Wednesday, December 25, 2019

The Downside Risk of Essay Topics for Scholarships Samples That No One Is Talking About

The Downside Risk of Essay Topics for Scholarships Samples That No One Is Talking About The Advantages of Essay Topics for Scholarships Samples Without knowing good essay making, your odds of going into a very good college are slim. There are lots of things you can do to boost your odds of obtaining a scholarship and writing a scholarship essay is just one of it. There are various ways to begin an essay and all you have to do is to use one that can supply the most positive impact to the individuals who will review your scholarship essay. Becoming mindful of common essay mistakes and the way to repair them can help you make an impressive scholarship essay. Begin with your achievements during your preceding degree of education, which might incorporate both academic and noncurricular activities. Whatever college essay topic you select or are assigned, the secret is to compose a fantastic stand-out essay. Considering all the knowledge areas and tips that you're already mindful of in writing a scholarship letter, it is possible to easily put together all of the info that you must make sure you and your scholarship letter will stick out. Moreover, even only a diploma doesn't guarantee truly valuable professional abilities and knowledge. Conversely, provision of scholarship opens the chance to further evolution of career to get the experience required in leadership. Scholarship essays are a significant issue. A scholarship essay is far the toughest and responsible portion of a university application. It is an important document that is used in the processes of scholarship application. You'll learn precisely what you want to do in order to create the ideal scholarship essay. Among the projects I mean to execute is tutoring kids. Students who can demonstrate they can think broadly, and see themselves as part of a larger history, are demonstrating critical thinking skills required to be successful. Such skills weren't innate. You don't need to possess the very best writing skills as a way to be creative and compose an effective essay. In summary, the meat of the essay was not there. The body of your essay consists of the major argument. If you aren't provided with a prompt, and the subject of the essay is left open for you, be certain to cover the appropriate info and attempt to clearly show your creative side in your approach. There's no ideal recipe for writing an essay, but there are a few ingredients that you are able to add to make it even more appealing. Generally, the size of scholarship essays is limited to many pages. An essay outline can help you organize the total structure of your essay. Application essays normally have a crystal clear statement, a specific subject that has to be covered. If you haven't been supplied a prompt to write about, you have to produce your own interesting creative essays. The very first step to any essay writing is to select a subject of interest. Regardless of what, don't forget that you're capable of putting coherent thoughts on a slice of paper. The general format of your essay, for example, font size and margins, will solely be based on the instructions provided to you. Narrative papers are a kind of writing which captures an experience in a particular time. Make sure your font size is able to make your discussion uncomplicated to read. Make certain you answer the correct question. Finally, when you've composed the very best draft you are able to ask the exact folks to proofread for grammar and spelling errors. If you're searching the answer of the question how to compose a scholarship letter You do not have to get worried about anything. A Secret Weapon for Essay Topics for Scholarships Samples Don't forget to begin your essay strongit should have the capability to spark the interests of your readers. It's simple to point out an essay that's been written solely for the interest of it. After all, you're going to compose a mere essay. An excellent essay is one which leaves an enduring impression.

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Puns in the Importance of Being Ernest - 1768 Words

Wilde uses puns throughout this play, but the major pun is found within the title. In The Importance of Being Earnest, the pun, widely considered to be the lowest form of verbal wit, is rarely just a play on words. The title, - The Importance of Being Earnest,- insinuates the importance of being honest and truthful, while playing on the male name, Ernest. The pun in the title is a case in point. The earnest/Ernest joke strikes at the very heart of Victorian notions of respectability and duty. Gwendolen wants to marry a man called Ernest, and she doesn’t care whether the man actually possesses the qualities that comprise earnestness. She is, after all, quick to forgive Jack’s deception. In embodying a man who is initially neither†¦show more content†¦Aristocracy does not see marriage as an organ of love but rather as a tool for achieving a sustaining social stature. Act I, scene 1, Puns are also used during the conversation between Algernon and Jack in town. To accuse Algernon a liar just like dentists who lies about cavities, Jack has said, -â€Å"My dear Algy, you talk exactly as if you were a dentist. It is very vulgar to talk like a dentist when one isn’t a dentist. It produces a false impression†. This is very funny because we can see that Jack is also lying about his brother, but he is judging Algernon as if he is a very honest person. Later, when Jack reveals all his truth about the name Ernest, Algernon responds by saying: Algernon: â€Å"What you really are is a Bunburyist. You are one of the most advanced Bunburyist I know. †¦ â€Å"Besides now that I know you to be a confirmed Bunburyist, I naturally want to talk to you about Bunburying. I want to tell you the rules. This is very funny, because Algernon is trying to be honest to Jack about advising him of an action that in fact is itself dishonest and false. The pun is when Algernon thinks that Jack deserves to be advised and learn the rules, since he turned out to be a real Bunburyist, even the most advanced one. This is very ridiculous! As if Jack was discovered to be a man with high principles or qualities. Act I, scene 1 Algernon: â€Å"You must beShow MoreRelatedOscar Wilde s Character, Jack Worthing, And The Other1329 Words   |  6 Pagestwo distinct identities throughout the play. One of the personas is a countryman in Hertfordshire named Jack Worthing, and the other is a dandy in London named Ernest. Wilde intentionally creates two different characters, which are contradictory to the reader’s expectation whenever they first read the characters’ names. The name Ernest correlates with the actual definition of the adjective earnest, which means a person who is honest, serious, and sincere. Later in the play, Jack realizes his nameRead MoreThe Significance Of Being Earnest, By Oscar Wilde1305 Words   |  6 Pagesnorms. Satire is the hyperbolic expressions of absurdity, which provides clarity through sarcasm and offensive exaggerations to project a society’s ethics. In Oscar Wilde’s play, The Importance of Being Earnest, Wilde exposes the absurdity of Victorian ari stocratic social propriety. Wilde utilizes numerous ironic puns and sarcasm in order to satirize Victorian social responsibilities concerned with marriage, social masking, and education. Wilde’s play explores the notion of social responsibilityRead MoreThe Importance of Being Earnest800 Words   |  4 PagesThe Importance of Being Earnest, celebrated the Victorian Era society while criticizing it in his play. Through his play, he utilized the humorous literary techniques of pun, irony, and satire to comment on the impact of Victorian Era society left on the characters themselves. These comedic literary devices also help to show how the members of this society in the Victorian Era live by a set of unspoken rules that determine politeness, as well as proper etiquette to live by. Wilde uses a pun in theRead MoreWilliam Wilde s The Importance Of Being Earnest Essay820 Words   |  4 Pages Humor in Wilde s The Importance of Being Earnest. During the Victorian times, being proper, rich is very important. Having the right manners, reading the right things, marry the right person. Is big during this time period. They only talk about certain things in good company. They live on the right block, having the right clothing is very important. In Wilde Importance of being Earnest in the first scene there was humor in there. Algernon was stuffing his face. Wilde likes to make fun of allRead MoreRussell Jackson ´s Review of The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde 1307 Words   |  6 PagesRussell Jackson asserts that in The Importance of Being Earnest, Wilde simultaneously engaged with and mocked the forms and rules of society To what extent is Wildes play critical of society? The Importance of Being Earnest: a Trivial Comedy for Serious People is a play written by, author, poet and playwright Oscar Wilde in 1894 and debuted at St Jamess Theatre in London in 1895. The Importance of Being Earnest is Wildes most eminent work and renowned for its abundant quips and entertainingRead MoreThe World Of The House By Oscar Wilde1978 Words   |  8 PagesWordplay is used extensively in all of Oscar Wilde’s plays, and perhaps never more so than in The Importance of Being Earnest, where every scene is peppered with double entendres, puns and aphorisms. The world of the play is a high parody of Victorian society at the time – it both follows the rules and doesn’t; norms are undermined through wordplay, and language is endlessly adaptable through puns and paradoxes. Sos Eltis notes of the characters in this play that â€Å"nothing stands in the way of theirRead MoreOscar Wildes Paradoxes1404 Words   |  6 Pagestrue at the same time. The type of paradox that Wilde uses is the statement contradicts not itself but common sense. Although paradoxical statements add to the comedy of the play, they are not the only features that provide comic effect: epigrams, puns and incongruity are all features that are important in adding to the comedy. Paradoxical statements are fundamental in adding to the comedy of the play as they shape our views of the characters and society. Lady Bracknell, for example, states â€Å"ToRead MoreThe Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde1407 Words   |  6 Pages Wilde’s ‘The Importance Of Being Earnest’ explores various themes of love and marriage, especially in Act 1, where marriage in Victorian society is widely contradicted as a ‘very pleasant state,’ instead using various comedic devises, such as puns, double entendres and inversions to mock its virtue and morality. Wilde creates comedy through the presentation of Victorian views on the functionality of marriage, ridiculing it as a social tool. The fact that Victorian society does not value the ‘love’Read MoreEssay on The Comedic Element in The Importance of Earnest582 Words   |  3 Pageshave more importance in the world than they do. On any given night if someone were to watch the news or read the newspaper they would see just how dire and depressing the world actually is. It is important to take the time now and then and have a good laugh to ease the tension that the news can cause. Oscar Wildes The Importance of Being Earnest is a witty and amusing comedy which conveys real life everyday themes such as real love as opposed to selfish love, religion, marriage, being truthful andRead MoreAn Examination of Oscar Wilde’s Mockery of Victorian Conventions in â€Å"the Importance of Being Earnest†1559 Words   |  7 Pagesof Victorian Conventions in â€Å"The Importance of Being Earnest† In Victorian society, the conventional norms of status, gender roles, and marriage were closely linked by an institution that men and women were placed with unrealistic demands and expectations from society. Women were brought up by their parents to become the perfect housewife, and men were forced into marriages based on status within the society. In Oscar Wilde’s play, â€Å"The Importance of Being Earnest,† he mocks the typical Victorian

Monday, December 9, 2019

Sustainability Development in Hotel Industry free essay sample

Hotel industry in recent past has come up with various sustainable development measures. These measures are from conserving water, waste management , energy saving to creating green room. The industry has integrated its business with Sustainable development approach in various functions such as Operations, supply Chain and procurement. These sustainable approaches has benefited industry in terms of cost and brand. This research paper find out how globally Hotel industry is adopting sustainable development approaches in the daily business. The goal of Sustainable Development is clearly to secure economic development, social equity and environmental protection. As much as they could work in harmony these goals sometimes work against each other in our modern world. The rapid development of good living, travel and in general of the consumer society has often resulted in less protection to the environment and to some groups of the world population. Ferocious search for profitability has not co-existed harmoniously with making the world a better place. However there is a general consensus that t cannot go on for ever and those who are favored by life now feel responsible for those who have not had the same chance. Economic growth will always remain the basis of human development but it should integrate as well its impact on the people and on the planet. SD focuses on having a holistic approach to development taking into consideration economic, social and environmental needs while avoiding over utilizing key natural resources. Hospitality or Hotel industry all over the world is leading in creating sustainable model for other industry. Area of Sustainable Developments in Hotel industry Water As the hotel industry is a large consumer of water it is obvious that it should demonstrate its concern about this major problem. Currently, in a lot of hotels, guests are recommended to keep their towels –sometimes their sheets- for more than a day in order for hotels to conserve water and reduce the use of detergent. It is a worthwhile undertaking but one that sounds hypocritical as it appears to be as a cost saving exercise. Energy The installation of fluorescent lights throughout a hotel reduces energy consumption by thousands of dollars as does the replacement of windows. Green roofs help conserve energy. New energies – wind, solar should be encouraged. Not only these programs help save energy but they cut maintenance costs. Their pay-back period is generally very good. Governments usually encourage the efforts by giving grants or tax cuts. Hotel companies should do whatever can be done to help develop clean energies. Waste There is an enormous amount of waste in the hotel industry and particularly in the food industry. A significant global project is to engage the units to reduce waste as much as possible and to recycle it Greenhouse Gas emissions (GHG) Hotels, using major quantities of energy, produce major quantities of GHG. The measurement of the reduction of GHG emission is more visible when consolidated at company level. A company can make a pledge to offset carbon emissions by supporting an organization such as Climate Care. Paperless environment When one considers the quantity of paper that is used in a hotel one cannot but think of the destruction of trees and its impact on global warming. Moreover the printing of paper is often totally useless and people often discard papers after a meeting or will not even look at them at a later point. When one adds the production of ink and toners to supply photocopy machines it is easy to realize the negative impact of such habits on the environment. In a computerized world it is evident that old habits should be discouraged. Not only would it help the environment but it would also cut costs dramatically in the long term. Only the necessary printing of paper and strict use of recycled paper should be encouraged. Green Hotel Program – A new Concept In an industry where investment in the end product (rooms) is enormous it is significant to spend money wisely with a focus on the environment. It actually ives a great opportunity for the company to display its commitment to SD. Every aspect of room construction and decoration can be addressed: flooring, wall-covering, air conditioning, electrical installation, water usage, furniture, textile and equipment. Clearly the process should not only consider the room but the whole property; however in the hotel industry it is the room product that captures the attention of the public Procurement The value chain of the hotel industry includes a major component which is procurement. This is true not only during construction but while running a hotel and a restaurant. This activity will reveal how a sound hotel SD policy can have a ripple effect on other industries, engaging the procurement company and all suppliers in the same direction. Vendors involved in a hotel construction and renovation program should be made aware of the objective of the company. Moreover the procurement company should include Sustainable Development in its own strategy. It can start with presenting as many green products as possible and encouraging vendors to reduce packaging and offer recyclable products. It should as well emphasize buying sustainable food only. Once the procurement company is involved in this mission it will encourage hoteliers to go yet further in their SD efforts. The purchasing power of a procurement company is enormous and it will help reduce the unit price of sustainable products as they can be more expensive than non-sustainable products and it discourages hoteliers and restaurateurs from buying SD products. A major endeavor for a procurement company is to include Fair Trade in its strategy enabling local suppliers to develop their business and helping poor countries to expand their economy. It should not however stop companies from considering Fair Trade as a great opportunity to improve their corporate social responsibility. Industry Standards for ‘Green Hotel’ According to US green building council a ‘Green’ or ‘Sustainable’ Hotel will : †¢Use 26% Less Energy †¢Emit 33% Carbon Dioxide †¢Use 30% Less Indoor Water †¢Send 50%-75% less Solid Waste to Landfills and Incinerators †¢Green Buildings can also encourage the use of alternative transportation (walking, mass transit, low-emission, fuel-efficient or alternative fuel vehicles) World Wide Leading Hotels in Sustainable Development Fairmont Hotels Resorts Fairmont is certainly the hotel company that has introduced Environment and Community Service earlier than others in its global strategy. Due to its history and its hotels locations, often in the countryside, the company has officially recognized the importance of Environment in 1990 and pioneered the Fairmont Green Partnership, in order to minimize the impact of its hotels on the planet. It encourages all properties to individually search for environment initiatives, be it minimization of pesticide on their golf course, encouragement to use hybrid cars, etc. Its main topics are waste reduction, resource conservation, purchasing policy, habitat and species protection and community connection. They encourage as well Social Responsibility through the Fairmont Hotels Resorts charitable donations program that delivers grants which support Education and Youth development programs, Health programs, Social services and Civic and community projects. Through these programs Fairmont has received many accolades and awards, most recently the WTTC Tourism for Tomorrow 2006 award. Accor As of today Accor is the hotel company that is the most advanced in its SD approach. It started as an Environment strategy in 1994 building a network of 53 environment correspondents throughout the world. Sustainable Development was officially embedded in the strategy of the company in 2002 with the appointment of a Director of Sustainable Development, member of the Management Board, the creation of a group-wide SD committee and the development of an exhaustive SD strategy. That strategy encompasses all aspects of the concept. A scorecard has been developed that checks Accor’s involvement throughout the world with all takeholders: Shareholders, Customers, Employees, suppliers, Environment and local communities. The company was one of the first ones to sign the Global Compact initiative launched by UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, in January 1999 which is a commitment to follow strict guidelines in terms of Human rights, Labor, Environment and anti-corruption initiatives. Accor is not only focused on developing a group SD strategy but insists in reaching each and every one of its 170 000 employees through direct campaigns. It sends a strong message to all employees by published a short document highlighting conservation tips, a comic book about environment conservation, and an environment guide for hotel managers to train their employees about all aspects of environmental protection. A SD purchasing charter was developed and distributed to suppliers to entice them to follow SD guidelines and involve them in a virtuous circle. Environment and eco-efficiency start during the development phase of all projects. The Company uses internationally or nationally recognized certifications. 0 hotels are now ISO 14001 certified and more certifications are in the pipeline. In Canada its hotels are Audubon certified for eco-efficiency. Measurements are in place to show the energy, waste and water consumption reduction. Biodiversity and architectural integration are another focus in the development of projects. For international and shareholder recognition Accor is listed in the major socially responsible investment indexes: DJSI World Stoxx, FTSE4Good, ASPI and ESI indexes. InterContinental Hotels Group IHG has evidently undergone a major shift toward a complete Sustainable Development strategy recently. The basis is there to make it the industry reference in the coming years. The group will not only be the largest hotel company in the world but as well, naturally, can become the most admired one. All components of SD have been addressed. Many actions geared toward social responsibility and environmental protections have been endorsed throughout the years by various divisions or hotels and coordination is now taking place. Measurements will help demonstrate that the company walks the talk and a separate and comprehensive company SD report will position the company not as one of but as the hotel company that leads the industry. It would be convenient to â€Å"brand† this strategy so that all could refer to it easily. A Senior Vice President Global Corporate Social Responsibility position was created in September 2006. Hilton Hilton Corporation has not yet embraced a holistic approach to Sustainable Development. They communicate mostly on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Environment concerns. Their CSR is focused on four areas: Education programs Selected Healthcare programs Youth programs Civic affaires and Public policy. Their Environment policies are based on a tagline: Reduce Reuse – Recycle. The company was the first in the industry to be awarded the EnergyStar award (US) for its involvement in reducing electrical energy consumption –fluorescent bulbs in all areas-, water conservation – towel program-, recycling. It encourages its employees to be involved in various community services. Hilton International (now bought by Hilton Corp) has started a program called We Care which is addressing mostly environmental issues and community service. They have included it in their balance scorecard system. Hilton Hotels has developed an interesting program to help improve relationship between people: Be Hospitable Kimpton Hotels It has divided its operations into two distinctive divisions: Hotels and Restaurants. It is very much involved in Sustainable Development and Environmental protection. Kimpton EarthCare: Their mission statement is the following: â€Å"To lead the hospitality industry in supporting a sustainable world, by continuing to deliver a premium guest experience through non-intrusive, high quality, eco-friendly products and services†. One of these initiatives is the creation of an eco-friendly room at the Triton hotel in San Francisco designed to become a best practice for the company. It offers amenity dispensers – to reduce packaging waste-, energy efficient lighting and motion sensors, non-toxic environmentally safe products, eco-friendly paints, energy efficient mini-bars and air conditioning system, etc. Kimpton’s SD strategy is clear, with a twist of being specific to â€Å"boutique/hip hotels†. However there are still at the initial stage when it comes to measurements. Some of them are the following: â€Å"Over $500,000 in new revenue attributed to EarthCare Over 12,000 gallons (over 360 bathtubs) of toxic cleaners removed from our water supply Conserved over 103,000 gallons of water at Hotel Allegro, Chicago Hotel Monaco Salt Lake City awarded the e2 environmental award Galleria Park Hotel in San Francisco saved $4,000 from just changing Exit lighting to LEDs†. Six Senses SPAs Their purpose: â€Å"To create innovative and enriching experiences in a sustainable environment†. They have an exhaustive list of values all geared towards the happiness of their staff and customers: â€Å"epitomizing all senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, touch †¦ and beyond†. Their environmental program is developed in the Holistic Environmental Management Program. Being generally located on tiny islands, their goals are: to reduce resource consumption and waste generation. to manage energy use and water conservation. o hire members of local communities and engage them in social responsibility. Protection of flora and fauna. They created a fund to support all types of environmental and social activities in which they allocate 0. 05% of their total annual revenue. One interesting idea is the Six Senses guest carbon- neutral program through which clients are enticed to donate money to help compensate the emission of carbon dioxide (CO? ) that the plane that brought them to the island produced. That fund is then distributed to NGOs that care about the reforestation of the planet. Preserving the environment with the ECHO program (Environmentally Conscious Hospitality Operations) through eco-friendly guidelines to all hotels and associates through the â€Å"reduce-reuse-recycle† process†. ITC India ITC is leading hotel in India for sustainability development. It has come up with Innovative designs, Water efficient buildings, Material resources and energy conservation steps in its various hotels . At 170,000 sq feet, ITC Green Centre is the world’s largest 0% water discharge, noncommercial Green building, and compared to similar buildings, ITC Green Centre has a 30% smaller carbon footprint. ITC is developing its hotel based on this building model and architecture. References Jauhari, Vinnie (Editor). International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Volume 19, Issue 5 : The Hospitality Industry in India. Bradford, , GBR: Emerald Group Publishing Ltd, 2007. p 364. Saxena, Atul. New Trends in Tourism and Hotel Industry. Delhi, IND: Global Media, 2008. p 191. Brody, Derrick. Latest Trends in Hotel Industry. Delhi, , IND: Global Media, 2009. p 4. Mannan, B. A..

Sunday, December 1, 2019

Roosevelt Essays (831 words) - Theodore Roosevelt, Cowboys

Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United states Was the youngest President in the nations history. he took office at the age of 42. Roosevelt had been vice President for only six months when president William McKinley was assassinated. He vigorously led Congress and the American public toward progressive reforms and a strong foreign policy. He took The view that the president as a "steward of the people" should take whatever action necessary for the public good unless expressly forbidden by law or the constitution. "I did not usurp power, " he wrote, "but i did greatly broaden the use of executive power." Roosevelt's youth differed sharply from that of the log cabin Presidents. he was born in New York city on October 27,1858 into a wealthy family, but he too struggled--against ill health. When Theodore was about 12, his father told him that he would need a strong body to give his mind a chance to develop fully. The next year, while on a trip to Maine, Theodore was tormented by two mischievous boys. He felt ashamed because he was not strong enough to fight back. Roosevelt's father built a gymnasium in the family home, and Theodore exercised there regularly. He overcame his asthma and built up unusual physical strength. Roosevelt studied under tutors until he entered Harvard University in 1876 at the age of 18. He earned good grades in college. Roosevelt graduated from Harvard in 1880. In October 1879, Roosevelt met Alice Hathaway Lee. Roosevelt courted Alice during his senior year at Harvard. They married on his 22nd birthday. A double tragedy struck on Feb. 14, 1884. Alice Roosevelt died two days after the birth of a daughter. On the same day, Roosevelt's mother died if typhoid fever. Roosevelt spent much of the next two years on his ranch in the badlands of Dakota Territory. There he mastered his sorrow as he lived in the saddle, driving cattle, hunting big game--he even captured an outlaw. On a visit to London, he married Edith Kermit Carow in December 1886. During the Spanish-American War, Roosevelt recruited men for a cavalry regiment. This unit became the First Volunteer Cavalry Regiment. Under Roosevelt s command, it won fame as the Rough Riders. He led the Rough Riders on a charge at the Battle of San Juan. Roosevelt was one of the most conspicuous heroes of the war. Twenty years later he declared:"San Juan was the great day of my life. Thomas C. Platt, needing a hero to draw attention away from scandals in New York State, accepted Roosevelt as the Republican candidate for governor in 1898. Roosevelt won and served with distinction. As president, Roosevelt held the ideal that the Government should be the great arbiter of the conflicting economic forces in the nation, especially between capital and labor, guaranteeing justice to each and dispensing favors to none. Roosevelt emerged spectacurlarly as a "trust buster" by forcing the dissolution of a great railroad combination in the northwest. During Roosevelt's presidency, the government filed suits against 43 other corporations. In major cases, the government ended John D. Rockerfeller's oil trust and James B. Duke's tobacco trust. Roosevelt steered the united States more actively into world politics. He liked to quote a favorite proverb , "Speak softly and carry a big stick, you will go far. Aware of the strategic need for a shortcut between the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean, Roosevelt ensured the construction of the Panama Canal. His corollary to the monroe Doctrine prevented the establishment of foreign bases in the Caribbean and arrogated the sole right of intervention in Latin America to the United States. Roosevelt won the Nobel Peace Prize for mediating the Russo-Japanese War. He was the first American to win a Nobel Prize. He reached a Gentleman's agreement on immigration with Japan. In 1907, Roosevelt decided to display American naval power. He sent 16 new battleships on a good-will tour of the world. These ships became known as the Great White Fleet because they were painted white. Roosevelt viewed the tour as a part of "big stick" diplomacy. Some of Theodore Roosevelt's most effective achievements were in conservation. He added about 150 million acres to the national forests and in 1905 established the United States Forest Service. he also set up five new national parks. By executive order, he created the first 51 federal bird reservations and the first four national game preserves. The Roosevelt children and their friends became known as the "White House Gang." The President sometimes joined in the children's games. One day, he heard thet

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Free Essays on Aztec History

Since the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan had not many building materials like wood or stone, the Aztecs conquered other people and obtained prisoners to sacrifice as part of their religion. An Aztec soldier was not more popular if he killed many enemies in battle but if he captured prisoners. The Aztecs believed strongly in their religion and that was their goal in life. They prayed to more than 1’600 different gods, each having different roles for the world. The Aztecs believed that the gods were always watching over the earth and controlled the environment and life; like disease, crop growth the rain and the sun, they strongly believed in keeping the gods in their favour so they made sacrificial rituals. Idols of these many gods were worshipped at home in shrines as well as huge ceremonies being performed on huge stone pyramids. These ancient rituals included singing, dancing, drama and feasts as well as the offerings to the gods. The Aztecs thought that the gods had given the ir own blood to make life on earth, so the people believed that for help and protection they offered human blood and hearts. (Picture above right: Symbols of Mexico) www.pbs.org†¦venture1/pop-eaglesign.htm and picture above left www.fix.net/~cruz/mexico.html) The captives would be taken to the top of the highest pyramids and priest wearing bright coloured feather capes would stretch the prisoner’s body on a stone platform and cut his heart out with a flint knife; offering the still beating heart to the gods and the corpses would be thrown off the pyramid. The arms and legs of the victim would be given to the captor as a reward and their skulls would be posted on stakes. Above is the symbol of Mexico. While the ancient Aztecs were still nomads and living in swampy areas the priests received a vision from the gods. In this vision, the Aztec god, Huitzilopochtli, told them to look for a place to settle where they saw an eagle perched on a cactus, eatin... Free Essays on Aztec History Free Essays on Aztec History Since the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan had not many building materials like wood or stone, the Aztecs conquered other people and obtained prisoners to sacrifice as part of their religion. An Aztec soldier was not more popular if he killed many enemies in battle but if he captured prisoners. The Aztecs believed strongly in their religion and that was their goal in life. They prayed to more than 1’600 different gods, each having different roles for the world. The Aztecs believed that the gods were always watching over the earth and controlled the environment and life; like disease, crop growth the rain and the sun, they strongly believed in keeping the gods in their favour so they made sacrificial rituals. Idols of these many gods were worshipped at home in shrines as well as huge ceremonies being performed on huge stone pyramids. These ancient rituals included singing, dancing, drama and feasts as well as the offerings to the gods. The Aztecs thought that the gods had given the ir own blood to make life on earth, so the people believed that for help and protection they offered human blood and hearts. (Picture above right: Symbols of Mexico) www.pbs.org†¦venture1/pop-eaglesign.htm and picture above left www.fix.net/~cruz/mexico.html) The captives would be taken to the top of the highest pyramids and priest wearing bright coloured feather capes would stretch the prisoner’s body on a stone platform and cut his heart out with a flint knife; offering the still beating heart to the gods and the corpses would be thrown off the pyramid. The arms and legs of the victim would be given to the captor as a reward and their skulls would be posted on stakes. Above is the symbol of Mexico. While the ancient Aztecs were still nomads and living in swampy areas the priests received a vision from the gods. In this vision, the Aztec god, Huitzilopochtli, told them to look for a place to settle where they saw an eagle perched on a cactus, eatin...

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Test your trademark knowledge - Emphasis

Test your trademark knowledge Test your trademark knowledge How much attention do you pay to trademarks? Mistakenly use one to refer to a generic product, and you can land yourself with a letter from the company concerneds trademark lawyers, and the need to write embarrassing apologies. While its OK to tweak trademarks slightly to bring them into line with standard English (for example More Than, rather than MORE THN), its not OK to use a trademarked name to describe a product not made by that company. In some cases, the horse has already bolted Hoover is now almost synonymous with vacuum cleaner, for example, regardless of the brand. But use Thermos to describe a vacuum flask not made by Thermos and youre on dodgy ground. Take our quiz to see how trademark-aware you are. For each item, decide whether its a current trademark, a lapsed trademark or a red herring. To make it more difficult, weve written them all with an initial capital. After you submit your answers, youll get an explanation of each one. JacuzziCurrently trademarkedPreviously trademarked but now genericNever trademarkedCokeCurrently trademarkedPreviously trademarked but now genericNever trademarkedHot DogCurrently trademarkedPreviously trademarked but now genericNever trademarkedAspirinCurrently trademarkedPreviously trademarked but now genericNever trademarkedLycraCurrently trademarkedPreviously trademarked but now genericNever trademarkedTetra PakCurrently trademarkedPreviously trademarked but now genericNever trademarkedEscalatorCurrently trademarkedPreviously trademarked but now genericNever trademarkedBiroCurrently trademarkedPreviously trademarked but now genericNever trademarkedHeroinCurrently trademarked Previously trademarked but now genericNever trademarkedTannoyCurrently trademarkedPreviously trademarked but now genericNever trademarkedMopedCurrently trademarkedPreviously trademarked but now genericNever trademarkedPortalooCurrently trademarkedPreviously trademarked but now genericNever trademarked *Note: all answers accurate at the time of writing

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Energy drinks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 4

Energy drinks - Essay Example Other components of energy drinks include water, minerals, and ions among other. Many researchers have found them quite harmful and helpful in equal measures. This article analyzes several benefits and risks of energy drinks has on a person. In addition, the essay stimulates other researchers to conduct more studies on this subject and illustrate how to deal with energy drinks. Energy Drinks are associated with a variety of benefits especially for athletes, which are related with the stimulation of the muscles to enable the athletes perform at their optimum. However, there have been recent concerns over the possibility of caffeine intoxication of the energy drinks, owing to the fact that some of the energy drinks range their caffeine content from â€Å"50 mg to an alarming 505 mg† (Reissiga, Straina & Griffithsb, 2009). The major aim of the energy drink consumption is to provide energy for sustenance, endurance, concentration and performance, thus the energy drinks are manufactured and advertized targeting athletes, students and individuals in professions requiring high concentration (Gunja & Brown, 2012). Basically, the benefit associated with energy drinks is that they provide sustained and prolonged energy that can enable individuals to continue undertaking certain activities for a long time. Therefore, energy drinks have not only been used by at hletes and students, but also by people in dance parties, who are seeking to sustain the party activities into late hours (Gunja & Brown, 2012). Despite the fact that caffeine is a safe substance according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it should be limited to maximum of 71 mg per serving (Johnson, Foster & McDowe, 2014). This simply means that the excessive content of caffeine contained in the energy drinks, up to a maximum of 500 mg per serving, has the potential of causing caffeine intoxication (Johnson, Foster & McDowe, 2014). The major target of the

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

GLOBAL OUTSOURCING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

GLOBAL OUTSOURCING - Essay Example It has also been able to simplify stock holding and brought them down to  £8.9 million from staggering  £40 million. The overall net effect of the above savings is decrease in production costs of every component (vehicle) by  £34 (Reynolds, 2012). It has been able to free up its real property for process of manufacturing vehicles. Therefore, Jaguar Land Rover has not only been capable of improving its supply chain but also to deliver fantastic savings on costs. Importantly, Jaguar Land Rover has been able to increase customer satisfaction (Reynolds, 2012). 5 The company trades as â€Å"Jaguar Land Jaguar Land Rover Automotive PLC†. It is a multinational company manufacturing and selling vehicles globally. Its headquarters are in Whitley, Coventry in the United Kingdom. The chief executive officer of Jaguar Land Jaguar Land Rover Company is Ralf Speth. Jaguar Land Jaguar Land Rover company is the largest automotive manufacturing business in the United Kingdom. The company manufactures the automotives around two iconic car brands from the United Kingdom. These iconic car brands are Land Rover and jaguar. Land over is a world’s top producer of finest all wheel drive automobiles. Jaguar is a world leading premier luxury sports car and sports saloon car Marques. Jaguar Land Jaguar Land Rover brings together these two highly prestigious and much loved brands of cars. Tata Motors acquired Land Rover and jaguar companies from Ford Company in 2008 and later merged them in to a single automotive manufacturing company. Jaguar Land Ja guar Land Rover has been successful and it has been flourishing with innovative technologies and memorable vehicles that add to the companys extensive enduring legacy of unique automotive manufacturer (Woolley & Grice 2013). Jaguar Company started in 1922 as a motorcycle sidecars manufacturer. Now, the company name was Swallow SideCar Company. It started to

Sunday, November 17, 2019

World Religion Essay Example for Free

World Religion Essay Confucianism and Daoism are two of the most influential schools of thought in ancient China. Both are not only ways of thinking, but ways of life. They are not religions: they have no teaching of worship of gods, or the afterlife; each philosophy focuses on the individual and their behavior. Confucianism and Daoism are often considered polar opposites for several reasons, although they have a few similarities. Confucianism has a core of morality, ethics, and activism. It encourages social harmony and mutual respect. Confucianists sought to perfect their character by living a virtuous life and seeking goodness. They valued ethics, respect for elders, and propriety. Confucius, the originator of Confucian thought, believed political order would be found by the proper ordering of human relationships, and so did not bother himself with the structure of the state. He stressed that a good government must fill their positions with well-educated and conscientious people, called Junzi. Confucius was followed by his disciples Mencius and Xunzi. They also possessed the same optimism that humans could improve themselves to perfection. Daoism has a core of self-reflection and oneness with the cosmos. They refused to meddle with problems that they thought defied solution, and were the prominent critics of Confucian activism. They devoted their energy to introspection, in hopes that they could better understand the natural principles of the world. The central concept of Daoism is Dao, roughly meaning “the way of nature”. The exact definition of Dao is unclear; it is portrayed as an unchanging, passive force that “does” without “doing”. Daoists try to follow Dao through Wuwei complete disengagement from competition and activism, and instead living in harmony with nature. This philosophy discouraged the presence of any government or empires, just small self-sufficient communities. There are a few similarities between Confucianism and Daoism. They were both created as a solution for the chaos that emerged from the fall of the Zhou Dynasty, although it was the arrival of Legalism that created unification in China. They both focus on self-improvement: Confucianism in the form of  relations with others, and Daoism in the form of relations with oneself and nature. Confucianism and Daoism clearly have strong contrasts, but many people believe that for a person to be whole, they should incorporate elements from each. References: Taoism and confucianism — ancient philosophies. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.ushistory.org/civ/9e.asp (Taoism and confucianism, 2012). Kapaj, L. (10 A). Via historia. Retrieved from http://puppy.viahistoria.com/classwork/taoismonconfucianism.html (Kapaj, 10 A). Huzhang. (2000). Discussion of confucianism. Retrieved from http://www.pureinsight.org/node/1048 (Huzhang, 2000).

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Dissociative Fugue Essay -- Psychology, Identity, Disorders

Dissociative Fugue Dissociation is when there is loss of connection in a person’s memory, thoughts, and sense of identity. The severity of dissociation ranges from mild dissociation a very common form seem in examples such as: daydreaming, driving a familiar route and realizing you do not remember the last several miles, or getting â€Å"lost† in a book. More severe and chronic forms are multiple personality disorder, now called dissociative identity disorder, and other dissociative disorders (Livingston, 2004). In this paper I will be focusing on Dissociative fugue. This dissociative disorder is very rare and can appear in a person suddenly and with warning. The individual travels far from home or work and leaves behind a past life. In extremely rare cases they assume a new identity. The individual experiences amnesia and does not have any conscious knowledge or understanding of why they left or how they got where they are. These â€Å"travels† can last anywhere from a few hours to several months. Fugue is derived from the Latin word fugere, meaning flight. Dissociative fugue differs from dissociative identity disorder because if a person assumes a new identity with dissociative fugue it does not coincide with other identities such as with Dissociative Identity disorder. Disabling Attributes This disorder can be very disabling because these bouts of flight come at unpredictable times. This can make it hard for an individual to keep a job if they have the chance of taking off and not remembering or knowing why. The possibility of assuming a new identity is also there making it very hard to develop strong relationships. They are viewed as unreliable employees and they do not possess the coping skills to deal with emotional ... ...s provide clear boundaries. Individuals have reported that if the support group includes individuals with complex dissociative disorders and those without have been problematic. An individual should keep this in mind when trying to find a support group right for them (Livingston, 2004). Rehabilitation Implications The outcome for individuals with dissociative fugue is good. A rehabilitation counselor should provide counseling and proper support to their client. With the proper treatment individuals with dissociative fugue can accomplish any of the same goals as an individual without a dissociative disorder. Rehabilitation counselors should also make sure clients have had the proper medical examinations and medication to treat the secondary symptoms to dissociative fugue. If all these are followed the counselor client relationship should be successful.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Why Does Bartleby Refuse the Aid of the Lawyer?

Herman Melville’s Bartleby the Scrivener is a confusing work of literature. Some researchers think that in the story Melville described himself. Some others think that this is because of madness that Bartleby behaves so weird and finally, dies. In reality, Bartleby refuses to check some copies, but that cannot mean he is mad.On the contrary, he chooses this himself. He chooses how to live his life and how to behave. Many people think his life is utopian. Many people also cannot understand why he behaves this way. Melville tries to prove that Bartleby has his principles and cannot betray them.That is why he refuses to accept aid from the Lawyer because he thinks that this aid will destroy his principles and his life. Of course, every person has his principles, and that does not mean that every person is mad. On the contrary, people who have their principles cannot be mad. They are reasonable and conscious, even when their ideas seem to be utopian. â€Å"The utopian spirit as w e have been discussing it, is revealed through the written words of men who were critical of the world they lived in and dreamers of a better world† (Anonymous). And Bartleby, too, sees the world with a critical eye.On the one hand, he does not want to accept this world as he sees it. On the other hand and because he cannot accept this world as he sees it, he also creates his own world. This world is very comfortable to him, and Bartleby does not want anyone to interfere. â€Å"His face was leanly composed; his gray eye dimly calm. Not a wrinkle of agitation rippled him. Had there been the least uneasiness, anger, impatience or impertinence in his manner; in other words, had there been any thing ordinarily human about him, doubtless I should have violently dismissed him from the premises† (Melville).Melville describes Bartleby as a very calm and balanced person. When he refuses to check the copies he does not show that is he worried or disturbed. He sees that the Lawyer is getting very angry and disturbed. He also sees that the Lawyer is becoming very irritated. If Bartleby were insane, he would not be able to preserve balance and calmness. If he were insane he would be more emotional with the Lawyer. Moreover, he is very confident that his principles of life are very correct. If he were not that confident, he would not make the Lawyer so much curious about himself.He would not be able to be so calm and to defend his principles. When he answers the Lawyer’s questions he does not lose his patience, because he knows that his principles are the best and that he has the right to use these principles in his life. He also knows that the Lawyer cannot break these principles. When he defends them he seems solid like a stone. But he also fears of losing these principles and his stability. That is why he does not want to answer the Lawyer’s questions: â€Å"Will you tell me, Bartleby, where you were born?– I would prefer not to. â€⠀œ Will you tell me anything about yourself? – I would prefer not to† (Melville). It is very probable that Bartleby has his own theory of life. He knows that the Lawyer wants to help him, but he also knows that if he accepts this aid, he will not be able to live as he lived before. He will not be able to protect his principles from the Lawyer. The story about Bartleby shows how difficult it is for a person to be successful. It is a material world. It values farms, goods, estates, and other material things.Unfortunately, â€Å"the ways of trade are grown selfish to the borders of theft, and supple to the borders of fraud. The employments of commerce are not intrinsically unfit for a man, or less genial to his faculties, but these are now in their general course so vitiated by derelictions and abuses at which all connive, [†¦] that nothing is left him but to begin the world anew†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Emerson). That is why to avoid these problems Bartleby creates his own wo rld. In this world he has no obligations. He can do what he wants. He can refuse checking the copies. He can refuse working.He can also refuse leaving the office. This world is very different from the one in which we live. Still, this is the world in which Bartleby wants to live. Bartleby does not have a house; he does not speak about his past; he does not speak of anything at all and spends all his time at the Lawyer’s office at Wall Street. One day he refuses to fulfill his working obligations. He is not willing to leave the office; nor is he willing to leave the Lawyer. Unfortunately, no one can understand Bartleby. Everyone thinks he is insane. For this reason, he becomes a vagrant and soon dies.But what can happen if some day Bartleby decided not to refuse the Lawyer’s aid? Would this aid help Bartleby return to the normal world? No, it would not, but would make it more difficult for Bartleby to defend his principles. If he accepted the aid, he would also have to accept all other norms of the modern world. However, because Bartleby is so active and brave in his wish to protect his principles and his life, he influences and changes everyone around him: â€Å"Somehow, of late I had got into the way of involuntary using this word ‘prefer’ upon all sorts of not exactly suitable occasions.And I trembled to think that my contact with the scrivener had already and seriously affected me in a mental way† (Melville). That is why Bartleby’s behavior is not because of his madness but because of his strength and power, which he uses to live. When he refuses the Lawyer’s aid he also builds a wall between himself and the rest of the world. He does not want the Lawyer to become a part of his world. He is an idealist. His world is utopian.Many of us would want to live the life in the same way, but not all of us would be able to protect their principles from influence. Conclusion Herman Melville’s Bartleby the Scrivene r is one of the most confusing works of literature. On the one hand, readers cannot understand who Bartleby is, who he was, and who he wants to be. On the other hand, everything we read about Bartleby looks like the story about a mad man. In reality, it is not madness, and Bartleby himself chose his life and his principles.Moreover, he wants to protect his life and his principles from anyone’s influence. That is why he refuses to accept the Lawyer’s aid, because he is afraid that the aid will destroy his principles, his life, and the world he has created for himself. Works Cited Anonymous. â€Å"About Utopia and Utopian Literature. † Emerson, R. W. â€Å"Man the Reformer. † A Lecture Read Before the Mechanics’ Apprentices’ Library Association, Boston, January 25, 1841. Melville, H. â€Å"Bartleby the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-Street. † Virginia Commonwealth University, 1853.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Application of a Communicative Competence Skill Essay

Introduction I will first describe the components of Communicative Competence then the four spheres of Multiliteracies Pedagogy then conclude by applying a skill. Communicative Competence Communicative Competence has five components: 1. Discourse Competence: The selection, sequencing, and arrangement of words, structures and utterances to achieve a unified spoken or written text. Examples of Discourse Competence skills: A. Cohesion B. Deixis C. Coherence 2. Linguistic Competence: The basic elements of language: A. Syntax B. Morphology C. Lexicon D. Phonology E. Orthography 3. Actional Competence: Conveying and understanding speech acts. Examples of Actional Competence skills: A. Interpersonal Exchange B. Suasion C. Problems 4. Sociocultural Competence: The knowledge of how to communicate appropriately within the social and cultural context of communication. Examples of Sociocultural Competence skills: A. Social Contextual Factors B. Stylistic Appropriateness Factors C. Cultural Factors 5. Strategic Competence: The knowledge of communication strategies and how to use them. Examples of Strategic Competence skills: A. Avoidance or reduction strategies. B. Achievement or compensatory strategies. C. Interactional strategies. The Multiletracies Pedagogy model: 1. Situated Practice: It provides immersion for students to develop familiarity for the activities and learn by doing. 2. Overt Instruction: It provides direct information from the teacher to let the students learn the important features of the learning activities and focus on the structure (grammar) of the activities. 3. Discourse Analysis: It helps students analyze their activities and know how to benefit best from the materials. 4. Transformed Practice: it give an opportunity for students to use what they learned in new situations. Applying the model I chose service encounters to apply to the multileteracies pedagogy model: 1. Situated Practice: show the students a service encounter on how to order in a restaurant or book a room in a hotel via video or a role play. 2. Discourse Analysis: Let the students have a discussion on how to do service encounters well and what kind of language they should use. 3. Overt Instruction: Explain the structures and expressions used in service encounters, for example the use of â€Å" I want †¦, please† and â€Å"How much †¦?† 4. Transformed practice: Have the students do a role play as employee at a travel agency and a client, or a waiter and a customer. Student can also record a service encounter on the phone or a digital recorder calling for a takeout meal or the mobile service company to file a complaint

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Information of Financial Essay Example

Information of Financial Essay Example Information of Financial Essay Information of Financial Essay What financial information should be routinely provided to board members? Generally, financial information that is provided to board members only has two uses, to evaluate the financial condition of the organization and to assess the operational efficiency of the organization. It is usually not necessary to provide detailed financial information to the board. However, if there are significant deviations in the quality of care and the plans of the organization are not being met, more detailed financial information may be needed in order to take corrective action. With that, An effective hospital board has been shown to be related to high hospital financial performance (Culica Prezio, 2009). The board must be able to understand a sound financial strategic plan that includes profitability, liquidity, creditworthiness, capital structure, and asset activity. It is recommended that these indicators be reviewed monthly with a predetermined plan in place to take appropriate action in the event of negative variances (Culica Prezio, 2009). The board has some responsibility in assuring financial health for the hospital/healthcare organization, along with operational planning, budgeting, monitoring, and reporting progress. Do you think its important for board members in healthcare organizations to have basic accounting or financial background? Why or why not? I do feel that it is important for board members in healthcare organizations to have basic accounting or financial knowledge. Accounting and financial information is a vital component in the decision-making process. An adequate understanding of the accounting process and the data generated by it are thus critical to successful decision-making (Cleverley, Song, Cleverley, 2011). Poor decisions can be made if important financial information is ignored. With the growing number of governing boards, it is important that the governing board knows the difference between financial reports and financial statements of businesses and those of healthcare facilities. Since cost and payment pressures require careful attention, decision makers (governing boards) must be knowledgeable in regards to financial and accounting basics. REFERENCES Cleverley, W. O. , Song, P. H. , Cleverley, J. O. (2011). Essentials of Health Care Finance. (7th ed). Sudbury: Jones Bartlett Learning. Culica, D. Prezio, E. (2009). Hospital Board Infrastructure and Functions: The Role of governance in Financial Performance. Retrieved November 22, from ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pmc/articles/PMC2672389

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Worshiping and Kidnapping

Worshiping and Kidnapping Worshiping and Kidnapping Worshiping and Kidnapping By Maeve Maddox The recent post on when to double the L when adding an ending to words like cancel prompted this question from David: What about the p in worship. Is it worshiping or worshipping? Like cancel, the word worship gets different treatment in British and American usage: British usage: worship, worshipped, worshipping American usage: worship, worshiped, worshiping This difference applies to most spellings of this sort, but not all. For example, take the spellings kidnapped and kidnapping. According to what weve been saying about British and American usage, kidnaping ought to be the preferred American spelling, but it isnt. Merriam-Webster does acknowledge the single p spelling, but gives kidnapping first. In the case of cancel and worship, the single consonant spellings are given first and the double letter spellings are the variants. According to the Chicago Manual of Style, when Merriam-Webster follows one spelling with a variant, the first spelling is the one to use. When I typed kidnaping into my American version of Microsoft Word, the software immediately changed it to kidnapping. Spelling rules are useful guides, but they do not and cannot apply to every word. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:30 Synonyms for â€Å"Meeting†Ten Yiddish Expressions You Should KnowPassed vs Past

Sunday, November 3, 2019

What is the relationship between public administration and democratic Essay

What is the relationship between public administration and democratic governance - Essay Example In essence, one can establish that public organizations have highly static organizational structures more often than not mandated by a statute. Because of this static nature, leaders of public organizations are prone to be weak and lacking in discretion; this is used to explain the traditional leadership theory where employees or subordinates respond to the influence of little discretion employed by their leaders. Similarly, because of the seniority basis of reward systems public administration will older managers often take more up. These older managers are seen to exercise little discretion since they operate in different environmental contexts from their private sector counterparts, where environmental contexts are differentiated by market forces and interaction with legislations and legislatures (Pacek, 2010). It has been found that there is a dichotomy between public administration and politics where this has been evidenced by the fact that the division of authority and labour is branched out into between administrative and elected officials, which raises the planning ability along with democratic ability among public administrators. It is crucial to establish the relation that lies between public administration and politics as it has important implications on the institutional development as well as intellectual identity of public administration. One finding into this dichotomous relationship suggests that politics and public administration are two distinct, separate issues. This outlook defines politics as being about making policies, a process that encompasses a set of activities involving value choices. Public administration, on the other hand, is seen as a tool for interpreting articulated policies into actual outcomes through the application of dedicated skills and knowledge, forma lly referred to as administrative knowledge. In essence, politics serves up the duties for public administration but should not be

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Abortion from a Pro-Life Perspective Research Paper

Abortion from a Pro-Life Perspective - Research Paper Example Many women suffered from serious and, often, long term, consequences, including internal damage, permanent sterility, and infections. There are a great number of women who did not survive long after having these procedures. To prevent these kinds of unsafe procedures abortions have been made more readily available to women. Unfortunately, this only led to a greater gap between those who fought on both sides of the issue. Those who support a woman’s right to choose abortion, often called â€Å"Pro-Choice,† as an option feel that it is a woman’s right and she cannot be forced to use her body to produce a new life unless she wishes to. The â€Å"Pro-Life† representatives, those who do not support abortion of any kind, actively believe that every abortion is essentially a murder of an innocent life (Giubilini, and Minerva 1). There are, also, moderates, those who have concluded that the only way to find resolution on this heated issue is through compromise. Th ey do not believe abortions should be completely legal and available, but based on circumstance. For example, underage girls who have suffered sexual abuse or incest, a woman whose pregnancy put her health in danger and anyone whose pregnancy resulted from an act of rape. These victims should have the option. In the end, because there are so many unanswered questions and uncertainties regarding abortion it is best to err on the side of caution and make abortion procedures illegal until such knowledge is gained. There are two very strong reasons to support the â€Å"Pro-Life† perspective. The first, involves the question, â€Å"when does life begin?† At what point in the development of a fetus does it become aware and when does it qualify for the rights belonging to all individuals? Is it the moment of conception or when the brain develops? We do not know. When does it have an innate right to its life and anything interfering with that becomes an act of violence or murd er? Many religious individuals press the topic of the fetus’s â€Å"soul.† Unfortunately, neither religion nor science can answer either of these questions with an absolute certainty. So we do not know if the fetus’s aborted possessed self-awareness, ethically have a right to its life, or is its existence until birth technically not its own being. Not knowing these answers, whether you are a religious person or simply a logical one, you cannot be certain then how can anyone flippantly determine that it is nothing more than a gathering of â€Å"cellular material.† Until these answers are found abortion must remain an issue of debate and not put into practice. The second main issue that supports a â€Å"Pro-Life† perspective is the worry that having legal abortions would lead to more and more abortion procedures being performed. If may make the sexually active public less dependent on contraception to avoid unwanted pregnancy and allowing abortions t o act as their birth control. The idea being that some woman would be having multiple abortions on a regular basis. Between legalization and the unanswered questions involving the rights of fetuses it makes for an unsettling and ethically questionable future. Legalization would only increases the numbers of unwanted pregnancies not reduce them (University California Santa Barbara). Creating new life should not be perceived the same way that an infectious disease is perceived. Discovery that you are pregnant should not be sending you to the clinic to have it treated like an illness. This sets the precedent that there are degrees to the value of

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

PAYMENT AND TRADE FINANCE - A Case Study- corporate finance involving Essay

PAYMENT AND TRADE FINANCE - A Case Study- corporate finance involving law - Essay Example Saida tenders to Big Bank plc a pre-printed â€Å"shipped on-board† bill of lading with an issuance date of 31 March. There is also a notation referring to â€Å"10,002 tonnes Class A cement fully loaded on 1 April with 5% on deck†. Saida has also tendered a word-processed cover note referring to 10,000 tonnes Grade A cement marked â€Å"as original† but not signed, and an invoice for â€Å"approximately 10,000 tonnes high grade cement†. It is generally known in the industry that Class A means cement with a purity percentage of at least 98%†. A surveyor’s certificate is also tendered which states that the cement is slightly discoloured. Big Bank has reservations about the documents and pays Saida â€Å"under reserve† and â€Å"without prejudice†. Armita, Small Bank’s manager, refuses to reimburse Big Bank on the basis of non-compliance. She also suspects that the date entered by the shipmaster on the bill of lading is fals e. Armita also demands to see a certificate of origin because it is her bank’s policy not to deal with goods emanating from certain countries. Saida has also contracted to sell a consignment of sulphur to Turhan. The contract requires Saida to secure for Turhan’s benefit, a performance guarantee to the amount of ?30,000 issued by Nidhi Bank, a bank in London, England, guaranteeing Saida’s performance. That guarantee is expressed in the following terms: â€Å"We undertake to pay you on your assertion of Saida’s default or breach of Contract No 34/06 in writing being received at this office and bearing our reference Guarantee No 666/05A ... † Saida refuses to ship when she discovers Turhan has failed to open a letter of credit in her favour. Turhan’s bank has declined to issue the letter of credit because of liquidity problems. Turhan makes a demand under the guarantee on Nidhi Bank by making a statement asserting Saida’s failure to shi p but the demand refers to "Guarantee No 666/05". Discuss the rights and liabilities of the parties under English law. Ans# Trade credit is often used as a method of payment for both the domestic as well as the international trade business. However, it is mostly used in international trade considering the overall risks involved in the international trade transactions as well as the role of banks in facilitating the payments between the parties. As such the credit used for the purchase and financing of the inventories and current assets is called short term credit whereas the credit used for the financing of the capital expenditure is considered as the long term finance and both types of finances can be availed through international trade transactions.1 It is important to understand however, that the payments in the international trade finance are often governed through different laws. Most importantly laws and regulations set by the International Chamber of Commerce or ICC are consi dered as binding on the parties involved in the international trade transactions. The major set of rules governing the international trade transactions include UCP 600 which actually provide a detailed overview of the rights and obligations of each party to the transaction in the international trade besides governing the swift completion of such transactions. 2 Under UCP 600, not only the rights and obligations of the parties are outlined but the overall role and responsibilities of the banks and

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Main Advantages In Harmonization Of International Accounting Accounting Essay

Main Advantages In Harmonization Of International Accounting Accounting Essay Introduction The main purpose of this report is to point out the main advantages that could be benefited from International accounting and the obstacles to the harmonization of this system. The history of accounting began 600 years ago when first accounting records were found; the system of bookkeeping pair was gradually introduced in the early 14th century in some trading centres in Italy. After that due to increasing trade around the world people from all regions started to do book keeping and in different timeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s different committees, joint stocks and mechanisms were found to do international level trading. As the world developed more there was a need of a system for dealing with international finances therefore in June 1973 International Accounting Standards Board Committee (IASC) was established as a result of the agreement made between accounting bodies in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, England, Ireland and the United States, and these countr ies were IASC Board at that time. IASC operated from 1973 to 2001 until it evolved into IASB (International Accounting standards board). IASB possess advantages that can benefit the whole world but there are obstacles to the harmonization of international accounting, both advantages and obstacles are listed with details in the report. The report then moves on to the three issues that may arise in relation to the provision of relevant and reliable information in financial statements such as both of them are related to each other that the emphasis on one will hurt the other. And in the last part of the report the qualitative characteristics of financial statements such as timely, relevant, reliable and comparable as defined in the Framework are explained and discussed. Main advantages in harmonization of international accounting There are many advantages linked with the harmonization of international accounting. Main of them are listed and explained below: The economy of the world can be benefited by more educated decisions which could result in the improvement of global economic growth. The accounting information can be explained by the experts, this would reduce the risk of investment. By adapting international accounting the companies and industries could increase the ability to compare with similar companies and industries and make investment decision with more intelligence. Harmonization of international accounting would facilitate entrepreneurs and financial experts from all over the world to invest internationally. It would reduce the cost of reconciling account information for multi-national companies. Stock exchanges from all over the world could benefit from the standardization of international accounting, as more companies begin to adapt the international standard, they will become more eligible for listing. Obstacles in harmonization of international accounting: Despite of useful advantages of international accounting, there are barriers which prevent harmonization of international accounting from exceeding; some of them are as following: Different countries have different accounting methods that are regulated in different degrees by their government. Another issue is that many capital markets have adjusted into the international business without International accounting and they believe that present system is working well enough and International accounting would only complicate things. Naturalism is another threat to harmonization of international accounts as countries are wary of ceding control of their accounting regulation to outsiders. Poor countries believe that harmonization of international accounting is an implantation of standards by powerful countries. IASB (International Accounting Standards Board): IASC (International accounting standards board Committee) was established in 1973 which evolved in IASB (International accounting standards board) in 2001. IASB is an independent regulatory body based in U.K. It has 15 members from 9 countries each with various functional backgrounds. The board aim is to develop a single-set of high quality, understandable, relevant, comparable and enforceable global accounting standards. IASB presented four frameworks; first and second in 1989, third in 2001 and the fourth and present one in 2010. The framework of IASB describes the basic concepts of preparing and presenting the financial statements for external users. The qualitative characteristics of financial statements according to IASB frame work are following: Understandable Relevant Reliable Comparable Issues in provision of relevant and reliable information Relevance and reliability both are essential for the better quality of the financial information but both are related to each other in such a way that effect on one will hurt the other and vice versa, for example accounting information is relevant when it is provided in time but in initial stages it is not very reliable but as it becomes reliable with time it does not remain relevant. Second issue with the provision of two qualities is that the two qualities are not independent of each other, that is, perceived relevance by users is dependent on the perceived level of reliability. The third problem is that the level of reliability cannot remain or increase with the introduction of fair value measurement; as such, the discussion has assumed the presence of a relevance reliability trade-off i.e. the move to relevance is decrease to reliability.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Different Strands of Feminism: Comparing Equal Rights Feminism, and Socialist Feminism :: Womens Studies

Different Strands of Feminism: Comparing Equal Rights Feminism, and Socialist Feminism With the developments going on in England during the 19th century, a new social class started to emerge, a middle class whose wealth came from land, trade, the professions, or industry. It was from this class that a great deal of the women working for the women's right movement emerged from in the 19th century, since they were the ones that experienced the deprivation of rights which men from this class had won. In 1897 in England the women's movement reunited in the National Union of Women's Suffrage Society, and from here on more women, from both the middle-class, and the working class began allying with the new Labor Party to advocate for the right os workers in general. However, the new reunited women's movement split again in 1906 when feminist lost patient after a deputation of 300 women meet with the prime minister to request the vote, and got instead an advice to be patient. From here on the English women's movement concentrated in winning the vote, but split into two r ival parties, the National Union of Women's Suffrage Society(NUWSS) led by Millicent Garrett Fawcett, and the Women's Social and Political Union(WSPU), led by Emmiline Goulden Pankhurst. Faweet took the prime minister, and peacefully, and patiently continued working to get the vote. She believed that the parliamentary democracy would eventually acknowledge women's right to the vote. So she dedicated to expand membership of NUWSS, to promote publically the demand for the vote, through speaking tours, and distribution of their journal, The Common Cause, and to lobby Liberal Politician to vote in favor of women's suffrage. They repudiated the use of violent tactics. Pankhurst on the other hand completely discarded the advice of the prime minster. She believed that of the vote was to be gain, then action had to be taken. Pankusrt actively spoke to gain the vote whenever a Liberal politician spoke. She participated in local and national suffrage demonstrations, at personal risk. WSPU follows this tactics, they disrupted meeting, organized demonstrations such as open-air rallies. In spite of all this government still did not act, so the WSPU turned to more violent ta ctic. They broke windows, poured liquid down mail boxes, cut telegraph wire, and curve "Votes for Women" in golf courses. They often encounter arrest, to which they responded with hunger strikes.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

The Da Vinci Code Chapter 18-20

CHAPTER 18 Fache sprinted down the Grand Gallery as Collet's radio blared over the distant sound of the alarm. â€Å"He jumped!† Collet was yelling. â€Å"I'm showing the signal out on Place du Carrousel! Outside the bathroom window! And it's not moving at all! Jesus, I think Langdon has just committed suicide!† Fache heard the words, but they made no sense. He kept running. The hallway seemed never-ending. As he sprinted past Sauniere's body, he set his sights on the partitions at the far end of the Denon Wing. The alarm was getting louder now. â€Å"Wait!† Collet's voice blared again over the radio. â€Å"He's moving! My God, he's alive. Langdon's moving!† Fache kept running, cursing the length of the hallway with every step. â€Å"Langdon's moving faster!† Collet was still yelling on the radio. â€Å"He's running down Carrousel. Wait†¦ he's picking up speed. He's moving too fast!† Arriving at the partitions, Fache snaked his way through them, saw the rest room door, and ran for it. The walkie-talkie was barely audible now over the alarm. â€Å"He must be in a car! I think he's in a car! I can't – â€Å" Collet's words were swallowed by the alarm as Fache finally burst into the men's room with his gun drawn. Wincing against the piercing shrill, he scanned the area. The stalls were empty. The bathroom deserted. Fache's eyes moved immediately to the shattered window at the far end of the room. He ran to the opening and looked over the edge. Langdon was nowhere to be seen. Fache could not imagine anyone risking a stunt like this. Certainly if he had dropped that far, he would be badly injured. The alarm cut off finally, and Collet's voice became audible again over the walkie-talkie. â€Å"†¦ moving south†¦ faster†¦ crossing the Seine on Pont du Carrousel!† Fache turned to his left. The only vehicle on Pont du Carrousel was an enormous twin-bed Trailor delivery truck moving southward away from the Louvre. The truck's open-air bed was covered with a vinyl tarp, roughly resembling a giant hammock. Fache felt a shiver of apprehension. That truck, only moments ago, had probably been stopped at a red light directly beneath the rest room window. An insane risk, Fache told himself. Langdon had no way of knowing what the truck was carrying beneath that tarp. What if the truck were carrying steel? Or cement? Or even garbage? A forty-foot leap? It was madness. â€Å"The dot is turning!† Collet called. â€Å"He's turning right on Pont des Saints-Peres!† Sure enough, the Trailor truck that had crossed the bridge was slowing down and making a right turn onto Pont des Saints-Peres. So be it, Fache thought. Amazed, he watched the truck disappear around the corner. Collet was already radioing the agents outside, pulling them off the Louvre perimeter and sending them to their patrol cars in pursuit, all the while broadcasting the truck's changing location like some kind of bizarre play-by-play. It's over, Fache knew. His men would have the truck surrounded within minutes. Langdon was not going anywhere. Stowing his weapon, Fache exited the rest room and radioed Collet. â€Å"Bring my car around. I want to be there when we make the arrest.† As Fache jogged back down the length of the Grand Gallery, he wondered if Langdon had even survived the fall. Not that it mattered. Langdon ran. Guilty as charged. Only fifteen yards from the rest room, Langdon and Sophie stood in the darkness of the Grand Gallery, their backs pressed to one of the large partitions that hid the bathrooms from the gallery. They had barely managed to hide themselves before Fache had darted past them, gun drawn, and disappeared into the bathroom. The last sixty seconds had been a blur. Langdon had been standing inside the men's room refusing to run from a crime he didn't commit, when Sophie began eyeing the plate-glass window and examining the alarm mesh running through it. Then she peered downward into the street, as if measuring the drop. â€Å"With a little aim, you can get out of here,† she said. Aim? Uneasy, he peered out the rest room window. Up the street, an enormous twin-bed eighteen-wheeler was headed for the stoplight beneath the window. Stretched across the truck's massive cargo bay was a blue vinyl tarp, loosely covering the truck's load. Langdon hoped Sophie was not thinking what she seemed to be thinking. â€Å"Sophie, there's no way I'm jump – â€Å"Take out the tracking dot.† Bewildered, Langdon fumbled in his pocket until he found the tiny metallic disk. Sophie took it from him and strode immediately to the sink. She grabbed a thick bar of soap, placed the tracking dot on top of it, and used her thumb to push the disk down hard into the bar. As the disk sank into the soft surface, she pinched the hole closed, firmly embedding the device in the bar. Handing the bar to Langdon, Sophie retrieved a heavy, cylindrical trash can from under the sinks. Before Langdon could protest, Sophie ran at the window, holding the can before her like a battering ram. Driving the bottom of the trash can into the center of the window, she shattered the glass. Alarms erupted overhead at earsplitting decibel levels. â€Å"Give me the soap!† Sophie yelled, barely audible over the alarm. Langdon thrust the bar into her hand. Palming the soap, she peered out the shattered window at the eighteen-wheeler idling below. The target was plenty big – an expansive, stationary tarp – and it was less than ten feet from the side of the building. As the traffic lights prepared to change, Sophie took a deep breath and lobbed the bar of soap out into the night. The soap plummeted downward toward the truck, landing on the edge of the tarp, and sliding downward into the cargo bay just as the traffic light turned green. â€Å"Congratulations,† Sophie said, dragging him toward the door. â€Å"You just escaped from the Louvre.† Fleeing the men's room, they moved into the shadows just as Fache rushed past. Now, with the fire alarm silenced, Langdon could hear the sounds of DCPJ sirens tearing away from the Louvre. A police exodus.Fache had hurried off as well, leaving the Grand Gallery deserted. â€Å"There's an emergency stairwell about fifty meters back into the Grand Gallery,† Sophie said. â€Å"Now that the guards are leaving the perimeter, we can get out of here.† Langdon decided not to say another word all evening. Sophie Neveu was clearly a hell of a lot smarter than he was. CHAPTER 19 The Church of Saint-Sulpice, it is said, has the most eccentric history of any building in Paris. Built over the ruins of an ancient temple to the Egyptian goddess Isis, the church possesses an architectural footprint matching that of Notre Dame to within inches. The sanctuary has played host to the baptisms of the Marquis de Sade and Baudelaire, as well as the marriage of Victor Hugo. The attached seminary has a well-documented history of unorthodoxy and was once the clandestine meeting hall for numerous secret societies. Tonight, the cavernous nave of Saint-Sulpice was as silent as a tomb, the only hint of life the faint smell of incense from mass earlier that evening. Silas sensed an uneasiness in Sister Sandrine's demeanor as she led him into the sanctuary. He was not surprised by this. Silas was accustomed to people being uncomfortable with his appearance. â€Å"You're an American,† she said. â€Å"French by birth,† Silas responded. â€Å"I had my calling in Spain, and I now study in the United States.† Sister Sandrine nodded. She was a small woman with quiet eyes. â€Å"And you have never seen Saint- Sulpice?† â€Å"I realize this is almost a sin in itself.† â€Å"She is more beautiful by day.† â€Å"I am certain. Nonetheless, I am grateful that you would provide me this opportunity tonight.† â€Å"The abbe requested it. You obviously have powerful friends.† You have no idea, Silas thought. As he followed Sister Sandrine down the main aisle, Silas was surprised by the austerity of the sanctuary. Unlike Notre Dame with its colorful frescoes, gilded altar-work, and warm wood, Saint- Sulpice was stark and cold, conveying an almost barren quality reminiscent of the ascetic cathedrals of Spain. The lack of decor made the interior look even more expansive, and as Silasgazed up into the soaring ribbed vault of the ceiling, he imagined he was standing beneath the hull of an enormous overturned ship. A fitting image, he thought. The brotherhood's ship was about to be capsized forever. Feeling eager to get to work, Silas wished Sister Sandrine would leave him. She was a small woman whom Silas could incapacitate easily, but he had vowed not to use force unless absolutely necessary. She is a woman of the cloth, and it is not her fault the brotherhood chose her church as a hiding place for their keystone.She should not be punished for the sins of others. â€Å"I am embarrassed, Sister, that you were awoken on my behalf.† â€Å"Not at all. You are in Paris a short time. You should not miss Saint-Sulpice. Are your interests in the church more architectural or historical?† â€Å"Actually, Sister, my interests are spiritual.† She gave a pleasant laugh. â€Å"That goes without saying. I simply wondered where to begin your tour.† Silas felt his eyes focus on the altar. â€Å"A tour is unnecessary. You have been more than kind. I can show myself around.† â€Å"It is no trouble,† she said. â€Å"After all, I am awake.† Silas stopped walking. They had reached the front pew now, and the altar was only fifteen yards away. He turned his massive body fully toward the small woman, and he could sense her recoil as she gazed up into his red eyes. â€Å"If it does not seem too rude, Sister, I am not accustomed to simply walking into a house of God and taking a tour. Would you mind if I took some time alone to pray before I look around?† Sister Sandrine hesitated. â€Å"Oh, of course. I shall wait in the rear of the church for you.† Silas put a soft but heavy hand on her shoulder and peered down. â€Å"Sister, I feel guilty already for having awoken you. To ask you to stay awake is too much. Please, you should return to bed. I can enjoy your sanctuary and then let myself out.† She looked uneasy. â€Å"Are you sure you won't feel abandoned?† â€Å"Not at all. Prayer is a solitary joy.† â€Å"As you wish.† Silas took his hand from her shoulder. â€Å"Sleep well, Sister. May the peace of the Lord be with you.† â€Å"And also with you.† Sister Sandrine headed for the stairs. â€Å"Please be sure the door closes tightly on your way out.† â€Å"I will be sure of it.† Silas watched her climb out of sight. Then he turned and knelt in the front pew, feeling the cilice cut into his leg. Dear God, I offer up to you this work I do today†¦ . Crouching in the shadows of the choir balcony high above the altar, Sister Sandrine peered silently through the balustrade at the cloaked monk kneeling alone. The sudden dread in her soul made it hard to stay still. For a fleeting instant, she wondered if this mysterious visitor could be the enemy they had warned her about, and if tonight she would have to carry out the orders she had been holding all these years. She decided to stay there in the darkness and watch his every move. CHAPTER 20 Emerging from the shadows, Langdon and Sophie moved stealthily up the deserted Grand Gallery corridor toward the emergency exit stairwell. As he moved, Langdon felt like he was trying to assemble a jigsaw puzzle in the dark. The newest aspect of this mystery was a deeply troubling one: The captain of the Judicial Police is trying to frame me for murder â€Å"Do you think,† he whispered,† that maybe Fache wrote that message on the floor?† Sophie didn't even turn. â€Å"Impossible.† Langdon wasn't so sure. â€Å"He seems pretty intent on making me look guilty. Maybe he thought writing my name on the floor would help his case?† â€Å"The Fibonacci sequence? The P. S. ? All the Da Vinci and goddess symbolism? That had to be my grandfather.† Langdon knew she was right. The symbolism of the clues meshed too perfectly – the pentacle, TheVitruvian Man, Da Vinci, the goddess, and even the Fibonacci sequence. A coherent symbolic set, as iconographers would call it. All inextricably tied. â€Å"And his phone call to me this afternoon,† Sophie added. â€Å"He said he had to tell me something. I'm certain his message at the Louvre was his final effort to tell me something important, something he thought you could help me understand.† Langdon frowned. O, Draconian devil! Oh, lame saint! He wished he could comprehend the message, both for Sophie's well-being and for his own. Things had definitely gotten worse since he first laid eyes on the cryptic words. His fake leap out the bathroom window was not going to help Langdon's popularity with Fache one bit. Somehow he doubted the captain of the French police would see the humor in chasing down and arresting a bar of soap. â€Å"The doorway isn't much farther,† Sophie said.† Do you think there's a possibility that the numbers in your grandfather's message hold the key to understanding the other lines?† Langdon had once worked on a series of Baconian manuscripts that contained epigraphical ciphers in which certain lines of code were clues as to how to decipher the other lines. â€Å"I've been thinking about the numbers all night. Sums, quotients, products. I don't see anything. Mathematically, they're arranged at random. Cryptographic gibberish.† â€Å"And yet they're all part of the Fibonacci sequence. That can't be coincidence.† â€Å"It's not. Using Fibonacci numbers was my grandfather's way of waving another flag at me – like writing the message in English, or arranging himself like my favorite piece of art, or drawing a pentacle on himself. All of it was to catch my attention.† â€Å"The pentacle has meaning to you?† â€Å"Yes. I didn't get a chance to tell you, but the pentacle was a special symbol between my grandfather and me when I was growing up. We used to play Tarot cards for fun, and my indicator card always turned out to be from the suit of pentacles. I'm sure he stacked the deck, but pentacles got to be our little joke.† Langdon felt a chill. They played Tarot? The medieval Italian card game was so replete with hidden heretical symbolism that Langdon had dedicated an entire chapter in his new manuscript to the Tarot. The game's twenty-two cards bore names like The Female Pope, The Empress, and The Star.Originally, Tarot had been devised as a secret means to pass along ideologies banned by the Church. Now, Tarot's mystical qualities were passed on by modern fortune-tellers. The Tarot indicator suit for feminine divinity is pentacles, Langdon thought, realizing that if Sauniere had been stacking his granddaughter's deck for fun, pentacles was an apropos inside joke. They arrived at the emergency stairwell, and Sophie carefully pulled open the door. No alarm sounded. Only the doors to the outside were wired. Sophie led Langdon down a tight set of switchback stairs toward the ground level, picking up speed as they went. â€Å"Your grandfather,† Langdon said, hurrying behind her,† when he told you about the pentacle, did he mention goddess worship or any resentment of the Catholic Church?† Sophie shook her head. â€Å"I was more interested in the mathematics of it – the Divine Proportion, PHI, Fibonacci sequences, that sort of thing.† Langdon was surprised. â€Å"Your grandfather taught you about the number PHI?† â€Å"Of course. The Divine Proportion.† Her expression turned sheepish. â€Å"In fact, he used to joke that I was half divine†¦ you know, because of the letters in my name.† Langdon considered it a moment and then groaned. s-o-PHI-e. Still descending, Langdon refocused on PHI.He was starting to realize that Sauniere's clues were even more consistent than he had first imagined. Da Vinci†¦ Fibonacci numbers†¦ the pentacle. Incredibly, all of these things were connected by a single concept so fundamental to art history that Langdon often spent several class periods on the topic. PHI. He felt himself suddenly reeling back to Harvard, standing in front of his† Symbolism in Art† class, writing his favorite number on the chalkboard. 1. 618 Langdon turned to face his sea of eager students. â€Å"Who can tell me what this number is?† A long-legged math major in back raised his hand. â€Å"That's the number PHI.† He pronounced it fee. â€Å"Nice job, Stettner,† Langdon said. â€Å"Everyone, meet PHI.† â€Å"Not to be confused with PI,† Stettner added, grinning. â€Å"As we mathematicians like to say: PHI is one H of a lot cooler than PI!† Langdon laughed, but nobody else seemed to get the joke. Stettner slumped.† This number PHI,† Langdon continued,† one-point-six-one-eight, is a very important number in art. Who can tell me why?† Stettner tried to redeem himself. â€Å"Because it's so pretty?† Everyone laughed.† Actually,† Langdon said,† Stettner's right again. PHI is generally considered the most beautiful number in the universe.† The laughter abruptly stopped, and Stettner gloated. As Langdon loaded his slide projector, he explained that the number PHI was derived from the Fibonacci sequence – a progression famous not only because the sum of adjacent terms equaled the next term, but because the quotients of adjacent terms possessed the astonishing property of approaching the number 1. 618 – PHI! Despite PHI's seemingly mystical mathematical origins, Langdon explained, the truly mind-boggling aspect of PHI was its role as a fundamental building block in nature. Plants, animals, and even human beings all possessed dimensional properties that adhered with eerie exactitude to the ratio of PHI to 1. â€Å"PHI's ubiquity in nature,† Langdon said, killing the lights,† clearly exceeds coincidence, and so the ancients assumed the number PHI must have been preordained by the Creator of the universe. Early scientists heralded one-point-six-one-eight as the Divine Proportion.† â€Å"Hold on,† said a young woman in the front row. â€Å"I'm a bio major and I've never seen this Divine Proportion in nature.† â€Å"No?† Langdon grinned. â€Å"Ever study the relationship between females and males in a honeybee community?† â€Å"Sure. The female bees always outnumber the male bees.† â€Å"Correct. And did you know that if you divide the number of female bees by the number of male bees in any beehive in the world, you always get the same number?† â€Å"You do?† â€Å"Yup. PHI.† The girl gaped. â€Å"NO WAY!† â€Å"Way!† Langdon fired back, smiling as he projected a slide of a spiral seashell. â€Å"Recognize this?† â€Å"It's a nautilus,† the bio major said. â€Å"A cephalopod mollusk that pumps gas into its chambered shell to adjust its buoyancy.† â€Å"Correct. And can you guess what the ratio is of each spiral's diameter to the next?† The girl looked uncertain as she eyed the concentric arcs of the nautilus spiral. Langdon nodded. â€Å"PHI. The Divine Proportion. One-point-six-one-eight to one.† The girl looked amazed. Langdon advanced to the next slide – a close-up of a sunflower's seed head. â€Å"Sunflower seeds grow in opposing spirals. Can you guess the ratio of each rotation's diameter to the next?† â€Å"PHI?† everyone said.† Bingo.† Langdon began racing through slides now – spiraled pinecone petals, leaf arrangement on plant stalks, insect segmentation – all displaying astonishing obedience to the Divine Proportion. â€Å"This is amazing!† someone cried out. â€Å"Yeah,† someone else said,† but what does it have to do with art?† â€Å"Aha!† Langdon said. â€Å"Glad you asked.† He pulled up another slide – a pale yellow parchment displaying Leonardo Da Vinci's famous male nude – The Vitruvian Man – named for Marcus Vitruvius, the brilliant Roman architect who praised the Divine Proportion in his text De Architectura. â€Å"Nobody understood better than Da Vinci the divine structure of the human body. Da Vinci actually exhumed corpses to measure the exact proportions of human bone structure. He was the first to show that the human body is literally made of building blocks whose proportional ratios always equal PHI.† Everyone in class gave him a dubious look. â€Å"Don't believe me?† Langdon challenged. â€Å"Next time you're in the shower, take a tape measure.† A couple of football players snickered. â€Å"Not just you insecure jocks,† Langdon prompted. â€Å"All of you. Guys and girls. Try it. Measure the distance from the tip of your head to the floor. Then divide that by the distance from your bellybutton to the floor. Guess what number you get.† â€Å"Not PHI!† one of the jocks blurted out in disbelief. â€Å"Yes, PHI,† Langdon replied. â€Å"One-point-six-one-eight. Want another example? Measure the distance from your shoulder to your fingertips, and then divide it by the distance from your elbow to your fingertips. PHI again. Another? Hip to floor divided by knee to floor. PHI again. Finger joints. Toes. Spinal divisions. PHI. PHI. PHI. My friends, each of you is a walking tribute to the Divine Proportion.† Even in the darkness, Langdon could see they were all astounded. He felt a familiar warmth inside. This is why he taught. â€Å"My friends, as you can see, the chaos of the world has an underlying order. When the ancients discovered PHI, they were certain they had stumbled across God's building block for the world, and they worshipped Nature because of that. And one can understand why. God's hand is evident in Nature, and even to this day there exist pagan, Mother Earth-revering religions. Many of us celebrate nature the way the pagans did, and don't even know it. May Day is a perfect example, the celebration of spring†¦ the earth coming back to life to produce her bounty. The mysterious magic inherent in the Divine Proportion was written at the beginning of time. Man is simply playing by Nature's rules, and because art is man's attempt to imitate the beauty of the Creator's hand, you can imagine we might be seeing a lot of instances of the Divine Proportion in art this semeste r.† Over the next half hour, Langdon showed them slides of artwork by Michelangelo, Albrecht Durer, Da Vinci, and many others, demonstrating each artist's intentional and rigorous adherence to the Divine Proportion in the layout of his compositions. Langdon unveiled PHI in the architectural dimensions of the Greek Parthenon, the pyramids of Egypt, and even the United Nations Building in New York. PHI appeared in the organizational structures of Mozart's sonatas, Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, as well as the works of Bartok, Debussy, and Schubert. The number PHI, Langdon told them, was even used by Stradivarius to calculate the exact placement of the f-holes in the construction of his famous violins. â€Å"In closing,† Langdon said, walking to the chalkboard,† we return to symbols† He drew five intersecting lines that formed a five-pointed star. â€Å"This symbol is one of the most powerful images you will see this term. Formally known as a pentagram – or pentacle, as the ancients called it – this symbol is considered both divine and magical by many cultures. Can anyone tell me why that might be?† Stettner, the math major, raised his hand. â€Å"Because if you draw a pentagram, the lines automatically divide themselves into segments according to the Divine Proportion.† Langdon gave the kid a proud nod. â€Å"Nice job. Yes, the ratios of line segments in a pentacle allequal PHI, making this symbol the ultimate expression of the Divine Proportion. For this reason, the five-pointed star has always been the symbol for beauty and perfection associated with the goddess and the sacred feminine.† The girls in class beamed. â€Å"One note, folks. We've only touched on Da Vinci today, but we'll be seeing a lot more of him this semester. Leonardo was a well-documented devotee of the ancient ways of the goddess. Tomorrow, I'll show you his fresco The Last Supper, which is one of the most astonishing tributes to the sacred feminine you will ever see.† â€Å"You're kidding, right?† somebody said. â€Å"I thought The Last Supper was about Jesus!† Langdon winked. â€Å"There are symbols hidden in places you would never imagine.† â€Å"Come on,† Sophie whispered. â€Å"What's wrong? We're almost there. Hurry!† Langdon glanced up, feeling himself return from faraway thoughts. He realized he was standing at a dead stop on the stairs, paralyzed by sudden revelation. O, Draconian devil! Oh, lame saint! Sophie was looking back at him. It can't be that simple, Langdon thought. But he knew of course that it was. There in the bowels of the Louvre†¦ with images of PHI and Da Vinci swirling through his mind, Robert Langdon suddenly and unexpectedly deciphered Sauniere's code. â€Å"O, Draconian devil!† he said. â€Å"Oh, lame saint! It's the simplest kind of code!† Sophie was stopped on the stairs below him, staring up in confusion. A code? She had been pondering the words all night and had not seen a code. Especially a simple one. â€Å"You said it yourself.† Langdon's voice reverberated with excitement. â€Å"Fibonacci numbers only have meaning in their proper order. Otherwise they're mathematical gibberish.† Sophie had no idea what he was talking about. The Fibonacci numbers? She was certain they had been intended as nothing more than a means to get the Cryptography Department involved tonight. They have another purpose? She plunged her hand into her pocket and pulled out the printout, studying her grandfather's message again. 13-3-2-21-1-1-8-5 O, Draconian devil! Oh, lame saint! What about the numbers? â€Å"The scrambled Fibonacci sequence is a clue,† Langdon said, taking the printout. â€Å"The numbers area hint as to how to decipher the rest of the message. He wrote the sequence out of order to tell us to apply the same concept to the text. O, Draconian devil? Oh, lame saint? Those lines mean nothing. They are simply letters written out of order.† Sophie needed only an instant to process Langdon's implication, and it seemed laughably simple. â€Å"You think this message is†¦ une anagramme?† She stared at him. â€Å"Like a word jumble from a newspaper?† Langdon could see the skepticism on Sophie's face and certainly understood. Few people realized that anagrams, despite being a trite modern amusement, had a rich history of sacred symbolism. The mystical teachings of the Kabbala drew heavily on anagrams – rearranging the letters of Hebrew words to derive new meanings. French kings throughout the Renaissance were so convinced that anagrams held magic power that they appointed royal anagrammatists to help them make better decisions by analyzing words in important documents. The Romans actually referred to the study of anagrams as ars magna – â€Å"the great art.† Langdon looked up at Sophie, locking eyes with her now. â€Å"Your grandfather's meaning was right in front of us all along, and he left us more than enough clues to see it.† Without another word, Langdon pulled a pen from his jacket pocket and rearranged the letters in each line. O, Draconian devil! Oh, lame saint! was a perfect anagram of†¦ Leonardo Da Vinci! The Mona Lisa!