My leadership capability Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

My leadership capability - Essay Example One of these drives is the drive to bond, which refers to the organization’s promotion of a culture of collaboration and openness between leaders and subordinates. For one thing, openness is a characteristic that takes into account the uniqueness or diversity of the people involved in the activity. In addition, my strengths rely on the emphasis given to the members of the organization -- that is, the subordinates. In the normative paradigm, the role of the leader in a particular organization is to structure the activities and relationships (as cited in Ledlow & Coppola, 2001). As opposed to the power-centered leadership, my conception of a leader depends on the ability or skill to fulfill the needs or drives of his or her subordinates. This implies that to achieve the leader’s defined goal, he or she has to first meet the drives of the organization members; the objective of the organization is equatable to the objective (i.e., needs) of the people who comprise the organ ization. On the other hand, my weaknesses largely lie in the absence of transparency between leaders and subordinates.This implies that members of the organization are willing to compromise transparency or clarity of a sense of direction; trusting too much to the leader in particular and the organization in general, subordinates do not seek an understanding of the reasons for pursuing specific decision made by the organization or leader. In essence, it follows the paradigm of Rauch and Behling pertaining to the notion and praxis of leadership.... s noteworthy that Yukl’s paradigm of leadership emphasizes on the power (i.e., influence) of the leader rather than the trait of nurturing and supporting the abilities, skills, and inventiveness of his or her subordinates. Basically, the process of arriving at the leadership criteria or paradigm is done through the results, and eventually their analyses, in answering the Finding Potential Engage Questionnaire. Such questionnaire consists of five general categories and fourteen core areas of engagement and commitment. Of the elements that constitute the five broad categories are the job, the people, the transaction, the organization, and the environment. And of few examples for the core areas of engagement are ethical standards and job satisfaction. After filling up the said questionnaire, the outcomes are thoroughly analyzed in defining the term â€Å"leadership.† Moreover, the analyses focus more on two relevant types of scale marked in the Engage Questionnaire: very i mportant and important. The underlying reason why these two types of scale are chosen in determining the paradigm of leadership is because they signify on what is more important to the individual who is interpreting such term (i.e., leader); what is moderately or marginally important is not equally important or very important in defining a particular signifier. Yukl rightly contends that there are numerous definitions for the term â€Å"leadership† (as cited in Ledlow & Coppola, 2001). Amidst the many paradigms of the signifier â€Å"leader,† one has to decide on what specific definition he or she wants to assign for such signifier. Of course, choosing among the many and varied definitions essentially requires a theoretical framework. In this case, Schein’s paradigm is heavily employed in determining

Cultural Awareness Essay Example for Free

Cultural Awareness Essay The popular book Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice is a novel that is responsible for the revitalization of the vampire genre in popular fiction. The book itself tells an interesting story about three vampires: Lestat, Louis, and Claudia. The tale is told from the perspective of Louis, a Creole American plantation owner in pre-Civil War America who catches the eye of Lestat, a vampire who is roaming the world alone, in need of a companion. Louis is depressed because of losing his family and therefore is suceptible to Lestat’s eagerness to make him into a vampire, which he does. The plot of the book revolves around these two characters as they live together. Louis hates what he has become and loathes taking life but makes Claudia, a little five year old girl, into a vampire as well. The relationship between Lestat and Louis, and their shared love of Claudia, is depicted throughout the novel as Louis struggles with his immortality, Lestat faces the betrayal of Louis and Claudia, and Claudia matures mentally without every growing physically. Their struggles with each other and against each other becomes the driving force behind the novel. The setting of Interview with the Vampire is primarily Paris and New Orleans before and after the Civil War. The vampires live together in a flat, where much of the action takes place between all of the characters. The reader is led through the torment of the plague in Paris, the customs of the slaves in New Orleans, and the underbelly of these two cities where Lestat, Louis, and Claudia find the people that they feed off of each night for their sustenance and strength. The characters found within this book are Lestat, Louis, Claudia, and Armand. These main characters show themselves throughout the novel to be interesting and complex. The character of Claudia emerges as a young girl whose mother has died of the plague and who Louis feels extremely sickened about when he feeds off of her. Lestat then helps him create a vampire out of her. Armand is the leader of the coven in Paris and becomes a close companion of Louis after Lestat and he go their separate ways. Each character brings a new dimension to the story.

Introduction To The Solar System Environmental Sciences Essay

Introduction To The Solar System Environmental Sciences Essay A. This essay will briefly describe the planets and how they relate to the planet Earth. The surface and inner geology, the atmosphere, and other general properties will show how the other planets are not unlike the Earth. B. How do the unique characteristics of each major solar system body compare with the planet Earth primarily the mass and density, and the composition? 2. The Planets Other Objects. The charted regions of the Solar System consist of the Sun, four terrestrial inner planets, an asteroid belt composed of small rocky bodies, four gas giant outer planets, and a second belt, called the Kuiper belt, composed of icy objects. Beyond the Kuiper belt is hypothetical Oort cloud. The inner Solar System is the traditional name for the region comprising the terrestrial planets and asteroids. Composed mainly of silicates and metals, the objects of the inner Solar System crowd very closely to the Sun; the radius of this entire region is shorter than the distance between Jupiter and Saturn. The four inner or terrestrial planets have dense, rocky compositions, few or no moons, and no ring systems. They are composed largely of minerals with high melting points, such as the silicates which form their solid crusts and semi-liquid mantles, and metals such as iron and nickel, which form their cores. Three of the four inner planets (Venus, Earth and Mars) have significant atmospheres; all have impact craters and tectonic surface features such as rift valleys and volcanoes. Our probe, the ESP begins the exploration of the solar system with the third planet from the sun, the Earth and the fifth largest in our solar system. Astronomers usually measure distances within the Solar System in astronomical units (AU). One AU is the approximate distance between the Earth and the Sun or roughly 149,598,000 km (93,000,000 mi). A. The Earth. The mass of the Earth is 5.98 E24 kg with a mean density of 5,520 kg/m3 and the densest of any planet in the solar system. Earths diameter is just a few hundred kilometers larger than that of Venus, and considered our sister planet. Earth is the largest of the inner planets, the only one planet known to have current geological activity, although there are moons of Jupiter and Saturn that have seismic activity, and the only planet known to have life. Its liquid hydrosphere is unique among the terrestrial planets, and it is also the only planet where plate tectonics has been observed, unlike Venus where there is no evidence of plate tectonics. Earths atmosphere is radically different from those of the other planets, having been altered by the presence of life (in two oxygen generating events) to contain 21% free oxygen. It has one satellite, the Moon, the only large satellite of a terrestrial planet in the Solar System so large as compared to its planet. No other moon-pla net has this size ratio. The four seasons are a result of Earths axis of rotation being tilted 23.45 degrees with respect to the plane of Earths orbit around the sun. During part of the year, the northern hemisphere is tilted toward the sun and the southern hemisphere is tilted away, producing summer in the north and winter in the south. Six months later, the situation is reversed. During March and September, when spring and fall begin in the northern hemisphere, both hemispheres receive nearly equal amounts of solar illumination. Earths global ocean, which covers nearly 70 percent of the planets surface, has an average depth of about 4 km (2.5 miles). Fresh water exists in the liquid phase only within a narrow temperature span, 32 to 212 degrees Fahrenheit (0 to 100 degrees Celsius). The presence and distribution of water vapor in the atmosphere is responsible for much of Earths weather. The Earths rapid rotation and molten nickel-iron core create the magnetic field which prevents the solar wind from reaching the surface (the solar wind is a stream of charged particles continuously ejected from the sun.) The Earths magnetic field does not fade off into space, but has definite boundaries. When charged particles from the solar wind become trapped in Earths magnetic field, they collide with air molecules above our planets magnetic poles. These air molecules then begin to glow, and are known as the aurora the northern and southern lights. Earths lithosphere, which includes the crust (both continental and oceanic) and the upper mantle, is divided into huge plates that are constantly moving, and the movement is accurately determined via radio telescopes from a stationary point such as a star . Earthquakes result when plates grind past one another, ride up over one another, collide to make mountains, or split and separate. The theory of motion of the large plates of the li thosphere is known as plate tectonics. Developed within the last 40 years, this explanation has unified the results of centuries of study of our planet. The Earths atmosphere consists of 78 percent nitrogen, 21 percent oxygen and 1 percent argon and other trace ingredients. The atmosphere affects Earths long-term climate and short-term local weather, shields us from much of the harmful radiation coming from the sun and protects us from meteors as well, most of which burn up before they can strike the surface as meteorites. Before the ESP leaves the immediate vicinity of the Earth, ESP will begin the journey starting with Earths Moon approximately 250,000 miles away. B. The Moon. The Earths moon provides a more livable planet by moderating our home planets wobble on its axis, leading to a relatively stable climate, and creating a rhythm that has guided humans for thousands of years. The Moon was likely formed after a Mars-sized body collided with Earth approximately 4.5 billion years ago, and the resulting debris accumulated (or accreted) to form our natural satellite. The newly formed Moon was in a molten state. Within about 100 million years, most of the global magma ocean had crystallized, with less dense rocks floating upward and eventually forming the lunar crust. The moons surface shows four significant impact structures and are used to date objects on the Moon; are called the Nectaris and Imbrium basins and the craters Eratosthenes and Copernicus. The Moon was first visited by the USSRs Luna 1 and Luna 2 in 1959. These were followed by a number of U.S. and Soviet robotic spacecraft. The U.S. sent three classes of robotic missions to prepare the way for human exploration, the Rangers (1961-1965) were impact probes, the Lunar Orbiters (1966-1967) mapped the surface to find landing sites and the Surveyors (1966-1968) were soft landers. The first human landing on the Moon was on 20 July 1969. During the Apollo missions of 1969-1972, 12 American astronauts walked on the Moon and used a Lunar Roving Vehicle to travel on the surface to investigate soil mechanics, meteoroids, lunar ranging, magnetic fields and the solar wind. The Apollo astronauts brought back 382 kg (842 pounds) of rock and soil to Earth for study. The Moon has no internally generated magnetic field, although areas of magnetism are preserved in the lunar crust, but how this occurred remains a mystery to science. The early Moon appears not to have had the right conditions to develop an internal dynamo, the mechanism for global magnetic fields for the terrestrial planets; so an iron-core did not form or have the ability for motion. In retrospect, no magnetic field may be a good thing as perhaps there would be some interactions between the Earths magnetic filed and the moons, when considering the abnormal size ratio between these bodies. With no atmosphere to impede impacts, a steady rain of asteroids, meteoroids and comets strike the surface. Over billions of years, the surface has been ground up into fragments ranging from huge boulders to powder. Nearly the entire Moon is covered by a rubble pile of gray, powdery dust and rocky debris called the lunar regolith. Beneath the regolith is a region of fractured bedrock referred to as the megaregolith. The ESP now leaves the Earth to journey toward the sun and visit the second closet to the sun, Venus our sister planet. C. Venus. From the Earth, the distance to Venus is about 23 million miles, and 0.723 AU from the sun. The orbital period of Venus is about 225 Earth days long, while the planets sidereal rotation period is 243 Earth days, making a Venus solar day about 117 Earth days long. Venus has no natural satellites. The mass of Venus is 4.87 E24 kg and close in size to Earth (0.815 Earth masses) and, like Earth, has a thick silicate mantle around an iron core, a substantial atmosphere and evidence of internal geological activity. Because of the similar silicate mantle around an iron corer, the density is not unlike the Earths at 5,250 kg/m2. The slow rotation of Venus cannot generate a magnetic field similar to Earths, though its iron core is similar to that of the Earth and approximately 3,000 km (1,900 miles) in radius. Venus rotates retrograde (east to west) compared with Earths (west to east) rotation. Seen from Venus, the sun would rise in the west and set in the east. Current thinking suggests that Venus was completely resurfaced by volcanic activity 300 to 500 million years ago. More than 1,000 volcanoes or volcanic centers larger than 20 km (12 miles) in diameter dot the surface. Volcanic flows have produced long, channels extending for hundreds of kilometers. Venus has two large highland areas: Ishtar Terra, about the size of Australia, in the North Polar Region; and Aphrodite Terra, about the size of South America, straddling the equator and extending for almost 10,000 km (6,000 miles). Maxwell Montes, the highest mountain on Venus and comparable to Mount Everest on Earth, is at the eastern edge of Ishtar Terra. No definitive evidence of current geological activity has been detected on Venus, but as mentioned it has no magnetic field that would prevent depletion of its substantial atmosphere, which suggests that its atmosphere is regularly replenished by volcanic eruptions. Venus atmosphere consists mainly of carbon dioxide, with clouds of sulfuric acid droplets with trace amounts of water detected in the atmosphere (96% carbon dioxide, 3% nitrogen, and 0.1% water vapor.) The atmosphere is much drier than Earth and ninety times as dense. It is the hottest planet, with surface temperatures over 400 Â °C, most likely due to the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The thick atmosphere traps the suns heat, resulting in surface temperatures higher than 880 degrees Fahrenheit (471 degrees Celsius). Probes that have landed on Venus survived only a few hours before being destroyed by the incredible temperatures. Sulfur compounds are abundant in Venus clouds. The corrosive chemistry and dense, moving atmosphere cause significant surface weathering and erosion. Atmospheric lightning bursts were confirmed in 2007 by the European Venus Express orbiter. On Earth, Jupiter and Saturn, lightning is associated with water clouds, but on Venus, it is associated with clouds of sulfuric acid. As we leave the Venusian orbit, Earths probe ESP continues toward the sun and onward Mercury. D. Mercury. The closest planet to the Sun and the smallest planet (0.055 Earth masses), Mercury is 0.387 AU from the sun. Mercury has no natural satellites, and its mass is 3.30 E23 kg with an average density of 5,420 kg/m3. The similarity of the rocky terrestrial planets is apparent. Mercurys surface resembles that of Earths Moon, scarred by many impact craters resulting from collisions with meteoroids and comets. While there are areas of smooth terrain, there are also scarps or cliffs, some hundreds of miles long and soaring up to a mile high, formed by contraction of the crust. Mercury is the second densest planet after Earth, with a large metallic core having a radius of 1,800 to 1,900 km (1,100 to 1,200 miles), about 75 percent of the planets radius (Earths core is many times smaller compared to the planets diameter). In 2007, researchers using ground-based radars to study the core found evidence that it is molten (liquid). Mercurys outer shell, comparable to Earths outer shell (called the mantle), is only 500 to 600 km (300 to 400 miles) thick. The only known geological features besides impact craters are wrinkle-ridges, probably produced by a period of contraction early in its history. The Caloris Basin, one of the largest features on Mercury, is about 1,550 km (960 miles) in diameter. It was the result of a possible asteroid impact on the planets surface early in the solar systems history. Mercurys almost negligible atmosphere consists of atoms blasted off its surface by the solar wind. Though Mercurys magnetic field has just 1 percent the strength of Earths, the field is very active. The magnetic field in the solar wind creates intense magnetic tornadoes that channel the fast, hot solar wind plasma down to the surface. When these ions strike the surface, they knock off neutral atoms and send them high into the sky where other processes may fling them back to the surface or accelerate them away from Mercury. As we leave Mercury before heading out to the deepest regions of the solar system, the ESP will make a fly-by of the sun, as the voyager probes did around Jupiter and Saturn to increase the velocity. E. Our Sun. The principal component of the Solar System is the Sun that contains 99.86% of the systems known mass and dominates it gravitationally. Jupiter and Saturn, the Suns two largest orbiting bodies, account for more than 90% of the systems remaining mass. Most large objects in orbit around the Sun lie near the plane of Earths orbit, known as the ecliptic. The planets are very close to the ecliptic while comets and Kuiper belt objects are usually at significantly greater angles to it. The orbits of the planets are nearly circular, but many comets, asteroids and objects of the Kuiper belt follow highly-elliptical orbits. The probe ESP circles the sun picking up velocity to begin the voyage to Mars again passing the terrestrial planets. F. The Red Planet, Mars. Mars is smaller than Earth and Venus (0.107 Earth masses) has a mass of 6.42 E23 kg and a mean density of 3,940 kg/m3 (lower than that of the other terrestrial planets,) and is 1.524 AU from the sun. Mars is a cold desert-like world similar to our Southwestern States, and has the same amount of dry land. Like Earth, Mars has seasons, polar ice caps, volcanoes, canyons and weather, but its atmosphere is too thin for liquid water to exist for long on the surface. There are signs of ancient floods on Mars, but evidence for water now exists mainly in icy soil and thin clouds. Mars has two tiny natural satellites Deimos and Phobos thought to be captured asteroids. Mars experiences seasons because of the tilt of its rotational axis (in relation to the plane of its orbit). Mars orbit is slightly elliptical, so its distance to the sun changes, affecting the Martian seasons that last longer than those of Earth. The polar ice caps on Mars grow and recede with the seaso ns; layered areas near the poles suggest that the planets climate has changed more than once. Mars is a rocky body about half the size of Earth. As with the other terrestrial planets (Mercury, Venus and Earth) the surface of Mars has been altered by volcanism, impacts, crustal movement, and atmospheric effects such as dust storms. Volcanism in the highlands and plains was active more than 3 billion years ago, but some of the giant shield volcanoes are younger, having formed between 1 and 2 billion years ago. Mars has the largest volcanic mountain in the solar system, Olympus Mons, as well as a spectacular equatorial canyon system, Valles Marineris. Mars has no global magnetic field, but NASAs Mars Global Surveyor orbiter found that areas of the Martian crust in the southern hemisphere are highly magnetized. Evidently, these are traces of a magnetic field that remain in the planets crust from about 4 billion years ago. Mars often appears reddish due to a combination of the fact that its surface is comprised of iron-rich minerals that rust (or oxidize) and that the dust made of these minerals is kicked up into the atmosphere, giving the atmosphere a reddish hue as well. Mars possesses an atmosphere of mostly carbon dioxide (seems like a natural tendency of the terrestrial planets), and other gases (nitrogen 3%, and argon 1.6 %.) The thin atmosphere on Mars does not allow liquid water to exist at the surface for long, and the quantity of water required to carve Mars great channels and flood plains is not obvious today. Unraveling the story of water on Mars is important to unlocking its climate history, which will help us understand the evolution of all the planets. Water is believed to be an essential ingredient for life; evidence of past or present water on Mars is expected to hold clues about whether Mars could ever have been a habitat for life. In summary, there is evidence and good science that large quantities of water may still be present below the surface. Scientists believe that Mars experienced huge floods about 3.5 billion years ago, though it is not know where the ancient flood water came from, how long it lasted or where it went, recent missions to Mars have uncovered exciting evidence. In 2002, NASAs Mars Odyssey orbiter detected hydrogen-rich polar deposits, indicating large quantities of water ice close to the surface. Further observations found hydrogen in other areas as well. If water ice permeated the entire planet, Mars could have substantial subsurface layers of frozen water, and if true, the long-term colonization of Mars is probable. In 2004, the Mars Exploration Rover named Opportunity found structures and minerals indicating that liquid water was once present at its landing site. The rovers twin, Spirit, also found the signature of ancient water near its landing site halfway around Mars from Opportunitys location. Recently, in August 2012, the probe Curiosity made another surface landing in a crater and being the first nuclear-powered probe. Leaving Mars orbit and the terrestrial planets, ESP moves further from the sun to explore the left-over remains from the formation of the solar system, the Asteroid belt. G. The Asteroids Belt. These small Solar System bodies are mostly composed of rocky and metallic non-volatile minerals. Tens of thousands of these minor planets and small rocky bodies are gathered in the main asteroid belt, a vast doughnut-shaped ring between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Asteroids that pass close to Earth are called Near-Earth Objects (NEOs). The main asteroid belt occupies the orbit between Mars and Jupiter, and is between 2.3 and 3.3 AU from the Sun. It is thought to be remnants from the Solar Systems formation that failed to coalesce because of the gravitational interference of Jupiter. Asteroids range in size from hundreds of kilometers across to microscopic. Despite this, the total mass of the main belt is unlikely to be more than a thousandth of that of the Earth. The main belt is very sparsely populated; spacecraft routinely pass through without incident. Asteroids with diameters between 10 and 10-4 m are called meteoroids. Asteroid groups in the main belt are divided into groups and families based on their orbital characteristics. Asteroid moons are asteroids that orbit larger asteroids. They are not as clearly distinguished as planetary moons, sometimes being almost as large as their partners. The asteroid belt also contains main-belt comets which may have been the source of Earths water. The inner Solar System is also dusted with rogue asteroids, many of which cross the orbits of the inner planets. The three broad composition classes of asteroids are C-, S- and M-types. The C-type asteroids (carbonaceous) are most common, and probably consist of clay and silicate rocks and are dark in appearance. C-type asteroids are among the most ancient objects in our solar system. The S-types (silicaceous) are made up of silicate (stony) materials and nickel-iron. M-types (metallic) are made up of nickel-iron. The asteroids compositional differences are related to how far from the sun they formed. Some experienced high temperatures after they formed and partly melted, with iron sinking to the center and forcing basaltic (volcanic) lava to the surface. One such asteroid, Vesta, survives to this day. Ceres is 2.77 AU from the sun, is the largest body in the asteroid belt, and considered a dwarf planet. It has a diameter of slightly less than 1000 km, large enough for its own gravity to pull it into a spherical shape. Ceres was considered a planet when it was discovered in the 19th century, bu t was reclassified as an asteroid in the 1850s as further observation revealed additional asteroids. It was again reclassified in 2006 as a dwarf planet along with Pluto. Leaving the left-over rubble of the Asteroid belt ESP now begins s very long journeys as did the Voyager, and Cassini probes and visit the four outer planets, or gas giants (sometimes called Jovian planets), and collectively make up 99 percent of the mass known to orbit the Sun. H. The Gas giants Jupiter. Jupiter and Saturns atmospheres are largely hydrogen and helium. Uranus and Neptunes atmospheres have a higher percentage of ices, such as water, ammonia and methane. Some astronomers suggest they belong in their own category, ice giants. All four gas giants have rings, although only Saturns ring system is easily observed from Earth. Our probe ESP approaches Jupiter at an average distance of 5.203 AU from the sun we are now in the region of deep space. Jupiter at 318 Earth masses has 2.5 times the mass of all the other planets put together, and an average density of 1,314 kg/m3. It is composed largely of hydrogen and helium. Jupiters internal heat creates semi-permanent features in its atmosphere, such as cloud bands and the Great Red Spot. On 7 January 1610, using a telescope (probably the first) he constructed, astronomer Galileo Galilei saw four small stars as he first thought near Jupiter. He had discovered Jupiters four largest moons, now called Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. These four moons are known today as the Galilean satellites. In retrospect, Jupiter has sixty-three known satellites, and show similarities to the terrestrial planets, such as volcanism and internal heating. Galileos surprise and illumination is understood. In 2004, while looking through a small Meade reflecting telescope, Jupiters four largest moons were visible as they were all in a straight line moving around the planets equatorial plane. For the first time ever, I gazed at four moons in the solar system other than our own, and it was an amazing sight. Looking at Jupiter from an Earth or near-orbit telescope or planetary probe, the apparent surface and appearance is a blend of striking colors and atmospheric features. Most visible clou ds are composed of ammonia, and water vapor exists deep below and can sometimes be seen through clear spots in the clouds. The planets stripes are dark belts and light zones are created by strong east-west winds in Jupiters upper atmosphere. The Great Red Spot, a giant spinning storm, has been observed since the 1800s, and in recent years, three storms merged to form the Little Red Spot, about half the size of the Great Red Spot. In December 1995, NASAs Galileo spacecraft dropped a probe into Jupiters atmosphere, which made the first direct measurements of the planets atmosphere, and began a multiyear study of Jupiter and the largest moons. The magnetic field of Jupiter and is nearly 20,000 times as powerful as Earths. Trapped within Jupiters magnetosphere (the area in which magnetic field lines encircle the planet from pole to pole) are swarms of charged particles. Jupiters rings and moons are embedded in an intense radiation belt of electrons and ions trapped by the magnetic field, and perhaps a moon landing is possible in the future, but protection from this radiation will be necessary. Jupiters atmosphere is similar to that of the sun, and the composition is mostly hydrogen and helium. Deep in the atmosphere, the pressure and temperature increase, compressing the hydrogen gas into a liquid. At further depths, the hydrogen becomes metallic and electrically conducting. In this metallic layer, Jupiters powerful magnetic field is generated by electrical currents driven by Jupiters fast rotation (9.8 Earth hours.) At the center, the immense pressure may support a solid core of rock about the size of Earth. Jupiters Galilean Satellites. Io is the most volcanically active body in the solar system and the surface is covered by sulfur in different multi-colored forms. As Io travels in its slightly elliptical orbit, Jupiters immense gravity causes tides in the solid surface that rise 100 m (300 feet) high on Io, generating enough heat for volcanic activity and to drive off any water. Ios volcanoes are driven by hot silicate magma. Europas surface is mostly water ice, and there is evidence that it may be covering an ocean of water or ice beneath. Europa is thought to have twice as much water as does Earth, and intrigues scientists because of its potential for having a habitable zone. Life forms have been found thriving near subterranean volcanoes on Earth and in other extreme locations that may be analogues to what may exist on Europa. Given the right chance and some basic conditions, life is possible on so many different levels. Ganymede is the largest moon in the solar system (larger than the planet Mercury), and is the only moon known to have its own internally generated magnetic field. Callistos surface is extremely heavily cratered and ancient, a visible record of events from the early history of the solar system. However, the very few small craters on Callisto indicate a small degree of current surface activity. The interiors of Io, Europa and Ganymede have a layered structure similar to the Earth). Io, Europa and Ganymede all have cores and mantles partially molten rock or a solid rock envelope around the core. The surface of Europa and Ganymede is a thick, soft ice layer and a thin crust of impure water ice. In the case of Europa, a subsurface water layer probably lies just below the icy crust and may cover the entire moon. This makes Europa a candidate for moon landing, but in the movie 2001 A Space Odyssey, mankind was forbidden to land on Europa, however, we will of course disregard. Layering at Callisto is less well defined and appears to be mainly a mixture of ice and rock. As ESP leaves the Jovian world and once more, as the voyager space probes successfully navigated, rounds the giant planet to pick up additional speed for the voyage to Saturn, and beyond. I. Saturn. At 9.5 AU from the sun Saturn has a mass of 5.69 E26 kg. With an average density of 690 kg/m3, Saturn is far less massive than any planet in the solar system, being only 95 Earth masses and could be floated in water since its density is less than that of water. Famous for its extensive ring system, Saturn has similarities to Jupiter, such as its atmospheric composition, as Saturn is mostly a massive ball of hydrogen and helium. Saturn is unique among the planets. All four gas giant planets have rings, made of chunks of ice and rock, but none are as spectacular or as complicated as Saturns. Saturns magnetic field is not as huge as Jupiters, however; it is still 578 times as powerful as the Earths. Saturn, its rings and many of its satellites lie totally within Saturns own enormous magnetosphere (the region of space in which the behavior of electrically charged particles is influenced more by Saturns magnetic field) than by the solar wind. Jupiter shares the magnetic field s imilarity. Saturn has sixty known satellites; two of which, Titan and Enceladus, show signs of geological activity, though they are largely made of ice. Titan is larger than Mercury and the only satellite in the Solar System with a substantial atmosphere. In 1610, Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei was the first to gaze at Saturn through a telescope, and in 2004, after seeing Jupiters Galilean satellites; I saw the outline of Saturns rings. My image was not unlike Galileos where I could resolve the rings, not their structure or color, and noticed a dark space between the ring system and the planet was visible. Although a fascinating sight, nothing compared to seeing the Galilean satellites. However, to credit Galileo, my modern-day meade-reflector was equal to Galileos very first refractor; a testament to the mind of a genius. He would probably say, they dont build them like they used too. Winds in the upper atmosphere reach 500 m (1,600 feet) per second near the equatorial region. These super-fast winds, combined with heat rising from within the planets interior, cause the yellow and gold bands visible in the atmosphere. In the early 1980s, NASAs Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecraft revealed that Saturns rings are made mostly of water ice and the ring system extends hundreds of thousands of kilometers from the planet, however surprising, the vertical depth is typically only about 10 m (30 feet) in the main rings. Saturns Moons. The largest moon, Titan, is a bit bigger than the planet Mercury (Titan is the second-largest moon in the solar system; only Jupiters moon Ganymede is bigger.) Titan is so large that it affects the orbits of other near-by moons. At 5,150 km (3,200 miles) across, it is the second largest moon in the solar system. Titan hides its surface with a thick nitrogen-rich atmosphere. Titans atmosphere is similar to the Earths atmosphere of long ago, before biology took hold on our home planet and changed the composition from carbon dioxide to oxygen. Titans atmosphere is approximately 95% nitrogen, 3% helium with traces of methane. While the Earths atmosphere extends about 60 km (37 miles) into space, Titans extends nearly 600 km (ten times that of the Earths atmosphere) into space. The moon Iapetus has one side as bright as snow and one side as dark as black velvet, with a huge ridge running around most of its dark-side equator. Phoebe is odd as the moon orbits the planet in a direction opposite that of Saturns larger moons, as do several of the more recently discovered moons. The result of an impact that nearly split the moon Mimas apart has an enormous crater on one side providing evidence that the solar system still contains left-over debris and can cause substantial impacts. The probe Cassini observed warm fractures on Enceladus where evaporating ice clearly escapes and forms a huge cloud of water vapor over the South Pole. Scientists have seen evidence of active ice volcanism on Enceladus. Hyperion has an odd flattened shape and rotates chaotically, probably due to a recent collision, and probably due to the space junk being tossed out from the ring-system due to collisions there. The moon Pan orbits within the main rings and helps sweep materials out of a narrow space known as the Encke Gap (have to do a better job of sweeping with the many impacts on-going.) Finally, Tethys has a huge rift zone called the Ithaca Chasma that runs nearly three-quarters of the way around the moon. Four additional moons orbit in stable places around Saturn they tag along with their larger sisters. These moons lie 60 degrees ahead of or behind a larger moon and in the same orbit. Telesto and Calypso move along with the larger moon Tethys in its orbit; Helene and Polydeuces occupy similar orbits with Dione. A collision with any of these smaller moons within the same orbit can cause catastrophic consequences with Saturns larger moons. Uranus is next as our probe moves on from Saturn. J. Uranus This strange upside-down world is 19.6 AU from the sun, and at 14 Earth masses, has a mass of 8.68 E25 kg with a mean density of 1,290 kg/m3. Uniquely among the planets is the only gas-giant whose equator is nearly at right angles to its orbit (its axial tilt is over ninety degrees to the eclip

Robert Edward Lee :: essays research papers

Robert Edward Lee   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Robert Edward Lee was born of two distinguished Virginia families. He was a devoted son, an outstanding Westpoint cadet, and an United States army officer for thirty two years. He graduated second in his class.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lee started his impressive Military career as a Lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers. His first assignment was to work on the construction of Fort Pulaski in 1830 near Savannah, Georgia. Then in 1831 he was transferred to Fort Monroe, Virginia where he worked on harbor defenses.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1834 he moved to Washington, D.C. as an assistant to the chief of engineers. In 1835 he was assigned to resolve the Ohio-Michigan boarder conflict. In 1837 he went to Saint Louis to work on stabalizing the Mississippi river channel. He was promoted to captain in 1838. Being sucessful in Saint Louis he was assigned to Fort Hamilton in 1841 to work on the New York Harbor fortifications. When war broke out with Mexico in 1840 Lee was sent to Mexico for two years as an engieneering officer. There he was praised for his galantry and good conduct. In the war with Mexico he was wounded in the Storming of Chapultepec in 1847. The Mexican war was suposed to be the help that Lee needed in the experance of commanding troops. After the Mexican war Lee was assigned to Baltimore in 1848, he was to supervise the construction of Fort Carrol for nearly four years.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1852 the United States military academy at West Point became Lees home when he was appointed superintendent. During his three year stint he raised acidemic standards, lengthened the program from four to five years, and improved facilities.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1859 in Arlington, Texas Lee was given command of Federal forces which were there to make sure Mexicans did not invade Texas. Then Lee was sent to capture the abolitionist, John Brown at Harpers Ferry.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Then when war seemed impossible to avoid, President Abraham Lincion summond Lee and asked him to lead the Union army, but Lee declined. On April 23 he became commander and chief of the military forces in Virgnia, just three days after he resigned from the U.S. Army.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In February 1865 Lee was made commander and chief of all confederate forces. His great battles of the Civil wars include Antietam, Chancellorsville, Fredericksburg, and Gettysburg. He won many, many battles in the Civil war. Finally on April 9, 1865 General Robert E.

Legal Age to Drink – Should It Be Changed?

Legal Age to Drink: Should it be Changed? In this day and age with more sophisticated teens and young people abusing alcohol, the issue concerning whether or not teenagers should be able to drink at a younger age is an important topic. In the article â€Å"Perils of Prohibition† Elizabeth M. Whelan argues that alcohol should be legalized at the age of eighteen instead of twenty-one. She hopes to persuade readers, parents, and educators to support her proposal for the change by successful alcohol education.Although Whelan provides valuable examples to prove that proper alcohol education is an effective solution in reducing the problems faced with alcohol abuse among American teenagers, she does not provide enough substantial evidence to justify changing the legal drinking age to eighteen years old. In the beginning paragraphs, Whelan compares alcohol consumption with American teens and their European peers. She says, â€Å"American teens, unlike their European peers, donâ€⠄¢t learn how to drink gradually, cautiously, and in moderation† (2).This is a great example because it makes the readers think about the different cultural views of alcohol consumption among youthful drinkers globally. Though the consumption of alcohol in France, Spain, and Portugal is higher than the United States per person, the rate of alcoholism and alcohol abuse is lower (4). Whelan hopes to prove that if moderate alcohol consumption and proper awareness of the use of it is instilled in children eighteen years old and up then drinking alcohol should be okay. She compares three countries to the United States in her example.We live in a pretty big world, is it the same in other â€Å"drinking† countries? The example is fairly effective but comparing drinking habits in only three countries to the United States is not enough to persuade readers. In order to gain support for successful alcohol education being a key factor in helping the problems faced with alcohol abus e, Whelan mentions an example involving her daughter. She explained to her daughter the differences in alcohol contents and the importance of not drinking on an empty stomach (8).The strength of this example is effective because it is coming from personal experience. It’s detailed and provided by a woman whose education and occupation qualifies her to make this kind of study. This type of person often makes you want to believe him or her. However, this piece of evidence uses the hasty generalization fallacy. A single personal experience or even many is not enough to convince readers. People’s personal experiences differ greatly. And how do the readers even know if alcohol education was successful with her daughter?Her daughter may not have gotten herself into trouble recently but she’s still under the legal age of drinking and who knows what would happen once she goes off to college? Because of her daughter’s age and the fallacy used, creates a weak examp le for supporting alcohol education. Whelan continues with examples to prove that proper education is the key instead of prohibiting teenagers the right to drink until the age of twenty-one. She mentions tragic accidents that occurred at the Ivy League school her daughter Christine will be attending in the fall.A student who was nearly electrocuted when, in a drunken state, climbed on a moving train. The student survived but lost three of his limbs (10). A second incident where an intoxicated student ended up in a chimney and was found three days later dead (10). She hopes to convince readers that students do not make good choices when they drink, if they’re not educated properly. The tragedies with the sick, injured students are fair because they’re emotionally appealing to the reader but weak because she fails to provide statistical evidence as to how often injuries of this kind occur.The examples are extreme and rare ones that are unlikely to happen on a regular bas is. Whelan continues supporting her claim by mentioning a study that was done at the Harvard School of Public Health by her colleagues. What they found in their survey of college students was that they drink â€Å"early and . . . often,† frequently to the point of getting ill (1). She defends her claim by appealing to authority as evidence. And readers would not be happy knowing that students are becoming sick from irresponsible drinking – the human factor.This study is included to let people know that college students are drinking irresponsibly and becoming sick from it as a result. Not surprisingly, she failed to provide statistical evidence again. That is, evidence of how many students is involved in the survey and the diversity of people in the study. These are important factors needed to be included in the survey to make it believable and convincing to the readers. Finally, two analogies are given by Whelan in hopes of her readers to accept her case. This author c reates a weak analogy when comparing sex education to alcohol education.In an attempt to change the legal age of drinking to twenty-one, she says â€Å"we choose to teach our children about safe sex, including the benefits of teen abstinence, why not about safe drinking†? (13) The only similarity is that drinking and sex can cause unsafe or unwanted events, therefore it makes sense to be educated on both subjects. However, the similarity is not relevant enough to be considered a good analogy. Safe sex education has been taught for many years to children but it has not stopped them from having sex or preventing unwanted pregnancies.If this is the case, how would safe drinking education be convincing to the readers to change the legal age to eighteen? The second analogy which is fairly significant in dealing with the unfairness of the legal age to drink, is comparing the ability for teens to be able to drive cars, fly planes, marry, vote, pay taxes, take out loans, and risks th eir lives in the U. S armed forces to drinking. She says, â€Å"At eighteen they’re considered adults but when they want to enjoy a drink like other adults, they are â€Å"disenfranchised†Ã¢â‚¬  (5).Whelan hopes this evidence will convince readers that if eighteen year olds are given â€Å"adult† responsibilities then they shall be treated as adults in all aspects of life, including drinking alcohol in moderation. She makes a great point with the comparison but when comparing voting, paying taxes, taking out a loan, and marrying to drinking, the responsibilities don’t impair your brain in a way that drinking alcohol would. Whelan presents herself as a kind-hearted woman who is a bit upset and frustrated with the current laws regarding the legal age to drink.The example she uses explaining how she educated her daughter with regards to alcohol content shows her taking a subtle approach with allowing her daughter to drink rather than making it appear to be a bad thing if you are under the legal age. (8) She shows compassion and concern. Whelan’s tone throughout the essay is fairly tolerable, but she does show some depreciation towards the government when she compares teenagers being able to â€Å"drive cars, fly planes, marry, vote, pay taxes, take out loans, and risk their lives as members of the U. S. rmed forces but laws in all fifty say that no alcoholic beverages may be sold to anyone until that magic twenty-first birthday. † (3) When she mentions â€Å"we should make access to alcohol legal at eighteen and at the same time, we should come down much harder on alcohol abusers and drunk drivers of all ages† (12) she is genuinely concerned of the welfare of all people with regards to alcohol and safety. She eagerly wants to make a difference. And as public-health scientist with a daughter heading to college, she has professional and personal concerns in regards to the dangers of alcohol.While it is obvious that Whelan’s heart is in the right place and that alcohol abuse among teenagers is a problem, her argument suffers from lack of evidence to support changing the legal age of drinking to eighteen years old. Proper alcohol education can be helpful in terms of improving the problem but that’s it. Whelan’s article indicates a need for further study on the abuse of teenage drinking. It would be helpful to see statistical results in studies done among colleges across the nation and in all areas from rich to poor. The more valid studies the better chance finding the proper solutions to the problem.

Come on work

Literary Analysis and Composition Semester finals Agenda Complete part 1 of the finals in the quiz manager. Review answers for part 1 as a means to review for part 2. Review best practices for answering the part 2. Surprise Semester final, Part 1 There are 15 questions on this part of the test. I will give you 22 minutes to complete the test. Do your best but don't linger on a question long. If you don't know the answer take a guess and move on. Part 2 Question 1: Consider the events of Shakespearean Macbeth and the attest of the title character and his wife.Which character?Macbeth or Lady Macbeth?deserves more blame for their fall? Which character is more influenced by the other? Which character suffers more? Justify your responses with examples from the text. Write at lease five sentences. Step 1: Pick a character, Macbeth or Lady Macbeth. Step 2: Describe why the character you chose deserves more blame for their fall. Step 3: Describe how your character is more influenced by the o ther character. 2 Step 4: Describe why your character suffers more. Make sure to use examples for all of these.Question 2: Consider the conflict faced by the protagonist in one of the novels that you read this semester. In a response of no less than three paragraphs, explain this conflict, its development, and how the protagonist deals with it, as well as how the conflict is ultimately resolved. Include examples from least five sentences. Step 1: Pick a character from the novel you read. The text in your response where appropriate. Write at Step 2: Identify and explain your character's conflict and how that conflict develops.Step 3: Explain how your character deals with that conflict and how it is resolved in the end. Make sure to use examples. Surprise!! If you have a 90% or higher in the course you are exempt from the part 2 (if you are watching this recording you must take the part 1). If you have a 75 – 89% in the course you may choose one of the two part 2 questions and answer only that question. Next Week All finals are due by Thursday, May 22nd at midnight. No C but Ms. Bianca and I will hold one 2 hour tutor stay.

Dreams Aspirations and Goals Essays

Dreams Aspirations and Goals Essays Dreams Aspirations and Goals Essay Dreams Aspirations and Goals Essay I merely want to get down off by stating that I am genuinely blessed to be able to hold the chance that so many don’t have: acquiring an instruction. I dreamed I would ever be able to larn to be able to make a small of everything no affair what it was: either it was larning culinary. mechanics. scientific discipline. mathematics. history. etc. I’ve merely wanted to be that one individual who knows a small of everything ; no affair what the accomplishment was I could make it. It may sound impossible but nothings impossible. As I enter the college life. this is where I will be finding my dream and where I genuinely will belong for the remainder of my life it may take a piece but that’s what college is for to truly prove the Waterss and go comfy with the 1 that business that truly fits me good. I think what I truly want to accomplish in college is to be a function theoretical account ; to be the function theoretical account that I want to be responsible by being able to equilibrate my school. work. and societal life. but most significantly I want to be able to do my household proud and back up them like they did for me. I think my biggest dream was to go person who can draw a bead on and actuate people with their creativeness or to merely be a function theoretical account – hopefully that this experience in college will truly assist me carry through that. I know that cognition is cardinal to pretty much everything we have to cognize – practically every and anything about whatever business we want to hold. But what’s incorrect with utilizing our originative side – isn’t it fun excessively merely possibly one time show up to category and have to pull for an assignment but no 1 says it has to be perfect no 1 expects you to be Picasso. We are being required to pull and utilize our originative side express our artistic side whether it be through words. pulling merely to be able to merely your true possible with creativeness. In my experience of high school I had an astonishing literature instructor who would sometimes merely be fun and originative and merely hold us pull for one of our diaries but it wasn’t stupid it was originative. Bing originative is one of my biggest passions in life. I hope that I can truly show people there is nil incorrect with being originative. Responsible the one thing some peop le are afraid to be. When you hear the words independent it describes everything about being responsible. It’s when you start to make things on your ain – a simple definition. In deepness you have your ain flat possibly. pay your ain auto. measures. and you have a stable good paying occupation. It shows true duty when you can equilibrate your school. work. and societal life because you’ve shown how mature and independent you can be – there is nil more accomplishing to turn out that you pushed yourself through all those darks of cryings and perspiration to complete that assignment. High School was a kind of interrupting point for me with AP literature to give me a gustatory sensation of the college life – all the darks I stood up to finish my documents. I can state you this it was candidly worth it even though it stressed me out as I stared hours at a clean page at how to get down my paper but so one time you get traveling it all merely flows out. One thing I know is that all that dedication of my clip and attempt will assist me to be coming successful in my hereafter. I wouldn’t be able to hold done it without the support of my household and friends. So my end in college is to graduate and calculate out what I want to be. When I do graduate I want to be able to back up and be at that place for everyone who did the same for me. Most of all I want to botch my parents and spoil and hoarded wealth so like they did to me and my siblings. I candidly couldn’t have done it without their words of wisdom. kindness and experiences that showed me this chance I have to take advantage of so on behalf of my parents. household and friends my journey to success is my gift to you and may I do you prouder than you are when you saw me with my first cap and gown.

Using System Dynamics to analyse the Economic Impact of Tourism Multip

Using System Dynamics to analyse the Economic Impact of Tourism Multip Using System Dynamics to analyse the Economic Impact of Tourism Multipliers Abstract The importance of tourism for economic development is widely recognised . This is reflected in the great interest shown by governments by promoting foreign direct investment and freeing both public and private sector projects. Most tourism studies concentrate on analysing the economic and social effects of tourism. The impact of the multiplier has been studied widely using traditional econometric techniques. This paper focuses on analysing the economic impact of tourism revenue on the Egyptian economy. The economic theory and the mathematical modelling involved in such scenarios is discussed but the main thrust of the paper is the encapsulation of this situation by Causal Loop Models . A dynamic model, run in Powersim, is then described where important non-linear dynamical movements and the significance of systems thinking in this framework are considered . This model considers the dynamics of tourism in Egypt and its impact on GNP. 1. Introduction The importance of tourism for an economy is independent of whether it is developed or developing. . Inskeep showed that in 1989 tourism revenues world-wide were nearly 209 billion dollars growing at 9% yearly. This revenue then represented nearly 7% of total international trade and 30% of total international income. Tourism played a major role in modernising the Spanish economy. In the USA, tourism generated 5 million jobs and was 6.7% of GNP in the USA in 1989 (Inskeep, 1991). It is not only income effects that make tourism sectors important. These sectors include foreign investment, subsidies and taxation. Infrastructure and resources are considered the most important feature for any country in a competitive world fighting to attract market share. In developing and advanced countries, tourism is viewed as an important means to boost levels of income and employment. There has been much research on tourism and relationships with economic development. Thus Kraph argues that tourism has a crucial role in developing countries. It helps to lower deficits in the Balance of Payments, increase levels of economic growth and raise job opportunities (Pearce, 1992). Kasse concentrated on the benefits and costs of tourism. He showed that through a certain investment in the tourism sector, income could be produced that may be used in developing different sectors of the economy. Van Doorn concludes that development theories should take into consideration the direct and the indirect effect of tourism (Pearce, 1992). Egypt is considered to have a reasonable infrastructure and adequate resources for tourism.. It has the advantage of a unique history and climate that has preserved some of the most ancient artefacts in the world. It has a good geographical location situated between three continents with a long coasts on the Mediterranean and Red Sea.. Egypt also has a stable political and social system. This paper focuses on analysing the economic impact of tourism sector revenues on the Egyptian economy. It begins by reviewing some of the most important previous studies that discuss models of tourism multipliers . It then examines a simple Keynesian model and relates this to Egyptian data. The paper presents the results of a regression analysis that considers relative effects on GNP, consumption, investment and import expenditures. Causal and System Dynamic models are then introduced and compared with econometric results. The policy implications are then discussed. 2 The Tourism Multiplier Most studies on Tourism have concentrated on analysing the economic and social effects of tourism specially by what is termed the multiplier effect. This term is a derivative of the multiplier effect first introduced by Samuelson (Samuelson, 1960). It determines the benefit to the economy for every unit of currency that is spent. It is noted that most of the conversations about the effect of tourism on economic development concentrated on the multiplied effect of tourism on the National economy. 2.1 Traditional Approaches: Archer reflects on interrelationships between three kinds of expenditure: 1) Direct expenditure. 2) Indirect expenditure. 3) Stimulated expenditure. Indirect expenditure and stimulated expenditure are called the secondary effects of the multiplier and the sum of these are called the total effect of the multiplier (Archer, 1982). Lundberg used the following formula to calculate multiplier effects (Lundberg, 1995). MPS MPI TPI TIM + = 1 (1.1) where: TIM = The tourism multiplier TPI = The marginal propensity to import for tourists MPS = The marginal propensity to save MPI = The marginal propensity to import for local residence Using published data for the Bahamas Islands, Lundberg (Lundberg, ibid) estimated the value of tourism multiplier as: 0.894 0.737 0.659 0.281 0.456 1 0.231 = = + TIM = Ryan (Ryan, 1991) devised an alternative formula for tourism multipliers as follows: BC TIM

Caribbean Culture

Caribbean culture is identifiably linked to the approaches to survival taken by her peoples. Discuss this statement critically. Essay 2: The intellectual contribution of the Caribbean. Education has forever been a priority for the Caribbean region. From the mass of the Caribbean population have come some of the world’s best minds, creative intellect and imagination. The common heritage of a history rooted in exploitation and the struggle for freedom and independence have formed the foundation of an extraordinary commitment to education on the part of Caribbean societies over the years. While some may argue that the quality of education in the region is on the decline there is no doubt that Caribbean societies continue to maintain education as one of their highest priorities. Discuss this statement critically. Essay 3: ? Caribbean Integration It will be recalled that the Caribbean islands were among the first areas to be impacted by early globalization, in the form of European maritime expansion. The initial result was the extermination of the majority of the indigenous population. There followed mercantilism, slavery and the plantation system, and centuries of rivalry and wars among the major colonial powers. This left a legacy of political and linguistic fragmentation that constitutes the main obstacle to regional integration. Discuss this statement critically. Caribbean Culture Caribbean culture is identifiably linked to the approaches to survival taken by her peoples. Discuss this statement critically. Essay 2: The intellectual contribution of the Caribbean. Education has forever been a priority for the Caribbean region. From the mass of the Caribbean population have come some of the world’s best minds, creative intellect and imagination. The common heritage of a history rooted in exploitation and the struggle for freedom and independence have formed the foundation of an extraordinary commitment to education on the part of Caribbean societies over the years. While some may argue that the quality of education in the region is on the decline there is no doubt that Caribbean societies continue to maintain education as one of their highest priorities. Discuss this statement critically. Essay 3: ? Caribbean Integration It will be recalled that the Caribbean islands were among the first areas to be impacted by early globalization, in the form of European maritime expansion. The initial result was the extermination of the majority of the indigenous population. There followed mercantilism, slavery and the plantation system, and centuries of rivalry and wars among the major colonial powers. This left a legacy of political and linguistic fragmentation that constitutes the main obstacle to regional integration. Discuss this statement critically.

Implementation of a Customer Relation Management System (CRM) in B2B Term Paper

Implementation of a Customer Relation Management System (CRM) in B2B with the example of Aviation business - Term Paper Example Therefore, airline organisations need to develop new methods to manage the customer relationship in order to enhance customer loyalty and income. The impacts of global economic downturn along with the terrorist attack of 9/11 have severely impacted on the aviation business. The airline companies concentrate on operational developments in order to minimise expenses without ignoring the demand of customers. Customer relationship has nurtured for aviation companies to maintain competitive advantage and productivity in the long-run. The customer relationship management (CRM) has become a tool for aviation companies for managing good association with the customers (Boland & et. al., 2002). The paper explains the CRM system in B2B business with concentration on aviation business. B2B allows one business to interrelate with other business. The developing technologies have enabled businesses to apply CRM system in B2B. The chief resemblance between B2B and CRM is that they both work on onlin e platform. Therefore, developing and implementing CRM strategy on the basis of B2B model can result in low managerial expenses, well-organised marketing promotion and improved customer receptiveness. By using CRM in B2B, aviation organisations can increase the reach of customers and lessen the expenses of quality management (Zeng & et. al., 2003). The paper describes how CRM can be conducted in B2B aviation organisation. The objective of the paper is to understand various aspects of CRM in aviation organisations concerning designing, implementation and procedure which must be considered in order to get positive results. 2. The Strategy 2.1 Design CRM Strategy Several organisations pursue expensive CRM initiatives without considering the challenges and the expenses involved in them. Therefore, they are unable to get the benefits of CRM. IT and CRM managers are responsible for economic reasoning in order to make sure that CRM plans get appropriate funding. Aviation organisations must realise that CRM is a business strategy with underlying technology and it necessitates huge spending of money in software, hardware, communication, consultation and employee training. Objectives of CRM The major objective of CRM is to enhance the level of customer satisfaction. The task of CRM is not only providing technological support to the business, but it also acts as marketing philosophy for organisations. The â€Å"one-to-one† marketing system which has appeared in present days, proposes organisations to be more prosperous if they focus on gaining and preserving a portion of every customer, rather than a portion of entire market. In this context, information technology i.e. CRM can become an enabling aspect for organisations. With the improvements in technological innovations and the emergence of internet, CRM has become powerful enough to forecast the behaviours of customers, develop value–added functions, reinforce the brand image and develop customer support functions. CRM is a technology empowered business approach whereby organisations influence increased customer information in order to establish commercial relationships, on the basis of optimisation of value provided to the customers. Customer satisfaction through implementation of CRM can be achieved by lessening of cost of services, development of

Revolt of 1857 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Revolt of 1857 - Essay Example On 10 May in 1857, the sepoys matched to Delhi with the intention of taking control over the city. The 1857 revolt introduced numerous changes in India as will be highlighted in this paper. In addition, the paper will give attention to the causes of the revolt, its representation in British sources, and Chowdhury view of how photography represented the revolt. The British rule in India had established economic policies that were unfavorable to the Indians. Notably, the colonialists focused on exploiting the natural resources available in India. The exploitation of the resources in India by the colonialists only served to reap India off its stability in trade and industry. Over time, the British rule had transformed India into a colonial economy that served the interest of the British. In accordance with the existing economic policy, the British ruler exported resource to London. The British had a cheaper way of supporting their industries. The export of India’s resources to London served to increase the poverty levels in India. Many of the Indians relied on trade and industry in an effort to earn a living. However, the British colonial rule had taken over the industry, leaving many Indians jobless. The British economic policies demanded the Indian peasants to pay high revenues. Demanding high revenues from the peasants served to br ing down the agrarian sector. There was an increasing pressure for the peasants to register increased production. Despite their increased production, the Indian peasants did not benefit. The landowners in India faced the compulsion of paying a specified amount to the British government. If the landowners failed to meet the requirements, the British colonial rule dispossessed them of their property. Therefore, economic causes were a primary trigger of the 1857 revolt. As highlighted above, the British colonial rule imposed every taxation and

Managemnt strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Managemnt strategy - Essay Example It will begin by examining the core objectives and plans of both companies. The paper will then examine the leadership structure as well as the products, industrial matters and core competitive strengths of both companies. Vision & Mission The mission statement of a company defines the main reason behind the formation and maintenance of a business (Johnson et al 42). It justifies the reason why the firm exists and describes what it was set up to achieve. On the other hand, the vision of a company involves an outline of the things that a firm seeks to achieve in the foreseeable future (Johnson et al 42). In the case of KFC, the mission statement identifies that it was set up to provide the best chicken meals to customers. The mission is to provide different chicken dishes to customers and improve their core competency in doing this (KFC Website para 2). MacDonalds' mission is to become the customer's favorite place to eat and provide an experience that is unrivaled to the customers (M acDonalds Website para 1). In doing this, the spell out their vision which interlocks with the mission. MacDonalds identifies that their vision is to provide the best services to customers, employees, suppliers, investors and the community at large (MacDonalds Website para 4). ... In comparison, KFC is specialized and focused on chicken and related brands. MacDonalds seeks to provide a good eating experience in a general atmosphere. They both seek to promote their activities through enhancing customer experience and satisfaction. Internationalization and globalization are at the heart of their visions. Additionally, they hope to seek continuous improvement and development of their systems and structures. SWOT Analysis SWOT Analysis involves an examination of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of a company. This provides a view of how they are faring and provides an overview of how they can reshape things to meet the competition that will come up in the future. SWOT Analysis of KFC Strengths Brand Equity: Everyone knows about KFC Large international presence Strong cashflow position, only second to MacDonalds in revenue. Variety Specialized and focused Weaknesses Legal issues with International Expansion Lack of focus on Research & Development Weak marketing systems Poor customer relations Opportunities Attach and improve delivery service. Potential to expand further internationally to developing countries. Meet demand for quick meals Diversify into providing healthy foods Threats The promotion of healthy eating which emphasizes that KFC is not so healthy The presence of many competitors. The growth of supermarket food joints. Source: Nick's Business Blog SWOT Analysis of MacDonalds Strengths Strong brand name Large partnership with suppliers Socially responsible Provides health facts Loyal employees and management Culturally sensitive Focused on children Weaknesses High employee turnover Too focused on children to the neglect of other sections of the population. Although they provide

Motivation and Pay Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Motivation and Pay - Case Study Example Many variables are found to be considerably related to indices of absence, the results appear to be unstable across situations and time. Every incentive program is based on a formula for enhancing motivation that engages four fundamental variables: effort, performance, outcomes, and satisfaction. The logic behind these programs goes something like this: employees at Gap Inc. will put in the accurate quantity of effort to meet performance hopes if these part time employees at Gap Inc. obtain the types of outcomes that include pay raises and promotions which will provide part time employees satisfaction. In simpler words, Gap Inc. should provide its employees what they want, and employees will work hard to get it. Conversely, the problem with most incentive programs like of Gap Inc. is that they center exclusively on the submission of outcomes and overlook the three beliefs that are the key to making the motivation solution work: The first conviction compacts with the relationship between employee effort and performance. The second compacts with the relationship between performance and outcomes. And the third compacts with the relationship between outcomes and satisfaction. These three beliefs form the basis of the belief system of motivation and performance. Accepting that these beliefs are decisive preconditions for motivatio... Accepting that these beliefs are decisive preconditions for motivation helps to explain why incentive programs generally yield such lackluster results like in case of Gap Inc. Since employees do not always hold these beliefs to be true, attempts to improve motivation by using incentives cannot make the grade, even when the incentives are highly desirable ones. Types of Motivation Problems One cannot do it Motivation problem: Lack of confidence Associated feelings: Self-doubt Anxiety Frustration Outcomes are not tied to one's performance Motivation problem: Lack of trust Associated feelings: Skepticism Disbelief Mistrust Outcomes will not be satisfying to one Motivation problem: Lack of satisfaction Associated feelings: Anger Rebelliousness Low Morale and Absenteeism At Gap Inc. a major transformation attempt only makes difficult the situation. If any of three beliefs are shaky to begin with, organisational change at Gap Inc. can weaken them even further. The result is often serious motivation and performance problems, at a time when organisations can least afford them, and a resultant surge in the negative emotions associated with change. When an employee believes 'one cannot do it' for example, one may develop a lack of self-confidence and begin to experience many of the unpleasant feelings that go along with it: self-doubt, anxiety, and frustration. About a year into the change effort, one manager portrayed the inner turmoil one went through by comparing the restructuring to building a ship at the same time one is trying to sail it. (Mele, 2003) Worker beliefs that 'outcomes are not tied to one's performance' can also escort to noteworthy motivation

Essay#2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

#2 - Essay Example Lapham in this article have been successful narrating the unpredictable and inconsistent ideologies of political party. ( Thesis) The author has been highly creative in laying down his debates on a democratic party which was abandoning their so called liberalistic attitude. The author has been right in blaming the liberals for their waning movement. They did not live up to their ideal value but waivered at the time when people demanded their support. The article has provided many detailed political events which give a credible validity to the arguments stated by the author. The author was showing the fear of people who were expecting a wave of crime and a rise of violence. The entire activities of liberals during the middle of 2oth century has made the article a fact based article. As per (Graham,2008 ) â€Å" The American obsession with self and self-promotion—Lapham had a field day when Francis Fukuyama declared â€Å"the end of history†Ã¢â‚¬â€is one of the reasons Lapham says he’s not more popular in the op-ed columns or the talk show circuit†. The article is a glimpse of the death of the democratic values of a party on which a nation had great hopes. The author has jotted down how a well respected political party with class and value downgraded in materialistic lure. The best part of the article is that the reader can feel the sympathetic transition of a political group which once was a ray of hope. The ebb and flow of democracy, human idealism, social desperation, racial tension all can be seen in the reading. The power machine has taken the advantage of the political party and the author establishes that the right wing was not in the proper direction. As per ( Kimball,2004) â€Å"Mr. Lapham subtended the rubric â€Å"a brief history† to the title of his 7500-word jeremiad; â€Å"a desperate fantasy† would have been more accurate†. The author has a point to make here which is the reluctance to keep trust on parties that is the either wing

Managemnt strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Managemnt strategy - Essay Example It will begin by examining the core objectives and plans of both companies. The paper will then examine the leadership structure as well as the products, industrial matters and core competitive strengths of both companies. Vision & Mission The mission statement of a company defines the main reason behind the formation and maintenance of a business (Johnson et al 42). It justifies the reason why the firm exists and describes what it was set up to achieve. On the other hand, the vision of a company involves an outline of the things that a firm seeks to achieve in the foreseeable future (Johnson et al 42). In the case of KFC, the mission statement identifies that it was set up to provide the best chicken meals to customers. The mission is to provide different chicken dishes to customers and improve their core competency in doing this (KFC Website para 2). MacDonalds' mission is to become the customer's favorite place to eat and provide an experience that is unrivaled to the customers (M acDonalds Website para 1). In doing this, the spell out their vision which interlocks with the mission. MacDonalds identifies that their vision is to provide the best services to customers, employees, suppliers, investors and the community at large (MacDonalds Website para 4). ... In comparison, KFC is specialized and focused on chicken and related brands. MacDonalds seeks to provide a good eating experience in a general atmosphere. They both seek to promote their activities through enhancing customer experience and satisfaction. Internationalization and globalization are at the heart of their visions. Additionally, they hope to seek continuous improvement and development of their systems and structures. SWOT Analysis SWOT Analysis involves an examination of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of a company. This provides a view of how they are faring and provides an overview of how they can reshape things to meet the competition that will come up in the future. SWOT Analysis of KFC Strengths Brand Equity: Everyone knows about KFC Large international presence Strong cashflow position, only second to MacDonalds in revenue. Variety Specialized and focused Weaknesses Legal issues with International Expansion Lack of focus on Research & Development Weak marketing systems Poor customer relations Opportunities Attach and improve delivery service. Potential to expand further internationally to developing countries. Meet demand for quick meals Diversify into providing healthy foods Threats The promotion of healthy eating which emphasizes that KFC is not so healthy The presence of many competitors. The growth of supermarket food joints. Source: Nick's Business Blog SWOT Analysis of MacDonalds Strengths Strong brand name Large partnership with suppliers Socially responsible Provides health facts Loyal employees and management Culturally sensitive Focused on children Weaknesses High employee turnover Too focused on children to the neglect of other sections of the population. Although they provide

Essay#2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

#2 - Essay Example Lapham in this article have been successful narrating the unpredictable and inconsistent ideologies of political party. ( Thesis) The author has been highly creative in laying down his debates on a democratic party which was abandoning their so called liberalistic attitude. The author has been right in blaming the liberals for their waning movement. They did not live up to their ideal value but waivered at the time when people demanded their support. The article has provided many detailed political events which give a credible validity to the arguments stated by the author. The author was showing the fear of people who were expecting a wave of crime and a rise of violence. The entire activities of liberals during the middle of 2oth century has made the article a fact based article. As per (Graham,2008 ) â€Å" The American obsession with self and self-promotion—Lapham had a field day when Francis Fukuyama declared â€Å"the end of history†Ã¢â‚¬â€is one of the reasons Lapham says he’s not more popular in the op-ed columns or the talk show circuit†. The article is a glimpse of the death of the democratic values of a party on which a nation had great hopes. The author has jotted down how a well respected political party with class and value downgraded in materialistic lure. The best part of the article is that the reader can feel the sympathetic transition of a political group which once was a ray of hope. The ebb and flow of democracy, human idealism, social desperation, racial tension all can be seen in the reading. The power machine has taken the advantage of the political party and the author establishes that the right wing was not in the proper direction. As per ( Kimball,2004) â€Å"Mr. Lapham subtended the rubric â€Å"a brief history† to the title of his 7500-word jeremiad; â€Å"a desperate fantasy† would have been more accurate†. The author has a point to make here which is the reluctance to keep trust on parties that is the either wing

Should Children of Divorce Be Forced to Live with a Particular Parent Essay Example for Free

Should Children of Divorce Be Forced to Live with a Particular Parent Essay Many children are victims of divorce in the United States each year. The judicial system believes that, in each case, the child or children that are subjected to divorce should reside where the child(ren) would â€Å"be better off†, citing that living with one parent who provides a more stable atmosphere for the child(ren) would be more beneficial. Others believe that children who are subjected to divorce should be able to choose which parent they wish to live with. Many also wonder with divorces involving multiple children: Should we keep them together? Many judges believe that a child’s voice or preference should not be heard because a child is too young to know what is best for him or her. In most states, the average age is 12 to 14 years for a child to verbally state their opinion on which parent they choose to live with; even then, the judge will not rely on that child’s opinion alone. A judge believes that a child’s preference is only one of many factors in determining which parent receives custody of the child. A judge considers which parent can provide a more stable home or atmosphere, and he or she may also consider which parent is able to earn more income. I agree with many parents that believe their child(ren) have a voice that should be heard. Forty percent of children growing up in America today are being raised without their fathers. My parents divorced in 1986, when I was 6 years old. I didn’t fully understand what was happening at the time, but I also wasn’t able to choose which parent I wanted to live with. My brother and I were made to live with our mom, while our dad had visitation rights every other weekend until he moved to Ohio from West Virginia in 1989. My mom had started experimenting with drugs and illegal narcotics, even sometimes doing them right in front of me. I was extremely unhappy living with her, even though I still loved her. I went to visit with my dad in the summer of 1990, where he had asked me to live with him permanently. I didn’t want to have to choose between my parents because I loved them both very uch equally, but I knew that I would be better off if I lived with my dad. The judge in the case was ready to throw my dad in jail, feeling that he had coerced me into wanting to live with him. Once I demonstrated I had knowledge of the impact of my long-term future, the judge then willingly agreed to let me live with my dad. I spent half of my early life living with my mom, and the other half living with my dad. Most children of divorce are not able to voice their opinion as to who they can live with until they reach a certain age. Instead of legislating law in terms of age, our judicial system should allow children of divorce to speak to a counselor or psychiatrist to voice their opinion, and if they can demonstrate why they would be better off living with the parent of choice, they should be allowed to voice their opinion to a judge. Divorce is sometimes unavoidable, but we should all work together to determine what our children want and who they want to live with. We shouldn’t neglect their opinions just because they are not of a certain age as long as they can show that they know what is right and what is wrong.

Comparison The Lovely Bones and The Liars Club

Comparison The Lovely Bones and The Liars Club In this term paper I will compare two books that I really liked: The lovely bones and The liars club. I decided to write about them, because I believe that both stories are very similar and very well written. I also think that the authors of these books are admirable women who have struggled with life, society and family. For this reason, I consider important to compare the two books. I will start to write about the lovely bones. At the beginning, I did not want to finish reading the book, because it is a hard story that talks about the raping of a little girl. Therefore, I felt so angry and frustrating. But then I understood that I had to continue reading the book if I wanted to know the meaning of it. The point of view of the lovely bones is first person and it is narrated by Susie Salmon, the girl that was horribly raped and murdered by her neighbor. The entire story is about the grief that the Salmon family is experimenting after Susies death. However, there was a member of the family who suffered the most: Susies father, Jack Salmon. This man loved her daughter so much that when he knew that she was killed, life became a hell for him. As a result, his marriage was very affected and his wife cheated on him. I found a quote that explains the relationship between Susie and her father: His own father had taught him how to build ships in bottles. They were something my mother, sister, and brother couldnt care less about. It was something I adored. The den was full of them. He would call me in whenever he was ready (Sebold, Alice p, 45) Unlike her siblings, Susie enjoyed her fathers hobby. This man loved to build ships in bottles, because his father taught him how to do them. So, he shared this hobby with their children, but the only one who liked and care about it was Susie because she had a very strong relationship with her father. Therefore, when she passed away his father Jack wanted to die. On the other hand, Mary Karr in her book The liars club showed that her relationship with her father was very special and unique. For example, she mentioned that he used to be a very lovely father with her and her sister and that even though he was many years in the war, when he came back home he always wanted to spend time with his family. However, Marys father did not have a good relationship with the rest of the family, because his mother in law did not like him and as a result, his marriage was falling apart. This quote explains the situation he was living: Mother threatened divorce a lot of times, and Daddys response to it was usually a kind of patient eye-rolling. He never spoke of divorce as a n option. If I asked him worried questions about a particularly nasty fight, hed just say I shouldnt talk bad about my mother, as if even suggesting they might split up insulted her somehow (Karr, Mary pa, 35) As we can see, Marys father did not want to get divorce maybe because he wanted to be with her two children. Moreover, he said to Mary that even though he had conflicts with his wife, she had to love her mother no matter what. I think this man showed that he was a good husband and a good father since he always asked Mary to respect her mother. This case is very similar to the conflict that Susies parents had in the book The lovely bones. As we know, when Susie died, all the family struggled with the fact that she was not longer with them. Each of them faced Susies death differently. The father, for example, was obsessed to find the killer, the sister Lindsay did not want to talk about it, the brother was very innocent to realize that her sister had passed away and the mother decided to cheat on her husband to relieve the pain. I said before that Susies father and Marys were similar because both men were married with women whot, from my point of view, did not care about their children . Marys mother cared only about herself. She just wanted to have fun and get another husband that is why she went on a trip with his Latin-American boyfriend and left her children. Susies mother did the same thing when she decided to move to another state in order to be alone and deal with her daughters death. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SIBLINGS I believe that in the two books that I decided to compare, the relationship between siblings is one of the most important topics. In this part of my term paper, I will compare Susies relationship with her brother and sister and Mary Karr relationship with her sister Lecia. Susie Salmon had one brother called Buckley and one sister called Lindsay. The tree of them were very closed and cared very much about each other. There is a quote in the book The lovely bones where Susie says that once she saved her brothers life. a three-year-old Buckley had swallowed it. Buckley was choking, his body bucking, and I carried him with Nate trailing into the garage, where my fathers precious Mustang sat. I put Buckley in the back and grabbed and grabbed the keys from the unused terra-cotta pots where my father hid them. I sped all the way to the hospital. if the hadnt been there, the doctor later told my mother you would have lost your little boy (Sebold, Alice p, 93,94) As the quote explains, Susie saved her brother because she loved him very much. She also had the courage to do it since many people would not dare to do what Susie did. Susie loved Buckley so much that she did not think about anything but to safe her little brother. Later in the book, this strong connection is demonstrated when in one of the chapters, Buckley said to his dad that Susie touched his cheek and that he felt that Susie was seeing them from heaven. Susie also got along well with her sister Lindsay. Both girls enjoyed being together, not only because they were sisters but also because they were the same age. As a result, when Lindsay knew that her sister was dead, she did not want to talk about this tragic event to anybody. For me, it is very understandable the way that Lindsay felt. Some people like her deal with death by being quite and reserved. Some others share their feelings in order to release their pain. But what really cares is to remember the people who we love. Now, the author of The liars club also had a good relationship with her sister Lecia. These two girls suffered a lot not only because they had many problems in their home, but also because they have an alcoholic mother and a hysterical grandmother. I found a quote that explains their relationship: Lecia and I both behaved like savages at any opportunity. When she was only twelve, Lecia could beat the dogshit out of any neighbor boy up to the age of fifteen. For my part, I can remember standing behind the drainage ditch in our yard cussing Carol Sharp for bloodying my nose (Karr, Mary pa, 40) In this quote, Mary Karr explains that she used to play pranks with her sister and that thought she had problems in home, she tried to forget them by playing with Lecia. From my point of view, it is very difficult to live you life normally when you know that your family is hurting each other. For this reason, I admired Mary Karr very much, because she tried to forget all her problems. Unfortunately, when you are a child, all these family conflicts affect you and the only thing that you can do about it is to move on with your life just as Mary Karr did. On the other hand, I also believe that she was conscious about her family problems, but she could not do anything about it. I can not imagine what it feels like to live with a family that is full of traumas and that does not care about you. For example, Mary Karrs grand mother was a bitter woman who did not love their grand children and who lived in the past. That is why Mary Karr did not suffer when her grand mother passed away. Inste ad, she felt relieved and free. Susie Salmon also had a special grand mother, but unlike Marys she was a good person who loved their grand children very much. This woman was an alcoholic but she took cared of their grand children while her daughter Abigail decided to move to another state. These two women were so different, but as any human being they have many flaws. Now, in the next pages of my paper I will talk about the role of the mothers in the two books The lovely bones and The liars club THE ROLE OF A MOTHER IN A FAMILY It is well known that a mother represents many important things in a family. She is the one who takes care of her children, because she has a protective instinct that a father does not have. For this reason, it is unbelievable for me to understand why Susies mother abandoned their children in order to forget her dead daughter. I can understand that it is very painful to lose your daughter, but by abandoning your other children you are not going to resolve anything. Now, I also comprehend that as human beings we need to have our space, because is our right. But when you have a family like Susies mother you also have to think about them. Another thing that also surprised me was that Susies mother cheated on her husband. Even now I can not understand what she did that. There is a very good quote that explains Abigails attitude according to Susies point of view: Len kissed her forehead hard and closed his eyes. She took his hand and placed it on her breast. She whispered in his ear. I knew what was happening. Her rage, her loss, her despair. The whole life lost tumbling out in an arc on that roof, clogging up her being. She needed Len to drive the dead daughter out (Sebold, Alice p, 152) This woman desired to forget her daughters death by cheating on her husband. She thought that her pain was going to disappear if she transferred all his sorrow in another person, but I think that is not the correct way to resolve our problems. She could have gone to a therapist or talking to her husband about Susies death. Infidelity is something that I can not comprehend. Unfortunately, Abigails infidelity did not bring Susie back. Instead, this deception caused Abigail more pain and more remorse to her life. At the end of the book, we know that Abigail returned with her family because Jack had a heart attack, but we never knew if she stayed again with them or if she decided to be brave enough in order to tell her husband that she had cheated on him with Len Fenerman. In the book The liars club Mary Karr explained that her mother was always worried about herself, just exactly like Susies mother. You might think that I am judging these women very hard, but I just can not understand why they behaved that way with their children. I mean, when you decide to have children is because you know that you have to take care of them, yet there are some mothers that do the opposite thing. Mary Karrs mother for example, tried to be a good mother, but I feel that she had a very hard background that did not allow her to live her life peacefully. Even Mary Karr recognized that when she finished her book, it was very hard for her mother to read it. At the same time, Mary said that she was very supportive when the book was done. Another thing that it was hard to assimilate for Mary and her sister Lecia was to live with their stepfather Hector. He constantly had arguments with Marys mother and they did not have a good relationship. There is a quote that explains this situation: Other nights were occupied with Mother and Hector fighting. The litany of his innate low-lifedness got seared into skull during this time. Hector was a pussy, was her main gripe. Also, he lacked gainful employment, which meant Mother accused him of sponging off her all the time. As this quote explains, Marys stepfather did not support his wife economically. Therefore, Marys mother argued with him and had many conflicts. Plus, he was an alcoholic who was worried more about drinking than about taking care of his wife, his house and his stepdaughters. When I think about the problems that Mary had to deal with, I really felt sorry for her. She was only a child when her parents got divorce and when he had to accept a new father figure. I can see Marys life like a quest. During her childhood, she lived so many bad things that made her stronger, but at the same time made her more vulnerable. In order to conclude this term paper in the next to pages, I will talk about the most difficult topic in both books: raping. The reason why I decided to write about it at the end, was because I want to reflect about how raping can change your life. TWO GIRLS WHO LOST THEIR INNOCENCE The books that I decided to compare in this term paper talk about a very hard topic: raping. In the lovely bones, the main character Susie Salmon was horribly raped and killed by her neighbor Mr. Harvey. This story is fiction, but the author of it was raped in real life. For that reason, she wrote this book. As we know, Susie Salmon was a fourteen year old girl who had a normal life and who wanted to fell in love for the first time. Unfortunately, all of her dreams were destroyed by a disgusting and despicable man named Mr. Harvey. He took away Susies innocence when he raped her. After this, he decided to kill her so she could not accuse him of anything. But Susie was not dead in a one hundred percent, because her spirit went to heaven. She saw her family and her killer from there. She saw all the pain that Mr. Harvey had caused after he killed her. But she also saw that her family got over her death and moved on. Here is a quote in which Susie explains her raping: Mr. Harvey made me lie still underneath him and listen to the beating of his heart and the beating of mine. How mine skipped like a rabbit, and how thudded, a hammer against cloth. We lay there with our bodies touching, and, as I shook, a powerful knowledge took hold. He had done this thing to me and I had lived. (Sebold, Alice p, 14) The only thing that I can say about this quote is that I can not imagine what this girl felt in that moment. For me, it is very difficult to understand how these criminals can exist. I mean, this man took advantage of a child who was not big or strong enough to defend herself. Killing a person is horrible, but killing a kid who is weak and innocent is the most despicable act in the world. From my point of view, Mr. Harvey was a scum of the earth who did not deserve to be alive, because she also killed other children. All of them were girls that had a life, dreams and hopes for the future. But this killer ruined their lives and left sorrow in their families. Finally, in the book The Liars club Mary Karr narrates that she was raped, when she was a little girl. This event changed her life and her perspective about the world. The quote says: He pulled me off my shorts and underwear and threw them in the corner in a ball, over where I knew there could be spiders. He pushed down his pants and put my hand on his thing, which was unlike any of the boys joke about hot dogs and garden hoses. It was hard as wood and felt big around and felt big around as my arm. He wrapped both my hands around it, and showed me how to slide them up and down (Karr, Mary p, 66) When I read this fragment of the book, I really felt so angry and frustrated. I can to imagine the desperation that Mary Karr experimented. She as Alice Sebold experienced how it felt to be raped and humiliated by a man. But at the same time this horrible experience made them successful and brave. So, my conclusion for this term paper is the following: every person forms his character based on his personal experiences. As a consequence, in life we can follow two paths: the one that is related with hate, vengeance and sadness and the one that is connected with love, success and hopes. I believe that the authors of the books that I compared followed the second path, because they decided to heal their emotional wounds in order to move on. That is a lesson that all human beings should learn. Nobody said that life is easy. Nobody said that life is pink color. However, god made us strong to achieve any objective that we have. He made us intelligent to understand that life is something that is full of bad and good moments. For this reason, these two authors, Alice Sebold and Mary Karr succeed when they decided to tell their stories to the world. They had a lot of pain in their lives, but they also decided to cure their traumas to move on and have a good life.