP - Research Paper Example RMTP gives loss-less deliveries of bulk data. A cheap way of connecting applications for messaging but not always reliable, a business could use it as long as the applications are not mission critical and time delays are acceptable. Stated by Meital, et al (2003). 2. Transmission Control Protocol (TCP). The protocol is used on the transport layer of the OSI model. It is a reliable transport layer. Extract: When we say that TCP is "connection-oriented" we mean that there is a procedure that is followed for two communicating end points to exchange data. The TCP connection allows TCP to tailor each byte stream transfer, and maintain the state of that transfer, for each pair of communicating end points. Any given host might have many simultaneous TCP connections, each one having different characteristics, such as the segment size, the timeout (which will be explained), the window size (also to be explained), etc. A specific TCP connection is defined by a socket pair, where a socket is the IP address and port number on one of the communicating points, and the port number identifies the application process on that end point. The port number serves as part of the interface between TCP and the application layer, by identifying which process within a particular host a segment is associated with. As stated by Koren (2011). TCP helps businesses with their network connections, as it is very reliable normally, although it cannot take delays as can RMTP, it is an industry standard used by many businesses in their networks, its problems are known. A business should know a lot about its costs on staffing and equipment using this protocol. 3. User Datagram Protocol (UDP) uses as the underlying system, IP. It’s used for application to application messaging without too many protocol mechanisms involved; it is unreliable, as it does not use acknowledgements in the same way as TCP does. It does not order the messages or provide data flow control. UDP messages are

Tangle wood Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Tangle wood - Case Study Example The company is a chain of retail stores that stocks various items that include home decor items, electronic appliances, and clothing. The company’s target market consists of the upper class, middle class, and even the budget customers. According to Heneman et al., the company derives its competitive advantage from its outdoor theme and the large camping section in each store, and even the design concepts of each store (34). Since 1975 up to now, the company has witnessed tremendous growth that has enabled it to operate more than 240 stores located across the United States and this growth has equally been represented by an increase in the number of employees as well as the increased profitability of the company. This present case analysis of the Tanglewood Company will analyze the turnover problem that has being experienced in the company. Secondly, it will analyze how this problem might be tackled, the necessary actions that should be taken to solve the problem, and how the av ailable options will be evaluated. Turnover at the Tanglewood stores The human resource department at an organization such as Tangelwood Company is mandated to undertake the task of workforce retention or to ensure that employee turnover is at a minimum level. According to Heneman et al., workforce retention is mainly emphasized in order to reduce cost of continually hiring new workers and to ensure there is continuity in the organization. This is to say that turnover at the Tangleowood stores was a major problem that could possibly affect the quality of service at the stores, since staff had to be hired periodically and even before, they could master their roles well and even get to know the customers, they would leave the company. This high rate of turnover of staffs at the company meant that the store managers had to regularly use financial resources and valuable time to train the new staffs (43-45). Sims was of the view that an organization, which has a high turnover of employee s, is not financially sound or the management and in particular, the human resource management is poor and lacks proficiency. Therefore, a strategic human resource management at the Tanglewood Company would implement appropriate strategies to ensure that employees are comfortable in the work place and every aspect of the stores favors them, which will make them feel encouraged to continue working for the organization (121-125). Solving the turnover problem at Tanglewood Company It has been noted above that there needs to be implementation of appropriate strategies that will ensure staffs are encouraged to work at the Tanglewood stores for a longer duration. With reference to the writings by Sims, it is noted that one of the ways through which to lower employee turnover is by ensuring that the staffs have an opportunity to grow within the company and this is achieved by reserving promotion spots for the company’s current workforce (93). This strategy will encourage the current workforce to stay in the company as they await their chance to be promoted to the next level where the salary and benefits would increase. Heneman et al. supported this strategy by stating that in most cases employees leave a company because of limited opportunities for growth and so they look for other companies that will enable them to grow in terms of their career and even enjoy better remuneration (56-58). The other related strategy is offering training programs to the staffs, which sharpen their skills as well as improve their competency level. Through human resource development, employees become more devoted to the company and they have a feeling that they owe the company, because of the training that it has been offered to them. The other strategic option for solving the turnove

Life of Maya Angelou Essay Example for Free

Life of Maya Angelou Essay Maya Angelou was born an African American. One would feel the agony she went through to be born as such and in America. Her grandmother was raped and bore a child; this child later came to be her mother. Similar to the ferocity her grandmother experienced, she was raped as a child by her mother’s boyfriend who was later on killed by her uncles. Because of this, she didn’t speak for almost six years afraid that her words had killed the man. This must be the dawn of her path to being a writer, realizing that words are powerful. If it could kill then it could give life as well. When her parents divorced, her grandmother took good care of her and her brother Bailey, Jr. and it was him who called her Maya. She became many things: a dancer, a cable car operator, a singer, a waitress, and where she flourished, a writer. The turn of her career came when she went to Egypt and Ghana. She went back to America to support Malcolm X’s Organization of African American Unity but he was assassinated. The struggle of the race continued as she supported Martin Luther King, Jr. who was also assassinated defending the African American cause, this made Maya Angelou devastated. She never stopped working for the emancipation of the African Americans and continued writing for equal rights and liberty. And so, in 1993, she read On the Pulse of Morning,’ at President William Jefferson Clintons inauguration at the White House. Her words are valuable to the nation. Her words influence men of power. Her life is interesting which produced works that are priceless to the American people most especially to the African Americans of whom she dedicated her efforts to for their emancipation. Angelou’s style of writing categorized her works in the genre of autobiographical fiction because of her writing styles in dialogues, characterization, development of theme, setting, plot and language. But for her, these are simply autobiographies. She speaks through her writing what she has learned or learning out of life. In her interview with Mike Schneider in Bloomberg TV, she talked to all women as her daughters for her book, â€Å"Letter to My Daughter†. She speaks to them how a woman surpasses an incident in life as she would, given a similar situation. She writes to all the women as her daughters, sharing with them her story like she was one with them. In the poem, â€Å"I Know Why the Caged Birds Sing†, one would feel between the lines how an African American feels in the land called America. The words are simple and yet powerful in the sense that it deeply triggers emotions from the reader. These are deep sentiments of an enslaved race, wanting to be free but â€Å"the bird’s wings are clipped†. Feelings of being held while the other birds are free: is something that she has undergone while the whites enjoy the liberty of being part of their race. A critic named Lupton, considered Angelou’s writings as autobiographies for they contain the elements of such: written by a single author, chronological, and they contain character, technique and them. Although, there are parts that are fictional, the elements necessary for an autobiography are present. Angelou has the tendency to go to the direction against the convention of what an autobiography is. She used the first person singular, â€Å"I† in talking about â€Å"we†. She is placed among the African American autobiographists but other writers insist that she has created a different kind of interpretation of the autobiographical form. The book, â€Å"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings†, became an acclaim containing the sentiments of the black people. She wrote it out of a challenge by Robert Loomis, her editor, for her to write â€Å"high art†. African American literature is more challenged in such that the authors have to agree about the status of their writings on whether it’s â€Å"high art†. O’Neale considers Angelou’s poetry a â€Å"more expected ghetto expressiveness† and she also avoids a monolithic Black language. The bird was used as metaphor that is struggling to set itself free from its cage. The cage that incarcerates the creature represents â€Å"oppression† of the African American people. It must be emphasized as well that Angelou doesn’t intend to isolate the white people. She wanted to promote the relevance of diligence so as to change the concept of laziness among African Americans. At the latter part of the 1960s, one of her goals was to create a book that satisfied the criteria, â€Å"organic unity†. According to English literature scholar Valerie Sayers, her poetry and prose are similar because of the episodes which are done like a series of short stories, but they do not follow a chronology of events. Her prose and poems are both in â€Å"direct voice†, which are characterized by steady rhythms with lyrical patterns that use figures of speech (similes and metaphors). Hagen has mentioned that Angelou’s works were influenced by the African American community’s literary and oral tradition. She uses the â€Å"blues† music and literary characters in testifying about her life and hardships, with the use of metaphors, rhythms, and intonations. Angelou’s one of the most important themes are â€Å"kinship†, this has something to do with her parents abandonment of her and her brother, her relationship with her son, husbands and lovers all throughout her books. She discusses the value of family relationships of how it can affect development of a person. She spoke of her paternal grandmother who prophesied of her being a teacher when she intentionally went mute. Telling her that she would be a teacher someday but how could that happen if she does not speak. In most of her books, â€Å"motherhood† is predominantly manifested based on her experiences as a single mother, a daughter, and a granddaughter. Like in the book, â€Å"Letter to My Daughter†, she dedicated this book to all women pondering on their life experiences. She delivered words of wisdom to soothe and give directions to their souls. When asked if she would say the same things to her son or sons, she said it would be different. She would never know how it is to be a man. If she would write something for her son/sons, it would be through the perspective of a woman. Her plot often surrounds in this motif – mother child. â€Å"The woman who survives intact and happy must be at once tender and tough. † Maya Angelou, Wouldnt Take Nothing For My Journey Now (1994) She is an embodiment of strength and wisdom. This is where she gets her tenets from the experiences she has gained from childhood up to the present which molded her to become a woman whom people listen to. For Scholar Mary Burgher, African American women autobiographers have rejected the stereotyping of roles as â€Å"breeder and matriarch† of their kind and they are being presented as â€Å"creative and personally fulfilling†. Maya Angelou also wanted to deliver the message that women are more than the purpose of bringing forth children. Women are valuable beings in society as much as men are. In her books, women are winners and are brilliant who have overcome hindrances of racial discrimination. She has been influenced greatly by her relationship with her grandmother who died early in her third autobiography, â€Å"Singin’ and Swingin’ and Getting’ Merry Like Christmas†. Momma (Angelou’s grandmother), is quoted in the whole book. I write because I am a Black woman, listening attentively to her people. Maya Angelou, 1984[87] She has greatly contributed to the emancipation of the black people in America working alongside with Malcom X and Martin Luther King, Jr. Went through devastation because of their deaths but continued on the struggle of her people. She continued to express the pains she goes through as a black woman through her music and poems. Using her gift in expressing through words her thoughts and struggles, unified the very same sentiments of all the black people in America. Her experiences especially from childhood gave her the foundation she needed to become who she is now. Everything that transpired in her life was a message she depicted in all her books. She resisted racial biases and protested outright to effect change in American society. She mentioned in her interviews when asked if she was angry, she said, â€Å"I am angry but I am not bitter†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , reiterating that anger was necessary to express indignation to the unjust treatment towards the black people. She emphasized, however, that she is not bitter. There is a difference between those two. She used anger to advance the cause of African Americans but made sure there is no bitterness in her heart. Works Cited Hagen, L. (1997). Heart of a Woman, Mind of a Writer, and Soul of a Poet: A Critical Analysis of the Writings of Maya Angelou. Lanham, Maryland: University Press. Lauret, M. (1994). Liberating Literature: Feminist fiction in America. New York: Routledge. ONeale, S. (1984). Reconstruction of the Composite Self: New Images of Black Women in Maya Angelous Continuing Autobiography. Garden City, NY: Doubleday.

Violence In America :: essays research papers

Violence in America Violence in America’s society is definitely a major problem. This problem can be traced back as far as fetal development. It seems that in most cases of bad treatment, the families come from poverty or bad neighborhood areas. The whole main purpose of this speaker was to develop a good understanding on why most of the violent crimes occur in today’s hurting society. It is not rocket science to realize that most angry violent acts are due to a disturbed child or individual that lacked attention, love or care. Violence is not a new problem, scientists are just finding out new facts about how it starts and how it can be prevented. The early developmental stages of babies is key to starting a good life long learning experience. This is the certain time in which their brains are really trying to make progress and grow. Babies need that love and sense of closeness to obtain a healthy start. Obviously mothers who smoke, drink or do drugs while pregnant can cause serious health problems to their fetus. Also when they are young most of the time these problems persist and do not get any better. This causes children to have the chance to obtain the same lifestyles as of the parents. Another instance that can hurt a child’s well being is when they are real little around the ages of two to about six. Kids at this age need to be taught and especially loved. When children are neglected or left they do not get the support that they truly need to keep the growing process up to date. This is definitely one reason that kids are committing crimes at younger ages. If people feel that they are responsible enough to have babies, they should at least take the time to help them have good lifestyles. We all know that kids for the most part are mean and form little cliques and this is a major reason that kids are committing crimes. They feel that if they can’t get attention the way that is right, they will get it almost any way they can. It also ties back the kids early childhood. A lack of love and understanding at young ages causes some children to not know how to interact with other kids. On the same token they can be made fun of daily causing them to resent the world and not have any cares. Violence In America :: essays research papers Violence in America Violence in America’s society is definitely a major problem. This problem can be traced back as far as fetal development. It seems that in most cases of bad treatment, the families come from poverty or bad neighborhood areas. The whole main purpose of this speaker was to develop a good understanding on why most of the violent crimes occur in today’s hurting society. It is not rocket science to realize that most angry violent acts are due to a disturbed child or individual that lacked attention, love or care. Violence is not a new problem, scientists are just finding out new facts about how it starts and how it can be prevented. The early developmental stages of babies is key to starting a good life long learning experience. This is the certain time in which their brains are really trying to make progress and grow. Babies need that love and sense of closeness to obtain a healthy start. Obviously mothers who smoke, drink or do drugs while pregnant can cause serious health problems to their fetus. Also when they are young most of the time these problems persist and do not get any better. This causes children to have the chance to obtain the same lifestyles as of the parents. Another instance that can hurt a child’s well being is when they are real little around the ages of two to about six. Kids at this age need to be taught and especially loved. When children are neglected or left they do not get the support that they truly need to keep the growing process up to date. This is definitely one reason that kids are committing crimes at younger ages. If people feel that they are responsible enough to have babies, they should at least take the time to help them have good lifestyles. We all know that kids for the most part are mean and form little cliques and this is a major reason that kids are committing crimes. They feel that if they can’t get attention the way that is right, they will get it almost any way they can. It also ties back the kids early childhood. A lack of love and understanding at young ages causes some children to not know how to interact with other kids. On the same token they can be made fun of daily causing them to resent the world and not have any cares.

You Only Live Once

Everybody these days say, â€Å"You only live once† but have you ever taken the time to look at why? Kids, teenagers, and a few adults that live by the modern terms pursue their actions upon this saying. Each individual is different, we all think differently based upon what we do, how we were raised, the culture were brought up in, and other factors that relate to an individual’s life. Not everyone is going to think why we live once or if we live once do we get an after life? Some cultures actually believe in re-birth but that is a different subject.My opinion toward this question is based on my beliefs and the actions that I have taken to achieve to this mental status. I believe we all live once to attain a successful endeavor that not only provides the necessities for yourself but can facilitate to those that are near you. Mistakes are bound to happen when pursuing this successful role toward â€Å"only living once† but knowing the difference between knowing if a mistake will happen and having a mistake happen during your actions that take place is different.For example you could be studying for an exam in math and English but decided to study for math because you assume you will do more poorly at it than English because you have always been average in Math and English is not a problem, so as test day comes and you take the math test you seem to not have a problem but as you took the English exam you take longer because you had not equally balanced the study time and had not focused on what the exam was really going to be so you did poorly on the subject you thought you’d do well in, that is a mistake that was not done without knowing.An example of just knowing the mistake is when your hanging out with your group of friends and your offered a substance you are not suppose to abuse and have thought about a wrong factor that may interfere with your actions if you follow the steps of your peers but even as that thought came across you do it anyways leading you to get in trouble by the authorities an revealing the mistake you knew that would happen.Knowing the difference between the two is crucial because depending upon the situation and how the mistake was approached your more than likely to learn from it, making yourself a better person and achieving your endeavor. But having a repetition of the same mistakes leads nowhere and keeps you in the same spot having success that lied in your hands be in someone who well deserves it. No doubt you may live once whether you make the simplest istake or not but living in happiness is the key to fortune and success. Think about life being as one and making the best of what you have leads to many good things so even if you think about â€Å"you only live life once† think about how you would like to live it. Think about what success means to you and be fortunate to those that reside by you because smart decisions will be well put off in the near future as life is a gr owing process.

Contemporary Management Essay

The Classical Management approach attempted to apply logic and scientific methods to management of complex organisations, such as factories. It assumed that there was â€Å"one best way† to manage an enterprise. Classical Management comprises three different approaches: Scientific Management, which represents Frederick W Taylor’s work, developed scientific principles of management, focusing on the individual, rather than the team and aimed to improve efficiency through production-line time studies, breaking each job down into its components and designing the quickest and best methods of performing each component. He also encouraged employers to reward productivity. Employees did the physical labour, managers did the planning and organising. According to Taylor, employees were motivated by money. From Taylor’s research emerged time studies, work studies and industrial engineering, making an important contribution to the central procedures of many organisations.  · Bureaucratic Management emerged from the work of Max Weber, who developed an â€Å"ideal model† organisation, hierarchical in structure, governed by a set of impersonal, formal rules and policies. Weber believed this was the most efficient way to organise and govern an enterprise.  · Henri Fayol’s Administrative Management assumed that 14 general principles of management could be applied to any situation or circumstance: 1. division of work 2. authority 3. discipline 4. unity of command 5. unity of direction 6. subordination of individual interest to the common good 7. remuneration 8. centralisation 9. hierarchy 10. order 11. equity 12. stability of staff 13. initiative 14. espirit de corps Fayol divided managerial activities into five functions: planning, organising, commanding, coordinating and controlling. This idea set the basis for many modern management techniques stressing rational central planning. The Human Relations approach, focusing on work relationships as the key to improving workplace productivity, was inspired by the Hawthorne studies performed by Elton Mayo and Fritz Roethlisberger. They studied the effects of physical working conditions on employee productivity and fatigue. These studies suggested that leaders are able to positively influence employee motivation and productivity by showing concern for employee relationships. Mayo discovered that a work group would establish its own informal group performance norm, which represented what it considered to be a fair level of performance. The work group would convince ratebusters to slow down and slackers to work faster. Mayo’s conclusion that â€Å"work is a group activity† had a profound influence on modern individual management. Two key aspects of the human relations approach are employee motivation and leadership style. Pay can motivate only lower level needs and once those are satisfied, non-monetary factors such as praise, recognition, and job characteristics motivate human behaviour. Fayol’s Management approach emphasised maximum efficiency and productivity through standard operating procedures; viewed money as the one true motivator for workers; stressed the need for managerial control; and viewed organisations as machines. Taylor’s Scientific approach over-simplified the issues, emphasised the individual rather than the team and was hostile to trade unions and labour organisations. Whereas Fayol and Taylor both emphasised the production process and adjusted humans to this process, Mayo’s Human Relations approach emphasised the coordination of human and social elements in an organisation through consultation, participation, communication and leadership. However, the equation merely replaced â€Å"rational economic man† with â€Å"emotional social man† and this approach merely shifted the blame for poor performance from structural to personal attitudes and emotions. Both approaches held that there was â€Å"one best way† to manage all organisations. Assess the relevance of Classical Management theorists to the management of contemporary organisations. The modern assembly line pours out finished products faster than Taylor could ever have imagined. This production efficiency is just one legacy of Scientific Management. Its efficiency techniques have been applied to many tasks in non-industrial organisations, ranging from fast-food service to the training of surgeons. However, Taylor’s emphasis on productivity and speed placed undue pressures on employees to perform at faster and faster levels. This led to exploitation and resulted in more workers joining unions. Modern management is still viewed as a process that enables organisations to achieve their objectives by planning, organising and controlling their resources, as advocated by Fayol, but views gaining the commitment of their mployees through motivation as a key element. Hierarchical organisation (introduced by Fayol) has become the dominant, traditional mode of structure in large corporations and civil/public service departments. In some cases this â€Å"mechanistic† model works best, however, the emphasis is on efficiency and control, whereas a greater balance between people and performance is generally considered the more des irable approach nowadays. Although the Classical Management (vertical/hierarchical) approach dominated organisational structure for decades, the Human Relations Movement (horizontal/inter-departmental), encouraging adaptation to external changes, seems the more relevant approach for modern management. Contemporary management builds on the Classical and Behavioural approaches and goes beyond them. The Systems approach of â€Å"different strokes for different folks† finally put the â€Å"one best way† theory to bed and has dominated modern organisational analysis since the 1980s. The Contingency approach views the organisation as an organism, segmenting as it grows, each segment specialising in knowledge and activity, all of which must cope with their external environment and integrate harmoniously. The main difference between Classical and Contemporary approaches is the modern belief that it is futile to search for â€Å"one best way† to manage an organisation. Instead, managers must take into account the internal and external environment to match the appropriate management practices to the surrounding circumstances for an effective outcome.

The Use of Dreams in Epic Form essays

The Use of Dreams in Epic Form essays Present in most epics, dreams are used by Homer and Virgil in the Iliad, Odyssey, and the Aeneid to catalyze action in the plot. These epic dreams serve a vital purpose to the bard in his formulation of the epic and to the audience in their understanding of the epic. Inspired by gods, formulated in the minds of men, and acted upon to further the plot, these dreams bring about great changes in the course of the epic in which they are contained. Using these aspects of dreams to examine the concept of the dream among the early Greeks and Romans, we have to rely mainly on the literature that has survived to arrive at any conclusions about their dreams. However, reliance on literature, such as epic poetry, presents difficulties. Drama and literature are reflections of society, but not exact ones. Using American television as an example, there is very little accuracy in television as a reflection of American society. Keeping this tendency for inaccuracy in mind, the Greek view of dr eams that has developed from the study of dreams in ancient literature is that the dreams present information that otherwise would not be know to both the character and the audience, clarify problems, and inspire action (Robbins 3). In addition to dreams only being reflections of society, the characters of ancient literature are warriors, kings, and gods, which tells us very little about the lives of ordinary people. In spite of these difficulties, dreams in literature do suggest important ideas about the way dreams were conceived by these ancient peoples, and they do indicate the intent of the bard when he used them in his poems (Robbins 3). Looking at these dreams, such as that of Penelope in the Odyssey and Achilles in the Illiad, we are led to several conclusions: the first is that dreams were perceived as having meaning; they were not considered to be nonsensical, trivial, or just random ideas. Second, these meanings were interpretable, which mean...

Senator Robert Byrd and the Ku Klux Klan

Senator Robert Byrd and the Ku Klux Klan During the early 1940s, Robert Byrd of West Virginia was a high-ranking member of the Ku Klux Klan. From 1952 to 2010, the same Robert Byrd of West Virginia served in the United States Congress and eventually won the praises of civil rights advocates. How did he do that? The Robert Byrd of Congress Born in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, on Nov. 20, 1917, Robert Carlyle Byrd was orphaned at age 1 after the death of his mother. Raised by his aunt and uncle in a rural West Virginia coal mining town, Byrd credited his experiences growing up in a coal-mining family with shaping his amazing political career. The legendary congressional career of Robert â€Å"Bob† Byrd began on November 4, 1952, when the people of West Virginia elected him to his first term in the U.S. House of Representatives. A New Deal Democrat, Byrd served six years in the House before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 1958. He would continue to serve in the Senate for the next 51 years, until his death at age 92 on June 28, 2010. With a total 57 years on Capitol Hill, Byrd was the longest-serving Senator in United States history and, at the time of his death, the longest-serving member in the history of the U.S. Congress. Byrd was the last member of the Senate to have served during the Dwight Eisenhower presidency and the last member of Congress to have served during the presidency of Harry Truman. He also held the distinction of being the only West Virginian to have served in both houses of the state’s legislature and in both chambers of the U.S. Congress. As one of the Senate’s most powerful members, Byrd served as secretary of the Senate Democratic Caucus from 1967 to 1971 and as Senate Majority Whip from 1971 to 1977. Over the next 33 years, he would hold leadership positions including Senate Majority Leader, Senate Minority Leader, and President pro tempore of the Senate. In four separate terms as President pro tempore, Byrd stood third in the line of presidential succession, after the Vice President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Along with his lengthy tenure, Byrd was known for his vast array of political skills, his often fierce advocacy for the supremacy of the legislative branch, and his ability to secure federal funds for the State of West Virginia. Byrd Joins then Leaves the Ku Klux Klan Working as a butcher in the early 1940s, a young Robert Byrd formed a new chapter of the Ku Klux Klan in Sophia, West Virginia. In his 2005 book, Robert C. Byrd: Child of the Appalachian Coalfields, Byrd recalled how his ability to quickly recruit 150 of his friends to the group impressed a top Klan official who told him, â€Å"You have a talent for leadership, Bob ... The country needs young men like you in the leadership of the nation.† Byrd later recalled, Suddenly lights flashed in my mind! Someone important had recognized my abilities!† Byrd led the growing chapter and was eventually elected Exalted Cyclops of the local Klan unit. In a 1944 letter to segregationist Mississippi Senator Theodore G. Bilbo, Byrd wrote, â€Å"I shall never fight in the armed forces with a Negro by my side. Rather I should die a thousand times, and see Old Glory trampled in the dirt never to rise again than to see this beloved land of ours become degraded by race mongrels, a throwback to the blackest specimen from the wilds.† As late as 1946, Byrd wrote to the Klan’s Grand Wizard stating, â€Å"The Klan is needed today as never before, and I am anxious to see its rebirth here in West Virginia and in every state in the nation.† However, Byrd would soon see fit to put the Klan far behind him. Running for the U.S. House of Representatives in 1952, Byrd said of the Klan, â€Å"After about a year, I became disinterested, quit paying my dues, and dropped my membership in the organization. During the nine years that have followed, I have never been interested in the Klan.† Byrd said he had initially joined the Klan for the â€Å"excitement† and because the organization was opposed to communism. In interviews with The Wall Street Journal and Slate magazine held in 2002 and 2008, Byrd called joining the Klan â€Å"the greatest mistake I ever made.† To young people interested in becoming involved in politics, Byrd warned, â€Å"Be sure you avoid the Ku Klux Klan. Dont get that albatross around your neck. Once youve made that mistake, you inhibit your operations in the political arena.† In his autobiography, Byrd wrote that he had become a KKK member because he â€Å"was sorely afflicted with tunnel vision a jejune and immature outlook seeing only what I wanted to see because I thought the Klan could provide an outlet for my talents and ambitions,† adding, â€Å"I know now I was wrong. Intolerance had no place in America. I apologized a thousand times ... and I dont mind apologizing over and over again. I cant erase what happened †¦ it has emerged throughout my life to haunt and embarrass me and has taught me in a very graphic way what one major mistake can do to one’s life, career, and reputation.† Byrd on Racial Integration: A Change of Mind In 1964, Senator Robert Byrd led a filibuster against the Civil Rights Act of 1964. He also opposed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, as well as most of the anti-poverty programs of President Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society initiative. In the debate against anti-poverty legislation, Byrd stated, â€Å"we can take the people out of the slums, but we cannot take the slums out of the people.† But time and politics can change minds. While he first voted against civil rights legislation, Byrd would later hire one of the first black congressional aides on Capitol Hill in 1959 and initiate the racial integration of the United States Capitol Police for the first time since Reconstruction. The 1970’s saw a complete reversal in Sen. Byrd’s former stance against racial integration. In 1993, Byrd told CNN that he had regretted his filibuster and vote against the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and would take them back if he could. In 2006, Byrd told CSPAN that the death of his teenage grandson in a 1982 traffic accident had radically changed his views. â€Å"The death of my grandson caused me to stop and think,† he said, explaining that event made him realize that African-Americans loved their children as much as he loved his own. While some of his fellow conservative Democrats opposed the 1983 bill creating the Martin Luther King Jr. Day national holiday, Byrd recognized the importance of the day to his legacy, telling his staff, â€Å"I am the only one in the Senate who must vote for this bill.† However, Byrd was the lone Senator to  vote against the confirmations of Thurgood Marshall and Clarence Thomas, the only two African-Americans nominated to the United States Supreme Court. In opposing the 1967 confirmation of Marshall, Byrd cited his suspicion that Marshall had ties to communists or the communist party. In the case of Clarence Thomas in 1991, Byrd stated that he had been â€Å"offended by the injection of racism† into the hearings when Thomas called opposition to his confirmation a form of â€Å"high-tech lynching of uppity blacks.† Byrd called Marshall’s comment a â€Å"diversionary tactic,† adding â€Å"I thought we were past that stage.† Byrd also supported Anita Hill in her accusations of sexual harassment by Thomas and was joined by 45 other Democrats in voting against Thomas’ confirmation. When interviewed by Tony Snow of FOX News on March 4, 2001, Byrd said of racial relations, â€Å"Theyre much, much better than theyve ever been in my lifetime †¦ I think we talk about race too much. I think those problems are largely behind us ... I just think we talk so much about it that we help to create somewhat of an illusion. I think we try to have good will. My old mom told me, Robert, you cant go to heaven if you hate anybody. We practice that.† NAACP Praises Byrd In the end, the political legacy of Robert Byrd went from admitting his former membership in the Ku Klux Klan to winning the accolades of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). For the 2003–2004 session of Congress, Byrd was one of only 16 Senators rated by the NAACP as being 100% in line with the group’s position on critical legislation. In June 2005, Byrd sponsored a successful bill dedicating an additional $10,000,000 in federal funding for the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial in Washington, D.C., remarking that â€Å"With the passage of time, we have come to learn that his Dream was the American Dream, and few ever expressed it more eloquently.† When Byrd died at age 92 on June 28, 2010, the NAACP released a statement saying that over the course of his life he â€Å"became a champion for civil rights and liberties† and â€Å"came to consistently support the NAACP civil rights agenda.†Ã‚   Robert C. Byrd Biographical Fast Facts Full Name: Robert Carlyle Byrd (born Cornelius Calvin Sale Jr.)Known for: - American politician - Longest serving member of U.S. Senate in American history (over 51 years)Born:   November 20, 1917, in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina,Died: June 28, 2010 (at age 92), in Merrifield, VirginiaParents: Cornelius Calvin Sale Sr. and Ada Mae (Kirby)Education:- Beckley College- Concord University- University of Charleston- Marshall University (BA)- George Washington University - American University (Juris Doctor)Major Published Writings - 2004. â€Å"Losing America: Confronting A Reckless and Arrogant Presidency.† ISBN 0-393-05942-1.- 2004. â€Å"We Stand Passively Mute: Senator Robert C. Byrds Iraq Speeches.† ISBN 0-9755749-0-6.- 2005. â€Å"Robert C. Byrd: Child of the Appalachian Coalfields.† ISBN 1-933202-00-9.- 2008. â€Å"Letter to a New President: Commonsense Lessons for Our Next Leader.† ISBN 0-312-38302-9.Wife: Erma JamesChildren: Daughters Mona Byrd Fa temi and Marjorie Byrd MooreNotable Quotation: â€Å"Ones family is the most important thing in life. I look at it this way: One of these days Ill be over in a hospital somewhere with four walls around me. And the only people wholl be with me will be my family.† References Byrd, Robert C. (2005). Robert C. Byrd: Child of the Appalachian Coalfields. Morgantown, WV: West Virginia University Press. Pianin, Eric. A Senators Shame: Byrd, in His New Book, Again Confronts Early Ties to KKK. The Washington Post, June 18, 2005 King, Colbert I.: Sen. Byrd: The view from Darrells barbershop. The Washington Post, March 2, 2002 What About Byrd?. Slate. December 18, 2002 The Democrats Lott. The Wall Street Journal. December 12, 2008. Draper, Robert (July 31, 2008). Old as the Hill. GQ. New York, NY. â€Å"Sen. Robert Byrd Discusses His Past and Present†, Inside Politics, CNN, December 20, 1993 Johnson, Scott. Saying Goodbye to a Great One, Weekly Standard, June 1, 2005 Byrd, Robert. Robert Byrd Speaks Out Against the Appointment of Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court. American Voices, October 14, 1991. NAACP Mourns the Passing of U.S. Senator Robert Byrd. â€Å"Press Room. www.naacp.org., July 7, 2010

Mystery Story Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Mystery Story - Essay Example "Mother, this house has a market value of $80,000. Chad is offering you over 12 times that much. You can easily find a better place to live with less upkeep and a dishwasher." Bud had sat silent for most of the evening since Chad had arrived. Chad had come to talk, but Bud needed to be heard. "Mother this is a chance of a lifetime. Mr. Lewis says that they are ready to cancel the project if you don't move soon You will be left to battle with the neighbors that are angry at you for holding out." Bud Everly apologized to Chad Lewis and broke out the bottle of Cognac that Chad had offered as a gift upon his arrival earlier. Chad Lewis spoke first, "I thought you said you could convince your mother to sell. Bud, you're letting me down and you're letting yourself down. We had an arrangement and your mother can't get in the way of that." As the sun came up the next morning the weather was as crisp as apple cider and hot as a Roman spa. Detective Sonny Broshears had gotten the call shortly after 10 AM. The dispatcher had simply said that old lady Everly had died. Fell down the stairs. The TV repairman found her when he arrived to fix the satellite system. Paramedics were already on the scene. Though he was vaguely familiar with the isolated house on the outskirts of town, he had never met the widow. Sonny brushed the bagel crumbs from his jacket as he drove down the long lane. He mentally noted that the house was tidy and compact with a well-manicured lawn as green as the love of money. The summer heat had erased all traces of last night's storm and as he meandered the gravel drive Sonny pulled in behind the ambulance and walked toward the house. A paramedic was waiting in the yard and Sonny asked, without introduction, "Has another officer been on the scene" "No, the Examiner is on his way but your the first cop to show," the EMT droned. Sonny studied the drive and thought out loud, "The whole area is wet. What was she doing Watering the lawn" The paramedic offered, "No, they've probably got sprinklers. Probably automatic. They were off when we got here at about 10 O'clock." "Well, who was parked in that spot there that's still dry It's about the size of a police cruiser. Are you sure nobody has left" Sonny asked. "You're it, the one and only." The paramedic seemed disinterested and Sonny went inside. He met a second emergency worker at the top of the stairs. The paramedic informed Sonny that the body was still at the bottom of the stairs and it looked like she had taken a pretty nasty tumble. She was dead before they had even arrived. Sonny glanced at the morning paper, still unread, lying on the kitchen counter. "I'm Detective Broshears, in charge of the investigation. Why don't you guys just go outside and wait for the Examiner. In the meantime, don't touch anything." The widow Everly's crumpled body lay in an unnatural heap at the foot of the stairs. Sonny studied the

Acting and Performance in Films Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Acting and Performance in Films - Term Paper Example The profound performance by late Hollywood actor Heath Ledger puts life into the movie in a spectacular way that makes the actor and the movie both memorable to the audience. The social commentaries on the film contain few issues that are the key factors of controversy in this movie. The theme of romantic relationships between the two men is a primal point of focus in this film, which seems to rupture the conventional definition of relationship. The relationship that had sprouted long back between the two men could not come to its full bloom due to several social barriers. Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) and Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) get married to, two women – Alma Beers (Michelle Williams) and Laureen Newsome (Anne Hathaway). The strain and ambiguity in relationship is clear from this action of the two men. Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist are two farm associates, who are hired to take care of the thousands of grazing sheep, but these two men are extremely distinct by nature. Jack Twist is sparkling and emotional, while Ennis hardly talks, or frequently mumbles somewhat in a grumpy way. The ambience of a cold night, a little alcohol acts as the stimulant factors and they come across a sexual soiree that none of them ever expected. At a very young age, Ennis father had taught him about a firm example that tells the dire consequences that homosexuals face in the West. Therefore Ennis considers this incident as a one-time phenomenon. Jack is more certain about the feelings of this relationship and he is ready to explore them further. After their summer work comes to an end, they depart in their different ways and carry on their individual family lives. Ennis gets wedded and has two kids. Jack returns to the rodeo. After four years, they get back to each other, and are instantly set to revital ize their summer liaison. "Going fishing on Brokeback