Son of Saddam essays

Son of Saddam essays Sports Illustrated, 3.24.03, Vol. 98, Issue 12 This is my Iraq. Embarrassing Iraq embarrasses me, these are the words spoken by Iraqs head of Olympic committee and soccer federation Uday Hussein, Saddam Husseins eldest son. The war between Iran and Iraq went on for eight years, killing 100s of thousands of young Iraqis, demoralizing the youths. Saddam thought success in sports would help regain national pride and lift the spirits of Iraq. Uday was placed in power of the Olympic committee in 1984 by his father with the hopes of Iraqi sports being respectable again. After a losing 2-0 in a friendly soccer match between Iraq and Jordan, which had no significance in World Cup standings or rankings, just a chance for teams to practice against another team, Uday took four of the star players to prison. Upon arriving at prison, these players were striped of their shirts, feet bound together with their knees drawn over their heads over a bar lying on their backs. The soccer players were then dragged over pavement and concrete, painfully pulling and ripping the skin off their backs. They were then pulled through a sandpit then made to climb a ladder and jump in a vat of raw sewage, trying to infect their wounds as much as humanly possible. The following days the prisoners feet were caned, 20 lashings a day, breaking the smaller bones and causing massive swelling, leaving victims unable to walk for some time. Asking the guards how they can possibly carry out these punishments, they simply laughed and said it would be done to them if they refused to car ry the punishments out. Following a boxing match in which an Iraqi lost and was knocked out in the first round, Uday and Iraqi secret service agents escorted the boxer into his office. In sport you can win or lose. I told you to not come home if you didnt win, said Uday, This is how you box. He then threw punc ...

Zora Neale Hurston Quotes

Zora Neale Hurston Quotes Zora Neale Hurston was a folklorist and writer. She was part of the Harlem Renaissance, but she never quite fit into the black writer stereotype and was too black for white audiences, so her work fell into obscurity. She wrote such classics as Their Eyes Were Watching God, and How it Feels to Be Colored Me Alice Walker led a revival of Zora Neale Hurston popularity beginning in the 1970s, and Zora Neale Hurston is now considered among the classic American writers of the 20th century. Selected Zora Neale Hurston Quotations I want a busy life, a just mind, and a timely death.Through it all, I remain myself.Mama exhorted her children at every opportunity to jump at de sun. We might not land on the sun, but at least we would get off the ground.No man may make another free.Grab the broom of anger and drive off the beast of fear.Learning without wisdom is a load of books on a donkeys back.No matter how far a person can go the horizon is still way beyond you.If you are silent about your pain, they’ll kill you and say you enjoyed it.It is hard to apply oneself to study when there is no money to pay for food and lodging. I almost never explain these things when folks are asking me why I dont do this or that.Sometimes I feel discriminated against, but it does not make me angry. It merely astonishes me. How can any deny themselves the pleasure of my company? Its beyond me.There is nothing to make you like other human beings so much as doing things for them.It seems to me that trying to live without friend s is like milking a bear to get cream for your morning coffee. It is a whole lot of trouble, and then not worth much after you get it. Happiness is nothing but everyday living seen through a veil.Life is the flower for which love is the honey.Love, I find, is like singing. Everybody can do enough to satisfy themselves, though it may not impress the neighbors as being very much.Love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place.There are years that ask questions and years that answer.When one is too old for love, one finds great comfort in good dinners.Ships at a distance have every mans wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. For others they sail forever on the horizon, never out of sight, never landing, until the Watcher turns his eyes away in resignation, his dreams mocked to death by Time. That is the life of men. Now, women forget all those things they dont want to remember, and remember everything they dont want to forget. The dream is the truth. They then act and do things accordingly.Those that dont got it, cant show it. Those that got it, cant hide it.I belong to no race nor time. I am the eter nal feminine with its string of beads. I am not tragically colored. There is no great sorrow dammed up in my soul, nor lurking behind my eyes. I do not mind at all.I am colored but I offer nothing in the way of extenuating circumstances except the fact that I am the only Negro in the United States whose grandfather on the mothers side was not an Indian chief.Maybe some of the details of my birth as told me might be a little inaccurate, but it is pretty well established that I really did get born.Someone is always at my elbow reminding me that I am the granddaughter of slaves. It fails to register depression with me.I feel most colored when I am thrown against a sharp white background.The present was an egg laid by the past that had the future inside its shell.Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose. It is a seeking that he who wishes may know the cosmic secrets of the world and they that dwell therein.Once you wake up thought in a man, you can never put it to sleep again.My eyes and my min d keep taking me where my old legs cant keep up. There is something about poverty that smells like death. Dead dreams dropping off the heart like leaves in a dry season and rotting around the feet.Jamaica is the land where the rooster lays an egg.I have been in Sorrows kitchen and licked out all the pots. Then I have stood on the peaky mountain wrapped in rainbows, with a harp and a sword in my hands.It is quite exciting to hold the center of the national stage, with the spectators not knowing whether to laugh or to weep.I love myself when I am laughing. And then again when I am looking mean and impressive.

See instructions below in description Case Study

See instructions below in description - Case Study Example This translates to 75 cents as the per unit variable goods leading to profits of per pack profit of $ 5.50. Despite the high fixed costs the alternative is anticipated to sell the product to increase both market share and improved sales. In addition to this, the firm considers to use coupons and free gifts to promote the cigarette in order to achieve the price cut decision. However, decision is not the best since it is prone to unlikelihood of meeting the targeted price in the market. Variable costs in production may be a challenge in attaining price cuts. It may even make the firm operate at a loss (Nagle, Hogan & Zale, 2014). Philip Morris may consider rebranding its Marlboro cigarettes and market it as a new brand. This may involve changing the brand name, design, flavor and other attributes of the cigarettes to bring a differentiated appeal to the customers and competitors. Changes in the logo, name and flavors of the cigarettes are the key attributes that the firm ought to consider. In addition, its packaging may integrate a colorful wrappings and packets that bring a more attracting appeal to the users. Different flavors may be used to lure different customers to different flavors of choice. On another hand, the firm may consider rebranding its corporate name to shed its name against its rival firms. Price cuts are effective in attracting more users of a commodity. It is a marketing strategy that offers a better chance to a firm that is operating under a large scale. Reducing its prices as compared to its competitors enables the firm selling more and reaching a bigger number of its compelling customers (Clow & Baack, 2012). In such a case, the firm benefits from economies of scale and long-run profits. This technique may be disadvantageous to competing firms as they may be locked out of the market. In addition, it may induce monopoly in an industry that may be not beneficial to

Management Information System Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Management Information System - Research Paper Example In this scenario, it can be said that electronic commerce encompasses a number of attributes and entities and it is not limited to only some entities such as the Internet, extranets, intranets, electronic data interchange (EDI), and various others. Some of the well-known instances of e-commerce comprise communications and collaboration with business associates and customers like that inventory management, transaction processing by means of electronic payment, customer self-service like that allowing them to track order status as well as researching problem resolution, and making use of a business intranet for omnipresent information sharing (Fruhling and Digman). Until recently e-commerce has transformed into a completely new form of business. Internet has changed the way people think and carry out their daily routines everyone simply wants to shop and order from their home using their personal computer, all with a single click. Moreover the latest tools and gadgets which are available online have also made life easier and interesting. Presently most businesses have shifted their focus towards utilizing internet for which they are also making use of internal private domestic intranet. Moreover some organizations are trying to formulate methods to protect business to business networks which are regarded as extranets. All this communication infrastructure and business to business network is recognized as electronic commerce. In short e-commerce deals with internal and external services such as purchasing and selling of products and handling payment matters digitally along with smooth execution of business operations and processes (Khurana, Goe l and Singh). For Organizations: Without a doubt, e-commerce eases the business activities for business organizations such as performing transactions and other associated processes. These improvements in business processes have a straight impact on

Human Resource Development & Job Satisfaction Essay Example for Free

Human Resource Development Job Satisfaction Essay Opportunities for training and development are paramount in decisions regarding employee career choices. It is important that those in the human resource development (HRD) look at how their work affects those who they provide service. HRD is a field that focuses on training, career development and organizational development with the goal of improving processes and enhancing the learning and performance of individuals, organizations, communities and society (Judge and Saari, 2008). To accomplish this task, HRD practitioners must look at how training and development programs affect those employees who participate in them. They must be aware of how employees who participate in them perceive the information presented. They must be aware of how employees feel about the training and programs offered to them, and they must understand the components that make up job training satisfaction from the employee standpoint. Employees use the trainings as a framework to base the company upon. Job satisfaction is a major factor in decisions regarding people’s careers; however it is naive to assume that people work primarily to achieve professional fulfillment and job satisfaction (Caruso, 2011). In fact, they seem to work because what they get on the job enables them to achieve whatever they want to achieve off the job. On the job, they must produce, which sometimes equals no enjoyment. Every person has different reasons for working. The reasons for working are as individual as the person. But, we all work because we obtain something that we need from work. The something obtained from work impacts morale, employee motivation, and the quality of life. To create positive employee motivation, treat employees as if they matter because employees matter (Judge and Saari, 2008). These ideas will help you fulfill what people want from work and create employee motivation. Compensation levels and competiveness are higher than ever before and the casualties are factors like job satisfaction. Literature Review A satisfied or happy employee may begin to develop an approach of self-complacency, and an overall sense of well-being, and consequently, his temperament may reflect his disposition (Caruso, 2011). As a result, it is all too common to see that the productivity of the employee does not always closely follow his upward level of happiness. Does that mean that employers don’t want happy employees? No, however that don’t desire to gain employees that forget why they’re employed in the first place. Another important aspect of this situation is the level of constructive conflict. If properly used and applied in the organizational arena, the managerial imbedding of a limited degree of beneficial conflict does indeed shake these smug people and satisfied employees out of their fatigue and enables them to achieve a certain individuality of action. Viewed from the perspective of the organization the key issue is not having satisfied, happy employees but maximizing productivity, the bottom line being profit (Caruso, 2011). A generation of employees who feel entitled to employee satisfaction has entered the workforce and several generations of employees for whom work never quite fulfilled their dreams, are leaving. And, they are leaving in the worst of economic times which will affect their satisfaction with the rest of the quality of life they experience. This downward trend in job satisfaction raises concerns about the overall engagement of employees and ultimately employee productivity, retention, creativity, risk-taking, mentoring, and in overall employee motivation and interest in work. Factors contributing to employee satisfaction include treating employees with respect, providing regular employee recognition, empowering employees, offering above industry-average benefits and compensation, providing employee perks and company activities, and positive management within a success framework of goals, measurements, and expectations (Egan and Young, 2004). You can tell your colleagues, coworkers and or staff how much you value them and their contribution any day of the year. No occasion is required to tell someone job well done or keep up the outstanding efforts. In fact, small surprises and tokens of your appreciation spread throughout the year help you and the people in your work life feel valued all year long. Employee recognition is limited in most organizations (Egan and Young, 2004). At my place of employment, employees complain about the lack of recognition regularly. My supervisor would respond by asking, â€Å"Why should I recognize or thank her? She’s just doing her job. † These factors combine to create work places that fail to provide recognition for employees. Employers who prioritize employee recognition understand the power of recognition, because they see the adverse effect of it in the employee. HRD employee job satisfaction is situational. Employee job satisfaction depends on the company and its practices, the expectations and needs from work, the quality of the supervision, the health of the industry, the competitiveness of the job market, the state of the economy, the success of the company, your mentor resources, and more (Lleana and Simmons, 2008). The inconsistencies are what make employee job satisfaction so challenging. Since the day to day job cycle can’t be predicted, it’s safe to say that employee satisfaction can’t be either. Conclusion The most influential factor in job satisfaction appears to be the degree to which employees think their job makes good use of their skills and abilities. This is closely followed by the extent to which employees think the work they perform is meaningful. If employees believe their work and the work of their organization is important and makes good use of their skills, there is a very good chance they will be satisfied with their job, even if they are not as positive about other aspects of the job. The next major component of satisfaction appears to be whether employees believe they are treated with respect. Higher job satisfaction is associated with working conditions where employees believe their opinions count and where they receive recognition for the work they perform. Job satisfaction is related to how well an organization is managed. This component does not seem to work in isolation from job fit and respect. In other words, a well-managed organization does not turn into high job satisfaction scores in the absence of a good match between employees and the job, or under conditions where employees do not feel respected for what they do. When a lack of respect is felt amongst an employee, a lack of respect is shown for the job at hand whether it be through work performance, attitude, or respect reciprocated. HRD is a career field that requires one to interact with others on a daily basis. With that being said, one must always exhibit a pleasant persona for the simple fact that what they do has a major impact on the individuals that they come across. HRD is also a career field where you are constantly assisting others in job advancements and etc. within an organization, which to me is satisfying all within itself.

Inherit The Wind Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Inherit the Wind, a play written by Jerome Lawrence, and Robert E. Lee, is one of the greatest and most controversial plays of its time. It was written at a time of scientific revolution to benefit people of the day and in the future, however, people of the day had a hard time accepting new ideas. It is societies unwillingness to change, and accept new ideas that create racism, and hate groups of today. This unwillingness is one of the major themes of this play. This thesis will be further explained, and supported by such literary elements, as setting, and character throughout the essay.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first example of the people’s unwillingness to accept new ideas, such as Darwinian theory, is towards the beginning of the book when both sides of the prosecution arrive in Hillsboro. The town is parading up and down the streets chanting, â€Å"give me that old time religion†, and â€Å"down with Darwin†. The irony of this is that none of them have read Darwin’s book, for example, when E.K. Hornbeck was talking to Eliza, the Bible salesman. Eliza said, that he, â€Å"can’t neither read nor write†, so he could not have read Darwin’s book, but yet he is calling Hornbeck a â€Å"sinner, and â€Å"evil-utionist† for believing in its ideas. None of the town’s people on Mr. Brady’s side of the trial have read, The Evolution of Species, not even Mr.Brady himself. Nevertheless, they will not accept the idea or take it into consideration. It is the town’s peopl...

Macbeth Essay Essay

Shakespeare uses ghosts and witches into many of his plays and work. But in no other play did he make them so horrible and demon like as he did the witches in Macbeth. The way in which they were described, made Macbeth a popular play. Superstition is a very shrewd belief in the supernatural. Supernatural is an attribute to some force beyond scientific understanding or the laws of nature. When it is referred to as â€Å"the supernatural†, then it means supernatural appearances or events. Both of the two terms that I have just explained, superstition and supernatural, are present a lot of the time during the play Macbeth, and many of the supernatural events which occur during the play tend to lead into other happenings. The witches are actually an important part of the play and the supernatural, because they start the play along with the supernatural. At the beginning of the play, Shakespeare sets the scene for the witches by using thunder and lightening and naming location of the scene â€Å"A Desolate Place†. â€Å"Upon the heath† and â€Å"there to meet Macbeth† The witches announce that they will meet with Macbeth upon a heath. They then disappear into â€Å"filthy air† as mysteriously as they arrived. Later in the play, Banquo refers to the witches exit as â€Å"the earth hath bubbles, as the water has, and these are of them† what he means by this is that the witches can disappear in the same way as bubbles do. In the first scene the supernatural theme is present due to the witches being there. They speak of Macbeth and involve him in supernatural matters, and we can tell that they influence him, and this also blooms as the play develops. The words that the witches use are also of a supernatural nature. Some link together sometimes in a chant like way, such as ‘Fair is foul, and foul is fair’, and this sounds rather unpleasant and evil. We can also blame them for some of the things that happen later on in the play which are involved in the downfall of Macbeth. Later in the play Macbeth is found echoing some of the phrases that the witches have used. This occurs just before the witches give their predictions to Macbeth and Banquo. This could be coincidence, but could also be because they have influenced him. Therefore, they could have influenced him in what to do, and what he does is evil. This is a good example of how the supernatural leads to his downfall. The main turning point in the play is when Macbeth meets with the witches when he is with Banquo and when the predictions are made. Macbeth is told that he shall be the thane of Glamis, then the than of Cawdor and shall then go on to be King. We can tell that he is interested as the first thing that he says after these predictions have been made is ‘Stay, you imperfect speakers. Tell me more’, which is meant to make Banquo and the audience to think that he does not believe them, but tells the witches to carry on as he is curious as to what they have to say, but they vanish and we know that he has taken them seriously as he desperate for them to come back. Banquo has a different view and says ‘The instruments tell us truths; win us with honest trifles, to betray in deepest consequence’. What Banquo means by this is that the witches may have only told them their possible future so that they act on what they have been told. By saying this, Banquo is implying that the witches have evil intentions. Banquo advises Macbeth to steer clear o the witches and what they have said, but he ignores him as he is greedy and over ambitious. This is where we know that the supernatural has influenced Macbeth and has begun to change him. At the time of the predictions Macbeth was already Thane of Glamis, and was shortly made the Thane of cawdor. This made him believe that the predictions were true. Macbeth believed that if the first two predictions were correct, the third prediction would also be correct. Lady Macbeth also helped Macbeth become a victim of his own destiny. She was behind him during the murder of King Duncan and was the reason for Macbeth doing it because she continued to assure that all would turn out in their favour. She also made him feel guilty and like a wimp by saying ‘Art thou afeard’ and ‘live a coward in thane own esteem’. This is quite an important thing as she is questioning his masculinity. Macbeth is at this time known as a warrior, and when he is faced with this comment he is going to try and prove it wrong. She can also be found using witchcraft when she asks the spirits to change her into a fearless, ruthless human being making her able to help Macbeth in killing Duncan. She says ‘Unsex me here’ and ‘Come you spirits’ which shows that she would be able to influence what Macbeth does, like the witches can. As the play continues we can see that they grow apart and Macbeth decides to make more important decisions on his own and does not include her. As I have already said, the witches build up a large part of the supernatural in the play, but other elements add to this, so we can not put it all down to the witches. Although they were responsible for directing Macbeth in the killing, and the hallucinations may have encouraged him, a character who was close to him was also involved, Lady Macbeth. However, when Macbeth murdered Banquo, and Macduff’s family, they were his own decisions. I think that he went solo because all of the predictions had been achieved, and now the supernatural has abandoned him. Before he could have blamed it on the supernatural but when he took matters into his own hands he was to blame. Macbeth starts to arouse suspicion as soon as he starts making decisions for himself and so, this is why he ends up dead because Banquo suspects him. You could say that all of the deaths in Macbeth were caused by the supernatural, because the witches had quite a lot to do with Macbeth, and the Murder of Duncan was directed by witchcraft. Macbeth was provoked by the witches and pressurised by his wife, who we know used witchcraft at some time during the play, and did carry out the actions herself, but we could say that it is not his fault. However, the witches may have just been making suggestions and so; Macbeth never had to follow them. After this of course, the murders are down to one man, Macbeth. I think that the supernatural does indeed lead to Macbeth’s downfall, but really, he is to blame, and becomes a monster. I think that the main reason is his own ambition.

The Return: Midnight Chapter 1

â€Å"Dear Diary, I'm so frightened I can hardly hold this pen. I'm printing rather than writing in cursive, because that way I have more control. What am I terrified of, you ask? And when I say â€Å"of Damon†you don't believe the answer, not if you'd seen the two of us a few days ago. But to understand, you have to know a few facts. Have you ever heard the phrase â€Å"Al bets are off†? It means that anything, anything, can happen. So that even somebody who figures out odds and takes bets from people gives them back their money. Because a wild card has entered the situation. You can't even figure the odds to take a bet. That's where I am. That's why my heart is pounding in my throat and head and ears and fingertips in fear. Al bets are off. You can see how shaky even my printing is. Suppose my hands shake like this when I go in to see him? I might drop the tray. I might annoy Damon. And then anything might happen. I'm not explaining this right. What I should be saying is that we're back: Damon and Meredith and Bonnie and me. We went to the Dark Dimension and now we're home again, with a star ball – and Stefan. Stefan was tricked into going there by Shinichi and Misao, the brother and sister kitsune, or evil fox-spirits, who told him that if he went to the Dark Dimension he could get the curse of being a vampire removed and become human again. They lied. All they did was leave him in a stinking prison, with no food, no light, no warmth†¦until he was at the point of death. But Damon – who was so different back then – agreed to lead us to try to find him. And, oh, I can't even begin to describe the Dark Dimension itself. But the important thing is that we finally found Stefan, and that by then we'd found the Twin Fox key we needed to release him. But – he was a skeleton, poor boy. We carried him out of the prison on his pallet, which later Matt burned; it was so infested with creepy-crawlies. But that night we gave him a bath and put him to bed†¦and then we fed him. Yes, with our blood. All the humans did it except Mrs. Flowers, who was busy making poultices for where his poor bones were almost sticking out of his skin. They had starved him to that point! I could kill Them with my own hands – or my Wings Powers – if only I could use them properly. But I can't. I know there is a spell for Wings of Destruction, but I have no idea how to summon it. At least I got to see how Stefan blossomed when being fed with human blood. (I admit that I gave him a few extra feedings that weren't on his chart, and I'd have to be an idiot not to know that my blood is different from other people's – it's much richer and it did Stefan amazing amounts of good.) And so Stefan recovered enough that the next morning he was able to walk downstairs to thank Mrs. Flowers for her potions! The rest of us, though – all the humans – were totally exhausted. We didn't even think about what had happened to the bouquet, because we didn't know it had anything special in it. We'd gotten it just as we were leaving the Dark Dimension, from a kind white kitsune who'd been in the cell across from Stefan's before we arranged a jailbreak. He was so beautiful! I never knew a kitsune could be kind. But he had given Stefan these flowers. Anyway, that morning Damon was up. Of course, he couldn't contribute any of his own blood, but I honestly think he would have, if he could. That was the way he was back then. And that's why I don't understand how I can feel the fear I feel now. How can you be terrified of someone who's kissed you and kissed you†¦and called you his darling and his sweetheart and his princess? And who has laughed with you with his eyes dancing with mischief? And who's held you when you were frightened, and told you there was nothing to be afraid of, not while he was there? Someone you only had to glance at to know what he was thinking? Someone who has protected you, no matter what the cost to himself, for days on end? I know Damon. I know his faults, but I also know what he's like inside. And he's not what he wants people to think he is. He's not cold, or arrogant, or cruel. Those are fa?ades he puts on to cover himself, like clothes. The problem is that I'm not sure he knows he isn't any of these things. And right now he's all mixed-up. He might change and become all of them – because he's so confused. What I'm trying to say is, that morning only Damon was really awake. He was the only one who saw the bouquet. And one of the things Damon definitely is, is curious. So he unwrapped all the magical wards from it and it had a single pitch-black rose in the center. Damon has been trying to find a black rose for years, just to admire it, I think. But when he saw this one he smelled it†¦and boom! The rose disappeared! And suddenly he was sick and dizzy and he couldn't smell anything and all his other senses were dulled as well. That was when Sage – oh, I haven't even mentioned Sage, but he's a tall bronze gorgeous hunk of a vampire who's been such a good friend to all of us – told him to suck in air and to hold it, to push it down into his lungs. Humans have to breathe that way, you see. I don't know how long it took Damon to realize that he really was a human, no joke, nothing anyone could do about it. The black rose had been for Stefan; and it would have given him his dream of being human again. But when Damon realized it had worked its magic on him†¦ That's when I saw him look at me and lump me in with the rest of my species – a species he's come to hate and scorn. Since then I haven't dared look him in the eye again. I know he loved me just days ago. I didn't know that love could turn to – well, to all the things he feels now about himself. You'd think it would be easy for Damon to become a vampire again. But he wants to be as powerful a vampire as he used to be – and there isn't anyone like that to exchange blood with him. Even Sage disappeared before Damon could ask him. So Damon is stuck like this until he finds some strong, powerful, and prestigious vampire to go through the whole process of changing him. And every time I look into Stefan's eyes, those jewel-green eyes that are warm with trust and gratitude – I feel terror, too. Terror that somehow he'll be snatched away again – right out of my arms. And†¦terror that he'll find out how I've come to feel about Damon. I hadn't even realized myself how much Damon has come to mean to me. And I can't†¦ stop†¦my feeling†¦for him, even if he hates me now. And, yes, damn it, I'm crying! In a minute, I have to go take him his dinner. He must be starving, but when Matt tried to take him something earlier today, Damon threw the whole tray at him. Oh, please, God, please don't let him hate me! I'm being selfish, I know, in just talking about what's going on with Damon and me. I mean, things in Fell's Church are worse than ever. Every day more children become possessed and terrify their parents. Every day, parents get angrier with their possessed children. I don't even want to think about what's going on. If something doesn't change, the whole place will be destroyed like the last town Shinichi and Misao visited. Shinichi†¦he made a lot of predictions about our group, about things we've kept secret from the others. But the truth is, I don't know if I want to hear any of his riddles solved. We're lucky in one way. We have the Saitou family to help us. You remember Isobel Saitou, who pierced herself so horribly while she was possessed? Since she's gotten better, she's become a good friend, and her mother, Mrs. Saitou, and her grandmother, Obaasan, too. They give us amulets – spells to keep evil away, written on Post-it Notes or little cards. We're so grateful for that kind of help. Someday maybe we can repay them all. Elena Gilbert put down the pen reluctantly. Shutting her diary meant having to face the things she had been writing about. Somehow, though, she managed to make herself walk downstairs to the kitchen and take the dinner tray from Mrs. Flowers, who smiled encouragingly at her. As she set out for the boardinghouse's storage room, she noticed that her hands were trembling so that the entire tray of food she was carrying jingled. Since there was no access to the storage room from inside, anyone who wanted to see Damon had to go out the front door and around to the addition tacked on near the kitchen garden. Damon's lair, people were cal ing it now. As she passed the garden Elena glanced sideways at the hole in the middle of the angelica patch that was the powered-down Gateway where they'd come back from the Dark Dimension. She hesitated at the storage room door. She was stil trembling, and she knew that was not the right way to face Damon. Just relax, she told herself. Think of Stefan. Stefan had had a grim setback when he'd found that there was nothing left of the rose, but he had soon recovered his usual humility and grace, touching Elena's cheek and saying that he was thankful just to be there with her. That this closeness was al he asked of life. Clean clothes, decent food – freedom – al these were worth fighting for, but Elena was the most important. And Elena had cried. On the other hand, she knew that Damon had no intention of remaining as he now was. He might do anything, risk anything†¦to change himself back. It had actual y been Matt who had suggested the star bal as a solution for Damon's condition. Matt hadn't understood either the rose or the star bal until it was explained that this star bal , which was probably Misao's, contained within it most or al of her Power, and that it had become more bril iant as it absorbed the lives that she took. The black rose had probably been created with a liquid from a similar star bal – but no one knew how much or whether it was combined with unknown ingredients. Matt had frowned and asked, if the rose could change a vampire to a human, could a star bal change a human to a vampire? Elena hadn't been the only one to see the slow rising of Damon's bent head, and the glimmer in his eyes as they traveled the length of the room to the star bal fil ed with Power. Elena could practical y hear his logic. Matt might be total y off track†¦but there was one place a human could be sure to find powerful vampires. In the Dark Dimension – to which there was a Gateway in the boardinghouse's garden. The Gateway was closed right now†¦for lack of Power. Unlike Stefan, Damon would have absolutely no qualms about what would happen if he had to use al the star bal ‘s liquid, which would result in the death of Misao. After al , she was one of the two foxes who had abandoned Stefan to be tortured. So all bets were off. Okay, you're scared; now deal with it, Elena told herself fiercely. Damon's been in that room for almost fifty hours now and who knows what he's been plotting to do to get hold of the star bal . Stil , somebody's got to get him to eat – and when you say â€Å"somebody,†face it, it's you. Elena had been standing at the door so long that her knees were starting to lock. She took a deep breath and knocked. There was no answer, and no light went on inside. Damon was human. It was quite dark outside now. â€Å"Damon?†It was meant to be a cal . It came out a whisper. No answer. No light. Elena swal owed. He had to be in there. Elena knocked harder. Nothing. Final y, she tried the knob. To her horror it was unlocked, and it swung open to reveal an interior as dark as the night around Elena, like the maw of a pit. The fine hairs at the back of Elena's neck were standing up. â€Å"Damon, I'm coming in,†she managed in a bare whisper, as if to convince herself by her quietness that there was nobody there. â€Å"I'l be silhouetted against the very edge of the porch light. I can't see anything, so you have al the advantages. I'm carrying a tray with very hot coffee, cookies, and steak tartar, no seasonings. You should be able to smel the coffee.† It was odd, though. Elena's senses told her that there was no one standing directly in front of her, waiting for her to literal y run into him. Al right, she thought. Start with baby steps. Step one. Step two. Step three – I must be wel into the room now, but it's stil too dim to see anything. Step four†¦ A strong arm came out of the darkness and locked in an iron grip around her waist, and a knife pressed against her throat. Elena saw blackness shot with a sudden gray network, after which the dark closed in overwhelmingly.

The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution The 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution deals with several aspects of U.S. citizenship and the rights of citizens. Ratified on July 9, 1868, during the post-Civil War era, the 14th, along with the 13th and 15th Amendments, are collectively known as the Reconstruction Amendments. Although the 14th Amendment was intended to protect the rights of the recently freed slaves, it has continued to play a major role in constitutional politics to this day.   In response to the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment, many Southern states enacted laws known as Black Codes designed to continue to deny African Americans certain rights and privileges enjoyed by white citizens. Under the states Black Codes, recently freed slaves were not allowed to travel widely, own certain types of property, or sue in court. In addition, African Americans could be jailed for not being able to repay their debts, leading to racially-discriminating labor practices like the leasing of convicts to private businesses. The 14th Amendment and the Civil Rights Act of 1866 Of the three Reconstruction amendments, the 14th is the most complicated and the one that has had the more unforeseen effects. Its broad goal was to reinforce the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which ensured that all persons born in the United States were citizens and were to be given full and equal benefit of all laws. The Civil Rights Act of 1866 protected the â€Å"civil† rights of all citizens, such as the right to sue, make contracts, and buy and sell property. However, it failed to protect â€Å"political† rights, like the right to vote and hold office, or â€Å"social† rights guaranteeing equal access to schools and other public accommodations. Congress had intentionally omitted those protections in hopes of averting the bill’s veto by President Andrew Johnson (1808–1875). When the Civil Rights Act landed on President Johnsons desk, he fulfilled his promise to veto it. Congress, in turn, overrode the veto and the measure became law. Johnson, a Tennessee Democrat and staunch supporter of states’ rights, had clashed repeatedly with the Republican-controlled Congress. Fearing President Johnson and Southern politicians would attempt to undo the protections of the Civil Rights Act, Republican congressional leaders began work on what would become the 14th Amendment. Ratification and the States After clearing Congress in June of 1866, the 14th Amendment went to the states for ratification. As a condition for readmittance to the Union, the former Confederate states were required to approve the amendment. This became a point of contention between Congress and Southern leaders. The 14th Amendment.   U.S. National Archives Connecticut was the first state to ratify the 14th Amendment on June 30, 1866. During the next two years, 28 states would ratify the amendment, although not without incident. Legislatures in Ohio and New Jersey both rescinded their states pro-amendment votes. In the South, Louisiana and North and South Carolina refused initially to ratify the amendment. Nevertheless, the 14th Amendment was declared formally ratified on July 28, 1868. The 14th Amendment and the Civil Rights Cases of 1883 With its passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1875, Congress attempted to bolster the 14th Amendment. Also known as the â€Å"Enforcement Act,† the 1875 Act guaranteed all citizens, regardless of race or color, equal access to public accommodations and transportation, and made it illegal to exempt them from serving on juries. In 1883, however, the U.S. Supreme Court, in its Civil Rights Cases decisions, overturned the public accommodation sections of the Civil Rights Act of 1875 and declared that the 14th Amendment did not give Congress the power to dictate the affairs of private businesses.   As a result of the Civil Rights Cases, while African Americans had been declared legally â€Å"free† U.S. citizens by the 14th Amendment, they continue to face discrimination in society, economics, and politics into the 21st century. Amendment Sections The 14th Amendment contains five sections, of which the first contains the most impactful provisions.   Section One guarantees all rights and privileges of citizenship to any and all persons born or naturalized in the United States. It also guarantees all Americans their constitutional rights and prohibits the states from passing laws limiting those rights. Lastly, it ensures that no citizens right to life, liberty, or property will be denied without due process of law.    Section Two specifies that the process of apportionment used to fairly distribute seats in the U.S. House of Representatives among the states must be based on the whole population, including freed African American slaves. Prior to this, African Americans had been under-counted when apportioning representation. The section also guaranteed the right to vote to all male citizens age 21 years or older. Section Three forbids anyone who participates or has participated in â€Å"insurrection or rebellion† against the United States from holding any elected or appointed federal office. The section was intended to prevent former Confederate military officers and politicians from holding federal offices. Section Four addresses the federal debt by confirming that the neither the United States nor any state could be forced to pay for lost slaves or debts that had been incurred by the Confederacy as a result of their participation in the Civil War.   Section Five, also known as the Enforcement Clause, grants Congress the power to pass â€Å"appropriate legislation† as necessary to enforce all of the amendments other clauses and provisions. Key Clauses The four clauses of the first section of the 14th Amendment are the most important because they have repeatedly been cited in major Supreme Court cases concerning civil rights, presidential politics and the right to privacy. The Citizenship Clause The Citizenship Clause overrules the 1875 Supreme Court Dred Scott decision that freed African American slaves were not citizens, could not become citizens, and thus could never enjoy the benefits and protections of citizenship. The Citizenship Clause states that â€Å"All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside.† This clause played an important role in two Supreme Court cases: Elk v. Wilkins (1884) which addressed citizenship rights of Native Americans, and United States v. Wong Kim Ark (1898) which affirmed the citizenship of U.S.-born children of legal immigrants. The Privileges and Immunities Clause The Privileges and Immunities Clause states No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States.  In the Slaughter-House Cases (1873), the Supreme Court recognized a difference between a persons rights as a U.S. citizen and their rights under state law. The ruling held that state laws could not impede a persons federal rights. In McDonald v. Chicago (2010), which overturned a Chicago ban on handguns, Justice Clarence Thomas cited this clause in his opinion supporting the ruling. The Due Process Clause The Due Process Clause says no state shall deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law. Although this clause was intended to apply to professional contracts and transactions, over time it has become most closely cited in right-to-privacy cases. Notable Supreme Court cases that have turned on this issue include Griswold v. Connecticut (1965), which overturned a Connecticut ban on the sale of contraception; Roe v. Wade (1973), which overturned a Texas ban on abortion and lifted many restrictions on the practice nationwide; and Obergefell v. Hodges (2015), which held that same-sex marriages deserved federal recognition. The Equal Protection Clause The Equal Protection Clause prevents states from denying to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.  The clause has become most closely associated with civil rights cases, particularly for African Americans. In Plessy v. Ferguson (1898) the Supreme Court ruled that Southern states could enforce racial segregation as long as separate but equal facilities existed for blacks and whites. It wouldnt be until Brown v. Board of Education (1954) that the Supreme Court would revisit this opinion, ultimately ruling that separate facilities were, in fact, unconstitutional. This key ruling opened the door for a number of significant civil rights and affirmative action court cases. Bush v. Gore (2001) also touched on the equal protection clause when a majority of justices ruled that the partial recount of presidential votes in Florida was unconstitutional because it was not being conducted the same way in all contested locations. The decision essentially decided the 2000 presidential election in George W. Bushs favor. The Lasting Legacy of the 14th Amendment Over time, numerous lawsuits have arisen that have referenced the 14th Amendment. The fact that the amendment uses the word state in the Privileges and Immunities Clause- along with interpretation of the Due Process Clause- has meant state power and federal power are both subject to the Bill of Rights. Further, the courts have interpreted the word person to include corporations. As a result, corporations are also protected by due process along with being granted equal protection. While there were other clauses in the amendment, none were as significant as these. Updated by Robert Longley   Sources and Further Reading Baer, Judith A. Equality Under the Constitution: Reclaiming the Fourteenth Amendment. Ithaca NY: Cornell University Press, 1983.  Lash, Kurt T. The Fourteenth Amendment and the Privileges and Immunities of American Citizenship. Cambridge UK: Cambridge University Press, 2014.Nelson, William E. The Fourteenth Amendment: From Political Principle to Judicial Doctrine. Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press, 1988

Loanwords From French, German, Latin, and Spanish

Loanwords From French, German, Latin, and Spanish On the eve of the First World War, an editorial in the Berlin Deutsche Tageszeitung argued that the German language, coming direct from the hand of God, should be imposed on men of all colors and nationalities. The alternative, the newspaper said, was unthinkable: Should the English language be victorious and become the world language the culture of mankind will stand before a closed door and the death knell will sound for civilization. . . .English, the bastard tongue of the canting island pirates, must be swept from the place it has usurped and forced back into the remotest corners of Britain until it has returned to its original elements of an insignificant pirate dialect.(quoted by James William White in A Primer of the War for Americans. John C. Winston Company, 1914) This sabre-rattling reference to English as the bastard tongue was hardly original. Three centuries earlier, the headmaster of St. Pauls School in London, Alexander Gil, wrote that since the time of Chaucer the English language had been defiled and corrupted by the importation of Latin and French words: [T]oday we are, for the most part, Englishmen not speaking English and not understood by English ears. Nor are we satisfied with having begotten this illegitimate progeny, nourished this monster, but we have exiled that which was legitimateour birthrightpleasant in expression, and acknowledged by our forefathers. O cruel country!(from Logonomia Anglica, 1619, quoted by Seth Lerer in Inventing English: A Portable History of the Language. Columbia University Press, 2007) Not everyone agreed. Thomas De Quincey, for example, regarded such efforts to malign the English language as the blindest of human follies: The peculiar, and without exaggeration we may say the providential, felicity of the English language has been made its capital reproachthat, whilst yet ductile and capable of new impressions, it received a fresh and large infusion of alien wealth. It is, say the imbecile, a bastard language, a hybrid language, and so forth. . . . It is time to have done with these follies. Let us open our eyes to our own advantages.(The English Language, Blackwoods Edinburgh Magazine, April 1839) In our own time, as suggested by the title of John McWhorters recently published linguistic history*, were more likely to boast about our magnificent bastard tongue. English has unashamedly borrowed words from more than 300 other languages, and (to shift metaphors) theres no sign that it plans to close its lexical borders any time soon. French Loan Words Over the years, the English language has borrowed a great number of French words and expressions. Some of this vocabulary has been so completely absorbed by English that speakers might not realize its origins. Other words and expressions have retained their Frenchnessa certain je ne sais quoi which speakers tend to be much more aware of (although this awareness does not usually extend to actually pronouncing the word in French).   German Loan Words in English English has borrowed many words from German. Some of those words have become a natural part of everyday English vocabulary (angst, kindergarten, sauerkraut), while others are primarily intellectual, literary, scientific (Waldsterben, Weltanschauung, Zeitgeist), or used in special areas, such as gestalt in psychology, or aufeis and loess in geology. Some of these German words are used in English because there is no true English equivalent: gemà ¼tlich, schadenfreude. Latin Words and Expressions in English Just because our English language doesnt come from Latin doesnt mean all our words have a Germanic origin. Clearly, some words and expressions are Latin, like ad hoc. Others, e.g., habitat, circulate so freely that were not aware theyre Latin. Some came into English when Francophone Normans invaded Britain in 1066. Others, borrowed from Latin, have been modified. Spanish Words Become Our Own Many Spanish loanwords have entered the English vocabulary. As noted, some of them were adopted into the Spanish language from elsewhere before they were passed on to English. Although most of them retain the spelling and even (more or less) the pronunciation of Spanish, they are all recognized as English words by at least one reference source.

In-Flight Security For Airline Passengers Essay

In-Flight Security For Airline Passengers - Essay Example are to be dealt more cautiously. And now more security provisions are added for airline passengers while in air. The project examines and studies all the security measures adhered to by various airlines including FAMs, Flight Deck Officer, Discrete Codes, Crew Members and Reinforced Cockpit Doors. Their training methods, duties, laws and changed laws after September 11 incident has been mentioned in it. It is highly useful for the general public to be assured regarding the present security provided by the airlines. Even the ethical situation and dilemma has been talked about giving due consideration to the delicate issues. No doubt all the training, requirements and implementation of changed laws needs huge budget. But the Under Secretary and Federal Government are obliged to hold all the cost responsibility of training, supervision, equipment etc. hence leaving no expense to the pilots. Training becomes very ideal when it comes to the security of the public especially when carrying loaded guns to fire when in need. The project clearly shows the comparison between the changed laws before and after the fatal incident of September 11. Budgets have been reformed and the government takes the responsibility. Although TSA initially opposed the Flight Deck Officer program to arm and train cockpit personnel. The conclusion states that the top priority of any organization should be the security of the passengers in airlines. Audience Scenario My project is directly approached to the general public boarding airlines on daily basis. It is to shed all their doubts regarding their security and safety in planes while in air. It will be surely of great help to them to get acquainted to various security methods deployed by airlines for their betterment. After reading the report they'll be more confident and easy while boarding the flights especially after what happened on September

Reflection essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Reflection - Essay Example ry to the popular belief that the Filipino Amerasian children live prosperous lives in the Philippines since the country does not have anti-American sentiment. Whether or not a country nurtures anti-American sentiment provides no guarantee that its citizens would not be discriminated against if they look like Americans. The Filipino Amerasian children are socially outcast as they are identified with their American lineage instead of the Filipino lineage. The government of the US assumes moral responsibility to help the Filipino Amerasian children and provide them with the opportunity to migrate to the US. This can be achieved by preferring them on immigration services. Realization of any plans made in this regard requires joint cooperation of the Filipino people, the local governments of the Philippines, and the government of the US. It is noteworthy that the problem is not addressed just by providing these children with a way to reach the US; these children also need to be linked to their biological American fathers which is another challenge after the children reach the US. In order for the children to sue their fathers for child support, they need to know their fathers. Enforcement of child support is a matter primarily taken care of by state. Unfortunately, most states do not enforce the child-support payments ordered by court effectively. This imparts the need for providing these children with the opportunity to pursue redress at the federal level. It is just as important to address the issue at the source as it is to address it at the level of effects. American soldiers are still stationed overseas. It is important to see what steps the government of the US has taken to ensure that such biracial children with lost American fathers are not born to another nation like they were born to the Filipinos. Either the government should place a ban on the American soldiers having sexual intercourse with the local people or prostitutes of the host countries and