The Alcoholics Anonymous 12 Step Recovery Program Guide...

Running head: 12-Step Meeting Reaction Paper 12-Step Meeting Reaction Paper Carissa Hardy ADRE 6703 Abstract The Alcoholics Anonymous 12-Step recovery program guides alcoholics through a series of behavioral, emotional, cognitive, spiritual and social actions towards sobriety and wellness. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, excessive drinking has lead to approximately 88,000 deaths in the United States each year and accounts for 1 in 10 deaths in working age adults, aged 20-64. Alcoholics Anonymous, a spiritual fellowship of men and women focused on a common goal of stopping drinking, has helped over 2 million people get sober and stay sober. The 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous are designed to promote†¦show more content†¦I also enjoyed the prayer at the end. I didn’t like when everyone had to admit aloud that they were alcoholic (I get that it’s part of the 12 steps but it seemed like they had already admitted it to themselves because they were there). I did like that the meeting was held in a church. The atmosphere was relaxed, calm and no n judgmental. Even in a room full of what could’ve been total first timers or strangers, they had an amazing and supportive energy that just filled the room. I loved watching the people connect, grow, and heal over a tragedy that took over their life. It was also amazing and empowering to see them make the step to give themselves and the people they love a better future. I feel the 12-Step program is successful because others who can empathize, offer advice, and understand exactly what the other is going through are there for support and encouragement. By the time you decide to enter the meeting you are usually self-aware that there is a problem and you want to help yourself; to me that can and will make all the difference in determining your success in the program. I really like that 12-Step Programs are faith based, I think believing in something bigger than yourself is crucial to the process. I also like that its catered to a lifestyle change overall, not just one singular change like to stop drinking but changing the way you live yourShow MoreRelatedHistory Of Organization : Alcoholics Anonymous ( A.a )1691 Words   |  7 PagesOrganization Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) was founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith in Akron, Ohio, and is a spiritual based organization with the sole purpose â€Å"to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety† threw fellowship. Alcoholic Anonymous (A.A.) foundation is built on a 12 step program that involves taking 12 step that will guarantee your sobriety (according to A.A.) because you start the 12 steps but you never end, it is designed for you to consistently work the 12 steps for theRead MoreThe And Its Effects On The Community844 Words   |  4 Pagesreligion playing a major role in recovery is, in many ways, universal in its prevalence in established forms of recovery. For example, step two of the 12-step programs states that you must â€Å"come to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity† (Alcoholics Anonymous). This idea that addicts must devote their lives to a being greater than their own symbolizes that they are not in control of their actions. They must look to a greater being to guide them away from their sinful pathsRead MoreAn Anonymous Group For My Understanding Group Dynamics Project1492 Words   |  6 Pages I chose to visit an Alcoholics Anonymous group for my Understanding Group Dynamics project. I went on March 20th 2016, to an open discussion group titled Pass it On Group for Beginners that are Living Sober. It was held at the First Congregational Church at 14 Brookside Road in Darien, CT 06854 at 6:15 p.m.. I chose to go to this group as I felt it was a group that I could most strongly connect to, as I am a recovering alcoholic. I have been cold turkey for two years now. I choose to live a soberRead MoreMy Critique Of Yoga And The Clinical World Of Counseling1633 Words   |  7 Pagesarticles for Yoga Journal and yoga instructor Annalisa Cunningham who has also written Healing Addiction with Yoga. Both clearly believe and have witnessed firsthand the benefits that yoga can contri bute to addiction recovery. The article explains that a yoga practice will help the recovery process on two fronts. A yoga practice will help the physical body by helping it rid itself of the physical impurities that have built up over time through the ingestion of substances such as alcohol and variousRead MoreCounseling For Alcohol And Drug Abuse1679 Words   |  7 Pagesentering into recovery or actively in recovery, the clinician must take their time with introducing the 12 Steps. The individual may not be open to the 12 Step philosophies at the onset. Addiction is very complex and actively affects the person on a daily basis; therefore, it is so important to start from the beginning of counseling to create a structured program. Alcoholics Anonymous has given a wonderful platform of structure for the addicted ones to create a safe, solid, 12 Step guideline toRead MoreSocial Work Observation Paper974 Words   |  4 Pagesturns reading from the introduction guide to N.A. Power and control are the next stages, once members decide they are invested in the group, there is a shift that focuses on autonomy, power, and control (Hepworth et al., 2017, 2013). I did not observe a shift in autonomy, power, and the need to take control. The facilitator shares similar struggles, and the group demonstrated respect, support, and listening as they all identify themselves as an addict in recovery. Intimacy is about connecting andRead MoreCultural Sensitivity And Social Sensitivity801 Words   |  4 Pages the dominant culture established for N.A. is of faith based which focuses on the twelve-steps for recovery, and hope. The culture is also built upon the twelve traditions of NA; unity, loving god, desiring to stop using, autonomy, carrying out the message to the addict who still suffers, financially self supporting, group built by addicts for addicts, anonymity (An Introductory Guide to Narcotics Anonymous, 1991). Raul shares that the message of N.A. is the same for all different cultures i.eRead MoreThe Importance Of A Counseling Student Studying Chemical Dependency957 Words   |  4 Pagescounseling student studying chemical dependency, I was assigned to attend two 12-step meetings to better understand the 12-step process. I attended two Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings at the Episcopal Church in Starkville; MS. AA is a worldwide fellowship of alcoholic men and women who are banded together to solve their common problems and to help fellow sufferers in recovery from alcoholism. These particular Alcoholics Anonymous meeting opened with a serenity prayer, a reading of the AA preamble, aRead MoreEssay on Alcoholics Anonymous: 12-Step Program2169 Words   |  9 Pagesï » ¿ Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is the largest and most commonly known self-help group in the world. Since the creation of AA in 1935, there have been many programs modeled after it, which are also based on the 12-Step Program. Some of these include Narcotics Anonymous (NA) and Chemically Dependent Anonymous, as well as programs for specific drugs, such as Cocaine Anonymous (CA) and Crystal Meth Anonymous (NIDA, 2012). Attendance and participation for self-help groups are open for anyone to attendRead MoreCounseling For Alcohol And Drug Abuse2108 Words   |  9 Pagesentering into recovery or actively in recovery, the clinician must take their time with introducing the 12 Steps. T he individual may not be open to the 12 Step philosophies at the onset. Addiction is very complex and actively affects the person on a daily basis; therefore, it is so important to start from the beginning of counseling to create a structured program. Alcoholics Anonymous has given a wonderful platform of structure for the addicted ones to create a safe, solid, 12 Step guideline to

What Is ObamaCare - 772 Words

â€Å"Obama Care† is the republican nickname for the new health care reform law passed by President Barack Hussein Obama, called the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, based on a law passed in Massachusetts by Governor Mitt Romney. Despite controversy regarding this new law, it will inevitably positively benefit the people of the United States of America. The law introduces reforms such as: lower health insurance premiums by expanding Medicare and Medicaid, which ensures that the poor and sick have insurance. This is because the law requires that everyone in the United States obtain health insurance, either through government plans, a private insurance plan, their employer, or the new health care marketplace. â€Å"Obama Care† betters the people of the United States and is a completely utilitarian Idea- it benefits the greater part of the Community. There are currently 44 million Americans who were unable to obtain health insurance before the reforms because th ey could not afford the premiums or because they had a pre-existing condition. â€Å"Obama Care† is a tax funded government program which helps these individuals obtain insurance by expanding Medicare and Medicaid and offering cost assistance through health insurance market places. It also provides reforms to the health care industry iin order to cut health care costs and provide affordable health insurance to all. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (or PPACA) originated as a Massachusetts law signed into effectShow MoreRelatedWhat is Obamacare?716 Words   |  3 PagesWhat is Obamacare? â€Å"Obamacare is the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010. The name was created by critics of President Obamas efforts to reform health care, but it stuck. Even President Obama likes it, because he says it shows he does care.† (Amadeo, N.d) In short, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is a policy in which you are required to obtain medical insur ance if you do not already have any, or be subject to a tax. The most easily argued aspect of the bill is constitutionalityRead MoreWhat Will The Second Year Of Obamacare Bring?1358 Words   |  6 PagesWhat Will the Second Year of Obamacare Bring? It has been one year since the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Despite countless Republican attempts to repeal all or part of the new law, it is still with us and shows no sure signs of disintegration. The rollout of the government’s health care exchanges experienced significant growing pains right from the beginning. Time has fixed many of these technical glitches, but has done little to quellRead MoreEssay about What ´s Obamacare?812 Words   |  4 Pagesdirectly into an increase in government health care spending. If Republicans want to control the cost of the government, they will have to change their thinking from â€Å"cut government budgets† to â€Å"reform health care delivery† (The Real Problems with Obamacare). The main disadvantage of Obama Care is that it can increase the health care costs in a very short time period. It targets individuals and businesses that are going to be paying higher taxes. Taxes will be increased on those who make more than $200Read MoreHealth Care Controversy958 Words   |  4 Pages Health Care Controversy Essay ObamaCare, also known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, is a Health care reform law that was signed on March 23, 2010. ObamaCare’s goal is to provide more Americans with affordable health care insurance. ObamaCare also hopes to improve the quality of healthcare and health insurance in America, regulate the healthcare industry, and reduce the cost of healthcare in the United States. ObamaCare is made up of ten titles; I: Quality, AffordableRead MoreThe Healthcare Debate On Healthcare1312 Words   |  6 Pagesexpenses along with there own. While every American politician can agree, Healthcare is a huge problem in America, the Democratic and Republican parties have very different approaches to solving the issue. Upon considering the facts of both proposals, Obamacare should be abolished in favor of the Healthcare reforms proposed by the Republican party. The cost of healthcare in America is out of control. As the medical costs continue to rise, many Americans, especially those considered low income, have decidedRead MoreObamacare : Reasons For Obamacare1377 Words   |  6 PagesRepealing Obamacare: The Reasons Why Over five million individuals have lost their health insurance since Obamacare has been approved and put into action. The policy of Obamacare states that employers who are providing health insurance to their employees must tack on additional benefits that the companies cannot afford to do. This in turn causes the eventual cancellation of coverage for the employees, leaving them with no options besides signing up for Obamacare. It is the scheme of all schemes.Read MoreThe Debate Over ObamaCare Essay example1391 Words   |  6 Pages â€Å"ObamaCare contains many benefits, especially for low and middle income families and business† (â€Å"ObamaCare: Pros and Cons†). Many people have been having concerns on the cost of the insurance because it has raised in cost. There is a new law out there that President Barack Obama passed called ObamaCare. ObamaCare is also known to be The Affordable Care Act (ACA). The goal of this act was to make sure every American had health insurance by January 2014. ObamaCare went from being something goodRead MoreMajor Health Insurance in the United States: The Obamacare Essay1291 Words   |  6 Pages44th president of the United States of America, President Barack Obama, Obamacare is a type of health care system that is outrageously expensive and money consuming, putting Americans into serious debt. It had once been seen as a plan to help Americans in their health problems and unexpected accidents, but it went the opposite way of that goal, with the prices to keep you enrolled in it, raised to unexpected heights. Obamacare has been a bad outcome to America’s new health care systems because payingRead MoreIs Obamacare Really For The Best Of Its People?1451 Words   |  6 PagesAngela Qian Professor Young English 103 21 April 2015 Is Obamacare Really for the Best of its People? The American government’s main purpose is to ensure that its citizens’ individual rights are fully protected. However, earning the trust of residents will not always be an effortless task to take on as government have many complicated yet sometimes conflicting rules and policies they need to establish to prevent further conflict from arising. Social programs/policies have been enacted by the governmentRead MoreObamacare And The Uninsured Elderly1719 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"OBAMACARE† AND THE UNINSURED â€Å"ObamaCare† and Insurance Coverage of the Uninsured in the United States Problem: Brief Description of, and Justification for Choosing the Health Policy Issue I’m sure you have heard many debates, discussions, and opinions about the law ObamaCare. Do you know what this law was implemented for? Do you know why some could support it or want it repealed? Do you realize how much money one could leave the taxpayers to pay for their unpaid medical bills because they could

Penny Byrne free essay sample

Penny Byrne is an Australian born artist. She was born in Mildura, Victoria, Australia. She lives in Melbourne and owns her own studio. She is interested in ceramics and works as a ceramics conservator. She did a bachelor of fine arts ceramics in Melbourne in 1987 and graduated from west Dean College in the UK after doing ceramics and glass conservation and restoration. She also did a bachelor of laws at La Trobe uni in Melbourne and uses her knowledge of political and social issues in her art. Penny Byrne uses her knowledge of ceramics and knowledge of world issues combined with simplicity and in your face messages in her artwork ‘how much can a polar bear #2’ (2008, sculpture, ceramic, 9. 5x7x11cm). Her artwork makes a public comment on the melting polar ice caps due to global warming and the effect that this is having on the polar bears. Byrne uses her knowledge of ceramics in this sculpture as she appropriates this ready-made ceramic polar bear figure. We will write a custom essay sample on Penny Byrne or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page She has taken a polar bear figure and put scuba diving gear on it to make it innocent and helpless. She uses relevant choices of material as she isn’t creating more waste, putting across this environmentally friendly message. The message she is putting across is made obvious through her use of scuba diving gear and the title of the work. She wants people to think about the polar bears and the environment she cares so much about and she achieves this through simplicity and easy understanding. The overall meaning of this artwork is that the polar bears are struggling, to find food sources, to adapt to new climate and that we aren’t helping, in fact we are making it worse. This is obviously a topic that Byrne feels strongly about. I find that she works well to channel her personal interests into the work and her uses of materials are appropriate to her knowledge, and the message she is putting across. Overall with the simplicity of the message and the use of appropriate materials are effective and work well with the knowledge and personal interest shown in her work. She uses this in many of her of her other works such as ‘the four horse men of the 21st century apocalypse’.

The change strategy

Recent researches have confirmed that change is an important factor that an organization cannot afford to ignore if it expects to succeed in the current competitive market. Developing a change strategy that works is one of the most important factors that would determine success or failure of a firm in the market (Reiß, 2012). In this study, the researcher focuses on the small wins that come with development of an effective change strategy.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The change strategy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The change strategy in this case would be simple and straightforward when it comes to its implementation. It will involve use video conferences by top management of the firm as a way of encouraging virtual conferences within this firm. In this strategy, there will be a shift from traditional style of having conferences in large offices in order to formulate policies for the organization. Top management will use this new strategy in order to ensure that they are able to discuss their strategies and challenges more frequently in order to find solutions and improve performance of the firm. In this strategy, an IT expert will be stationed in an office to coordinate the communication of the managers whenever they want to meet irrespective of their location on the globe. Each manager will be having all the instruments needed to make the conference a reality. The IT expert will have the responsibility of alerting the concerned officers when there is an online meeting to be held. This officer will inform these managers of the required time they should meet and the agenda of the meeting. The officer will get this information from the relevant office in the top management. When the meeting starts, the IT expert will ensure that the communication process proceeds without any interruptions as long as the gadgets used by individual conference members are in good condition. This wil l bring a ‘small win’ to the organization in several ways. Most managers always spend more time trying to come up with the best approach of how their operational units can perform better. In some of the cases, they are forced to make travels out of their offices in order to facilitate improved services offered by the units they manage. It is therefore, time consuming to leave their offices and travel to the headquarters for the meetings. Other officers also end up wasting their time waiting for other officers who arrive late at such meetings. This strategy is geared at eliminating this wastage and making this process more efficient and effective to the officers involved.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This win will benefit this organization in various ways. The first benefit that will be generated from this change of strategy will be reduced time wastage. With this new approach to holding conference, officers will not have to move out of their offices when there is a conference needed. This means that if there is any delay in the meeting, other officers can continue with other tasks in their officers other than idling in the conference hall. This strategy will also eliminate cases of absenteeism from such meetings by some of the members. This is because there will be limited excuse as long as there is goodwill from these members. This will improve the overall performance of the organization because it will be possible to share new ideas as soon as they are hatched. The departments that are facing difficulties can also share their experience with other departments in case there can be any form of help needed. It is also important to note that there will be no need for a hall where the conference can be held. With the increasingly reduced space being experienced in organizations currently, the current conference hall can be put under a usef ul project for the organization. The win in this new strategy will not only be of value to the concerned officers who would use the facilities developed. There will be a shared value to various stakeholders when this strategy is implemented. It is a fact that this strategy will reduce time taken to make decisions. This means that the management will be able to operate more efficiently. This would mean that employees would have the needed attention from their supervisors because of their increased availability. This would enhance positive relationship between the management and the junior employees of this firm. To the shareholders, it is true that when efficiency is improved, there will be increased productivity, which would translate into increased profitability. This will increase the returns that the shareholders will have on their investment. It will also help in expanding the investment of these stakeholders within this firm (Spiro, 2011). The customers served by this firm will also share the value of this new strategy. When this firm decides to use this new technology, it would mean that the management would have more time to determine the needs of the customers and discuss among them how best they can create more value to their customers. They will also be able to direct junior employees on the best approach to take when delivering value to customers in order to make the experience to be of more value. It is important to give data in support of the strategy to be implemented. In this case, time will be considered. It can take 30 minutes for a physical conference to be arranged and started if all the officers are in the same building. It will take the officers about 15 minutes to settle back in their officers.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The change strategy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More If they are 10 officers, the total time wasted will be 450 minutes, which is 7.5 hours. If six such meetings are held in a month, time wasted will be about 45 hours in a month or 540 hours in a year. This is a massive time that can be used in developing the firm. In order to make this win a reality, it shall be publicized using direct memos to the relevant officers within the firm. The memos will be physically delivered to their offices to ensure that they get to read it. This will be followed by direct phone call from the enforcing authority. The next step for making continuous progress will be to purchase the necessary equipments that would be needed to make this project a reality. Then these officers will be trained on how to use these gadgets. Finally, a team of technicians will be responsible for their maintenance. In conclusion, it is apparent that this new strategy will have a radical shift from the traditional way of having conference. When all the responsible stakeholders commit themselves to this new approach, the overall performance of the organization will be improved. References Reiß, M. (2012). Change management: A balanced and blended approach. Norderstedt: Books on Demand. Spiro, J. (2011). Leading change step-by-step: Tactics, tools, and tales. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. This essay on The change strategy was written and submitted by user Kiara Fowler to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

How to Prevent a Shark Attack

How to Prevent a Shark Attack Even though youre more likely to die from a lightning strike, alligator attack or on a bicycle than from a shark attack, sharks do sometimes bite humans. In this article, you can learn about the actual risk of a shark attack, and how to avoid one.​ The International Shark Attack File The International Shark Attack  File  was developed in the late 1950s to compile information on shark attacks. Sharks attacks may be provoked or unprovoked. According to the International Shark Attack File, provoked attacks are those that happen when a person initiates contact with a shark (e.g., bites occurring to a fisherman removing a shark from a hook, a bite to a diver that has touched a shark). Unprovoked attacks are those that occur in the sharks natural habitat when a human has not initiated contact. Some of these may be if the shark mistakes a human for prey. Over the years, records of unprovoked attacks have increased - in 2015, there were 98 unprovoked shark attacks (6 fatal), which is the highest on record. This doesnt mean sharks are attacking more often. It  is more a function of increased human population and activity in the water (visiting the beach, increase in participation in scuba, paddle boarding, surfing activities, etc.), and the ease of reporting shark bites. Given the large increase in human population and ocean use over the years, the rate of shark attacks is decreasing. The top 3 attacking shark species were the white, tiger and bull sharks. Where Do Shark Attacks Occur? Just because youre swimming in the ocean doesnt mean you may be attacked by a shark. In many areas, large sharks dont come close to shore. The regions with the highest percentage of shark attacks were Florida, Australia, South Africa, Brazil, Hawaii, and California. These are also regions where lots of people visit the beaches and participate in water activities. According to  The Shark Handbook, most shark bites occur to swimmers, followed by surfers and divers, but the majority of these bites are minor flesh wounds or abrasions. Ways to Prevent Shark Attacks There are many ways (most of them common-sense) that you can avoid a shark attack. Below is a list of what not to do if youll be swimming in waters where sharks might be present, and techniques for getting away alive if a shark attack really does happen. How to Avoid a Shark Attack: Dont swim alone.Dont swim during dark or twilight hours.Dont swim with shiny jewelry.Dont swim if you have an open wound.Dont swim too far offshore.Ladies: dont swim if youre menstruating.Dont splash excessively or make erratic movements.Keep pets out of the water.Dont swim in areas where there are sewage (for other obvious reasons!) or pinnipeds that are hauled-out. Both areas can attract sharks.Dont swim in areas being used by fishermen, as their bait could attract sharks.Dont push your luck - never harass a shark. Get out of the water if one is spotted and never attempt to grab or touch it. What to Do If Youre Attacked: Lets hope youve followed safety advice and successfully avoided an attack. But what do you do if you suspect a sharks in the area or you are being attacked? If you feel something brush against you, get out of the water. According to an article from National Geographic, many shark bite victims dont feel any pain. And sharks may strike more than once.If you are attacked, the number one rule  is do whatever it takes to get away. Possibilities include yelling underwater, blowing bubbles, and punching the sharks nose, eye or gills and then leaving the area before the shark strikes again. Protecting Sharks Although shark attacks are a horrific topic, in reality, many more sharks are killed by humans each year. Healthy shark populations are crucial to maintaining balance in the ocean, and sharks need our protection. References and Additional Information: Burgess, George H. 2011. ISAF Statistics on Attacking Species of Shark. (Online). FL Museum of Natural History. Accessed January 30, 2012.Burgess, George H. 2009. ISAF 2008 Worldwide Shark Attack Summary (Online). FL Museum of Natural History. Accessed February 5, 2010.Burgess, George H. 1998. Just for Kids: How to Avoid a Shark Attack Reprinted with permission from The Kids How to Do (Almost) Everything Guide, Monday Morning Books, Palo Alto, California. Accessed February 5, 2010.ISAF. 2009. International Shark Attack File. (Online). FL Museum of Natural History. Accessed February 5, 2010.Skomal, G. 2008. The Shark Handbook. Cider Mill Press Book Publishers: Kennebunkport, ME. 278pp.

buy custom Technology, Science, and Culture essay

buy custom Technology, Science, and Culture essay Technology is the usage of tools, techniques, or systems in a manner aimed at solving problems or serving some purposes. It is a science that involves analyzing, developing, and applying machines, devices, and techniques with the aim of enhancing productive and manufacturing processes. Technology is the method of employing technical knowhow and tools to achieve specific goals. For example, video editing which involves the application of technical ability in editing motion picture. This means technology is the elaborated understanding of something that when skillfully applied, a specific ambition is fulfilled. Technology is the machines and systems that aid in making a production process, or any other activity, efficient. Usually technology in this context defines a situation whereby these machines and systems are used as a unit. For example, a seismograph is technology because it is a machine that makes the process of measuring and detecting the direction, duration, and intensity of earthquakes proceed in an efficient manner. Technology is a cultural anthropology. In this context, its a definition of the ways of conducting cultural or societal affairs, or the method of organization. For example, democracy may be regarded as a social technology. Technology as a cultural anthropology means it is used for social purposes. Social technologies include hardware and software that accommodates social procedure in interpersonal communication, e.g. telegraphs, telephones, and postal systems. The impact of television on cultures Some technologies have had great impacts on cultures, e.g. television. Television has a great effect on the subconscious mind and their induction on people is easy and rapid. As an example, te most effective adverts are those broadcasted on television. Motion picture on television has weakened individuals ability to behave autonomously due to its strong influence reminiscence on cultures worldwide. This influence is as a result of the events that are broadcasted as well as those that are withheld a scenario that makes television broadcasting has an extensive social control on people. On morality, since television has connected societies into a global village, a specific cultures norms have been eroded and considered as backwardness. This has lead to people loosen ethical boundaries to accommodate modes of behavior that they see on television. Television has also diversified political opinions and enhanced consumer participation levels. They have been utilized to influence sentiments, beliefs, and judgments; and a notable example is when governments apply television broadcasts with the aim of wining the citizens support on important issues. It is widely believed that television influences the way people vote, and this belief has lead to televised political debates. Lastly, media moguls have become some of the most powerful unelected persons in the world. Rupert Murdoch is the best example in this case. The future of internet Information technology refers to data processing and distribution using computer systems and telecommunication channels. There has been rapid growth in the number of users in recent years due to its effectiveness and efficiency. The use of the internet is growing at a phenomenal rate, and it is part of technology that will have a lot of impact on the future of the world. With regard to this, scientists are enhancing its capacity to enable accommodation of increasedd traffic as more people embrace its use while the existing users increase the amount data they send. Technologies like the Dense Wave Division Multiplexing (DWDM) are being developed so as to reduce congestion on the internet because it allows per second data transfer across faster medium like optic fiber. Faster packet handling equipments have been developed to ensure its sustained growth in the use. It would be difficult to do without the internet because most other forms of technology rely on it in many ways. For example, television broadcasts on the internet have gained popularity just like the internet application in education and medicine has. The Telephone Many technological innovations have been inspired by social needs, for example, the telephone. Telephone was first introduced for societal use in 1876. This invention by Alexander Graham Bell made communication easier previously. The use of telephone left an indelible mark in the society, and its impacts are evident in business and war correspondences. The basic demand that necessitated research in this area was the need of people to establish contacts with relatives and friends overseas a situation which was difficult before. It has had some negative impacts too, like the sophistication of criminal activities. In spite of the fact that this innovation was to become an important part of our lives, most people had at first neglected its use taking it as a toy or a fake gadget. When its capabilities became clearer the skepticism ended, and people embraced it which lead to growth in its use. The telephone innovation has grown to fulfill the need of people to converse conveniently and cheaply, which was the main cause of the introduction of mobile phones. Buy custom Technology, Science, and Culture essay

Reasearch Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Reasearch - Research Paper Example Over the years, humans have become quite adept of getting the resources that they need to the places that they are required in the shortest amount of time possible. The process of spatial interaction also helps to explain why some areas of the world have a deficit in some areas of need, while others have a surplus. This can be seen in the case of most of West Africa not receive an equal distribution of food and vital resources to sustain its populace, while the countries of Western Europe seem to have more than enough (Anselin, 2008). If spatial interaction can be used to better examine how to more equally distribute these goods and services via a complex web of transportation networks, then the global population can perhaps become more balanced in terms of the ‘haves and have nots’. Spatial interaction is directly related to economic growth. The distribution of goods and services is predicated on the economic model of supply and demand. There continues to be a wide gulf in terms of relative wealth between the respective regions of the world. In fact, much research is currently focused on better understanding the regional disparities that exist between one country and the next, and much of this focus in on spatial interaction. In considering this issues, it is helpful to discuss the long-run economic growth model present by Solow. This particular model discusses the gap in spatial interaction by looking at the variables of educational capital, health capital, migration, and certain spillovers in knowledge (Anselin, 2008). Where these variables converge or diverge deterring how countries and regions differ in terms of their ability to provide the populace with a steady flow of the goods that are required to sustain a balanced and normal life. There are various external factors related to investment in infrastructure and logistics that affect the economic

Elements of Religious Traditions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Elements of Religious Traditions - Essay Example For example in the case of Judaism there are two forms of Torah, one is verbal and the other one is written. The Torah that is available in written form has been recognized as Tanakh or even named as the Hebrew Bible. The oral form of Torah has even been found in written form in the shape of Talmud which is a written commentary. On the other hand several religions that are indigenous in nature have not created a written format of their oral teachings. Similarly there are certain religions who do not follow any form of written text or tradition and their religious traditions are found in oral form and have been transferred from one generation to another in that form. The complexity of the verbal traditions is much harder to interpret and understand. Religious Traditions Say The second major issues in the study of religious traditions are to identify what particular teachings or particular stories and texts of a particular religion are trying to teach their members. The issue in identi fying what a particular teaching is trying to convey to its members is whether the teaching is a standard doctrine or a particular teaching is just a myth and have been handed down from one religion to another in verbal manner. What are religious teaching is trying to convey to its followers has certain functions. ... In certain teachings, this has been stated in quite an explicit manner. For example: in the case of religion of Shinto that is practiced in Japan, the birth of Islands in Japan are explained as a divine couple in which Izanagi and Izanami stirred up the floor of the ocean with the assistance of the trident of heaven and the drippings that were an outcome of this activity are recognized as the Islands of Japan (Ashkenazi, 2003, p.173). Their religion further states that the people living in Japan are the descendents of these beings that are semi-divine in nature. Religious Traditions Does The issue of what a particular religious teaching does for its members depends on the themes. One of the themes that religious traditions focus upon is the rituals and behaviors that an individual has to carry out throughout his/her life. These traditions teach their followers about the behaviors they are expected to exhibit as child, adult and as they become seniors. Religious teachings help individ uals throughout different transitions. For example: the vision quest that is a part of the people of Lakota is a story of how Lakota lived as a boy and then as an adult and these teachings inform its members that this is the right way of living their lives and this way will help them experience prosperity. Another major issue related to religious traditions is how these teachings operate to provide its followers with the complete access to what is considered as sacred. For example: In Christianity, winter marks the birth of their God and Christians celebrate this season in shape of Christmas. Religious Traditions Organizes The last issue that a religious tradition sorts to solve is how a particular religion is involved in the process of organizing its leadership. These

Enterprise Architecture as Strategy Essay Example for Free

Enterprise Architecture as Strategy Essay Technology is shifting at a faster rate resulting in development of new methods that assist in completion of certain technological demand. This has given birth to different enterprise architecture frameworks that fulfill the requirements of day-to-day activities. Architecture is a framework of guidelines, principles, models, standards and strategies that directs, construction and development of business process, design and information and resources through enterprise. Hence, enterprise architecture is a blueprint, which defines the structure and operation of a given organization (Fowler Rice 2003). Thus, a foundation in which an organization can determine how to achieve current and future aims. There are many types of EA frameworks with specified capabilities. Some of these frameworks include ToGAF, Zachman, FEAF, DoDAF and EAP. The aim of this paper is to analyze ToGAF, and analyze how it compares with other EA frameworks. The Open Group Architecture Framework (TOGAF) is an enterprise architecture framework, which approaches the development of enterprise information architecture through design, planning, governance and implementation. This EA framework employs four pillars to achieve its goals: Application, Business, Technology and Data. Before the architect plans for current and future aims of the organization, they are provided with foundation architectures that form the basis that they will use for the new development. The four pillars play a crucial role in ensuring that the process is successful. Business architecture allows the definition of governance, business strategy, the organization and any other important processes of the given organization. Applications architecture allows the provision of the blueprint for the specific application to enable the interaction, deployment and create relationships between the important business processes of a given organization. Data architecture describes the structure of the given organization and defines physical and logical data assets that are in the given organization. Technical architecture defines the software, hardware and network infrastructure that is in place and the required technical resources to accomplish the mission in question. The original aim of the TOGAF was to design and develop technology architecture for a given business entity. However, the framework has evolved becoming a methodology that is used to analyze overall business architecture. This resulted into splitting of the enterprise methodology into two parts: Architecture Development Method (ADM) and Enterprise continuum. The ADM ensures that the enterprise architecture meets the requirements of the organization in terms of business needs and information technology needs. Its ability to be tailored ensures that organizational needs are factored in each of the different execution steps of the architecture planning process. The process is usually cyclic and iterative because the entire process is split into phases. The ADM supports nine phases; the first is the preliminary and the second to the ninth ranges from Phase A to Phase H. Each phase requirements are checked and ensured that it fulfills its basic needs. For example, Phase C combines Application and Data architecture and phase B and C ensure that the clarity of the information architecture is achieved (Lankhorst 2005). For the ADM to be successful, Enterprise Continuum comes handy. Generally, the Enterprise Continuum can be seen as a ‘virtual repository’ of all the assets of the architecture that is in an organization. These assets may include architectural patterns, architectural models, architecture descriptions and other important artifacts. Enterprise Continuum brings together Solutions and Architecture Continuum. The Architecture Continuum structures the re-usable architecture assets, which brings together representations, rules, relationships of information systems that are available to the enterprise. The Solutions Continuum defines the blocks that are used by the Architecture Continuum. This then allows the architectural building models and blocks that assists building the architecture design and eliminates ambiguity during analysis and implementation of the process. Usually there is a relationship between the different EA frameworks in terms of how it operates and ways that enables it to accomplish its duties. Zachman Framework and TOGAF ADM part share some common features. ADM mapping in relation to the Zachman Framework supports a correlation. The Zachman Framework has a well established and comprehensive taxonomy that supports various models, viewpoints and other important artifacts, which an enterprise may consider developing as a phase of the EA (White 2007). The Zachman Framework covers the 30 cells, but the TOGAF does not cover all the cells. However, it is possible for the TOGAF to develop viewpoints to accomplish aspects of Zachman Framework. Nevertheless, there are some viewpoints that are supported by TOGAF, which are not included in the Zachman Framework. For example, the missing viewpoints include manageability and security. The purpose of the architecture is to define viewpoints, an aspect that is supported by the TOGAF ADM but lacks in Zachman Framework. Zachman Framework vertical axis provides a source of potential viewpoints while the horizontal may provide generic taxonomy concerns. Thus, the Zachman Framework does not have means for processes for conformant views or developing viewpoints. Hence, it does not employ a perspective that is shown by TOGAF’s ADM. FEAF structure resembles with TOGAF because it is portioned into Data, Business, Technology and Applications Architectures. Thus, it contains guidance that is analogous to TOGAF architecture and its architectural viewpoints and perspectives. However, the rows that are in the FEAF matrix do not directly map to TOGAF structure. However, the mapping of ADM to Zachman Framework has some correlation between TOGAF and FEAF. Hence, the columns that are in the FEAF matrix correspond to the three architecture domains that are supported by TOGAF; the fourth TOGAF domain covers business architecture that lacks in the FEAF structure. Enterprise Architecture Planning (EAP) is a framework that brings together Applications, Information and Technology Architectures in fulfilling the requirements of architecture. Thus, it shares many concepts with TOGAF because the aim of EAP is to form blueprints for architectures to solve business problems. Moreover, EAP supports the nine phases that are supported by the TOGAF (White 2007). The first three phases in the EAP (Business Architecture) maps to the Phase B of TOGAF ADM. Baseline Description, which is the step 4 in EAP maps to Phases C and D of TOGAF ADM. These are some of the basic features that both frameworks share. However, EAP does not support taxonomy of various views and viewpoints when compared to the TOGAF architecture. Department of Defense Architecture Framework (DoDAF) defines the architecture systems into consistent and complementary views. It defines a structure and mechanisms that help in understanding, visualizing and assimilating the complexities and broad scope of a given architecture design through tabular, graphic and textual means. Thus, it shares minimal aspect with TOGAF. In fact, TOGAF focus on the methodology of architecture in terms of â€Å"how to† without bringing into consideration architecture description constructs. This perspective is different when it comes to the DODAF architecture. DoDAF main functionality focus on the architecture through a given set of views without any specified methodology, a perspective that is different from TOGAF, which has a specific methodology (Bernus Fox 2005). ADM guides the way that TOGAF operates, an aspect that is less exhibited in the DoDAF. This is because the purpose of architecture determines description of use and supports a well tailored process to fulfill the requirements of the EA (McGovern Ambler 2003). DODAF requires that all information, analysis and products to build should be put forefront before building the architecture. However, TOGAF specify certain requirements that should be in place and grouped into the four pillars. DoDAF supports three â€Å"views† System, Operational and Technical while the TOGAF support four views. However, â€Å"views† in DoDAF differs from the view that is seen in the TOGAF. Deliverables and artifacts that are defined in the DoDAF have no corresponding parts in the TOGAF ADM. This is because DoDAF goes deeper in determining details of the specific architecture. Thus, DoDAF are at the system design level rather than in TOGAF, which is in the architecture level. Nevertheless, the level of detail can be included in the ADM especially at Phase B, C and D of the TOGAF. Enterprise Architecture plays an important role in ensuring that the business strategy and the requirements of a certain process are achieved. TOGAF approach is useful in achieving a business-oriented process through a well defined methodology. TOGAF have common features and minor differences with other EA such as the Zachman, FEAF, DoDAF and EAP. The view and viewpoint that is incorporated by the TOGAF ensures that the requirements of the organization are achieved. Thus, TOGAF plays an important role, which is envisaged by other Enterprise Architecture Framework. It fulfills the requirements that it is assigned, however, fulfills it different from the other EA frameworks. References Bernus, P. Fox, M. (2005). Knowledge Sharing in the Integrated Enterprise: Interoperability Strategies for the Enterprise Architect. London: Birkhauser. The book addresses Enterprise Architectures and Enterprise Integration in a way that makes it easy to utilize Enterprise Models and other Modeling Tools. It brings together the different models and forms of a framework into fulfilling a requirement. Thus, it develops interchange models between the given modeling tools, maintain its interdependencies and knowledge on the re-use of enterprise models. The authors also provide means towards the achievement of the ISO9001:2000. The book brings into consideration Design of Information Infrastructure Systems for Manufacturing (DIISM’04) and International Conference on Enterprise Integration and Modeling Technology (ICEIMT’04). Fowler, M. Rice, D. (2003). Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture. New York: Addison-Wesley Publishers. The book provides proven solutions to the problems that are experienced by information system developers. The book utilizes code example in terms of C+ and Java. The book turns the problems that are associated with enterprise applications developers into a new strategy that eliminates these problems and ensures that the developers are in an environment that they can easily embrace. The authors’ helps professionals to understand complex issues associated with architecture. The book shows that architecture is crucial in completion of application development and multi-user environment. In addition, the book provides patterns and context in EA that enables the reader to have proper means to make the right decisions. Lankhorst, M. (2005). Enterprise Architecture at Work: Modeling, Communication, and Analysis. New York: Springer. The authors bring clearly the complexities that are associated with architectural domains. It brings into consideration description of the enterprise architecture and fulfillment into an organization in terms of processes, structure, systems, applications and techniques. The book brings into consideration description of components and unambiguous specification to allow for a logical modeling language. They utilize their skills in ensuring that the architects have concrete skills that fulfill the architectural practice. It also gives means that allows communication between stakeholders that are involved in these architectures. The authors also provide means to assess both qualitative impact and quantitative aspects of the given architectures. Modeling language that is utilized has been used in real-life cases. McGovern, J. Ambler, S. (2003). A practical Guide to Enterprise Architecture. New York: Prentice Hall PTR. The authors of the book have hands-on experience in solving real-world problems for major corporations. The book contains guidelines that assist the architects to make sense of the systems, data, services, software, methodologies, and product lines. The book also provides explanation of the theory and its application to the real world business needs. Perks, C. Beveridge, T. (2003). Guide to Enterprise IT Architecture. New York: Springer Publishers. The book brings into consideration different Enterprise Architecture frameworks. The authors’ clearly explains development of a modeling concept through various technical architecture, e-business and gap analysis. Moreover, the book brings into consideration operating systems and software engineering principles. Moreover, the book relates EA with service instances, distributed computing, application software and enterprise application integration. Ross, J. Weill, P. (2006). Enterprise Architecture as Strategy: Creating a Foundation for Business Execution. Chicago: Harvard Business Press. The aim of EA is to define the requirements of an organization in terms of job roles, standardized tasks, infrastructure, system and data. Moreover, the book also gives guidelines in the way that organizations will compete in a digitalized world providing managers with means to make decisions and realize visions that they had planned. Thus, the book explains EA vital role in fulfilling the execution of a given business strategy. The book provides thoughtful case examples, clear frameworks, and a proven and effective way of achieving EA. Scheer, A. Kruppke, H. (2006). Agility by ARIS Business Process Management. New York: Springer Publishers. The authors’ brings into consideration the benefits that are associated with utilizing of varies EA frameworks. It brings into consideration the various differences that are seen in each EA framework. Moreover, the authors explores the benefits that will result if a given framework is utilized in a given business strategy. Thus, the book is business oriented with EA playing an important role. Schekkerman, J. (2003). How to Survive in the Jungle of Enterprise Architecture Frameworks, 2nd Ed. New York: Trafford Publishers. This book defines the role that is played by enterprise Architecture Frameworks bringing clearly the main difference between the common Enterprise Architecture Frameworks. This book provides the right procedures and means that can allow selection of the right Enterprise Architecture Framework. The book further gives the history and overview of various Enterprise Architecture Frameworks and the capabilities that the specified Enterprise Architecture. Some common features of EA that the book explores are principles, purpose, scope, structure, and compliance and guidance to ensure that the right EA is chosen. Wagter, R. Steenbergen, M. (2005). Dynamic Enterprise Architecture: How to Make it work. New York: John Wiley and Sons Publications. The authors of the book present a way towards EA that enables organizations to achieve the objectives of their business. The book focuses on governance of the IT organization, advice and strategies provide tangible tools that assist in the achievement of the goals of the organization. If all the directives are followed the organization will achieve its goals at a faster speed. White, J. (2007). Managing Information in the Public Sector. New York: M. E. Sharpe. The book covers the basis of information technology, political and managerial issues that revolve the EA. This book is specifically written for the public and it covers all problems that are related to IT and the public.

Free Essay: Analysis of Sonnet 64 :: Sonnet essays

Analysis of Sonnet 64 When I have seen by Time's fell hand defac'd The rich proud cost of outworn buried age; When sometime lofty towers I see down raz'd, And brass eternal slave to mortal rage; When I have seen the hungry ocean gain Advantage on the kingdom of the shore, And the firm soil win of the watery main, Increasing store with loss and loss with store: When I have seen such interchange of state, Or state itself confounded to decay, Ruin hath tought me thus to ruminate- That Time will come and take my love away. This thought is as a death, which cannot choose But weep to have that which it fears to lose. As A. Kent Hieatt did a great job in citing certain similarities in Sonnets to Spencer's Ruines of Rome: by Bellay, I was surprised enough not to dfind any parallels on sonnet 64 to that of Ruines of Rome. This sonnet delivers, moreso, the theme of Rome succumbing to time rather than textual correlations. I will provide a quatrain by quatrain explicaton that cites certain allusions to Spencer's text. In the first quatrain, time has destroyed Rome, the "buried age," having lived too long ("outworn") as a prosperous civilization. The "lofty towers" being "raz'd" echoes Rome being "Heapt hils on hils, to scale the starrie sky"; the first "hils" in Spencer refers to the Roman civilization and the physical buildings, whereas the latter "hils" refers to the mountains on which Rome was built. Thus, being "raz'd" are all of the monuments of Rome that are subject to mutability. Ambiguity in the second quatrain allows for two readings following the Roman theme. First, the "hungry ocean" is the sea itself which gains on Rome, "the kingdom of the shore," but if the ocean is rising against Rome, it is incongruous to say that the "firm soil" defeats the "watery main." A more appropriate alternate reading still refers to Rome as "the kingdom of the shore," but the "hungry ocean" refers to other civilizations that have tried to conquer Rome yet failed. 5-7: 'When I have seen usurping nations hostily advance towards Rome, and then steadfast Rome defeat the opposing navy,'. This latter reading more supports line 8, in which Rome 'increases [its] wealth through the gains of (Rome's) conquests [thus, "with loss"], and yet at the same time increases [its] loss "with store," (that is, time's store [of time])'.

Unit Three – Marketing P3

Marketing Research Market research indicates decisions made by a business, in this case Tesco, by helping the decision makers understand undercurrents of its market. This process involves research done on customers, competitors and the overall marketing environment. For example, when Tesco is promoting a product, they need to know the likes and dislikes of their targeted consumers in order to target the correct market successfully. They would also be required to research about their competitors, to find out if by any chance they offered a product that was similar, and how they would differentiate their product from it.Also, as an overall, they would be required to research the environment of the market, as well as the size of their target market, in order to decide how they are going to offer the product to the consumers. Example: sold in store, online, or both. Primary and Secondary Research There are two types of research: †¢Primary Research †¢Secondary Research Informati on for these types of research can be done internally – within the organization, or externally, from another organization or source of information outside the organization, in this case Tesco.When information or data is gathered for a certain purpose and has not been gathered before is known is primary research. Internal primary research data source could consist of: †¢The business’s sales figures of products †¢A central database holding customer data External primary research data source could consist of: †¢Various questionnaires and surveys †¢A variety of focus groups and interviews †¢Observation techniques When data or information that has been collected before, either internally or externally, is used for research is known as secondary research. Another name for secondary research is ‘desk research’.Internal secondary research data source could consist of: †¢Sales and regional reports †¢Market research gathered in the past External secondary research data source could consist of: †¢Websites and trade journals †¢Newspapers and books †¢Public reports †¢Census data †¢Industry reports For business like Tesco that operate in many different fields, secondary research is more cost-effective, before they decide to conduct primary research. This allows Tesco to have a better understanding of the market, as well as recognize any major obstacles before conducting expensive research.Secondary research also allows them to make assumptions based on similar products and therefore, once primary research is conducted, it can be used against the assumptions to evaluate and compare. This will help indicate how much primary research they are required to do and therefore they don’t end up doing too much that is not required. However, Tesco is required to take the limitation of secondary research into consideration: †¢The information may be outdated †¢The information may be b iased in order to promote particular causes †¢The methods used to collect the research may be unreliable.Qualitative and Quantitative Research Research methods can be qualitative, quantitive or can include both methods. Well-planned market research consists of both methods in order to result with a good combination of information revealing different things about the same market. Qualitative research is one-sided and normally unrestricted. It normally is gathered through interviews with customers or focus groups and therefore result in a wide range of research based on personal experiences and feelings.A qualitative question allows the individual go give a broad answer and not based against options. Qualitative research can be used to: †¢Find the perceptions of customers about an organization or brand. †¢Discover how changes in price and other factors affect customers and spending decisions. †¢Explore customer preference, interests and other factors. Quantitative research involves numbers and figures that can be examined mathematically or graphically. This may consist of sales figures, market values, etc. , as well as responses from customers on questionnaires.This is only categorized as quantitative research if the responses from the customers a chosen from series of answers provided on the questionnaire. The difference between quantitative and qualitative research: QuantitativeQualitative ObjectiveSubjective Tests theoryDevelops theory Concise and narrowComplex and broad Measurable Interpretive Basic analysis: NumbersBasic analysis: words and ideas Logical and reasonableDialectic Establishes relationshipsDescribes meaning Experimental settingNatural setting Uses of marketing researchThe information collected for market research prevents businesses like Tesco making wrong business decisions. If the product designer for Tesco progresses a new product without market research, then the business is not moving forward on reliable sources and the refore are unaware if customers are interested in the product or not. This indicates, effective market research improves the chances of success and reduces the risks. Tesco’s can also measure progress effectively over time. This can be done by, carrying out market research, to found out the awareness of the product before managing national advertising campaigns.Once they have conducted the research, they can put their national advertising campaigns into action and again conduct research and compare the two. Therefore, this indicates, market research can be used to measure progress as well as the effects of marketing activities. Limitations of market research – costs, effectiveness and validity of data collected Weather market research is done at a small or large scale, any time is required to be performed accurately and appropriately otherwise it gives irrelevant results.All market research conducted has the chances of being wrong no matter how well controlled and plan ned. There are various reasons why market research may not provide accurate or good results but a usual problem is deciding whether the research conducted really measures what it claims to be measuring. Marketers for Tesco are required to decide how reliable the information they have obtained is. Also they need to take into consideration, if the research contained had different respondents or different set of data points, would the results be similar.Validity refers to whether the research conducted is what it intended to be. Validity involves dependability, which means, a valid measure must be reliable. But, reliability doesn’t have to link to validity, a reliable measure is not required to be valid. The difference between reliability and validity: †¢Reliability guesses the point to which an tool processes the same way each time it is used in under the same conditions with the same subjects. †¢Validity involves the point of accuracy of your measurement.For organiza tions like Tesco’s, validity is considered more important than reliability because if a process does not precisely measure what it is supposed to, there is no use of it and therefore it being reliable is useless. Costs are also an essential consideration for Tesco when carrying out market research, as they are required to take into consideration if they money spent is worth the research undertaken and its potential benefits to the product, as well as the organization. A lot of time, effort and money can be spent on market research and in the end the solution discovered might not be worth implementing.

The Return: Midnight Chapter 18

After breakfast Matt went online to find two stores, neither in Fel ‘s Church, that had the amount of clay Mrs. Flowers said she'd need and that said they'd deliver. But after that there was the matter of driving away from the boardinghouse and by the last lonely remains of where the Old Wood had been. He drove by the little thicket where Shinichi often came like a demonic Pied Piper with the possessed children shuffling behind him – the place where Sheriff Mossberg had gone after them and hadn't come out. Where, later, protected by magical wards on Post-it Notes, he and Tyrone Alpert had pul ed out a bare, chewed femur. Today, he figured the only way to get past the thicket was to work his wheezing junk car up by stages, and it was actual y going over sixty when he flew by the thicket, even managing to hit the turn perfectly. No trees fel on him, no swarms of foot-long bugs. He whispered â€Å"Whoa,†in relief and headed for home. He dreaded that – but simply driving through Fel ‘s Church was so horrible it glued his tongue to the top of his mouth. It looked – this pretty, innocent little town where he had grown up – as if it were one of those neighborhoods you saw on TV or on the Internet that had been bombed, or something. And whether it was bombs or disasterous fires, one house in four was simply rubble. A few were half-rubble, with police tape enclosing them, which meant that whatever had happened had happened early enough for the police to care – or dare. Around the burned-out bits the vegetation flourished strangely: a decorative bush from one house grown so as to be halfway across a neighbor's grass. Vines dipping from one tree to another, to another, as if this were some ancient jungle. His home was right in the middle of a long block of houses ful of kids – and in summer, when grandchildren inevitably came to visit, there were even more kids. Matt just hoped that that part of summer vacation was done†¦but would Shinichi and Misao let the youngsters go home? Matt had no idea. And, if they went home, would they keep spreading the disease in their own hometowns? Where did it stop? Driving down his block, though, Matt saw nothing hideous. There were kids playing out on the front lawns, or the sidewalks, crouching over marbles, hanging out in the trees. There was no single overt thing that he could put his finger on There was no single overt thing that he could put his finger on that was weird. He was Stilluneasy. But he'd reached his house now, the one with a grand old oak tree shading the porch, so he had to get out. He coasted to a stop just under the tree and parked by the sidewalk. He grabbed a large laundry bag from the backseat. He'd been accumulating dirty clothes for a couple of weeks at the boardinghouse and it hadn't seemed fair to ask Mrs. Flowers to wash them. As he got out of the car, pul ing the bag out with him, he was just in time to hear the birdsong stop. For a moment after it did, he wondered what was wrong. He knew that something was missing, cut short. It made the air heavier. It even seemed to change the smel of the grass. Then he realized. Every bird, including the raucous crows that lived in the oak trees, had gone silent. All at once. Matt felt a twisting in his bel y as he looked up and around. There were two kids in the oak tree right beside his car. His mind was Stillstubbornly trying to hang on to: Children. Playing. Okay. His body was smarter. His hand was already in his pocket, pul ing out a pad of Post-it Notes: the flimsy bits of paper that usual y stopped evil magic cold. Matt hoped Meredith would remember to ask Isobel's mother for more amulets. He was running low, and†¦ †¦and there were two kids playing in the old oak tree. Except they weren't. They were staring at him. One boy was hanging upside down by his knees and the other was gobbling something†¦out of a garbage bag. The hanging kid was staring at him with strangely acute eyes. â€Å"Have you ever wondered what it's like to be dead?†he asked. And now the head of the gobbling boy came up, thick bright red al around his mouth. Bright red – – blood. And†¦whatever was in the garbage bag was moving. Kicking. Thrashing weakly. Trying to get away. A wave of nausea washed over Matt. Acid hit his throat. He was going to puke. The gobbling kid was staring at him with stony black-as-a-pit eyes. The hanging kid was smiling. Then, as if stirred by a hot breath of wind, Matt felt the fine hairs on the back of his neck stand up. It wasn't just the birds that had gone quiet. Everything had. No child's voice was raised in argument or song or speech. He whirled around and saw why. They were staring at him. Every single kid on the block was silently watching him. Then, with a chil ing precision, as he turned back to look at the boys in the tree, al the others came toward him. Except they weren't walking. They were creeping. Lizard-fashion. That's why some of them had seemed to be playing with marbles on the sidewalk. They were al moving in the same way, bel ies close to the ground, elbows up, hands like forepaws, knees splaying to the side. Now he could taste bile. He looked the other way down the street and found another group creeping. Grinning unnatural grins. It was as if someone was pul ing their cheeks from behind them, pul ing them hard, so that their grins almost broke their faces in half. Matt noticed something else. Suddenly they'd stopped, and while he stared at them, they stayed Still. Perfectly Still, staring back at him. But when he looked away, he saw the creeping figures out of the corner of his eye. He didn't have enough Post-it Notes for al of them. You can't run away from this. It sounded like an outside voice in his head. Telepathy. But maybe that was because Matt's head had turned into a roiling red cloud, floating upward. Fortunately, his body heard it and suddenly he was up on the back of his car, and had grabbed the hanging kid. For a moment he had a helpless impulse to let go of the boy. The kid Stillstared at him but with eerie, uncanny eyes that were half rol ed back in his head. Instead of dropping him, Matt slapped a Post-It Note on the boy's forehead, swinging him at the same time to sit on the back of the car. A pause and then wailing. The kid must be fourteen at least, but about thirty seconds after the Ban Against Evil (pocket-size) was smacked on him he was sobbing real kid sobs. As one, the crawling kids let out a hiss. It was like a giant steam engine. Hsssssssssssssssssssssss. They began to breathe in and out very fast, as if working up to some new state. Their creeping slowed to a crawl. But they were breathing so hard Matt could see their sides hol ow and fil . As Matt turned to look at one group of them, they froze, except for the unnatural breathing. But he could feel the ones behind him getting closer. By now Matt's heart was pounding in his ears. He could fight a group of them – but not with a group on his back. Some of them looked only ten or eleven. Some looked almost his age. Some were girls, for God's sake. Matt remembered what possessed girls had done the last time he'd met them and felt violent revulsion. But he knew that looking up at the gobbling kid was going to make him sicker. He could hear smacking, chewing sounds – and he could hear a thin little whistle of helpless pain and weak struggling against the bag. He whirled quickly again, to keep off the other side of crawlers, and then made himself look up. With a quiet crackle, the garbage bag fel away when he grabbed it but the kid held on to what was in – Oh my God. He's eating a baby! A baby! A – He yanked the kid out of the tree and his hand automatical y slapped a Post-It onto the boy's back. And then – then, thank God, he saw the fur. It wasn't a baby. It was too smal to be a baby, even a newborn. But it was eaten. The kid raised his bloody face to Matt's, and Matt saw that it was Cole Reece, Cole who was only thirteen and lived right next door. Matt hadn't even recognized him before. Cole's mouth was wide open in horror now, and his eyes were bulging out of his head with terror and sorrow, and tears and snot were streaming down his face. â€Å"He made me eat Toby,†he started in a whisper that became a scream. â€Å"He made me eat my guinea pig! He made me – why why why did he do that? I ATE TOBY!† He threw up al over Matt's shoes. Blood-red vomit. Merciful death for the animal. Quick, Matt thought. But this was the hardest thing he'd ever tried to do. How to do it – a hard stomp on the creature's head? He couldn't. He had to try something else first. Matt peeled off a Post-It Note and put it, trying not to look, on the fur. And just like that it was over. The guinea pig went slack. The spel had undone whatever had been keeping it alive up to this point. There was blood and puke on Matt's hands, but he made himself turn to Cole. Cole had his eyes shut tight and little choking sounds came from him. Something in Matt snapped. â€Å"You want some of this?†he shouted, holding out the Post-it pad as if it were the revolver he'd left with Mrs. Flowers. He whirled again, shouting, â€Å"You want some? How about you? You, Josh?†He was recognizing faces now. â€Å"You, Madison? How 'bout you, Bryn? Bring it on! You all bring it on! BRING IT – â€Å" Something touched his shoulder. He spun, Post-it Note ready. Then he stopped short and relief bubbled up in him like Evian water at some fancy restaurant. He was staring right into the face of Dr. Alpert, Fel ‘s Church's own country doctor. She had her SUV parked beside his car, in the middle of the street. Behind her, protecting her back, was Tyrone, who was going to be next year's quarterback at Robert E. Lee High. His sister, a sophomore-to-be, was trying to get out of the SUV too, but she stopped when Tyrone saw her. â€Å"Jayneela!† he roared in a voice only the Tyre-minator could produce. â€Å"You get back in and buckle up! You know what Mom said! You do it now!† Matt found himself clutching at Dr. Alpert's chocolate brown hands. He knew she was a good woman, and a good caretaker, who had adopted her daughter's young children when their divorced mother had died of cancer. Maybe she would help him, too. He began babbling. â€Å"Oh, God, I've gotta get my mom out. My mom lives here alone. And I have to get her away from here.†He knew he was sweating. He hoped he wasn't crying. â€Å"Okay, Matt,†the doctor said in her husky voice. â€Å"I'm getting my own family out this afternoon. We're going to stay with relatives in West Virginia. She's welcome to come.† It couldn't be this easy. Matt knew he had tears in his eyes now. He refused to blink, though, and let them come down. â€Å"I don't know what to say – but if you would – you're an adult, you see. She won't listen to me. She will listen to you. This whole block is infected. This kid Cole – â€Å"He couldn't go on. But Dr. Alpert saw it al in a flash – the animal, the boy with blood on his teeth and his mouth, Stillretching. Dr. Alpert didn't react. She just had Jayneela throw her a packet of Wet Wipes from the SUV and held the heaving kid with one hand, while vigorously scrubbing his face clean. â€Å"Go home,†she told him sternly. â€Å"You have to let the infected ones go,†she said to Matt, with a terrible look in her eyes. â€Å"Cruel as it seems, they only pass it on to the few who're Stillwell.†Matt started to tel her about the effectiveness of the Post-it Note amulets, but she was already cal ing, â€Å"Tyrone! Come over here and you boys bury this poor animal. Then you be ready to move Mrs. Honeycutt's things into the van. Jayneela, you do what your brother says. I'm going in for a little talk with Mrs. Honeycutt right now.† She didn't raise her voice much. She didn't need to. The Tyre-minator was obeying, backing up to Matt, watching the last of the creeping children that Matt's explosion hadn't scattered. He's quick, Matt realized. Quicker than me. It's like a game. As long as you watch them they can't move. They took turns being the watcher and handling the shovel. The earth here was hard as rock, heavy with weeds. But somehow they got a hole dug and the work helped them mental y. They buried Toby, and Matt walked around like some foot-dragging monster, trying to get the vomit off his shoes in the grass. Suddenly beside them there was the noise of a door banging open and Matt ran, ran to his mother, who was trying to heft a huge suitcase, much too heavy for her, through the door. Matt took it from her and felt himself encompassed in her hug even though she had to stand on tip-toes to do it. â€Å"Matt, I can't just leave you – â€Å" â€Å"He'l be one of those to get the town out of this mess,†Dr. Alpert said, overriding her. â€Å"He'l clean it up. Now we've got to get out so we don't drag him down. Matt, just so you know, I heard that the McCul oughs are getting out too. Mr. and Mrs. Sulez don't seem to be going yet, and neither do the Gilbert-Maxwells.†She said the last two words with a distinct emphasis. The Gilbert-Maxwells were Elena's aunt Judith, her husband Robert MaxWell, and Elena's little sister, Margaret. There was no real reason to mention them. But Matt knew why Dr. Alpert had. She remembered seeing Elena when this whole mess had started. Despite Elena's purification of the woods where Dr. Alpert had been standing, the doctor remembered. â€Å"I'l tel – Meredith,†Matt said, and looking her in the eyes, he nodded a little, as if to say, I'l tel Elena, too. â€Å"Anything else to carry?†Tyrone asked. He was encumbered by a canary birdcage, with the little bird frantical y beating its wings inside, and a smal er suitcase. â€Å"No, but how can I thank you?†Mrs. Honeycutt said. â€Å"Thanks later – now, everybody in,†said Dr. Alpert. â€Å"We are taking off.† Matt hugged his mother and gave her a little push toward the SUV, which had already swal owed the birdcage and smal suitcase. â€Å"Good-bye!†everyone was yel ing. Tyrone stuck his head out of the window to say, â€Å"Cal me whenever! I want to help!† And then they were gone. Matt could hardly believe it was over; it had happened so fast. He ran inside the open door of his house and got his other pair of running shoes, just in case Mrs. Flowers couldn't fix the smel of the ones he was wearing. When he burst out of the house again he had to blink. Instead of the white SUV there was a different white car parked beside his. He looked around the block. No children. None at al . And the birdsong had come back. There were two men in the car. One was white and one was black and they both were around the age to be concerned fathers. Anyway they had him cut off, the way their car was parked. He had no choice but to go up to them. As soon as he did they both got out of the car, watching him as if he was as dangerous as a kitsune. The instant they did that, Matt knew he'd made a mistake. â€Å"You're Matthew Jeffrey Honeycutt?† Matt had no choice but to nod. â€Å"Say yes or no, please.† â€Å"Yes.†Matt could see inside the white car now. It was a stealth police car, one of those with lights inside, al ready to be fixed outside if the officers wanted to let you in on the secret. â€Å"Matthew Jeffrey Honeycutt, you are under arrest for assault and battery upon Caroline Beula Forbes. You have the right to remain silent. If you give up this right, anything you say can and wil be used against you in a court of law – â€Å" â€Å"Didn't you see those kids?†Matt was shouting. â€Å"You had to have seen one or two of them! Didn't that mean anything to you?† â€Å"Lean over and put your hands on the front of the car.† â€Å"It's going to destroy the whole town! You're helping it!† â€Å"Do you understand these rights – ?† â€Å"Do you understand what is going on in Fel ‘s Church?† There was a pause this time. And then, in perfectly even tones, one of the two said, â€Å"We're from Ridgemont.†

Multi Lateral Peace Operations essays

Multi Lateral Peace Operations essays When President Bill Clinton was inaugurated in 1993, he stressed a new policy concerning a revived United Nations and the actions that would be taken by the United States concerning the New World Order, a term coined by his predecessor George Bush depicting the post-Cold War international arena. Clinton had campaigned on the need for a multilateral organization to share costs and share risks of any peacekeeping venture. The Clinton Administration had made multilateralism a campaign issue and put it in the forefront of their foreign policy agenda. However, with the problems occurred during the initial trial period of this assertive multilateralism, exemplified by US military blunders in Somalia, Clinton and his advisors now found themselves questioning their own policies and preferences in foreign affairs especially in terms of multilateral peace operations. This case study delves into these issues and how Clinton and his administration sought answers to this problematic puzzle. The main operations of the United Nations are humanitarian relief efforts, peacekeeping by invitation and peace enforcement. The latter entails the most danger and conflict situations. These are soldiers trained to fight, not make peace. This is, and always will be, an enigma for those associated with peacekeeping operations. The same forces that are meant to keep the peace for a UN peacekeeping mission have been trained all their lives to make war, not peace. Your warmakers are your peacemakers. This will always cause confusion and disruption in any relief efforts involving peacekeeping operations. The case study attempts to explain the problems encountered during multilateral peace operations. Certain issues must first be addressed. The national interest of the United States is first and foremost. This is the key to making peace or to making war. The issue of whom is in command and who is in control is also an important factor as is the ti...

How to Do a Science Fair Project for School

How to Do a Science Fair Project for School Okay, you have a subject and you have at least one testable question. If you havent done so already, make sure you understand the steps of the scientific method. Try to write down your question in the form of a hypothesis. Lets say your initial question is about determining the concentration required for salt to be tasted in water. Really, in the scientific method, this research would fall under the category of making observations. Once you had some data, you could go on to formulate a hypothesis, such as: There will be no difference between the concentration at which all members of my family will detect salt in water. For elementary school science fair projects and possibly high school projects, the initial research may be an excellent project in itself. However, the project will be much more meaningful if you can form a hypothesis, test it, and then determine whether or not the hypothesis was supported. Write Down Everything Whether you decide on a project with a formal hypothesis or not, when you perform your project (take data), there are steps you can take to make the most of your project. First, write everything down. Gather your materials and list them, as specifically as you can. In the scientific world, it is important to be able to duplicate an experiment, especially if surprising results are obtained. In addition to writing down data, you should note any factors that could affect your project. In the salt example, it is possible that the temperature could affect my results (alter the solubility of salt, change the bodys rate of excretion, and other factors I might not consciously consider). Other factors you might note could include relative humidity, the  age of participants in my study, a list of medications (if anyone is taking them), etc. Basically, write down anything of note or potential interest. This information could lead your study in new directions once you start taking data. The in formation you take down at this point could make a fascinating summary or discussion of future research directions for your paper or presentation. Don't Discard Data Perform your project and record your data. When you form a hypothesis or seek the answer to a question, you probably have a preconceived idea of the answer. Dont let this preconception influence the data you record! If you see a data point that looks off, dont throw it out, no matter how strong the temptation. If you are aware of some unusual event that occurred when the data was being taken, feel free to make a note of it, but dont discard the data. Repeat the Experiment To determine the level at which you taste salt in water, you can keep adding salt to water until you have a detectable level, record the value, and move on. However, that single data point will have very little scientific significance. It is necessary to repeat the experiment, perhaps several times, to achieve significant value. Keep notes on the conditions surrounding a duplication of an experiment. If you duplicate the salt experiment, perhaps you would get different results if you kept tasting salt solutions over and over than if you performed the test once a day over a span of several days. If your data takes the form of a survey, multiple data points might consist of many responses to the survey. If the same survey is resubmitted to the same group of people in a short time span, would their answers change? Would it matter if the same survey was given to a different, yet seemingly, a  similar group of people? Think about questions like this and take care in repeating a project.

ECO202 - CA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

ECO202 - CA - Essay Example 4. Compare the four countries regarding the Labor Market (Unemployment Rate). The analysis should only cover the period from the beginning of 2008 to the present, and make sure the most recent 2010 changes are addressed. This is a difficult part because instead of reporting and ranking the indicators you must look at them as a whole, in an analytic manner to arrive at conclusions: 5. After reviewing the recent economic indicators for these countries, which is the country that currently has the strongest economic recovery at the present time. Make certain you confine your choice to only one country. 6. What is your prediction about the economic health of the United States over the next 3 to 5 year period? Please confine your comments only to the US economy. The purpose of this paper is to provide an examination and analysis on economic indicators pertaining to United States, Japan, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The format that this paper will utilize is to answer the six questions t hat this paper outlined on the title page through analyzing the nations and then providing insight into the grand picture. 1) The purpose of this question is to provide a comparison of four countries based on output and growth (Real GDP) from the period of 2008 to the present. ... On the other side of the spectrum it could be argued that Japan spent the most amount of time as the lowest performer of the pack of nations, by being at the overall average lowest and reaching the most extreme negative points. Moreover the United Kingdom and the United States both seemed to spend the majority of the time somewhere in the middle (Never spending much time as the highest performer and lowest performers respectively). What can be stated that is that the economic downturn of the 2008-2010 season held a devastating effect on all of the nations with arguably Japan being the most strongly affected and Canada was left performing the best of all the nations. It should also be noted that Japan rebounded to the highest levels of all the nations but this seems to represent an over rebound and the nation has been quickly plummeting over the past year. 2) The purpose of this question is to examine the productivity (Output per worker) of the four nations. Upon early examination it is clear that all the nations seem to follow the same pattern, insofar as when there seems to be a significant tradeoff between which nation seems to hold the highest position. Every single nation held this position at least a few times, and what could be concluded from this is that no one nation seemed to have any sort of competitive advantage over another. However it is also the case that Japan recognized the most significant drop during the economic downturn. What this could arguably translate to is the idea that Japanese industries were more exposed to the effects of a significant depression. It could be that the industries that employed the most people in Japan produced goods or provided services that would

CRITICAL REVIEW OF TOURISM STUDIES ARTICLE Essay

CRITICAL REVIEW OF TOURISM STUDIES ARTICLE - Essay Example Utilising man's instinct to travel to make commercial sense has resulted in various governmental and tourism related entities vying for a share of the wallet. Since the penchant for real, genuine, authentic destinations are on the rise, many are being touted as such and aptly exhibited to trigger interests in the tourist. This is called "staging" and this has led to the loss of authenticity. This article deals with how there is a loss of authenticity of the destinations due to the necessity to conform to expectations as perceived by the tourists. "Staged authenticity" involves manipulation of local cultural phenomenon to cater to the expectations of tourists arriving there. This may be in the form of hosting shows to adding cultural expressions and cultural aspects of the local culture that closely align to creating an experience for the tourists. These shows may not necessarily be replicas of the original culture. Tourism can turn local cultures into commodities when religious rituals, traditional ethnic rites and festivals are reduced and sanitized to conform to tourist expectations, resulting in what has been called "reconstructed ethnicity." As long as tourists just want a glimpse of the local atmosphere, a quick glance at local life, without any knowledge or even interest, staging will be inevitable. It leans more towards creating that unique experience than preser ving local culture or involving the locals as a part of that culture and bringing the tourist into the unique world for a glimpse. However, this article also says that while these hyperactive contrived experiences may satisfy a postmodernism oriented tourist, it may fall short when a genuine authentic experience-seeking tourist is in contact with it. The article also argues that though it is important for the experience to be real, often even in the genuine historic sites, it is not possible to recreate accurately every aspect of the past. This is because the past is an immense entity of which we are fortunate to have a glimpse of certain pieces of the puzzle. We will never be able to comprehend in totality of what life was at that point in time. In addition, to make it more viewable to the public, it is often necessary to sanitize the site and provide basic amenities and odour removal so that the tourist is not turned off exploring it. Therefore a minimal amount of doctoring when the lines between the real and the "doctored" are almost invisible, the experience for the tourists is more authentic and satisfying. Once a destination is sold as a tourism product, and the branding of the destination starts duplicating an experience to the tourists that may or may not be exactly what the tourists want. Perception of an experience by the tourists is very individualistic and subjective. This is because each individual perceives an experience differently. While a few staged local shows and a photograph moment with the locals may be sufficient for a certain group of individuals as a long-term memory there are another set of tourists who are disappointed by the lack of true cultural aspects. In conclusion, the article stresses the following points. The definition of "authenticity" is by itself very subjective because how the scholar, researcher and the heritage manager visualize it may be different from how the tourist perceives it. While there are some of

Romanticism as Literary Period Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Romanticism as Literary Period - Essay Example Even Wordsworth's Tintern Abbey, a confessional account of how nature is more than a memory of youth ("And I have felt a presence that disturbs me with joy / Of elevated thoughts; a sense sublime / Of something far more deeply interfused, ) was coming from a man whose social and intellectual moorings reflected not just rustic roots. More particularly, the poem renders philosophical and meditative aspects of the sophisticated thinker often found in cultural and urban centers, which consequently finds ways to go back to the original sources of inspiration, mystery and awe, peeling the layers of stale customs and traditions to reveal the workings of nature or even the supernatural, (as portrayed by Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner). The Lyrical Ballads, objectively speaking could be said to a political statement asserting the primacy of the individual's feelings and imagination, and it has done so, moreso in intent. Execution-wise it was a bit too grandstanding, as other writ ers of other periods could also be called "romantic". The way that Wordworth's self-consciously and literally chose ordinary individuals and the rustic life as the worthwhile romantic subjects was an attempt to further drive down the point that poetry should be democratic (an offshoot of the influences of the French Revolution) and that it is the individual that matters, not custom and traditions. Shelley In the last two lines of A Defence of Poetry, Shelley sums up the power of poets to change society and awaken the masses: "Poets are the hierophants of an unapprehended inspiration; the mirrors of the gigantic shadows which futurity casts upon the present; the words which express what they understand not; the trumpets which sing to battle, and feel not what they inspire; the influence which is moved not, but moves. Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world." The poets, according to Shelley, belong to those classes of men in which the excitability of passions is strongest, and which the impressions or going-ons of nature and society work their magic - the apprehensions of the formerly "unapprehended", and consequently, this is communicated by the poets to society which is responsible for the continuity of language, and thus of society. Furthermore, according to Shelley, "the great instrument of moral good is the imagination; and poetry administers to the effect by acting u pon the cause." It is not that poetry directs or points out the rights and the wrongs, but in as much it moves mankind to the pursuit of what are sublime and beautiful and the eternal, and these have been the common goal of poetry since the ancient times. Shelley's poetry in awe-inspired tones invokes this spirit of poetry as a mover of mankind and society, primarily in they way that this spirit moves them, the poets. In Mutability, the endurance of human beings, rooted in nature's unchanging mutability, day in and day out is upheld. In Mont Blanc, Shelley regards the mountain as containing the "secret Strength of things / Which governs thought. More emphatically, Shelley in Ode to the West Wind, pleads for this

The Kite Runner Essay Example for Free

The Kite Runner Essay Is set in December 2001 when Amir the narrator is living in San Francisco. He recalls an event that occurred in 1975 which happened in Afghanistan where he grew up. He doesn’t go into detail about what happened but says what happened there made him who he is today. Amir gets a call from a friend named Rahim Khan who asks Amir to come to Pakistan to visit him. When Amir gets off the phone he walks along golden gate park, when he sees to kites which reminds him of his friend Hassan , the kite runner. â€Å"It’s wrong what they say about the past, I’ve learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out. Looking back now, I realize I have been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years. † Pg 1 â€Å"It was my past of unatoned sins. † Pg1 â€Å"For you, a thousand times over. † pg 2 Chapter two Amir and Hassan lived two different lives, as Amir lived in a mansion with his father Hassan lived in a small mud hut. Hassan has always been good with his slingshot, they both liked to annoying people by reflecting the sunlight into their neighbours window from glass. It was always Amir idea to do these things but Hassan never blamed him. Both of the boys don’t have mother , Amir mother died giving birth as Hassan mother run away after giving birth . Hassan is a Hazara which is a persecuted ethnic group in Afghanistan, while Amir and Baba are Pashtuns. Once while Amir And Hassan were walking a solider yells at Hassan saying he had sex with his mother. Since the boys both didn’t have a mother Baba found a nurse for the boys to feed off. They both shared the same breast. â€Å" He wouldn’t deny me. Hassan never denied me anything. † Pg 4 â€Å" People say that eyes are the windows to the soul. † Pg 8 â€Å"Mine was Baba. His was Amir. My name. Looking back now on it ,I think the foundation for what happened in the winter of 1975 – and all that followed- was already laid in those first words. † Pg11 Chapter three Amir describes his father Baba, to be a tall man with a thick and wild beard. Baba did everything people said for him not to do he always proved them wrong. Baba came one of the most successful businessmen in the city. One of the stories Amir is told that his father wrestled a real bear. Amir is always tiring to be just likes his father but it is never successful . Amir is passionate about reading and writing , Baba fears for him as he is not like the other boys . Amir is always jealous on how well his father and Hassan get along. Amir was learning at school that drinking was a sin. As Baba drinks he has a different opinion about it and really dislikes Mullah Fatiullah Khan. â€Å" I have imagined Baba’s wrestling match countless times, even dreamed about it . And in those dreams, I can never tell Baba from the bear . † pg 12 â€Å" He asked me to fetch Hassan too , but i lied and told him Hassan had the runs. I wanted Baba all to myself. † Pg 13 â€Å" the problem , of course, was that Baba saw the world in Black and white. And he got to decide what was black and what was white. You cant love a person who lives that way without fearing him too. Maybe even hating him a little. † Pg 15 â€Å" god help us if Afghanistan even falls into their hands. † Pg 16 Baba only sin he believe in : â€Å" when you kill a man, you steal a life, You steal his wife’s right to a husband, rob his children of a father. When you tell a lie, you steal someone’s right to the truth . When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness. Do you see? † pg 17 â€Å" if I hadn’t seen the doctor pull him out of my wife with my own eyes , I’d never believe he’s my son . † pg 22 Chapter four Baba and Ali grow up together but Baba never considers them being friends as they have different religion and ethnic . Amir thinks the same with Hassan . Amir often reads to Hassan as he is illiterate. One time Amir was telling him a story he had made up, Hassan thinks its the best story he has every told. That night Amir rights his very own first short story, Amir tries and shows Baba but he doesn’t pay any attention to him . Rahim Khan his father’s friend shows interest. Rahim reads his story and leaves Amir a note saying how good it is. Amir then goes and wakes up Hassan to show him the story , Hassan suggested something he should have done , Amir did not like that. â€Å" Never mind any of those things. Because History isn’t easy to overcome . Neither is religion. In the end, I was a Pashtun and he was a Hazara. I was Sunni and he was Shi’a and nothing was ever going to change that. Nothing. † Pg 24 â€Å"The same night , i wrote my first short story. † pg 29 ‘After all, didn’t all fathers in their secret hearts harbor a desire to kill their sons ? ’ pg 28 â€Å"When they left, I sat on my bed and wished Rahim Khan had been my father. †pg 30 â€Å"the word was bravo† â€Å" never mind the time. This story’s special. I wrote it myself. † Pg 31 Chapter five One night Amir Hassan and Ali were left at home when they here gunshots. They didn’t know what it was all about, but the next morning they hear talk on the radio, that Afghanistan becomes a republic. Amir and Hassan to go for a walk and go climb a tree, they discover Assef and two other boy of the neighbourhood , Assef is a bully. He carries around a set of brass knuckles, Assef bullies Hassan and calls him a flat-nose. Assef believes that Hitler had the right idea about ethnic purity. Assef thinks of Amir as a problem as he is friends with a Hazaras as they are both Pashtuns. He goes and hits Amir but Hassan gets in the way with his sling shot and scares him away . For Hassan birthday Baba offers him a gift of getting plastic surgery , Hassan cleft lip is just left with a faint scar. â€Å"None of us had any notion that a way of life had ended. Our way of life . † pg 34 â€Å" About Hitler. Now, there was a leader. A great Leader. A man with vision. Pg 37 â€Å"Afghanistan is the land of Pashtuns. It always has been , always will be . † pg 38 â€Å"you’re a disgrace to Afghanisitan. † Pg 39 It wasn’t fair. Hassan hadn’t done anything to earn Baba’s affection; he’d just been born with that stupid harelip. † Pg 43 Chapter Six In winter in Kabul it’s the best season for boys as schools close for icy season and it’s the best time to fly kites. Baba takes Amir and Hassan to go buy a kite for the annual Kite-fighting tournament, the last kite of the tournament to fall is a trophy of honour. Hassan is the best kite runner in Kabul, he always knows where the kite will land. Baba has confidents that Amir will win , if he wins Amir think he will win Baba’s approval. The day comes and they fly their kites , Amir wins. Hassan goes and finds Amir kite for him as Amir is getting congratulated . Amir doesn’t know where Amir had gone to he ask a old merchant and he says that boys were chasing him. Assef and his friends corner Hassan asking him for the blue kite, Hassan says no and they both argue back then Assef and his friend charge at Hassan , Amir sat there watching . After that Amir sees Hassan emerging from the alleyway crying and bleeding he hands him the kite. None of the boys speak of what happened, when they get home Amir falls into Baba’s hands and weep. â€Å" And kites , of course, Flying kites . And running them. † Pg 45 â€Å" the chill between Baba and me thawed a little. And the reason for that was the kites. † Pg 46 â€Å" The rules were simple: no rules. Fly your kite. Cut the opponents. Good luck. † â€Å"but Hassan was by far the greatest kite runner I’d ever seen . † pg 49 â€Å" In the winter of 1975, I saw Hassan run a kite for the last time . † pg 51 Chapter Seven The day comes and they fly their kites , Amir wins. Hassan goes and finds Amir kite for him as Amir is getting congratulated . Amir doesn’t know where Amir had gone to he ask a old merchant and he says that boys were chasing him. Assef and his friends corner Hassan asking him for the blue kite, Hassan says no and they both argue back then Assef and his friend charge at Hassan , Amir sat there watching . After that Amir sees Hassan emerging from the alleyway crying and bleeding he hands him the kite. None of the boys speak of what happened, when they get home Amir falls into Baba’s hands and weep. â€Å" Let’s fly. He said. † Pg 59 â€Å"And that right there was the single greatest moment of my twelve years of life, seeing baba on that roof, proud of me at last. â€Å" pg 63 â€Å"I opened my mouth, almost said something. Almost. The rest of my life might have turned out differently if I had. But I didn’t. I just watched. Paralysed. † pg 69 Chapter eight After the rape Amir and Hassan drift apart. Baba and Amir take a trip to stay at Baba’s cousins they have a large Afghan dinner , Baba is proud to say to everyone about the Kite tournament Amir is not happy about it . After the dinner they all lie in the same bed, Amir can’t sleep he admits out loud that he say Hassan get raped but everyone was asleep so they didn’t hear. When they return home Amir continues not to play with Hassan, he is confused why Amir is avoiding him he ask why and Amir tells him to stop harassing me, after that they avoid each other. One day Amir ask Hassan to go for a walk to a pomegranate tree, Amir ask Hassan what he would do if he threw the pomegranate at him, he starts throwing them at him, but Hassan doesn’t do anything back like Amir wanted him to . Instead he crushes it against his forehead. â€Å"But Hassan did nothing as I pelted him again and again. You’re a Coward! I said. Nothing but a goddamn coward! † pg 86 â€Å"I’ve never laid a hand on you , Amir, but you ever say that again He looked away, shaking his head. You bring me shame. And Hassan.. Hassan’s not going anywhere, do you understand ? † pg 84 â€Å" I’ll tell you what I want you to stop doing, I said eyes pressed shut , Anything, I want you to stop Harassing me. I want you to go away. † 82 Chapter nine The next morning Amir is thinking either he has to leave or Hassan and Ali must go. As he is opening is presents he wait till they leave as he grabs Baba present to him which is a watch and birthday money and hide it under Hassan pillow and tells Baba he stole it . when they return Baba ask Hassan if he stole them and to Amir surprise he says yes. Amir realizes Hassan saw him in the alleyway and knew what he was up to . Baba forgives him, but Ali says he must leave , Baba pleads them to stay. Amir sits their watching them go . â€Å" Except Baba stunned me by saying. I forgive you. † Forgive? But theft was one unforgivable sin, the common denominator of all sins. † Pg 98 â€Å" I flinched, like I’d be slapped. My heart sank and I almost blurted out the truth. Then I understood: This was Hassan’s final sacrifice for me. Pg 98 â€Å" either way , this much had become clear: One of us had to go. â€Å" pg 95 Chapter ten March 1981 Amir and Baba are on their way to Pakistan. They can’t trust anyone as Amir is embarrassed as he feels sick in the back of the truck. They left home in the middle of the night as the rafiqs or comrades as Amir called them have divided the society. People turn each other in for the money or under threat. When they are at the checkpoint a Russian guard spots one of the women in the truck and says if they wish to pass its an half hour with her. Baba won’t allow this. The Russian guard threatens to shoot Baba if he doesn’t sit down but another guard comes along to stop him. Amir feels sorry for Baba as he has to leave behind all the things he has done in Afghanistan . there though quickly change as they find out that Kamals father finds out his son didn’t survive the trip as of this he kills himself. â€Å" I’ll take a thousand of his bullets before I let this indecency take place. † Pg 101 Chapter Eleven Some tome since Baba and Amore now arrived to Fremont California. The moving to another country hasn’t been a easy one , especially for Baba. Amir notices the changes in his father and realizes he will never full adjust to life in America because he misses Afghanistan so much. Amir realizes that their move to a better place was for Amir’s future. Baba finds work at petrol station , in the summer of 1983 Amir graduates from High school, he decided to enrol in junior college and summons the courage to tell his father that he intends to continue writing , Baba is not impresses but accepts his decision, Amir enjoys life in America as it has no memories. 1984 Baba and Amir go to garages sales every Saturday and then sell their items at a swap marker where a large group of Afghan families work. That is where Amir meets General Taheri and his beautiful daughter Soraya. â€Å" I didn’t want to sacrifice for Baba anymore. The last time I had done that , I had damned myself. † Pg 117 Chapter Twelve Amir is increasingly tormented by his growing love for Soraya, they start seeing each other over several weeks. This continues until General Taeri reminds Amir that he is creating inappropriate gossip. Amir is distracted from his romantic ways when he discovers that Baba eventually starts to suffer from inoperable lung cancer. Baba refuses any medical help because it wouldn’t change the outcome. They go on with their lives as normal as they can but it becomes hard as Baba’s illness becomes to hard to hide. Baba has a seizure at the market and Soraya comes and comforts Amir. Baba refuse any more help with his condition , Amir now asks one more favour of his father. He wants to marry Soraya and as tradition demands he needs his father to ask Soraya father for her hand. Amirs proposal is accepted but , before formally getting married Soraya insists on confessing to an earlier affair because she dones want their marriage starting off with secrets. Amir admires her courage but was unable to make his own confession about his past. â€Å" I though of how I used my literacy to ridicule Hassan. How I had teased him about big words he didn’t know. † Pg 132 Chapter Thirteen There is a series of celebrations for the newly wed couple in which Amir is formally welcomed into Soraya’s family . Baba spends almost everything he has on his sons wedding. They live with Baba where Soraya dedicates herself to take care of Baba. After a month later he dies, Amir is terrified of life without his father . Amir completes his first novel acquires an agent and succeeds in getting his book published. Amir and Soraya have plently of trie on having a baby but they learn that they have unexplained infertily. They decied to move on to IVF but this to is unsuccessful and Soraya doesn’t want to adopt. Amir feels this is punishment for his past actions. â€Å" I realized how much of who I was, what I was, have been defined by Baba and the marks he had left on people’s lives. † PG 152 Chapter fourteen The narrative jumps forward to 2001 where Amir tells Soraya that he must go to Pakistan to see Rahim Khan. Amir endeavours to come to believe that Rahim Khan knows about his betrayal of Hassan but believes these is a way to be good again. â€Å" He knew about Assef, the kite, the money, the watch with the lighting bolt hands, He had always known. † Pg 168 Chapter fifteen It takes a long journey to go see Rahim Khan , he recalls their last meeting, some twenty years earlier. Amir arrives in Pakistan but barely recognises Rahim Khan, Amir tells him about Baba his wife and life in America and his successful writing career. Rahim Khan always tells him about life in Afghanistan and how much it has changed and they cruelity of the Taliban. He sadly tells Amir that he is dying and doesn’t have long to live. Finally he informs him what he really wants to talk about which is Hassan. â€Å"Rahim Khan had always been one of the most instinctive people I’d ever met. † Pg 173 Chapter sixteen It goes back to 1986 where loneliness and increasing ill health lead Rahim in search for Hassan . He finds him married to a woman named Farzana and living in a modest mud hut near the city of Bamiyan. Hassan tells Rahim that Ali was killed by a landmine in 1984. Hassan asks about Amir and Baba he was incredibly upset about baba’s death. Hassan decideds to go live with Rahim in Kabul but says he will live in the same hut where he grew up in this is where is wife gave birth to their still born daughter. In 1990 Hassan’s mother returns and comes to live with Rahim , Hassan rejects his mother. That winter Farzana gives birth to their son , sohrab . Hassan’s mother becomes very close to him, four years later she sadly dies. Hassan teaches his song how to read and write, shoot a slingshot and run kites. Hassan worries and the implications for the Hazara people . the taliban’s ban on kite fighting in 1998 . â€Å" Hassan taught him to read and write his son was not going to grow up illiterate like he had . † pg 186 Chapter seventeen Rahim Khan gives Amir a letter addressed to him from Hassan, which contains a photo of Hassan and his son. In the letter Hassan describes on how much Afhganistan has changed over the years. He also write for his hope that Amir will one day return to Kabul. The letter is 6 months old . rahimi tells Amir that the Taliban come to question him, they ordered him to leave Baba’s house but Hassan fought back with this the Taliban shot him. They shot his wife aswell but they toke their son to an orphanage. The real reason that Rahim wanted him to come to was to rescue Sohrab and bring him back to Pakistan. Rahim reveals that he is dying and wants Sohrab to go to a safe place and lastly he reveals that Hassan was Amir’s brother. Amir is deeply shocked and upset and doesn’t know what to think .