Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Creation Science Essay

Creation science is a controversial nature study founded on principle that the existence of the cosmos is as a result of supernatural causes (Browning, 1997). Also referred to as scientific creationism, the study combines creation concepts mainly from the Christian and Islamic understanding with scientific discoveries. The creation accounts described in the book of Genesis from the Holy Bible and the Qur’an are supported by â€Å"Creation Science† programs taught in some universities. These programs attempt to show how scientific discoveries are more consistent with creation accounts than they are with evolutionary theories suggested by earlier scientists such as Darwin (Browning, 1997). While such creation science concepts sometimes create some controversies, there should be no such problems and science and faith should be allowed to mingle. The most astounding problem is that science relies on empiricism while faith depends on believing on the unseen. However, science should be understood as man’s endeavors in understanding his universe and it is not unscientific to believe in deliberate creation of life. There are a number of evidences in the Holy Bible that can be used to study the modern Earth. For instance, the Great Flood in the story of Noah provides an understanding to the geological features in today’s Earth (Browning, 1997). In general, creation science should be supported to realize a large number of scientists supporting the paradigm that God creatively designed and formed the Earth while applying the scientific methods in gaining a deeper understanding to the question on the origin of life and the universe. The fields such as biblical archaeology and chronology, cosmology and philosophy of science are all the product of creation science and thus the thinking of creation science should be upheld to find answers to some of the questions pure science and pure religion fail to address. Reference: Browning, J. D (1997). Noah’s Ark: A feasibility study. Retrieved July 21, 2010 from http://mall. turnpike. net/C/cs/ark/allnotes. doc

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Toward a Typology of Food Security in Developing Countries,Governance Division, and International Food Policy Research Institute. Essay

Global Food Supplies Introduction Question 1                   Globalization and technology enable food producers to access a wider market, increase opportunities, and competition with food supply and consumption. Countries and agricultural multinationals position their supply systems, according tothe global market. Food supply requires a systematic analysis of the food production processes and strategies for ensuring consistency in production and supply chain. Collaboration and partnerships at various levels has been adopted to facilitate in large-scale production, processing, and supply. The following study will discuss the problems with global food supplies, possible solutions, and the implicationsof the suggested solutions. Discussion                   According to Bingxin et al. (2010),availability of food, its accessibility, utility of food, and stability are vital in global food supply.These are the conceptual factors of food supply and food security. Availability of food in one part of the world does not guarantee supply to the parts with scarcity. Accessibility of food is dependent on international relations between countries and international organizations such as the World Trade Organization (WTO). Utility of food affects supply of food because of the cultural orientation towards certain types of food. Other than the conceptual aspects, Thomsett (2011) and Olson (2012) believed that problems in the food supply could stem from the product value chain and the supply chain. The food process chain may comprise of production at the farm level, storage, processing facilities, transportation of the processed foodstuff, distributors, and retailers. Farmers require modern technology and machines to handl e the produce into the form that can be exported. Lack of processing mills and plants limit the food supply into the developed economies (Bingxin et al., 2010). Inadequate storage facilities affect the global food supply because of food wastageat the production level. Perishable foodstuff requires quick transportation and modern preservation methods such as the use of refrigerators (Frankenberger et al., 2014).                   Geopolitical interests andsanctions affect global food supply. Countries that face sanctions may be limited in terms of the types of food they can import or export. For instance,sanctions have affected food supply Europe to Russia in the current sanctions between the some of the countries in Europe and Russia. North Korea also faces challenges in the food supplybecause of sanctions (Thomsett, 2011).Olson (2012) indicated that terrorism affects food supply because of the disruption of the food production and supply chain. Terrorism also affects the farming system because the farmers take alternatives that suit the prevailing conditions in the regions that are prone to terrorism.Agricultural terrorism affects global food supply. Agricultural terrorism is a form of bioterrorism where terrorists introduce animal and plant disease in the region in order to destabilize food production (Olson, 2012). Climate change and natural disasters cause problems in global food supply. Climate change affects the agricultural systems by causing shortages in water supply, flooding, and general inconstancies in weather conditions. Uncertainties in weather make prediction and planning difficult for farmers a factor that eventually affects global food supply (Thomsett, M, 2011; Bingxin et al., 2010).                   Carpenter et al. (2013) held the view that decentralization of food production would help in reducing the challenges of global food supply. Decentralization augments the conceptual aspects of food supply such as accessibility and stability. In this case,the logistics of ensuring the food reaches the consumer are less complicated because the food is within the locality of the user. Adoption of better food production methods and technologies can also help in dealing with the threats of global food supply. Mechanized farming and research in drought tolerant crops are some of the modern approaches that ensure consistency in food supply(Frankenberger et al., 2014).                   Improved international relations with the trade partners and collaboration in research and food production will enhance global food supply. Countries and food producers may sign trade agreements that facilitate food supply. Negotiations on specific food processing and quality can improveworld food supply. Farmers and food processing multinational may share technologies and intelligence on bioterrorism to reduce agricultural terrorism (Carpenter et al., 2013; Olson, 2012).                   Decentralization of food production affects the management of production and product copyrights.Different countries and regions have unique approaches to food production. The climatic and physical conditions differ from one country to another. Decentralization of production will require a strategy of aligning the processes, policies, and objectives of all the stakeholders.High costs of adoption and mitigation measures for climate change and natural disasters affect food supply. Research on crops, animals, and farming systems that are tolerant to climate change requires long terms strategies and resources(Carpenter et al., 2013; Olson, 2012). Conclusion                   Stability in global food supply requires a multidimensional approach. Olson (2012) showed that dealing with bioterrorism involves researchers in agricultural biotechnology and the security agencies. According toFrankenberger (2014) sustainable food supply, depends on sharing technical information on climate change. Capacity building at the production level affects the consistency of food supply. Technical information on greenhouse emissions at the local level and on a global scale can help in formulating policies on sustainability of the supply chain. Food supply also relies on the co-operation of food supply multinationals, Non-Governmental organizations, and trade organizations. References Bingxin, Y et al. 2010, Toward a Typology of Food Security in Developing Countries,Governance Division, and International Food Policy Research Institute. Carpenter, J, Moore, M, Alexander, N, & Doherty, M 2013, ‘Consumer demographics, Ethno centralism, cultural values, and consumer culture in a retail perspective’, Journal of marketing management, 29, 4, pp. 271- 291. Business source complete, EBSCOHost, viewed 13 December 2014. Frankenberger, T, Costas, M, Nelson, S, & Starr, L 2014, Building resilience for food and nutrition. Washington, DC: International food Policy research Institute. Olson, D 2012, Agroterrorism: threats to America’s economy and food supply, FBI law enforcement bulletin, Business source complete, EBSCOHost, viewed 13 December 2014. Thomsett, M 2011, ‘Global supply chain risk management: Viewing the past to manage today’s risk from an historical perspective’, Review of management innovation and creativity, 4, 9, pp.44-64, Business source complete, EBSCOHost, viewed 13 December 2014. Source document

A Dirty Job Chapter 2

2 A FINE EDGE There's a fine edge to new grief, it severs nerves, disconnects reality – there's mercy in a sharp blade. Only with time, as the edge wears, does the real ache begin. So Charlie was barely even aware of his own shrieks in Rachel's hospital room, of being sedated, of the filmy electric hysteria that netted everything he did for that first day. After that, it was a memory out of a sleepwalk, scenes filmed from a zombie's eye socket, as he ambled undead through explanations, accusations, preparations, and ceremony. â€Å"It's called a cerebral thromboembolism,† the doctor had said. â€Å"A blood clot forms in the legs or pelvis during labor, then moves to the brain, cutting off the blood supply. It's very rare, but it happens. There was nothing we could do. Even if the crash team had been able to revive her, she'd have had massive brain damage. There was no pain. She probably just felt sleepy and passed.† Charlie whispered to keep from screaming, â€Å"The man in mint green! He did something to her. He injected her with something. He was there and he knew that she was dying. I saw him when I brought her CD back.† They showed him the security tapes – the nurse, the doctor, the hospital's administrators and lawyers – they all watched the black-and-white images of him leaving Rachel's room, of the empty hallway, of his returning to her room. No tall black man dressed in mint green. They didn't even find the CD. Sleep deprivation, they said. Hallucination brought on by exhaustion. Trauma. They gave him drugs to sleep, drugs for anxiety, drugs for depression, and they sent him home with his baby daughter. Charlie's older sister, Jane, held baby Sophie as they spoke over Rachel and buried her on the second day. He didn't remember picking out a casket or making arrangements. It was more of the somnambulant dream: his in-laws moving to and fro in black, like tottering specters, spouting the inadequate clichs of condolence: We're so sorry. She was so young. What a tragedy. If there's anything we can do†¦ Rachel's father and mother held him, their heads pressed together in the apex of a tripod. The slate floor in the funeral-home foyer spotted with their tears. Every time Charlie felt the shoulders of the older man heave with a sob, he felt his own heart break again. Saul took Charlie's face in his hands and said, â€Å"You can't imagine, because I can't imagine.† But Charlie could imagine, because he was a Beta Male, and imagination was his curse; and he could imagine because he had lost Rachel and now he had a daughter, that tiny stranger sleeping in his sister's arms. He could imagine the man in mint green taking her. Charlie looked at the tear-spotted floor and said, â€Å"That's why most funeral homes are carpeted. Someone could slip.† â€Å"Poor boy,† said Rachel's mother. â€Å"We'll sit shivah with you, of course.† Charlie made his way across the room to his sister, Jane, who wore a man's double-breasted suit in charcoal pinstripe gabardine, that along with her severe eighties pop-star hairstyle and the infant in the pink blanket that she held, made her appear not so much androgynous as confused. Charlie thought the suit actually looked better on her than it did on him, but she should have asked him for permission to wear it nonetheless. â€Å"I can't do this,† he said. He let himself fall forward until the receded peninsula of dark hair touched her gelled Flock of Seagulls platinum flip. It seemed like the best posture for sharing grief, this forehead lean, and it reminded him of standing drunkenly at a urinal and falling forward until his head hit the wall. Despair. â€Å"You're doing fine,† Jane said. â€Å"Nobody's good at this.† â€Å"What the fuck's a shivah?† â€Å"I think it's that Hindu god with all the arms.† â€Å"That can't be right. The Goldsteins are going to sit on it with me.† â€Å"Didn't Rachel teach you anything about being Jewish?† â€Å"I wasn't paying attention. I thought we had time.† Jane adjusted baby Sophie into a half-back, one-armed carry and put her free hand on the back of Charlie's neck. â€Å"You'll be okay, kid.† Seven,† said Mrs. Goldstein. â€Å"Shivah means ‘seven.' We used to sit for seven days, grieving for the dead, praying. That's Orthodox, now most people just sit for three.† They sat shivah in Charlie and Rachel's apartment that overlooked the cable-car line at the corner of Mason and Vallejo Streets. The building was a four-story brick Edwardian (architecturally, not quite the grand courtesan couture of the Victorians, but enough tarty trim and trash to toss off a sailor down a side street) built after the earthquake and fire of 1906 had leveled the whole area of what was now North Beach, Russian Hill, and Chinatown. Charlie and Jane had inherited the building, along with the thrift shop that occupied the ground floor, when their father died four years before. Charlie got the business, the large, double apartment they'd grown up in, and the upkeep on the old building, while Jane got half the rental income and one of the apartments on the top floor with a Bay Bridge view. At the instruction of Mrs. Goldstein, all the mirrors in the house were draped with black fabric and a large candle was placed on the coffee table in the center of the living room. They were supposed to sit on low benches or cushions, neither of which Charlie had in the house, so, for the first time since Rachel's death, he went downstairs into the thrift shop looking for something they could use. The back stairs descended from a pantry behind the kitchen into the stockroom, where Charlie kept his office among boxes of merchandise waiting to be sorted, priced, and placed in the store. The shop was dark except for the light that filtered in the front window from the streetlights out on Mason Street. Charlie stood there at the foot of the stairs, his hand on the light switch, just staring. Amid the shelves of knickknacks and books, the piles of old radios, the racks of clothes, all of them dark, just lumpy shapes in the dark, he could see objects glowing a dull red, nearly pulsing, like beating hearts. A sweater in the racks, a porcelain figure of a frog in a curio case, out by the front window an old Coca-Cola tray, a pair of shoes – all glowing red. Charlie flipped the switch, fluorescent tubes fired to life across the ceiling, flickering at first, and the shop lit up. The red glow disappeared. â€Å"Okaaaaaaay,† he said to himself, calmly, like everything was just fine now. He flipped off the lights. Glowing red stuff. On the counter, close to where he stood, there was a brass business-card holder cast in the shape of a whooping crane, glowing dull red. He took a second to study it, just to make sure there wasn't some red light source from outside refracting around the room and making him uneasy for no reason. He stepped into the dark shop, took a closer look, got an angle on the brass cranes. Nope, the brass was definitely pulsing red. He turned and ran back up the steps as fast as he could. He nearly ran over Jane, who stood in the kitchen, rocking Sophie gently in her arms, talking baby talk under her breath. â€Å"What?† Jane said. â€Å"I know you have some big cushions down in the shop somewhere.† â€Å"I can't,† Charlie said. â€Å"I'm on drugs.† He backed against the refrigerator, like he was holding it hostage. â€Å"I'll go get them. Here, hold the baby.† â€Å"I can't, I'm on drugs. I'm hallucinating.† Jane cradled the baby in the crook of her right arm and put a free arm around her younger brother. â€Å"Charlie, you are on antidepressants and antianxiety drugs, not acid. Look around this apartment, there's not a person here that's not on something.† Charlie looked through the kitchen pass-through: women in black, most of them middle-aged or older, shaking their heads, men looking stoic, standing around the perimeter of the living room, each holding a stout tumbler of liquor and staring into space. â€Å"See, they're all fucked up.† â€Å"What about Mom?† Charlie nodded to their mother, who stood out among the other gray-haired women in black because she was draped in silver Navaho jewelry and was so darkly tanned that she appeared to be melting into her old-fashioned when she took a sip. â€Å"Especially Mom,† Jane said. â€Å"I'll go look for something to sit shivah on. I don't know why you can't just use the couches. Now take your daughter.† â€Å"I can't. I can't be trusted with her.† â€Å"Take her, bitch!† Jane barked in Charlie's ear – sort of a whisper bark. It had long ago been determined who was the Alpha Male between them and it was not Charlie. She handed off the baby and cut to the stairs. â€Å"Jane,† Charlie called after her. â€Å"Look around before you turn on the lights. See if you see anything weird, okay?† â€Å"Right. Weird.† She left him standing there in the kitchen, studying his daughter, thinking that her head might be a little oblong, but despite that, she looked a little like Rachel. â€Å"Your mommy loved Aunt Jane,† he said. â€Å"They used to gang up on me in Risk – and Monopoly – and arguments – and cooking.† He slid down the fridge door, sat splayed-legged on the floor, and buried his face in Sophie's blanket. In the dark, Jane barked her shin on a wooden box full of old telephones. â€Å"Well, this is just stupid,† she said to herself, and flipped on the lights. Nothing weird. Then, because Charlie was many things, but one of them was not crazy, she turned off the lights again, just to be sure that she hadn't missed something. â€Å"Right. Weird.† There was nothing weird about the store except that she was standing there in the dark rubbing her shin. But then, right before she turned on the light again, she saw someone peering in the front window, making a cup around his eyes to see through the reflection of the streetlights. A homeless guy or drunken tourist, she thought. She moved through the dark shop, between columns of comic books stacked on the floor, to a spot behind a rack of jackets where she could get a clear view of the window, which was filled with cheap cameras, vases, belt buckles, and all manner of objects that Charlie had judged worthy of interest, but obviously not worthy of a smash-and-grab. The guy looked tall, and not homeless, nicely dressed, but all in a single light color, she thought it might be yellow, but it was hard to tell under the streetlights. Could be light green. â€Å"We're closed,† Jane said, loud enough to be heard through the glass. The man outside peered around the shop, but couldn't spot her. He stepped back from the window and she could see that he was, indeed, tall. Very tall. The streetlight caught the line of his cheek as he turned. He was also very thin and very black. â€Å"I was looking for the owner,† the tall man said. â€Å"I have something I need to show him.† â€Å"There's been a death in the family,† Jane said. â€Å"We'll be closed for the week. Can you come back in a week?† The tall man nodded, looking up and down the street as he did. He rocked on one foot like he was about to bolt, but kept stopping himself, like a sprinter straining against the starting blocks. Jane didn't move. There were always people out on the street, and it wasn't even late yet, but this guy was too anxious for the situation. â€Å"Look, if you need to get something appraised – â€Å" â€Å"No,† he cut her off. â€Å"No. Just tell him she's, no – tell him to look for a package in the mail. I'm not sure when.† Jane smiled to herself. This guy had something – a brooch, a coin, a book – something that he thought was worth some money, maybe something he'd found in his grandmother's closet. She'd seen it a dozen times. They acted like they've found the lost city of Eldorado – they'd come in with it tucked in their coats, or wrapped in a thousand layers of tissue paper and tape. (The more tape, generally, the more worthless the item would turn out to be – there was an equation there somewhere.) Nine times out of ten it was crap. She'd watched her father try to finesse their ego and gently lower the owners into disappointment, convince them that the sentimental value made it priceless, and that he, a lowly secondhand-store owner, couldn't presume to put a value on it. Charlie, on the other hand, would just tell them that he didn't know about brooches, or coins, or whatever they had and let someone else bear the bad news. â€Å"Okay, I'll tell him,† Jane said from her cover behind the coats. With that, the tall man was away, taking great praying-mantis strides up the street and out of view. Jane shrugged, went back and turned on the lights, then proceeded to search for cushions among the piles. It was a big store, taking up nearly the whole bottom floor of the building, and not particularly well organized, as each system that Charlie adopted seemed to collapse after a few weeks under its own weight, and the result was not so much a patchwork of organizational systems, but a garden of mismatched piles. Lily, the maroon-haired Goth girl who worked for Charlie three afternoons a week, said that the fact that they ever found anything at all was proof of the chaos theory at work, then she would walk away muttering and go out in the alley to smoke clove cigarettes and stare into the Abyss. (Although Charlie noted that the Abyss looked an awful lot like a Dumpster.) It took Jane ten minutes to navigate the aisles and find three cushions that looked wide enough and thick enough that they might work for sitting shivah, and when she returned to Charlie's apartment she found her brother curled into the fetal position around baby Sophie, asleep on the kitchen floor. The other mourners had completely forgotten about him. â€Å"Hey, doofus.† She nudged his shoulder with her toe and he rolled onto his back, the baby still in his arms. â€Å"These okay?† â€Å"Did you see anything glowing?† Jane dropped the stack of cushions on the floor. â€Å"What?† â€Å"Glowing red. Did you see things in the shop glowing, like pulsating red?† â€Å"No. Did you?† â€Å"Kind of.† â€Å"Give 'em up.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"The drugs. Hand them over. They're obviously much better than you led me to believe.† â€Å"But you said they were just antianxiety.† â€Å"Give up the drugs. I'll watch the kid while you shivah.† â€Å"You can't watch my daughter if you're on drugs.† â€Å"Fine. Surrender the crumb snatcher and go sit.† Charlie handed the baby up to Jane. â€Å"You have to keep Mom out of the way, too.† â€Å"Oh no, not without drugs.† â€Å"They're in the medicine cabinet in the master bath. Bottom shelf.† He was sitting on the floor now, rubbing his forehead as if to stretch the skin out over his pain. She kneed him in the shoulder. â€Å"Hey, kid, I'm sorry, you know that, right? Goes without saying, right?† â€Å"Yeah.† A weak smile. She held the baby up by her face, then looked down in adoration, Mother of Jesus style. â€Å"What do you think? I should get one of these, huh?† â€Å"You can borrow mine whenever you need to.† â€Å"Nah, I should get my own. I already feel bad about borrowing your wife.† â€Å"Jane!† â€Å"Kidding! Jeez. You're such a wuss sometimes. Go sit shivah. Go. Go. Go.† Charlie gathered the cushions and went to the living room to grieve with his in-laws, nervous because the only prayer he knew was â€Å"Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep,† and he wasn't sure that was going to cut it for three full days. Jane forgot to mention the tall guy from the shop.

Monday, July 29, 2019

Low-Costs in Aviation Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Low-Costs in Aviation Industry - Essay Example The proliferation of low-cost carriers came into being after the 9/11 attacks that were directed towards the Americans. According to the Irish career boss, lowering the cost in the aviation industry will result to carriers accessing a pool of passengers that would be used to replace high-income passengers that would not be using air travel. According to him, low-cost flights would serve the needs of cost conscious passengers. These passengers are concerned with making saving or using the minimal amounts on travel expenses. Low-cost flight carriers target passengers who are keen on cost related issues.Managers have determined that price is the largest determinant that influences consumer decision-making processes. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the managers to ensure that their products and services are priced lowly. In the aviation industry, lowering flight charges would facilitate increased traffic for carriers. This will, in turn, lead to increased profitability for the org anization. In this context, managers are required to initiate measures that would ensure that despite the carrier having cheap services; it makes profits.For instance, some managers took advantage of the 9/11 attack to buy new air crafts, which enabled them to exercise low-cost activities (Dunn, 2009). Managers are concerned with incorporating innovative activities in their flights at a relatively low cost. Such innovations and features would attract customers to carriers.

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Environmental economy case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Environmental economy - Case Study Example However, as the modernization has changed the industries, the number of industries has increased to a greater extent. This graph shows the level of water pollution in Asian countries in the year of 2014. Due to the increase in the number of industries, the quantity of waste material has also increased. However, some of the famous multinational companies properly dispose off their waste material or they may recycle it to avoid any resource wastage. However, a large number of companies do not care about the disposal of this waste material and thus put their share in the pollution creation of the environment. The list of affected people by this water pollution is alarming at this point of time. People who are using this pollutant water are suffering from many of the skin and internal diseases. In addition to that, this polluted water is destroying the natural habitat of many of the species living near the marshy places. The living organisms in the water and marine habitat are also suffering at a greater extent. Some of the rare species are near to extinction just because of these pollution materials. There are heavy toxic materials in the waste of industries, which contaminate and disturb the real composition of usable water and thus the living organisms have to suffer the contamination. In this way, there are many adverse effects of this polluted and contaminated water. In many of the countries, Government and the State authorities have taken serious actions to eradicate this issue of wastage of heavy industries and thus restricting the industry owner to properly dispose of the waste material. The companies can use this waste material even further to make many other things, which will be useful. In some cases, waste material can also act as a fertilizer for the crops and different plants. Though the companies have to put a budget on the waste management but at

Saturday, July 27, 2019

First semester essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

First semester - Essay Example In other words, whether the reports are prepared in conformity to all the material respects or not. The information is considered material if it has significant impact on the decision making process. If the omission of the information from the financial report can influence economic decision then the information is believed to be material (Williams, 2002). Materiality in auditing is the key concept to understand and evaluate for all the auditors. The job of auditors, whether internal or external, is to identify the materiality while making the audit report of the company. Materiality can be determined using qualitative aspects of the business. The qualitative aspect refers to the significance of a particular transaction which may not look big in size but may have importance because of the nature of the transaction (Zadek & Merme, 2003). There are various qualitative factors that are approached by the auditors to make realistic and authentic decisions. Some of the factors are (1) Likelihood of earning management, (2) Misstatement of share price, (3) Misstatement on projected earnings, (4) Likelihood of financial statement fraud, (5) Ineffective audit control culture, (6) Litigation risk, (7) Fraud detection or its symptoms etc. (Zabihollah & Riley, 2009) The nature of transaction can also be explained in terms of the disclosure regarding the financial transaction, which may not be significant in terms of size but lack of proper disclosure may have significant impact on the presentation of the business structure (Gupta, 2004). Now the question arises, how much the concept of materiality is important in audit process? The answer is explained using the literature review on materiality. The increase in requirement of information in more civilized financial market requires that more stringent audit process must be conducted to identify the facts on which the quality of the business process can be judged (Puncel, 2007). Therefore,

Friday, July 26, 2019

CoverGirl Cosmetics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

CoverGirl Cosmetics - Research Paper Example ed by any organization would influence the financial ratios and therefore business objectives would also be reflected in the financial ratios of the organization. For instance, if an organization is expanding its business and trying to improve its profitability then the financial ratios would reflect an improvement in profit margin, operating margin as well as other ratios that are used to measure the productivity and profitability of the company. Three most important ratios for organizations are operating margin, net profit margin and total assets turnover. CoverGirl Cosmetics is the company selected for this report and as the company is a business unit of Procter and Gamble therefore financial statement of P&G’s beauty division has been used to calculate the financial ratios. In order to calculate the industry average ratios; two firms have been selected besides CoverGirl Cosmetics and these firms are Revlon and L’oreal. The following table shows the important financial figures required to calculate three

Thursday, July 25, 2019

The Interactional View by Watzlawick Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Interactional View by Watzlawick - Essay Example The Interactional View says that the first axiom is people are always communicating, even when they are not saying anything. It says that communication is content plus relationship. Content is what people say, while relationship is how people say them. Metacommunication is also the relationship, which the way people communicate about their communication. The last time my grandmother and I talked, the content of our topic is dating. She warned about dating white Americans because of her stereotyping that they can have very sexual views of women. I did not want to correct her that even Chinese men also have sexual views of women. Then, I told her that I am not currently dating any white or any other ethnic or racial group, but if I did, it should not be a problem because I own my heart and life. She got angry and yelled at me over the phone and hanged up. I was very hurt, but I called her again and said sorry. I remember now that my metacommunication regarding this topic is angry and d efensive. I have disrespected my grandmother. To understand more my communication with my grandmother, I can use the concepts of complementary interchange, one-up communication, one-down communication, and one-across communication. Complementary interchange means that parties know that they have power differences. One-up communication is a move to control the exchange, one-down communication is a move to give control of the exchange, and one-across communication is the move to level the control of the exchange.  

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Summary and analysis speech Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Summary and analysis speech - Essay Example He also argues of improving the condition of schools which will lead to employment of teachers. According to him this will help America in restoring the laid down teachers. This speech also touches on the issue of taxes, whereby he urges big corporations and the wealthy Americans to pay taxes of a fair share in order to raise the countrys income for purpose of development. Obama raises the issue of middle class workers being highly taxed as compared to high class workers. He gives an example of construction worker earning $50,000 paying more tax than a person earning $50 million as suggested by Cincinnati.com (2011). Hence he promises a change of the situation as it is all about priorities and choice. His urge is for an economy which respects hard work values as well as responsibilities. He also talks about creating jobs fro veterans who have played an important role in fighting for the country. He encourages people to open businesses and al should strive to contribute to the success of the country in all ways possible. In heroic citizenship it requires the citizens to sacrifice their personal independence and strive to build a strong community spirit through their independence. Hence in as far as this speech is concerned; the idea of heroic citizenship has been implied. For instance the president urges the wealth citizens (who are independent) to pay their fare share of tax in order to boost the economy of the country for the best of the whole community. He also implies this concept by asking the congress to pass the jobs bill in order to create employment for different workers. Therefore, Obama urges the citizens to portray the heroic citizens which will help improve the economic condition of Oho and America as a whole. The concept of crisis refers to an event likely to lead to an unsteady and harmful condition affecting a person, community, a group or society. In this speech, the concept of crisis

Assignment proposal 4 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Proposal 4 - Assignment Example Questionnaires are one of the data collection methods that I will use in this research. In my questionnaires, I will include both closed-ended and open-ended questions. Closed-ended questions will capture non-negotiable information such as the name of the organization and the department from which my respondents will be coming from. Individual opinions about what different aspects of privatization will be captured using open-ended questions. Since questionnaires are effective in market research, they will help answer my research question because it has to do with the private sector (Roland 2008, 34). Interviews are the other data method that will be employed in my dissertation research. Interviews will be essential in probing respondents on the basis of their personal beliefs and opinions about privatization. These interviews will be done through face-to-face encounters with respondents or through telephone calls for respondents who will not be accessible through face-to-face meeting. One thing that makes interviews sufficient in answering my research question is that they will allow follow up questions on the answers that respondents will give hence providing a better understanding of the topic (IMF 2010, 71). The demographics that may be of significance to this research include age, level of education and the position in which every respondent serves in Zain Company. Age demographics will provide insight into the varying perceptions of privatization by different generations including baby boomers (born between 1940s and 1960s) and the millennial (born between 1970s and 2000). Gender will be captured but may not have a determining impact on the findings on the topic under study. All participants that are employees of Zain Company will be eligible for inclusion in this study. Government employees in the Department of Statistics will be included as key participants in this research (Megginson 2005, 27). In analyzing my data, I

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Criminal Justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Criminal Justice - Essay Example The term 'punishment' within the realm of psychology has been defined and described by B.F. Skinner, a popular psychologist, as a type of reinforcement - the consequences of which makes a behavior less likely. It includes both positive as well as negative reinforcement. It is also defined as "affecting behavior by using unpleasant consequences" (Weseley and McEntarffer, 2010: 137). Psychologists over the years have identified three fundamental types of learning among individuals. These include classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and observational learning. Among these, the operant conditioning method of learning or reinforcing desirable behavior has been widely applied by the criminal justice systems across the world. Operant conditioning is different as compared to negative reinforcements since unlike the latter, operant conditioning targets the undesirable behavior (such as lying, stealing etc) and eliminates it by punishment (Levinson, 2002). Figure 1: The Operant condit ioning process Source: Vito and Maahs, 2011: 116 Within the field of criminal psychology, the consistency of punishment is given much more significance as compared to the severity of punishment, as it is regarded as highly effective in deterring criminal behavior among individuals (Vito and Maahs, 2011). Relationship to corrections: Punishments are known to be highly effective in drawing favorable responses from the criminals. Historically various forms of punishments such as fines, spankings, imprisonment, and other corporal punishments have been commonly implemented by criminal justice systems as a means to control behavior. According to psychologists punishments have the ability of significantly lowering the possibility of a response to occur again and hence are one of the widely accepted measures of corrections (Coon and Mitterer, 2008). Psychologists have observed through a series of experiments that criminals / individuals in general, tend to teach themselves to obey their con sciences through operant conditioning. It has been observed that criminals displayed weaker responses and higher likelihood to return to normal / acceptable behavior after receiving adverse punishments such as injections or shocks (Levinson, 2002). The psychology of criminal behavior is rooted in the fundamental principles of human behavior such as behavioral, social learning and cognitive psychology. Hence any form of punishment which targets individual behavior or aims to alter their behavioral patterns are known to generate favorable results. According to Spiegler and Gueveremont (1998) "behavior therapy arguably has the broadest and strongest empirical base of any form of psychotherapy". (qtd. in Tonry, 2011: 168) However despite the growing evidence regarding the effectiveness of punishments in deterring crime there is no significant relationship between the severity of punishment and seriousness of the crime committed. It has been observed that criminals charged with relativel y lower offences have been confined to longer terms of imprisonment (Clear, Reisig and Cole, 2012). Critical evaluation: The corrections policy and criminal justice system in general have significantly changed over the years. The highly severe forms of punishme

Monday, July 22, 2019

Focus On Learner Pronunciation Problems Essay Example for Free

Focus On Learner Pronunciation Problems Essay In Portuguese, R at the beginning of words, at the end of words, or before a consonant is pronounced like H. Many Brazilian students carry this habit into English words, pronouncing â€Å"restaurant† as â€Å"hestaurant† and â€Å"far† as â€Å"fah.† It’s especially common when the English word and the Portuguese word are similar, such as in â€Å"restaurant† and â€Å"regular.† SOLUTION: First, I have my students work on pronouncing the English R sound by itself. I demonstrate the correct mouth position and they imitate me. Then, we work on each word while exaggerating the R sound – so we say rrrrememberrrr, for example. Finally, we practice making that exaggerated R sound shorter and shorter until the student gets used to saying remember with an English R. It feels a little ridiculous, but it works! PROBLEM: Similar words Fortunately, Portuguese and English have a lot of true cognates – words that are similar in both languages, such as area, animal, culture, famous, music, romantic, hamburger, and sports. This makes it easier to remember the vocabulary – but more difficult to remember to pronounce the words â€Å"the English way.† SOLUTION: To show the difference in the sounds, I make comparisons with words that they already know and pronounce well in English – â€Å"The ‘a’ in animal is like the ‘a’ in and,† for example. I also draw attention to syllable stress – popular in English vs. popular in Portuguese. PROBLEM: Final consonants Portuguese doesn’t have letters like D, T, G, P, and K at the end of words, so it’s common for Brazilian students to accidentally add a little vowel sound at the end of English words – so big sounds like bigg-ee and stop becomes stopp-ee. One of the most famous is difficult turning into difficulty which is also an English word, but the first is an adjective and the second is a noun. SOLUTION: I start with words ending in P because they’re the easiest to practice – we practice saying â€Å"stop,† â€Å"help,† and others, and I tell them to keep their lips together for a second at the end, then â€Å"release† them without making an extra sound. Then we move on to â€Å"rock,† â€Å"get,† â€Å"thing,† â€Å"good,† and so on, again, â€Å"holding† the final consonant for a moment before â€Å"releasing† it soundlessly.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

The Significance Of Dreams In Richard III

The Significance Of Dreams In Richard III Richard III was written by William Shakespeare and tells the story of how Richard wants to become king and does everything in his power to get there by assassinating members of his family to do so, for example, the Duke of Clarence, Lord Hastings, Lady Anne, Lord Rivers, the Duke of Buckingham, Henry VI, Prince Edward, Prince Edward V and Prince Richard. In the following piece of writing, I am going to discuss the significance of dreams in the play and how they are related to the motif of the supernatural. Although a modern audience would find the motif of the supernatural in Richard III very strange and would react to it very differently we have to keep in mind that this play was written during the Renaissance period in which people were very superstitious and England on a whole was an extremely religious country; people believed in both God and the Devil and Heaven and Hell. They also believed in the supernatural, prophecies, curses and thus the events contained within Richard III must have seemed very real to a Shakespearean audience. The motif of the supernatural which is an extremely important aspect of the play consists of ghosts, dreams, Margarets prophetic curses, the allegations of witchcraft Richard levels at Elizabeth and mistress Shore and the continual association of Richard with devils and demons (for example, he is often called a hellhound). Shakespeare uses the dark aspect of the supernatural to create an atmosphere of dread and gloom which matches the evil of Richards inner self. In addition the motif of the supernatural helps highlight the aspect of foreboding as many a times in the play the prophetic dreams and curses come true giving the reader an idea of as to what is going to happen in the near future. There are three main instances of dreams present in the play. These foreshadow the forthcoming events by showing the similar characteristics between the dream itself and reality, for example, in Act 1, Scene 4 we bear witness to the first of these three dreams. This is when Clarence is imprisoned in the tower and he dreams that he is fleeing with Richard to France, but on the ship Richard stumbles and throws Clarence overboard causing him to drown, Methoughts that I had broken from the Tower, and was embarkd to cross to Burgundy; and, in my company, my brother Gloucester; who from my cabin tempted me to walk upon the hatchesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.Methought that Gloucester stumbled; and, in falling, struck me, that thought to stay him, overboard, into the tumbling billows of the main. This dream foreshadows the near future as in reality Clarence is stabbed and drowned in a barrel of wine by the executioners who are sent by Richard. The second significant dream takes place in Act 3, Scene2 when Stanley receives a warning in a form of a dream. He dreams that a boar rips off his head, the boar had razed his helm. In this scenario the boar represents Richard as it is his heraldic symbol, Stanley tries to warn Hastings but he turns deaf ears to Stanleys advice. Later on in the play, we learn that Hastings was beheaded on Richards orders. This reminds us the similarity between the dream and reality itself and the extent of the resemblance between the two simply helps highlight the supernatural aspect of the play. The third and most important dream occurs in Act 5, Scene 3 right before Richard and Richmond head out for battle. Here, Richard and Richmond are visited by a parade of eleven ghosts (all those people who Richard had killed in the past). Some of these ghosts include, Prince Edward, King Henry VI, Clarence, Rivers, Grey, Vaughan, Hastings, the young princes, Lady Anne and Buckingham. All the ghosts follow a particular pattern They constantly curse Richard and discourage him by saying things like, Despair and Die. On the other hand, they praise and bless Richmond and encourage him by saying things like, Live and Flourish and they hope that he wins the battle and ends Richards gruesome reign. This is an extremely significant dream, as the element of foreboding is once again emphasized as true to the ghosts word, Richmond wins the battle by defeating Richard and becomes the new King of England. To conclude, dreams are a very important part of the play as they greatly contribute to the motif of the supernatural. In addition, I feel that the play is made much simpler for the reader by the existence of these dreams as he/she can predict the outcome of particular situations by evaluating these dreams and this helps the reader understand the play better. The extent of accuracy of these dreams simply heightens the motif of the supernatural and I personally believe that without the presence of these dreams, the play would be incomplete.

The War On Drugs | History

The War On Drugs | History Throughout history drugs have been nothing but a social problem, virtually a burden. Some of the most famous and influential people have been known to abuse drugs. Such individuals are Edgar Allen Poe who smoked opium in an attempt to make his poetry more creative, and musician Ray Charles, arrested in 1964 on drug charges. (Erowid) A rise in drug use began around the time when American soldiers came back home from the Vietnam War addicted to heroin. At that time, drugs were only being used by small group of people, and they were simply looked down upon. It was not until the late nineteen sixties when recreational drug use became fashionable among young, white, middle class American citizens that the United States Government put its foot down. (PBS) They started slowly, developing agencies like the (BNDD) Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, which was founded in 1968 by the Linden Johnson administration. Congress also started passing laws like the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevent ion and Control Act in 1970. It was not until June 17, 1971 when the war really started. At a press conference in the White House, President Richard Nixon officially declared war on drugs. He stated, Drug abuse is public enemy, number one in the United States. He also announced the creation of the (SAODAP) Special Action Office for Drug Abuse Prevention. Three years later on August 9, 1974, President Nixon resigned, but not before founding one the greatest assets for the war on drugs, the (DEA) Drug Enforcement Agency. Established in July of 1973, this super agency (PBS) consisted of agents from the CIA, Customs and ODALE. This agency was designed to handle all aspects of the drug problem in America and would be headed by Myles Ambrose. Throughout the first years of the program the DEA established their main focus; to stop the flow of marijuana from Mexico to America. Around the mid-seventies the enemy face began to change, the enemy was now cocaine and it was coming from the country of Colombia. On November 22, 1975 the Colombian police seized over 600 kilos of cocaine from a small plane at the Cali (Colombia) Airport. The plane was believed to be headed to Miami, Florida. The amount of cocaine that was seized that day was the largest cocaine bust to date. (PBS) The DEA, along with other agencies, are still fighting cocaine and many other drugs to this day. One of the reasons the war on drugs is lasting so long is because of the cost; the war on drugs is a very expense war. In the past, the government has spent around 10 billion dollars a year, this year alone (2011) over $14,000,000,000 is how much the federal government has spent on this seemingly, never-ending war. (Drug Sense) At this rate the cost per second will be over $600 per second by the end of the year! The reason the cost is so high is because there are so many different agencies and programs that need financial aid. Programs such as D.A.R.E and the Just Say No anti-drug campaign are some of the programs that such money is spent on. The Just Say No campaign was founded by Nancy Reagan in 1984 and was the centerpiece of the Reagan Administrations anti-drug campaign. (Wikipedia) The campaign mainly consisted of TV commercials and public advertisements, to keep kids from trying drugs. When the war on drugs first began to take shape in the early seventies, the government wanted to know where the illicit substances were coming from. In the beginning the answer was simply Mexico, they had previously imported in all of the marijuana in the sixties. The simple mom and pop cartels (small businesses) would grow the marijuana in their own backyard and smuggle it over the border into southern Texas. This and much larger operations are known as the Trafficking of drugs. (Wikipedia) After a few years of smuggling, the government caught on, so customs started cracking down on the border. This made the smugglers take to the air; they began using airplanes to get over the border. (Drug Library) The Mexican smuggling business began to slow down though, due to stricter regulations on customs and border patrol. The lack of business was also due to another factor; Americas drug of choice had changed. America now had a taste for cocaine and it was coming from the country of Colombia . Cocaine which is an extract of the cocoa bean is grown all over the country of Colombia. The country of Colombia is a nation made of poverty and corruption. Its main cash crop is coffee, but in reality its cocaine. It is speculated that in Colombia alone, there is over 150,000 hectares of coco plantations. (Transnational Institute) Colombia depends on cocaine; it is estimated 300,000 people are directly dependent on the cocaine economy. (icdc.com) Thousands of people are assassinated and kidnapped every year in Colombia, due to political violence. In 1989, three of the five Colombian presidential candidates were murdered; the Medellin drug cartel was mainly responsible for these violent atrocities. Medellin is one of Colombias biggest cities; it is located in central Colombia. Throughout the early seventies to the early nineties, Medellin was the cocaine capital of the world. In fact anyone using cocaine between the late seventies, early eighties, had a high chance of using cocaine from the Medellin Cartel. They invented the market for cocaine; they were the first people to ever be that successful in selling dope. The Medellin Cartel consisted of many people, but there was one man who controlled it all, the key figure on the other end of the war on drugs, the kingpin himself Pablo Escobar El Patron. (Wikipedia) Pablo was born in the most violent of times in Colombia, La Violenica a time of civil war in that nation. Around 1965 when Escobar was just 17, he dropped out of school, and then began selling cocaine, by 1976 he was arrested, but this did not stop him. By 1982 Escobar had become so powerful that he was elected congressman on the Colombian Parliament. (Wikipedia) He also purchased one of Colombias popular professional soccer teams (Escobar was a bil lionaire). By this time in Colombia, Escobar was looked at as a sort of Robin Hood (PBS) buying mass apartment complexes for the poor to live in, the poor loved him. He was unstoppable, that was until 1989, Escobar helped coordinate a terrorist campaign that shot down an airliner out of the sky. His men shot down the plane in attempt to kill the only presidential candidate in the Colombian election. (Wikipedia) After this incident the U.S. government made Escobar a military target, and began a so-called war with Escobar. Four years later, a vigilante death squad known only has the Los Pepes secretly composed of the Colombian Search Bloc, Ex Medellin cartel members, and American DEA agents, announced they intended to attack family members, friends, associates, and assets of Pablo Escobar until he was found. (Wikipedia) On March 4, 1993 the Los Pepes killed Escobars attorney Raul Zapata. Two days later the Los Pepes killed two more of Escobars attorneys, by this time the Los Pepes wer e brutally killing five to six people a day. On July 14, 1993 Col. Hugo Martinez, head of Search Bloc, met with U.S. Army Col. John Alexander and agreed to allow a ground-based U.S. listening post in Medellin(Freedom To Exhale) Finally on December 2, 1993, Colonel Martinez and his men tracked Escobar to his three million-dollar estate. As the Search Bloc went in to arrest him, Escobar ran out on the roof and he and his bodyguard Alvaro de Jesus Agudelo, fired at the squad. Because of this, the police were forced to gun both of them down. He died from multiple gunshot wounds the day after his birthday at the age of 44. This was the deathblow to the Medellin Cartel; business would never be the same in Medellin. Another country that is highly involved in drug trafficking in America is the country of Mexico. In the past, Mexico was primarily responsible for marijuana; today Mexico is responsible for many illicit substances coming into the United States, but mainly cocaine and marijuana. Today there are many drug cartels in Mexico, but the Arellano- Felix Organization (aka Tijuana Cartel) is by far the strongest. (Wikipedia) The Arellano-Felix Organization is North Americas most violent drug trafficking cartel. Based out of Tijuana, Mexico, for over a decade they shipped tons of cocaine, heroin and methamphetamines into the U.S. every year. Annual revenues are in the hundreds of millions. (DEA) The cartels strategy is to recruit Juniors; young educated upper class men with families living on both sides of the San Diego-Tijuana border, using them as their drug runners and hit men. They have single handedly killed hundreds of innocent people including the cardinal of a church in Mexico. They wer e on the FBIs ten most wanted list a couple years ago, but they are still on the loose. At the other end of the war on drugs, is treatment; treatment for the addiction to drugs. Addiction is one the most serious parts of the war on drugs, its the aftermath of having fun. (PBS) The Vietnam soldiers were some of the first people to suffer from heroin addiction. Psychiatrist Dr. Robert DuPont is a pioneer doctor in drug abuse treatment; he performed studies in Washington D.C. in 1969 of heroin addicts, and then convinced the mayor to allow him to provide methadone to the heroin addicts. This action resulted in the citys crime rate dropping. (PBS) Speaking of drug abuse addiction and treatment, the costs incurred needs mentioning. The cost of addiction can be devastating to the abusing person and the persons family. People trade in their cars, clothing, and shelter just to get a fix for their addiction. Moreover, the cost of rehabilitation is outrageous. Unless you are attending a free one, it can cost up to $1000 dollars a week. There are many public programs today for the sole purpose of keeping people clean. Programs such as Betty Ford, D.A.R.E, and many more are set up to keep people from drug abuse. In the end, the war on drugs is not a war to be won or lost; it all boils down to personal choice; to do drugs, or not to do drugs. Hopefully the choice is not to do drugs. Also, the complete ceasing of illegal drug smuggling into the United States is virtually impossible. For one, the 2,000 miles of border separating the U.S. and Mexico, as well as the coastal areas, make it tough to stop all drug trade from the south. I also suspect that government corruption on both sides of the border allow for many of these illegal substances to make their way into this nation, as it generates enormous amounts of money. After all, it is all about the money and power.

Saturday, July 20, 2019

Fermi National Accelerator :: physics proton accelerator

During the early 1950's there was a need for a new large accelerator facility in the United States, therefore a group called MURA (Midwestern Universities Research Association) was formed by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission specifically to take on this enormous task. By the early 1960's the accelerator research panel had made several recommendations about the accelerator project. The panel reccomended that four things needed to be constructed to get the project under way. What the panel had suggested was that a super high current accelerator be constructed, a proton accelerator of approximately 200 GeV ( this would be Fermilabs original main ring) be constructed, storage rings needed to be constructed and a design study for an approximately 800 GeV machine needed to be formed. On November 21, 1967 President Lyndon Johnson signed a bill allowing the go ahead of the Fermi National Accelerator and by early 1968 congress approved funding to build the laboratory. In 1967 the Fermilab cost $243 million with an additional $120 million in 1983 to complete the Tevatron. The site chosen by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission was just outside Chicago Illinois in a small town called Weston, Illinois. The first person chosen to take on the complicated task of running the Fermilab was Founding Director Robert R. Wilson, and from the outset Robert committed the laboratory to firm principles of scientific excellence, esthetic beauty, stewardship of the land, fiscal responsibility and equality of opportuniy (Fermi website, http://www.fnal.gov/pub/contact/index.html). What excactly does the Fermilab do you ask? Well in the simplest terms possible the lab studies the tiniest building blocks of matter to learn and understand more about the forces involved in holding them together and the forces that separate them, otherwise known as particle physics. To study these subatomic particles the scientist must smash them together in order to see what comes flying out. One of the most interesting parts about the Fermilab is the immense size of the equipment used to carry out the experiments. The Tevatron is the highest energy particle accelerator in the world. It is located 30 feet below the surface and has a circumference of approximately four miles. The Tevatron uses accelerators that help add energy to the subatomic particles so that they can travel around the four-mile loop 50,000 times a second at a speed of 99.9999 % of light. To help study the collisions there are two collider detectors ( CDF and DZero), each about the size of a four story building.

Friday, July 19, 2019

Alexander Calder Essay -- essays research papers

Alexander Calder was one of the most innovative and original American artists of the twentieth century. In 1926, Calder arrived in Paris and devoted himself to a project called the Circus that occupied him for over five years. This contains characters and animals made out of wire, scraps of cloth, wood, cork, labels, bits of scrap metal and pieces of rubber. Calder transported his little theater in suitcases and performed it for his friends. During his performances, Calder invented ways to simulate the flight of birds: â€Å"These are little bits of white paper, with a hole and slight weight on each one, which flutter down several variously coiled thin steel wires which I jiggle so that they flutter down like doves†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Alexander Calder, An Autobiography with Pictures [New York: Pantheon, 1966], p.92) The Circus is the laboratory of Calder’s work; in it he experimented with new formulas and techniques. "By 1930," sculptor historian Wayne Craven has writte n, Calder's "Circus had become one of the real successes of the art world of Montparnasse, as well as among the Paris intellectuals. Jean Cocteau, Fernand Leger, Joan Miro, Piet Mondrian, Jean Arp... and others were captivated by it, whereas none of them paid much attention to Calder's wood carvings. Such encouragement undoubtedly led him to try more serious experiments in wire sculptures." During this same period he developed wire figures such as Josephine Baker, The Negress, and the Portrait of Edgar Varese, w... Alexander Calder Essay -- essays research papers Alexander Calder was one of the most innovative and original American artists of the twentieth century. In 1926, Calder arrived in Paris and devoted himself to a project called the Circus that occupied him for over five years. This contains characters and animals made out of wire, scraps of cloth, wood, cork, labels, bits of scrap metal and pieces of rubber. Calder transported his little theater in suitcases and performed it for his friends. During his performances, Calder invented ways to simulate the flight of birds: â€Å"These are little bits of white paper, with a hole and slight weight on each one, which flutter down several variously coiled thin steel wires which I jiggle so that they flutter down like doves†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Alexander Calder, An Autobiography with Pictures [New York: Pantheon, 1966], p.92) The Circus is the laboratory of Calder’s work; in it he experimented with new formulas and techniques. "By 1930," sculptor historian Wayne Craven has writte n, Calder's "Circus had become one of the real successes of the art world of Montparnasse, as well as among the Paris intellectuals. Jean Cocteau, Fernand Leger, Joan Miro, Piet Mondrian, Jean Arp... and others were captivated by it, whereas none of them paid much attention to Calder's wood carvings. Such encouragement undoubtedly led him to try more serious experiments in wire sculptures." During this same period he developed wire figures such as Josephine Baker, The Negress, and the Portrait of Edgar Varese, w...

Thursday, July 18, 2019

The Lost Duke of Wyndham Chapter Twenty

Outside the carriage, the atmosphere was considerably less tense. The three men remained on horseback, never quite in a line. Every now and then one of them would increase his pace or fall behind, and one horse would pass another. Perfunctory greetings would be exchanged. Occasionally someone would comment on the weather. Lord Crowland seemed rather interested in the native birds. Thomas didn't say much, but – Jack glanced over at him – good Lord, was he whistling? â€Å"Are you happy?† Jack asked, his voice a bit short. Thomas looked back in surprise. â€Å"Me?† He frowned, thinking about it. â€Å"I suppose I am. It's a rather fine day, don't you think?† â€Å"A fine day,† Jack echoed. â€Å"None of us is trapped in the carriage with that evil old hag,† Crowland announced. â€Å"We should all be happy.† Then he added, â€Å"Pardon,† since the evil old hag was, after all, grandmother to both of his companions. â€Å"Pardons unnecessary on my account,† Thomas said. â€Å"I agree with your assessment completely.† There had to be something significant in this, Jack thought – that their conversation kept returning to how relieved they all were not to be in the dowager's presence. It was damned strange, to tell the truth, and yet, it did make one think†¦ â€Å"Will I have to live with her?† he blurted out. Thomas looked over and grinned. â€Å"The Outer Hebrides, my man, the Outer Hebrides.† â€Å"Why didn't you do it?† Jack demanded. â€Å"Oh, believe me, I will, on the off chance I still possess any power over her tomorrow. And if I don't†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Thomas shrugged. â€Å"I'll need some sort of employment, won't I? I always wished to travel. Perhaps I shall be your scout. I'll find the oldest, coldest place on the island. I shall have a rollicking good time.† â€Å"For God's sake,† Jack swore. â€Å"Stop talking like that.† He did not want this to be preordained. He did not want it to be understood. Thomas ought to be fighting for his place in the world, not blithely handing it over. Because he himself did not want it. He wanted Grace, and he wanted his freedom, and more than anything, right at that very moment, he wanted to be somewhere else. Anywhere else. Thomas gave him a curious look but said nothing more. And neither did Jack. Not when they reached Pollamore, or Cavan town, or even as they rode into Butlersbridge. Night had long since fallen, but Jack knew every storefront, every last signpost and tree. There was the Derragarra Inn, where he'd got himself drunk on his seventeenth birthday. There was the butcher, and the blacksmith, and ah, yes, there was the oatmeal mill, behind which he'd stolen his first kiss. Which meant that in five – no, make that four – more minutes, he would be home. Home. It was a word he had not uttered in years. It had had no meaning. He'd lived in inns and public houses and sometimes under the stars. He'd had his ragtag group of friends, but they drifted in and out of togetherness. They thieved together more by convenience than anything else. All they'd had in common was a shared past in the military, and a willingness to give a portion of their bounty to those who had returned from the war less fortunate than they. Over the years, Jack had given money to men without legs, women without husbands, children without parents. No one ever questioned where he'd got the money. He supposed his bearing and accent were those of a gentleman, and that was enough. People saw what they wanted to see, and when a former officer (who never quite got around to sharing his name) came bearing gifts†¦ No one ever wanted to question it. And through all this, he'd told no one. Who had there been to tell? Grace. Now there was Grace. He smiled. She would approve. Perhaps not of the means, but certainly of the end. The truth was, he'd never taken anything from anyone who hadn't looked as if they could afford it. And he'd always been careful to more thoroughly rob the most annoying of his victims. Such scruples would not have kept him from the gallows, but it had always made him feel a bit better about his chosen profession. He heard a horse draw up next to his, and when he turned, there was Thomas, now keeping pace beside him. â€Å"Is this the road?† he asked quietly. Jack nodded. â€Å"Just around the bend.† â€Å"They are not expecting you, are they?† â€Å"No.† Thomas had far too much tact to question him further, and indeed, he allowed his mount to fall back by half a length, granting Jack his privacy. And then there it was. Cloverhill. Just as he'd remembered it, except maybe the vines had taken over a bit more of the brick facade. The rooms were lit, and the windows shone with warmth. And even though the only sounds were those made by the traveling party, Jack could swear he could hear laughter and merriment seeping out through the walls. Dear God, he'd thought he'd missed it, but this†¦ This was something more. This was an ache, a true, pounding pain in his chest; an empty hole; a sob, forever caught in his throat. This was home. Jack wanted to stop, to take a moment to gaze at the graceful old house, but he heard the carriage drawing closer and knew that he could not keep everyone at bay while he indulged his own nostalgia. The last thing he wanted was for the dowager to barge in ahead of him (which he was quite certain she would do), so he rode up to the entrance, dismounted, and walked up the steps on his own. He closed his eyes and drew a long breath, and then, since he wasn't likely to amass any more courage in the next few minutes, he lifted the brass knocker and brought it down. There was no immediate reply. This was not a surprise. It was late. They were unexpected. The butler might have retired for the night. There were so many reasons they should have got rooms in the village and made their way to Cloverhill in the morning. He didn't want – The door opened. Jack held his hands tightly behind his back. He'd tried leaving them at his sides, but they started to shake. He saw the light of the candle first, and then the man behind it, wrinkled and stooped. â€Å"Master Jack?† Jack swallowed. â€Å"Wimpole,† he said. Good heavens, the old butler must be nearing eighty, but of course his aunt would have kept him on, for as long as he wished to work, which, knowing Wimpole, would be until the day he died. â€Å"We were not expecting you,† Wimpole said. Jack tried for a smile. â€Å"Well, you know how I like a surprise.† â€Å"Come in! Come in! Oh, Master Jack, Mrs. Audley will be so pleased to see you. As will – † Wimpole stopped, peering out the door, his wizened old eyes creasing into a squint. â€Å"I am afraid that I brought a few guests,† Jack explained. The dowager had already been helped down from the carriage, and Grace and Amelia were right behind her. Thomas had grabbed onto his grandmother's arm – hard, from the looks of it – to give Jack a few moments alone, but the dowager was already showing signs of impending outrage. â€Å"Wimpole?† came a feminine voice. â€Å"Who is here at this hour?† Jack stood stiffly, hardly able to breathe. It was his aunt Mary. She sounded exactly the same. It was as if he'd never left†¦ Except it wasn't. If he'd never left, his heart wouldn't be pounding, his mouth wouldn't be dry. And most of all, he wouldn't feel so bloody terrified. Scared spitless at seeing the one person who had loved him his entire life, with her whole heart and without condition. â€Å"Wimpole? I – † She'd rounded the corner and was staring at him like a ghost. â€Å"Jack?† â€Å"In the flesh.† He tried for a jovial tone but couldn't quite manage it, and deep inside, down where he kept his blackest moments, he wanted to cry. Right there, in front of everyone, it was twisting and writhing inside of him, bursting to get out. â€Å"Jack!† she cried out, and she hurled herself forward, throwing her arms around him. â€Å"Oh, Jack. Jack, my dear sweet boy. We've missed you so.† She was covering his face with kisses, like a mother would her son. Like she should have been able to do for Arthur. â€Å"It is good to see you, Aunt Mary,† he said. He pulled her tight then and buried his face in the crook of her neck, because she was his mother, in every way that mattered. And he'd missed her. By God, he'd missed her, and in that moment it did not matter that he'd hurt her in the worst way imaginable. He just wanted to be held. â€Å"Oh, Jack,† she said, smiling through her tears, â€Å"I ought to horsewhip you for staying away so long. Why would you do such a thing? Don't you know how worried we were? How – â€Å" â€Å"Ahem.† Mary stopped and turned, still holding Jack's face in her hands. The dowager had made her way to the front entrance and was standing behind him on the stone steps. â€Å"You must be the aunt,† she said. Mary just stared at her. â€Å"Yes,† she finally replied. â€Å"And you are†¦?† â€Å"Aunt Mary,† Jack said hastily, before the dowager could speak again, â€Å"I am afraid I must introduce you to the dowager Duchess of Wyndham.† Mary let go of him and curtsied, stepping aside as the dowager swept past her. â€Å"The Duchess of Wyndham?† she echoed, looking at Jack with palpable shock. â€Å"Good heavens, Jack, couldn't you have sent notice?† Jack smiled tightly. â€Å"It is better this way, I assure you.† The rest of the traveling party came forward at that moment, and Jack completed the introductions, trying not to notice his aunt going from paler to palest after he identified the Duke of Wyndham and the Earl of Crowland. â€Å"Jack,† she whispered frantically, â€Å"I haven't the rooms. We have nothing grand enough – â€Å" â€Å"Please, Mrs. Audley,† Thomas said with a deferential bow, â€Å"do not put yourself out on my accord. It was unforgivable for us to arrive without notice. I would not expect you to go to any great lengths. Although† – he glanced over at the dowager, who was standing in the hall with a sour look on her face – â€Å"perhaps your finest room for my grandmother. It will be easier for everyone.† â€Å"Of course,† Mary said quickly. â€Å"Please, please, it's chilly. You must all come inside. Jack, I do need to tell you – â€Å" â€Å"Where is your church?† the dowager demanded. â€Å"Our church?† Mary asked, looking to Jack in confusion. â€Å"At this hour?† â€Å"I do not intend to worship,† the dowager snapped. â€Å"I wish to inspect the records.† â€Å"Does Vicar Beveridge still preside?† Jack asked, trying to cut the dowager off. â€Å"Yes, but he will surely be abed. It's half nine, I should think, and he is an early riser. Perhaps in the morning. I – â€Å" â€Å"This is a matter of dynastic importance,† the dowager cut in. â€Å"I don't care if it's after midnight. We – â€Å" â€Å"I care,† Jack cut in, silencing her with an icy expression. â€Å"You are not going to pull the vicar out of bed. You have waited this long. You can bloody well wait until morning.† â€Å"Jack!† Mary gasped. She turned to the dowager. â€Å"I did not raise him to speak this way.† â€Å"No, you didn't,† Jack said, which was the closest he was going to come to an apology while the dowager was staring him down. â€Å"You were his mother's sister, weren't you?† the dowager said. Mary looked a bit baffled at the sudden change of topic. â€Å"I am.† â€Å"Were you present at her wedding?† â€Å"I was not.† Jack turned to her in surprise. â€Å"You weren't?† â€Å"No. I could not attend. I was in confinement.† She gave Jack a rueful look. â€Å"I never told you. It was a stillbirth.† Her face softened. â€Å"Just one of the reasons I was so happy to have you.† â€Å"We shall make for the church in the morning,† the dowager announced, uninterested in Mary's obstetrical history. â€Å"First thing. We shall find the papers and be done with it.† â€Å"The papers?† Mary echoed. â€Å"Proof of the marriage,† the dowager bit off. She looked upon Mary with icy condescension, then dismissed her with a flick of her head, adding, â€Å"Are you daft?† It was a good thing Thomas pulled her back, because Jack would have gone for her throat. â€Å"Louise was not married in the Butlersbridge church,† Mary said. â€Å"She was married at Maguiresbridge. In County Fermanagh, where we grew up.† â€Å"How far is that?† the dowager demanded, trying to yank her arm free of Thomas's grasp. â€Å"Twenty miles, your grace.† The dowager muttered something quite unpleasant. Jack could not make out the exact words, but Mary blanched. She turned to him with an expression nearing alarm. â€Å"Jack? What is this all about? Why do you need proof of your mother's marriage?† He looked at Grace, who was standing a bit behind his aunt. She offered him a tiny nod of encouragement, and he cleared his throat and said, â€Å"My father was her son.† Mary looked over at the dowager in shock. â€Å"Your father†¦John Cavendish, you mean†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Thomas stepped forward. â€Å"May I intercede?† Jack felt exhausted. â€Å"Please do.† â€Å"Mrs. Audley,† Thomas said, with more dignity and collection than Jack could ever have imagined, â€Å"if there is proof of your sister's marriage, then your nephew is the true Duke of Wyndham.† â€Å"The true Duke of – † Mary covered her mouth in shock. â€Å"No. It's not possible. I remember him. Mr. Cavendish. He was – † She waved her arms in the air as if trying to describe him with gestures. Finally, after several attempts at a more verbal explanation, she said, â€Å"He would not have kept such a thing from us.† â€Å"He was not the heir at the time,† Thomas told her, â€Å"and had no reason to believe he would become so.† â€Å"Oh, my heavens. But if Jack is the duke, then you – â€Å" â€Å"Are not,† he finished wryly. â€Å"I am sure you can imagine our eagerness to have this settled.† Mary stared at him in shock. And then at Jack. And then looked as if she very much wanted to sit down. â€Å"I am standing in the hall,† the dowager announced haughtily. â€Å"Don't be rude,† Thomas chided. â€Å"She should have seen to – â€Å" Thomas shifted his grip on her arm and yanked her forward, brushing right past Jack and his aunt. â€Å"Mrs. Audley,† he said, â€Å"we are most grateful for your hospitality. All of us.† Mary nodded gratefully and turned to the butler. â€Å"Wimpole, would you – â€Å" â€Å"Of course, ma'am,† he said, and Jack had to smile as he moved away. No doubt he was rousing the housekeeper to have her prepare the necessary bedrooms. Wimpole had always known what Aunt Mary needed before she'd had to utter the words. â€Å"We shall have rooms readied in no time,† Mary said, turning to Grace and Amelia, who were standing off to the side. â€Å"Would the two of you mind sharing? I don't have – â€Å" â€Å"It is no trouble at all,† Grace said warmly. â€Å"We enjoy each other's company.† â€Å"Oh, thank you,† Mary said, sounding relieved. â€Å"Jack, you shall have to take your old bed in the nursery, and – oh, this is silly, I should not be wasting your time here in the hall. Let us retire to the drawing room, where you may warm yourselves by the fire until your rooms are ready.† She ushered everyone in, but when Jack made to go, she placed her hand on his arm, gently holding him back. â€Å"We missed you,† she said. He swallowed, but the lump in his throat would not dislodge. â€Å"I missed you, too,† he said. He tried to smile. â€Å"Who is home? Edward must have – â€Å" â€Å"Married,† she finished for him. â€Å"Yes. As soon as we were out of mourning for Arthur. And Margaret soon after. They both live close by, Edward just down the lane, Margaret in Belturbet.† â€Å"And Uncle William?† Jack had last seen him at Arthur's funeral. He'd looked older. Older, and tired. And stiff with grief. â€Å"He is well?† Mary was silent, and then an unbearable sorrow filled her eyes. Her lips parted but she did not speak. She did not need to. Jack stared at her in shock. â€Å"No,† he whispered, because it could not be true. He was supposed to have had a chance to say he was sorry. He'd come all the way to Ireland. He wanted to say he was sorry. â€Å"He died, Jack.† Mary blinked several times, her eyes glistening. â€Å"It was two years ago. I didn't know how to find you. You never gave us an address.† Jack turned, taking a few steps toward the rear of the house. If he stayed where he was, someone could see him. Everyone was in the drawing room. If they looked through the doorway, they would see him, struck, ready to cry, maybe ready to scream. â€Å"Jack?† It was Mary, and he could hear her steps moving cautiously toward him. He looked up at the ceiling, taking a shaky, open-mouthed breath. It didn't help, but it was all he could manage. Mary laid her hand on his arm. â€Å"He told me to tell you he loved you.† â€Å"Don't say that.† It was the one thing he couldn't hear. Not just now. â€Å"He did. He told me he knew you would come home. And that he loved you, and you were his son. In his heart, you were his son.† He covered his face with his hands and found himself pressing tight, tighter, as if he could squeeze this all away. Why was he surprised? There was no reason he should be. William was not a young man; he'd been nearly forty when he married Mary. Did he think that life would have stood still in his absence? That no one would have changed, or grown†¦or died? â€Å"I should have come back,† he said. â€Å"I should have – Oh, God, I'm such an idiot.† Mary touched his hand, pulled it gently down and held it. And then she pulled him out of the hall, into the nearest room. His uncle's study. Jack walked over to the desk. It was a hulking, behemoth of a thing, the wood dark and scuffed and smelling like the paper and ink that always lain atop it. But it had never been imposing. Funny, he'd always liked coming in here. It seemed odd, really. He'd been an out of doors sort of boy, always running and racing, and covered in mud. Even now, he hated a room with fewer than two windows. But he had always liked it here. He turned to look at his aunt. She was standing in the middle of the room. She'd closed the door most of the way and set her candle down on a shelf. She turned and looked back at him and said, very softly, â€Å"He knew you loved him.† He shook his head. â€Å"I did not deserve him. Or you.† â€Å"Stop this talk. I won't hear it.† â€Å"Aunt Mary, you know†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He put his fisted hand to his mouth, biting down on his knuckle. The words were there, but they burned in his chest, and it was so damned hard to speak them. â€Å"You know that Arthur would not have gone to France if not for me.† She stared at him in bewilderment, then gasped and said, â€Å"Good heavens, Jack, you do not blame yourself for his death?† â€Å"Of course I do. He went for me. He would never have – â€Å" â€Å"He wanted to join the army. He knew it was that or the clergy, and heaven knows he did not want that. He'd always planned – â€Å" â€Å"No,† Jack cut in, with all the force and anger in his heart. â€Å"He hadn't. Maybe he told you he had, but – â€Å" â€Å"You cannot take responsibility for his death. I will not let you.† â€Å"Aunt Mary – â€Å" â€Å"Stop! Stop it!† The heels of her hands were pressed against her temples, her fingers wrapping up and over her skull. More than anything, she looked as if she were trying to shut him out, to put a stop to whatever it was he was trying to tell her. But it had to be said. It was the only way she would understand. And it would be the first time he'd uttered the words aloud. â€Å"I cannot read.† Three words. That's all it was. Three words. And a lifetime of secrets. Her brow wrinkled, and Jack could not tell – did she not believe him? Or was it simply that she thought she'd misheard? People saw what they expected to see. He'd acted like an educated man, and so that was how she'd seen him. â€Å"I can't read, Aunt Mary. I've never been able to. Arthur was the only one who ever realized.† She shook her head. â€Å"I don't understand. You were in school. You were graduated – â€Å" â€Å"By the skin of my teeth,† Jack cut in, â€Å"and only then, with Arthur's help. Why do you think I had to leave university?† â€Å"Jack†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She looked almost embarrassed. â€Å"We were told you misbehaved. You drank too much, and there was that woman, and – and – that awful prank with the pig, and – Why are you shaking your head?† â€Å"I didn't want to embarrass you.† â€Å"You think that wasn't embarrassing?† â€Å"I could not do the work without Arthur's help,† he explained. â€Å"And he was two years behind me.† â€Å"But we were told – â€Å" â€Å"I'd rather have been dismissed for bad behavior than stupidity,† he said softly. â€Å"You did it all on purpose?† He dipped his chin. â€Å"Oh, my God.† She sank into a chair. â€Å"Why didn't you say something? We could have hired a tutor.† â€Å"It wouldn't have helped.† And then, when she looked up at him in confusion he said, almost helplessly, â€Å"The letters dance. They flip about. I can never tell the difference between a d and a b, unless they are uppercase, and even then I – â€Å" â€Å"You're not stupid,† she cut in, and her voice was sharp. He stared at her. â€Å"You are not stupid. If there is a problem it is with your eyes, not your mind. I know you.† She stood, her movements shaky but determined, and then she touched his cheek with her hand. â€Å"I was there the moment you were born. I was the first to hold you. I have been with you for every scrape, every tumble. I have watched your eyes light, Jack. I have watched you think. â€Å"How clever you must have been,† she said softly, â€Å"to have fooled us all.† â€Å"Arthur helped me all through school,† he said as evenly as he was able. â€Å"I never asked him to. He said he liked – † He swallowed then, because the memory was rising in his throat like a cannonball. â€Å"He said he liked to read aloud.† â€Å"I think he did like that.† A tear began to roll down her cheek. â€Å"He idolized you, Jack.† Jack fought the sobs that were choking his throat. â€Å"I was supposed to protect him.† â€Å"Soldiers die, Jack. Arthur was not the only one. He was merely†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She closed her eyes and turned away, but not so fast that Jack didn't see the flash of pain on her face. â€Å"He was merely the only one who mattered to me,† she whispered. She looked up, straight into his eyes. â€Å"Please, Jack, I don't want to lose two sons.† She held out her arms, and before Jack knew it, he was there, in her embrace. Sobbing. He had not cried for Arthur. Not once. He'd been so full of anger – at the French, at himself – that he had not left room for grief. But now here it was, rushing in. All the sadness, all the times he'd witnessed something amusing and Arthur had not been there to share it with. All the milestones he had celebrated alone. All the milestones Arthur would never celebrate. He cried for all of that. And he cried for himself, for his lost years. He'd been running. Running from himself. And he was tired of it. He wanted to stop. To stay in one place. With Grace. He would not lose her. He did not care what he had to do to ensure their future, but ensure it he would. If Grace said that she could not marry the Duke of Wyndham, then he would not be the Duke of Wyndham. Surely there was some measure of his destiny that was still under his control. â€Å"I need to see to the guests,† Mary whispered, pulling gently away. Jack nodded, wiping the last of his tears from his eyes. â€Å"The dowager†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Good lord, what was there to say about the dowager, except: â€Å"I'm so sorry.† â€Å"She shall have my bedchamber,† Mary said. Normally Jack would have forbidden her to give up her room, but he was tired, and he suspected she was tired, and tonight seemed like the perfect time to put ease before pride. And so he nodded. â€Å"That is very kind of you.† â€Å"I suspect it's something closer to self-preservation.† He smiled at that. â€Å"Aunt Mary?† She'd reached the door, but she stopped with her hand on the knob, turning back around to face him. â€Å"Yes?† â€Å"Miss Eversleigh,† he said. Something lit in his aunt's eyes. Something romantic. â€Å"Yes?† â€Å"I love her.† Mary's entire being seemed to warm and glow. â€Å"I am so happy to hear it.† â€Å"She loves me, too.† â€Å"Even better.† â€Å"Yes,† he murmured, â€Å"it is.† She motioned toward the hall. â€Å"Will you return with me?† Jack knew he should, but the evening's revelations had left him exhausted. And he did not want anyone to see him thus, his eyes still red and raw. â€Å"Would you mind if I remained here?† he asked. â€Å"Of course not.† She smiled wistfully and left the room. Jack turned back toward his uncle's desk, running his fingers slowly along the smooth surface. It was peaceful here, and the Lord knew, he needed a spot of peace. It was going to be a long night. He would not sleep. There was no sense in trying. But he did not want to do anything. He did not want to go anywhere, and most of all, he did not want to think. For this moment†¦for this night†¦he just wanted to be. Grace liked the Audleys' drawing room, she decided. It was quite elegant, decorated in soft tones of burgundy and cream, with two seating areas, a writing desk, and several cozy reading chairs in the corners. Signs of family life were everywhere – from the stack of letters on the desk to the embroidery Mrs. Audley must have abandoned on the sofa when she'd heard Jack at the door. On the mantel sat six miniatures in a row. Grace walked over, pretending to warm her hands by the fire. It was their family, she instantly realized, probably painted fifteen years ago. The first was surely Jack's uncle, and the next Grace recognized as Mrs. Audley. After that was†¦Good heavens, was that Jack? It had to be. How could someone change so little? He looked younger, yes, but everything else was the same – the expression, the sly smile. It nearly took her breath away. The other three miniatures were the Audley children, or so Grace assumed. Two boys and one girl. She dipped her head and said a little prayer when she reached the younger of the boys. Arthur. Jack had loved him. Was that what he was talking about with his aunt? Grace had been the last to enter the drawing room; she'd seen Mrs. Audley pull him gently through another doorway. After a few minutes the butler arrived, announcing that their rooms had been prepared, but Grace loitered near the fireplace. She was not ready to leave this room. She was not sure why. â€Å"Miss Eversleigh.† She looked up. It was Jack's aunt. â€Å"You walk softly, Mrs. Audley,† she said. â€Å"I did not hear you approach.† â€Å"That one is Jack,† Mrs. Audley said, reaching out and removing his miniature from the mantel. â€Å"I recognized him,† Grace murmured. â€Å"Yes, he is much the same. This one is my son Edward. He lives just down the lane. And this is Margaret. She has two daughters of her own now.† Grace looked at Arthur. They both did. â€Å"I am sorry for your loss,† Grace finally said. Mrs. Audley swallowed, but she did not seem to be near tears. â€Å"Thank you.† She turned then, and took Grace's hand in hers. â€Å"Jack is in his uncle's study. At the far end of the hall, on the right. Go to him.† Grace's lips parted. â€Å"Go,† Mrs. Audley said, even more softly than before. Grace felt herself nod, and before she'd had time to consider her actions, she was already in the hall, hurrying down toward the end. To the door on the right. â€Å"Jack?† she said softly, pushing the door open a few inches. He was sitting in a chair, facing the window, but he turned quickly and stood at the sound of her voice. She let herself in and closed the door gently behind her. â€Å"Your aunt said – â€Å" He was right there. Right there in front of her. And then her back was against the door, and he was kissing her, hard, fast, and – dear God – thoroughly. And then he stepped away. She couldn't breathe, she could barely stand, and she knew she could not have put together a sentence if her life had depended on it. Never in her life had she wanted anything as much as she wanted this man. â€Å"Go to bed, Grace.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"I cannot resist you,† he said, his voice soft, haggard, and everything in between. She reached toward him. She could not help it. â€Å"Not in this house,† he whispered. But his eyes burned for her. â€Å"Go,† he said hoarsely. â€Å"Please.† She did. She ran up the stairs, found her room, and crawled between her sheets. But she shivered all night. She shivered and she burned.

Compare and Contrast US and Canada Capital Cities Essay

cap dc and corking of Canada dole verbo ecstasy oftentimes in common in name of geography, but they submit as well as taken different paths in terms of history and market-gardening. Originally inhabited by congenital the Statesns, some(prenominal) were colonized by Europeans and later developed into devil single-handed capitals. By 1500s, the Europeans migration to northwestward America had begun citation Swe02 l 1033 (Swerdlow, 2002). Europeans came to join America in search of land, rich minerals, religious and political freedom. The European migrants came from England, France, and Spain, where they colonised in colonies. upper-case letter dc was founded on rebellion and the cult of seeking independence while capital of Canada was formed with consensus among the public servants honorable mention Mil11 l 1033 (Miller, 2011). ch build some(prenominal) cities sh atomic number 18 kindred histories with fancy to their former colonizers the British monarch b utterfly, they bear divergent attitudes towards their formers colonizers.In the year 1763, France was forced to drop step up most of its northeastward American ground to the British conglomerate, which was a union of Scotland and England. Conflicts arose mingled with the Native Americans and the colonial specialisetlers as they seek to occupy the land. Most Native Americans were pushed out of their lands and their market-gardening was nearly destroyed as a g everyplacenment issue of the conflict reference work Bar13 l 1033 (Barret, 2013). When the British organization enforce new taxes and restriction on the freedoms of Native Americans in 1760s, all the thirteen British colonies were angered and they fought against the British to attain independence. The result was a new independent estate, the fall in States of America. Most Americans rejected the British monarchy and set up a republic, a pillow slip of government whereby hatful could elect their avow leading, in cluding the head of states. Consequently, they elected George Washington as their first professorship mention For10 l 1033 (Forsey, 2010).As near American colonists did non wish to break ties with the British monarch, they desire to leave the newly formed rural area. everywhere hundred thousand people cognize as the loyalist moved out of the unite States and settled in the cut populated regions of Quebec, which was controlled by the British monarch. In the early 1800s, french and incline verbalise communities in the British North America were in constant conflict over the colonial government policies inverted comma Mil11 l 1033 (Miller, 2011). However, they were soon brought together due to fears of a takeover by the fall in States. In the year 1867, four of the colonies Ontario, Quebec, in the buff Brunswick and Nova scout- unite under Prime Minister A. MacDonald, to from the coupled provinces of the dominion of Canada. This was a new country under the British E mpire. Other close areas such(prenominal) as British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, overly induce provinces of Canada acknowledgment For10 l 1033 (Forsey, 2010). Nowadays, Canada encompasses the ten provinces and an some other(a) three territories, the Nunavut, the Yukon Territory and the North West territories.Currently, twain the governments run from capital of Canada and Washington dc are democracies with federal formal official systems, whereby the field of study governments share power with provinces or the state governments CITATION Bel11 l 1033 (Belanger, 2011). However, the United States governments tends to tilt more towards democracy while Canada is more conservative. Indeed, the United States has been amending laws in accordance of rights to the democratic rights of its citizens. This has been had been a strategy stated back in 1787, the united states leaders wanted to create a inviolable national government whilst preserving the structures indiv idual states and citizens CITATION Bel11 l 1033 (Belanger, 2011). Therefore, a plan called the integral amendments was drafted so that the governance could be change to conform to the countries changing needs. The first ten amendments were known as the bill of rights, and they guaranteed the citizens constitutional rights, such as the freedoms of religion, speech and press.Canada, on the other hand, was formed as a dominion, which was essentially a self-governing country with close links with the British monarch. capital of Canada gained full independence from the British Empire in 1931, but the British governments relieve held the rights to approve any changes make to the constitution of Canada CITATION For10 l 1033 (Forsey, 2010). It was not until 1982 that this legislative link to the British government was severed. During its founding, Canada had a strong central government, with very secondary powers shred to the individual provinces. However, over the years, the powers effrontery to the provinces has significantly increased CITATION For10 l 1033 (Forsey, 2010).The form of government in Ottawa is a constitutional monarch. The administrator strengthen of the Canadian government encompasses the governor general, the primordial take care and the cabinet CITATION Bar13 l 1033 (Barret, 2013). In this government, the British monarch is comfort acts as the head of state. Additionally, the British monarch appoints the governor general in nightspot to act in his or her place. The national legislature is known as the parliament, and it is do up of the senate and the House of Commons. The prime minister is the leaders of the majority political caller in the parliament and serves as the veritable head of government. The supreme climb up of Canada is calm of nine judges, and it is the countrys highest court CITATION Bar13 l 1033 (Barret, 2013).On the other hand, the government in Washington is made up of three disseveres the executive, the legislatu re, and the judiciary. The executive arm of the government encompasses the president, the vice president, and all the executive departments that control various division of the federal government CITATION Swe02 l 1033 (Swerdlow, 2002). The presidents cabinet is made up of the heads of these departments. They as well double up as special advisors. Elected state representatives opus the senate and the House of Representatives. The senate and House of Representatives make up the legislative branch of the government. Meanwhile, the judicial branch is made up of the Supreme tap and the lower federal courts.While English is the official words and the main words in Washington dc, Ottawa has two English and French as the two official languages. overdue to the immigration of people from all various parts of the military man to Canada and the United States, there are other languages used, albeit in the few minority ethnicities CITATION Mil11 l 1033 (Miller, 2011). The immigrants from Gr eat Britain came with the English language to United States and most parts of Canada. However, in some Canadian provinces such as Quebec and cities such as Ontario and Ottawa, French is include as the official language since some of the provinces population is made up descendants of French settlers who had arrived there between 1500s and 1700s CITATION Bar13 l 1033 (Barret, 2013). Since the French-speaking Canadians in the city wanted more protection for their culture and language, they sought to for the recognition and use of French language as part of the official language in Ottawa.Although two cities harbour a number of differences as mentioned above, they also exhibit several similarities. Firstly, Both Ottawa and Washington dc are capital cities of Canada and the United States respectively. Unlike other capitals such as London, Tokyo or Mexico City, some(prenominal) are not the unrivaled centers of dryness of their respective countries CITATION Bar13 l 1033 (Barret, 2013) . Fundamentally, some(prenominal) are political capitals and not cultural or economic capital cities. They are both government cities and not megacities. However, they both manage to maintain a ecumenic atmosphere and a profile of much bigger proportions than their own size. In addition, incomplete of them were their countries initial capitals. Although they both retain neighborhoods that were erst colonial towns, the two cities developed more or less national politics and for most of the time, the government was at the center of everything CITATION Swe02 l 1033 (Swerdlow, 2002).Both Ottawa and Washington dc exemplify a distinguishing North American federal urbanism. While both cities stir a population of less than a million, they gravel several monuments, museums and embassies CITATION Swe02 l 1033 (Swerdlow, 2002). Tourist visit both cities to determine the historical foundations of the two North American countries, Canada, and the United States. Both Ottawa and Washing ton dc are filled with chic Victorian houses and neoclassical public buildings. Additionally, they both have several impressively intentional office blocks. For instance, Ottawa has a bureaucratic brutalist wonderland while in Washington dc there is the J. Edgar Hoover building at the pentagons scale CITATION Bel11 l 1033 (Belanger, 2011). The two cities have adopted approach to urban development that is centered on house and amenities targeted to the professional classes, make a wave of g gradeth that has boosted a renaissance of downtown livability.Washington dc and Ottawa have a similar educational system. This includes a network of both public and private take aims. Both cities have compulsory education requirements. In addition, the Canadian provinces and the United States have a 12-grade school system. There are universities and colleges in both cities. In terms of the rate of literacy, both the US and Canada have literacy rate of 97 percent CITATION Bar13 l 1033 (Barret, 2013).The cultural influences of the United States and Canada, which are headquartered in Washington dc and Ottawa respectively, is strongest in the topic of popular entertainment. Indeed, both the United States and Canada have had a profound impact end-to-end the gentlemans gentleman through their popular culture CITATION Bel11 l 1033 (Belanger, 2011). In the 1900s, the US was the worlds most overriding source of entertainment and trendy fashion, ranging from the t- shirts and the jeans to the television receiver programs, movies and rock stars. Even nowadays, Hollywood has become synonymous with the require industry. On its part, the Canada film industry which receives backing from Ottawa, is renowned for its shakes hers festivals that are held annually in Ontario. Therefore, the entertainment cultures in both cities has greatly shaped and influenced the entertainment industry thought the world CITATION Bar13 l 1033 (Barret, 2013).Being the citizens of two of the worlds weal thiest capital cities, people in both Ottawa and Washington dc enjoy a high normal of living. Due to their socioeconomic status or their level of educational income, the citizens of both cities have an advantage over the personal opportunities and choices. Due to the support systems in place that retard agricultural surplus in both the United States and Canada, foods are fairly inexpensive. The housing varies considerably depending on the needs of families and individuals CITATION Bel11 l 1033 (Belanger, 2011). They range from suburban houses to multifamily row houses to high rise apartments.ReferencesBarret, M. (2013). Interculturalism and multiculturalism similarities and differences. London Council of Europe.Belanger, D.-C. (2011). harm and Pride Canadian Intellectuals Confront the United States, 1891-1945. Toronto University of Toronto Press.Forsey, E. A. (2010). How Canadians govern themselves. Ottawa Library of Parliament.Miller, K. (2011). quest THE AMERICAN LEAD CANADAS DIPLOMACY. jackboot Heritage.Swerdlow, J. L. (2002). The cultural geography of the united states and Canada. New York National Geographic.Source document