The Ripken Way Essays - Cal Ripken Jr., Cal Ripken Sr., Billy Ripken

The Ripken Way Essays - Cal Ripken Jr., Cal Ripken Sr., Billy Ripken The Ripken Way The first book I read this summer was a non-fiction piece written by Cal Ripken Sr., called the Ripken Way. There are many ways in which mr. Ripken posseses qualitites that are very human: he was a normal person, just like anybody else, not just an extraordinary baseball player and manager; he was married to a wife and had four children. He was a hard worker, and through out the book he has an emphasis on working hard in life in order to be successful, and lastly, he was a very unique person, in many ways. First, when most people think of Cal Ripken, they think of one of the all time great baseball players, and he was that. But, he was also just an ordinary person, with a normal life. Like most other people, he was married to a wife, and also had four children. He was just not a ball player, he was a dedicated husband and father that did the best he could to raise his kids and teach them the correct way to do things, and teach them the lessons in life. He was a busy man, because of his baseball carear, he had lots of time taken away from his family as both a baseball player and as a manager. He took advantage of any time he got to spend time with his children. An example of this was when he was managing, and ran baseball clinics. He decided to take the difficult task of not only attending these baseball clinics, but also taking his children so he could be with them. As busy as he was, he took time out of his extremely busy life to get quality time with his family, this took much sacrif ice, but it's a human traight, like any other man, not matter what he may be doing. Secondly, in the book, Cal explains how he brought up his children and enstilled the correct values inisde them in order to be successful (as well as instructing baseball players on how to improve their game while simaltaniously teaching life lessons that apply both on and off the baseball field). An example is his son, Cal Ripken jr., whom was brought up around the sport of baseball, and that was a huge advantage, but, he wasn't always the biggest athlete on the team. As a matter of fact, when he was a young high school student, he had a poor batting average, a weak arm, lacked in some basic skills, and wasn't too tall either. But, as he was raised by his father, he learned propper and neccessary life values in order to suceed in whatever he does. If his father taught him one thing, it would be to work hard and work at whatever your weak at over and over again (correctly; the right way). Cal had worked hard, the skills he lacked, he drilled correctly and repeatidly until he had got the skills he needed. He worked out more, and bulked up, and, if he had any questions, he asked them and got all of his problems straightened out if anything had confused him. Eventually when he was a senior, he had the best batting average on the team, was one of the biggest players, and had developed all the skills he had needed from all of the hard work. Lastly, Cal was a unique person, in many ways. He was a loving father and husband, and also a tough person, who makes mistakes sometimes, like everybody else. He has done things that many other men would never do. Some things he has done weren't the smartest things to do, but he felt was the right thing to do. One example that can describe this is how he reacts to getting hit by a baseball. Everybody knows (whether you're a player or not) that when you're batting, and a high speed fast ball is pitched at you, and hits you, it hurts. Cal, however, has a different view; even though he has been hit and has admitted it's painful, he was just stick to his opinion, that the ball only weighs five-and-a-quater onces, how much can it hurt? Another display of

What You Should Know About Nigeria

What You Should Know About Nigeria Population: 152,217,341 (July 2010 estimate)Capital: AbujaBordering Countries: Benin, Cameroon, Chad, NigerLand Area: 356,667 square miles (923,768 sq km)Coastline: 530 miles (853 km)Highest Point: Chappal Waddi at 7,936 feet (2,419 m)Nigeria is a country located in West Africa along the Atlantic Oceans Gulf of Guinea. Its land borders are with Benin to the west, Cameroon, and Chad to the east and Niger to the north. Nigerias main ethnic groups are Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba. It is the most populous country in Africa and its economy is considered one of the fastest growing in the world. Nigeria is known for being the regional center of West Africa. History of Nigeria Nigeria has a long history that dates back as far as 9000 B.C.E. as shown in archaeological records. The earliest cities in Nigeria were the northern cities of Kano and Katsina that started around 1000 C.E. Around 1400, the Yoruba kingdom of Oyo was founded in the southwest and reach its height from the 17th to the 19th century. Around this same time, European traders began establishing ports for the slave trade to the Americas. In the 19th century, this changed to the trading of goods like palm oil and timber. In 1885, the British claimed a sphere of influence over Nigeria and in 1886, the Royal Niger Company was established. In 1900, the area became controlled by the British government and in 1914 it became the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria. Throughout the mid-1900s and especially after World War II, the people of Nigeria began pushing for independence. In October 1960, it came when it was established as a federation of three regions with a parliamentary government. In 1963 however, Nigeria proclaimed itself a federal republic and drafted a new constitution. Throughout the 1960s, Nigerias government was unstable as it underwent several governmental overthrows; its prime minister was assassinated and was engaged in a civil war. Following the civil war, Nigeria focused on economic development and in 1977, after several more years of government instability, the country drafted a new constitution. Political corruption remained throughout the late 1970s and into the 1980s though and 1983, the Second Republic government as it came to be known was overthrown. In 1989, the Third Republic began and in the early 1990s, government corruption remained and there were several attempts to again overthrown the government. Finally, in 1995, Nigeria began to transition into a civilian rule. In 1999 a new constitution and in May of that same year, Nigeria became a democratic nation after years of political instability and military rule. Olusegun Obasanjo was the first president during this time and he worked to improve Nigerias infrastructure, the governments relationship with its people and its economy. In 2007, Obasanjo stepped down as president. Umaru YarAdua then became the president of Nigeria and he vowed to reform the countrys elections, fight its crime problems and continue working on economic growth. On May 5, 2010, YarAdua died and Goodluck Jonathan became the president of Nigeria on May 6. Government of Nigeria Nigerias government is considered a federal republic and it has a legal system based on English common law, Islamic law (in its northern states) and traditional laws. Nigerias executive branch is made up of a chief of state and a head of government- both of which are filled by the president. It also has a bicameral National Assembly consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Nigerias judicial branch is made up of the Supreme Court and the Federal Court of Appeal. Nigeria is divided into 36 states and one territory for local administration. Economics and Land Use in Nigeria Although Nigeria has long had problems of political corruption and a lack of infrastructure it is rich in natural resources like oil and recently its economy has begun to grow into one of the fastest in the world. However, oil alone provides 95% of its foreign exchange earnings. Nigerias other industries include coal, tin, columbite, rubber products, wood, hides and skins, textiles, cement and other construction materials, food products, footwear, chemicals, fertilizer, printing, ceramics, and steel. Nigerias agricultural products are cocoa, peanuts, cotton, palm oil, corn, rice, sorghum, millet, cassava, yams, rubber, cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, timber, and fish. Geography and Climate of Nigeria Nigeria is a large country that has a varied topography. It is about twice the size of the U.S. state of California and is located between Benin and Cameroon. In the south, it has lowlands that climb into hills and plateaus in the central part of the country. In the southeast, there are mountains while the north consists mainly of plains. Nigerias climate also varies but the center and the south are tropical due to their locations near the equator, while the north is arid. More Facts about Nigeria Life expectancy in Nigeria is 47 years of ageEnglish is Nigerias official language but Hausa, Igbo Yoruba, Fulani, and Kanuri are others that are spoken in the countryLagos, Kano, and Ibadan are the largest cities in Nigeria References Central Intelligence Agency. (1 June 2010). CIA - The World Factbook - Nigeria. Retrieved from: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ni.html Infoplease.com. (n.d.). Nigeria: History, Geography, Government, and Culture- Infoplease.com. Retrieved from: infoplease.com/ipa/A0107847.htmlUnited States Department of State. (12 May 2010). Nigeria. Retrieved from: state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2836.htmWikipedia.com. (30 June 2010). Nigeria - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigeria

Proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Proposal - Essay Example Return venture projects or business organizations like most in Saudi Arabia as well faces a variety of risk and risk related phenomena like credit risks, Economic risks, financial risks, for big venture who deal in trades abroad also face exchange rates risks (Chong, 2004:246). Just by the mere fact that risks exist and are faced by every individual unit in the society in itself posses a threat to the existence of man. This is because man is always uncertain about the likelihood of success out of an involvement before actually it occurs successfully. According to, (Adams, 1995), a risk is the likelihood of a loss incase a hazard takes place. Such fears is what propels us to look at risk in the general perspective, its nature, kinds of risks, how to handle them or even ways in which we can try to do away with such risks so that man lives in if not completely risk free because this is not possible then at least at reduced levels of risk. In this study we are headed towards studying of risks as per the risks faced by business organizations in general, also its going to involve the study of the vast impacts of such risks and how to try minimizing the risks for the benefits of the businesses operations in terms of returns and reduced costs of operating such businesses. Risk management in this case is to be looked at through identification of the risks, looking for ways of assessing the risks in order to determine their intensity and then decision making on which ones the organization can do with and which are to must avoid so that the organization is able to maximize its chances or opportunities of maximizing business (Adams, 1995) 2.0 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY Generally out of the study on risk management the researcher intends to find out on several aspects about risk and risk management. The study is geared towards finding out on:- a. What a risk is. b. What forms or type of risks that faces business organizations in general? c. What effects or impacts do these risk s have on the organizations and to what intensity do they impact on the businesses? d. How can the risks be mitigated or reduced in real practice? The study of all the above aspects of risk entails the assessment and categorization and risk components hence risk management as an area under investigation (Adams, 1995) 3.0 RESEARCH PROBLEM STATEMENT As stated clearly under the background of the study and clarified further under the research objectives it is very safe now to state that the major problem under investigation is to find out more about the policy on risk, the policies and tools of risk management. Therefore, the driving factor is risk and its uncertainty in business management. The researcher is obliged to find out through this research the difficulties as a result of risk and how such challenges can be done away with under the broad topic of risk management (Mugenda, 2005:89). 4.0 LITERATURE REVIEW This section of the proposal on risk management is to look in the various articles that address the evolution of risk through since man started thinking about the existence of risk to date. It is also going to help us to identify fertile grounds for further active research on risk and risk management. 4.1 Definition of risks According to (Abkowitz, 2008), †¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Risk is the likelihood of a loss occurring through the occurrence of an hazard that can be analyzed and measured into quantities’’.....he goes ahead to explain that its because of risks that men

Corporate social responsibility Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Corporate social responsibility - Essay Example These acts are not requirements either by law or by any other stipulated framework but are still carried out by business corporations under their CSR platforms (McWilliams, Siegel, & Wright, 2006). The business need for such activities may not be clear at first but considering that CSR activities are used as PR stunts by various business corporations, some business value can be derived from CSR. The contention behind CSR is for large corporations to project a soft image of a corporation that cares for the environment and the society. This allows corporations to achieve better sales and integrate better with the consumers. The inclusion of business interests in CSR activities have the direct consequence of inflated CSR initiatives being used for marketing consorts. Research demonstrates that corporations have an overwhelming tendency to report the positive aspects of their CSR activities alone (Bebbington, Brown, Frame, & Thomson, 2007) (Dey, 2003) (Dey, 2007) (Ruffing, 2007). This te nds to bias the reporting situation since corporations are inclined to report the better parts of their corporate behaviour alone. The need was felt to bring to light information covered up by organisations at various levels (Dey, 2007). Silent and shadow accounting was evolved to deal with such a situation where the corporate behaviour of corporations was double checked through independent research. The silent account lists out the corporation’s projections on its CSR while the shadow account lists out an independent finding on the CSR of the concerned business corporation. The current paper will list out findings of the silent and shadow accounts for Procter and Gamble, which represents a top Fortune 500 business corporation. The silent and shadow account for Procter and Gamble will be used to determine the dynamic validity of the state of CSR in practice by Procter and Gamble. Corporate Social Responsibility Silent Account Shadow Account Sustainability Reporting Style P&G lists that it reports CSR initiatives and their results based on the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) directives. More specifically, P&G utilises the G3Guidelines for reporting under GRI (P&G, 2012). A number of different CSR initiatives and their results – broadly categorised under Products, Operations and Social Responsibility, are available in the CSR report on the P&G website. The availability of quantitative information such as emissions reductions levels, packaging reusability amounts etc. tend to add more credibility to P&G’s portfolio for CSR. The transparency of P&G’s claims for social responsibility requires that the data compiled by P&G be verified independently. The CSR report uploaded at the P&G website contains a number of different claims with regards to environmental and social impacts of CSR activities but fails to report data for verification. Essentially, P&G’s CSR report is referenced under the GRI and is indexed accordingly but does not declare the level of reporting (Cohen, 2011). In addition, the CSR report provides a cue to the website to evaluate how GRI is implemented (P&G, 2013, p. 2) but the website provides no insight into how data is compiled and evaluated by P&G. No third party audit of the data is available to verify or substantiate the claims accordingly. Product Safety and Innovation One of the three key pillars for P&G’s sustainability framework is its products (P&G, 2012). The contention at P&G’

Plato, The Republic of Plato Essay Example for Free

Plato, The Republic of Plato Essay I thought that Plato’s The Republic was very ambitious in its goals and for the most part, it made a lot of excellent observations about the dynamic of human nature. It is nearly amazing that Plato found things in the ancient times that were not only true in the context of his life, but true for human beings in every period of time. He hit upon the key, core values that each and every person cannot get away from, no matter what their role or place in society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The first thing that I found interesting was Plato’s breakdown of society. Though many other parts of his work are transcendent across many different generations, this was one part that only applies to his time frame, or so it would seem. It is fitting that he overplays the role of the warrior in society, since that is what was important during his time. Because of this, his entire dynamic is thrown out of whack in context of how it might be viewed today.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   He did nail some important points in regards to the human spirit itself, though. By breaking it down into three categories, he made what should have been a difficult idea into one that was very easy to understand. In particular, I found it interesting how Plato addressed money as a motivator. I think that too many authors get caught up in the idea that money is at the root of a lot of actions. Plato, even back then, had it right that money is simply wanted as a means to an end. Most people who seek money do not do so just to have it. Instead, they want it so that they an satisfy the other primal desires that they cannot seem to shake. Plato is also correct that the rational part of a person must be the controlling factor if a person is going to be just. All too often, a person motivated by things or by emotions makes bad decisions and causes pain for others.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is interesting to see who Plato praises in his republic and who he puts down. Predictably, he likes to laud the philosophers for their work for the greater good. Plato does not seem to spare any sort of self adulation in this respect. He believes that what he and his fellow philosophers are doing is right. I cannot fault him for this, though. If he did not think it was just, he should stop living his life this way. It was interesting, however, that he chose poets as the one group of people to completely put down in the book. After thinking about it, this is not all that surprising. Poets like to hit on exactly the opposite of what philosophers spend their life championing. They play to the emotional side of people, while the rational side is the most just. In a way, this is a commentary on what Plato finds important in his society. He does not want a bunch of indulgent creatures running around and he does not have any patience for people who go out promoting that type of badness. Instead, he is looking for a republic where people let their rational thoughts guide them to where they need to be. He recognizes emotion as a part of the human dynamic, but does not glorify its position like poets do. That was the most telling part of the entire book.

The Chrysalids, by John Wyndham :: essays research papers

The Chrysalids, by John Wyndham Background: John Wyndham, born in 1903, tried more than four careers before starting to write short stories in 1925. The Chrysalids was written in 1955. Outline of the Book: Thousands of years after our time, the world faced something known as Tribulation, when civilization was almost completely wiped out and had to be started over, with new rules and laws. Humans beings born as â€Å"deviants†, missing an attribute that normal humans would have, is considered a blasphemy towards God. David, a young man whose father is in charge of seeking out deviants in his community, discovered that he, along with a few other young adults, can communicate to one another through their minds and what they call â€Å"thought shapes†. For a long while they’ve hidden their secret talents, but as rules get tighter and tighter they know it’s only a matter of time until they’re discovered. Theme(s): tolerance, religion Criticisms (Unfavourable): Near the end of the book the dialogue becomes more rhetorical than the rest of the book. This isn’t really a problem, but can become slightly confusing at times. The best option would be to read this part slowly and carefully in order to understand what the message is. Criticisms (Favourable): Very original, intelligent plot. Well-written characters that aren’t two dimensional and who make human decisions (David’s father, who may seem like a cruel man but who is really just doing what he was brought up to believe is right). Comparison: â€Å"The House of the Scorpion†, â€Å"The Stepford Wives† (book) These two books also deal with people who are not as â€Å"real† as typical human beings, such as robots or clones Quotations: â€Å"Clearly there must be a mistake somewhere. Surely having one very small toe extra—well, two very small toes, because I supposed there would be one to match on the other foot—surely that couldn’t be enough to make her ‘hateful in the sigh of God†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢?

Romeo and Juliet Dramatic Effects

Analyse the dramatic importance of Act 3 Scene 5. Act 3 scene 5 is of huge dramatic importance as it is pivotal to the plot of the play. Act 3 scene 5 takes place the morning after Romeo and Juliet have spent their first night together following their marriage. In the first part of the scene, they are very happy and also very romantic as Romeo says â€Å"How are you, my love? † This shows that Romeo cares for Juliet and it also shows how much love, Romeo has just been banished from Verona for killing Tybalt and is preparing to leave.This makes Juliet very upset as they haven’t even spent a day together. The nurse comes to warn them that Juliet’s mother is coming to see her to discuss her marriage to Paris. After Romeo has left, Juliet bursts into tears. When Lady Capulet arrives, Juliet cries even more but Lady Capulet thinks she is crying because of her cousin’s death. Lord Capulet explodes with anger when he hears that Juliet disagrees with the marriage. The nurse unexpectedly advises her to marry Paris. The key themes highlighted in this scene are: happiness, love, parental conflict, anger and sadness.In this scene we learn a great deal about the characters of: Romeo, Juliet, Capulet, Lady Capulet and the nurse. In the previous scene Romeo and Juliet get married and the Montagues and the Capulets have a fight which leads to the deaths of Mercutio and Tybalt. Romeo is banished from Verona for murdering Tybalt because Tybalt has murdered Mercutio. Lady Capulet seems to support and comfort her daughter, but when Juliet argues and shouts she simply hands it over to Lord Capulet who will control Juliet. In the time of Shakespeare the men were in charge of the house and the children so the audience would have agreed to the play.Lady Capulet thinks that she can control Juliet, so she informs her of the marriage that has already been arranged. She seems very concerned about Juliet but she cannot control her herself and threatens Juliet â €Å"here comes your father. Tell him so yourself, and see how he will take it at your hands†. She means I will not say anything so see what your father has to say. In the previous scenes she was very quiet and innocent but in this scene she changes from being quiet into a very loud character which reveals her true nature.The Nurse is a very caring character and understands Juliet’s problems but in this scene she disagrees with Juliet as she advises her to marry Paris when she is aware that she has already been married to Romeo. This disheartens Juliet so much as she is the only person who she trusted. The Nurse says â€Å"I think the best thing to do is to marry the count† as if she is speaking to someone she doesn’t know. Juliet relies on her so much that she is shocked when she hears such a thing come out of the Nurse’s mouth. Juliet declares â€Å"from now on I will never tell what I feel in my heart†.She also doesn’t say this stra ight to her face as the Nurse would start avoiding her which would please her parents and lead to Juliet getting into more trouble. The Nurse tries to persuade Juliet of Paris’ superiority and believes â€Å"Romeo’s a dishclout to him†. The image of the dishcloth indicates that Romeo is not worthy of Juliet. This makes Juliet furious because it was originally the Nurse who reported positively about Romeo. In this scene the Nurse is ambivalent because she supports Juliet when Lord Capulet explodes with anger as Juliet refuses to marry Paris.In previous scenes the Nurse is very supportive and thinks of Juliet as her own daughter when she says â€Å"What, lamb! What, ladybird! †, but in this scene she changes from supporting Juliet to letting her down when she asks for her advice. Lord Capulet is a very strong character throughout the play but he does care about Juliet as he claims that he will not do anything against his daughter’s will but in this s cene he orders her to â€Å"go to church on Thursday or never look me in the face again.Don’t say anything. Don’t reply. Don’t talk back to me†. This quote would be very aggressive when said in the play as he is saying it with aggression and anger. Which shows that the old Capulet has gone. In this scene, generally, everyone shows their bad side as it is now getting serious about Juliet’s wedding. In this scene Capulet uses metaphors such as â€Å"when the sun sets, the air drizzles dew. But at the death of my brother’s son, it rains a down pour. What are you, girl? Some kind of fountain? he is comparing the downpour and the amount of tears that Juliet is producing and he is also trying to express that Juliet is not crying for her cousins death but crying for her husband Romeo. He also slams her on the floor while she begs on her knees and as he is not aware that Juliet is already married he repeatedly tells her to marry but the audience kn ows that if she marries she will go to hell as there is a sin if she marries again. This scene would have been very dramatic and sad as the audience would have felt sorry for her.By Capulet doing this creates a feeling of tension and pressure for Juliet as she is begging him. From the audience’s point of view, Juliet is very innocent but Capulet refers to her as a â€Å"disobedient wretch†. This shows the amount he cares he takes for his daughter. If this were to happen in today’s society maybe he would be prosecuted for child abuse. Later in the play Juliet pretends to agree to the marriage but nobody is aware of that. Friar Lawrence gives her a potion that she will have before the night of the wedding so that she will fall into a deep sleep and wake up after 12 hours.Act 3 scene 5 is one of the most dramatic scenes in the play. This scene leads to many misconceptions as the Friar Lawrence was supposed to inform Romeo of the plans but Romeo didn’t get th e message. But he got the news that Juliet had died. Act 3 scene 5 reveals most of the characters’ true natures. This scene is important as this is the scene that leads to the death of Romeo and Juliet and also it reveals the Nurses’ real character as she didn’t really understand the true love of Romeo and Juliet. All of the characters undergo a dramatic change in how they behave in this scene.

Although It Is a Ghost Story, a Christmas Carol Is an Uplifting Tale Essay

Although it is a ghost story, A Christmas Carol is an uplifting tale. To what extent do you agree? A Christmas carol by Charles Dickens is a significant novella written in the Victorian era. The protagonist Ebenezer Scrooge is used to demonstrate the upper class society and their attitude towards the poor. Throughout this redemption story, Dickens combines a descriptions of hardships faced by the poor with a heart-felt sentimental celebration of the Christmas season. The novella contains a dramatic and comic element as well as a deep felt moral theme. The text promotes the values of Ebenezer Scrooge, delving into his past, present and supposed future as well as contrasting between the enriching and depressing story; specifically evaluating the authors message, the Cratchit family, Scrooges nature and alternatively the ghostly circumstances outlined in the parable. Dickens message and the spirits of Christmas is one that intends to inspire and uplift the reader. The author has carefully constructed Ebenezer Scrooge as a â€Å"covetous old sinner† to demonstrate the uplifting meaning of the novella. Although Scrooge is an extreme example of a miser perhaps Dickens is saying there is a little of Scrooge in all of us whether it is an unwillingness to share our money with the poor and disadvantaged or our time with people in need. This idea is represented when two portly gentleman visit Scrooge and he explains, â€Å"I help to support the establishments I have mentioned, they cost enough.† In this instance Dickens strives to promotes the idea that no matter how crooked, anyone can change through the learning of appropriate lessons to inspire the reader. The author manipulates the readers emotions by enriching the sympathy of the Cratchit family. The Cratchit family are the perfect example of the difficulties faced by the poor in Victorian England. As Scrooge is visited by the ghost of Christmas Present, â€Å"a jolly giant, glorious to see,† and the life of the Cratchits and Tiny Tims condition is revealed there is an almost instantaneous transformation in Scrooge. We see this when Scrooge pleads, â€Å"Tell me if Tiny Tim will live†¦ Say he will be spared!† We can see from this that Scrooge shows compassion and that Dickens is aiming to elevate the feelings toward Scrooge and the ghostly story. The author illustrates that Scrooge who is depicted as â€Å"hard and sharp as a flint† is a greedy miser whom is so old and coldhearted that nothing other than his profits will phase him. Dickens uses the scene when the ghost of Christmas past, â€Å"a child-like old man† uses flashbacks to show Scrooge of the memories he once made to show the nature of the much younger character. This is evident when Fan â€Å"a little girl much younger than Scrooge† had brought out the affection of her older brother as they planned â€Å"to be together all the Christmas long, and have the merriest time in all the world.† What is important about this example is not just that it shows the compassion Scrooge once felt but also that Scrooge is not truly crooked and horrible to the core establishing the uplifting and inspiring feeling to readers. The title of the novella, A Christmas Carol, is immediately recognized by the reader as hardly appropriate for the first stave. Stave one does not resemble the happy and cheerful world of Christmas trees and presents, but instead the reader is exposed to, what can only be described as, ‘ghost story’ features. Ghost stories are meant to be scary, typically the ghosts that appear in this genre bring nothing but evil, but in this particular parable the trio of ghosts aim to help Scrooge. This is why the opening sentence â€Å"Marley was dead, to begin with† is particularly strange. Even though it is a ghost story, the ghostly circumstances of the tale help to highlight the uplifting messages and examples in the story. Dickens message to readers, The Cratchit family and Scrooges nature are all vital in the fulfilling and uplifting story of A Christmas Carol. The heart felt theme and comic element are all used well in order to inspire and influence the readers emotions towards each character. Dickens has achieved this using gothic literature and the ghostly features of the story. Overall, the author has used the learning of appropriate lessons to inspire and uplift the reader. Why has the title A Christmas Carol been chosen to represent what seems to be a ghost story?

Akitas essays

Akitas essays The Akita or Akita-inu is the heavy-duty work-dog of Japan. Named for the province of Akita on Honshu Island, this breed was used to hunt bear, boar, and deer and as a protector of life and limb. Inu translates to dog in Japanese. The Akita is the largest of the eight dogs regarded as being indigenous to Japan. The Akita eventually came to be used as cattle herders and seeing eye dogs, sled dogs and as police dogs. They were also used to baby sit children while their mothers worked in the fields. The Akita is very loyal, yet remains independent. This large and powerful dog has a thick short-haired coat and a large, curled bushy tail. They have erect ears. They are faithful and devoted to their family, making an excellent first class guard dog. The Akita can be aggressive towards other canines and should be kept on a tight leash when around strange dogs. This dog should also be supervised with children and other family pets. The Akita is obedient, but sometimes spontaneous. They are careful and very affectionate with their family. They are very intelligent, courageous, and fearless. It is very willful and needs firm training and socialization as a puppy. They are extremely faithful and thrive on companionship. Although it may tolerate and be good with children from its own family, it may bite. Children must be taught to treat them nice. They can be very food-possessive and willful. They are capable of rage, but with firm training can make a good pet. Obedience training requires patience, these dogs get bored quickly. The Akita needs to be with its family. It vocalizes with many interesting sounds, but it is not an excessive barker. The Akitas double coat is thick and warm and is shed twice a year. If your potential Akita is to live in the house, then you must be prepared for the coat loss. Most of the coat loss will only take a few weeks to get out with warm baths and regular raking and brushing of the ...

4 Tips for Completing Your Homework On Time

4 Tips for Completing Your Homework On Time Homework, a necessary evil according to many teachers, has a lot of students tied up in knots. Some students can never seem to get things turned in on time. In fact, many students do not even realize that they  have  homework  until a friend from class texts them or they overhear someone in the halls talking about Ms. So-and-sos terrible, no-good, awful, horrifying worksheet for Chemistry that is due the next day. These five tips for completing your homework on time, however, should help you get that homework finished on time.   Tip 1: Rely On a Planning System Most of you by now are well acquainted with a homework planner. It has the dates, the school subjects you are taking, and a whole lot of blank space to write down your homework assignments. Use these planners if you have them. Writing with an actual pencil or pen may seem almost archaic what with technology virtually doing everything for us, but the kinesthetic movement of writing down an assignment into one of those little squares (Language Arts test tomorrow - STUDY TONIGHT), will actually help solidify that homework in your brain. Plus, when you are packing up to go home at the end of the school day, all you have to do is open up that planner to see which books, folders, and binders need to go home with you so you will not miss out anything that you need to do that evening. Some people  hate  using planners. Theyd rather walk on a pile of crushed glass than actually write something down in a planner. Thats quite all right. One student kept a wadded up piece of paper in his pocket where hed scrawl his assignments. It worked for him, so it was fine. For those of you not keen on planners or crumpled up notes,  your phone can come in really handy. Just download a productivity app and type your assignments in there. Or, keep track of all the work due in the notes section of your phone. Or, snap a picture of the homework board in each teachers class before you head out into the hallway. Or, if you are really dead-set against anything planner-related, then just send yourself a text after each class with your homework assignments for the night. No matter which planning system you prefer, use it. Check off each item once you get it in your backpack. Your brain can only process so much information at a time, so you absolutely must write your homework down if you plan to complete it on time.   Tip 2: Prioritize Your Homework Assignments All assignments are not created equal. Its strongly recommended you use a prioritizing system when you sit down at home with your homework. Try a system a little  something like this: A 1 assignment is of primary importance. Severe negative consequences will occur if this assignment is not completed tonight.Examples: Studying for a major test coming up tomorrow. Finishing a major project due tomorrow. Writing an essay worth a LOT of points that is due tomorrow.  A 2 assignment is important. Some negative consequences will occur if this assignment is not completed tonight.Examples:  Studying for a quiz coming up tomorrow. Completing a homework sheet that is due tomorrow. Reading a chapter that is due tomorrow.  A 3 assignment needs to be finished by the end of the week.  Examples: Studying for a spelling test that will occur on Friday. Writing a blog and posting it on the class board by Friday. Finish a book upon which you will take a quiz on Friday.A 4 assignment is ongoing and needs to be finished by test day or the end of the quarter.  Examples: Reviewing chapters for the midterm exam. Working on an on-going project, research paper, or long assignment due at the end of the quarter. Completing a packet that isnt due for two weeks.   Once youve prioritized the work you have to do, complete all the 1s first, then the 2s, moving down as you go. That way, if you find yourself pressed for time because Great-Grandma decided to stop over for family dinner and your mom insisted you spend the evening playing bridge with her despite the fact that you have hours of homework ahead of you, then you will not have missed anything vitally important to your grade.   Tip 3: Get the Worst Assignment Over With First So, maybe you absolutely hate writing essays (But, why, though when all you have to do is follow these essay tips?) and you have a major essay staring you in the face that  must  be completed before tomorrow. You also have to study for a major math test, complete a social studies blog by Friday, study for the ACT  next month,  and finish up your science worksheet from class. Your 1 assignments would be the essay and the math test. Your 2 assignment is the science worksheet, the 3 assignment is that blog, and the 4 assignment is studying for the ACT.   Ordinarily, you would start with the science worksheet because you  love  science, but that would be a big mistake. Start with those 1 assignments and knock out that essay first. Why? Because you hate it. And completing the worst assignment first gets it off your mind, out of your homework cache, and makes everything that comes after it appears to be really, really easy. It will be an absolute  joy  to complete that science worksheet once you have written the essay. Why rob yourself of joy?   Then, once youve completed the stuff due first, you can focus on putting in a little bit of time on the ACT. Easy peasy. Tip 4: Take Planned Breaks Some people believe that sitting down to complete homework means that you literally park your behind in a chair and you dont move it for the next four thousand hours or so. That is one of the worst study ideas in history. Your brain only has the capacity to stay focused for about 45 minutes (maybe even less for some of you) before it goes on the fritz and starts wanting to make you get up and dance the Roger Rabbit. So, schedule your study time with breaks actually built in. Work for 45 minutes, then take a 10-minute break to do whatever it is people your age like to do. Then, rinse and repeat. It looks a little something like this: Homework Time: 45 minutes: Work on 1 assignments, starting with the absolute worst.10 minutes: Get a snack, play Pokemon Go!, surf Instagram45 minutes: Work on 1 assignments again. You know you didnt finish.10 minutes: Do some jumping jacks, dance the Macarena, polish your nails.45 minutes: Work on 2 assignments and maybe even finish with any 3s and 4s. Put everything in your backpack. Completing your homework on time is a learned skill. It requires some discipline and not everyone is naturally disciplined. So, you have to practice checking that you have everything you need for homework when you are still at school, prioritizing your work, plunging into the assignments you loathe, and taking planned breaks. Isnt your grade worth it? You bet it is.

Describe the international efforts to combat the trafficking of Essay

Describe the international efforts to combat the trafficking of cocaine, heroin and cannabis before evaluating their success using both qualitative and quantitative data - Essay Example According to Boivin (2013), international drug trafficking could be attributed to an interplay of geographic, economic, political and cultural factors. Over 40% of trade in cocaine, heroin and marijuana occurs in peripheral countries, with the 2006/2007 United Kingdom Threat Assessment of Serious Organised Crime indicating that criminals drawn from particular ethnicities, Turkish and Columbian traffickers common in the UK case, are largely involved in trafficking. Interestingly, a majority of countries postulated to benefit from the trade in drugs rarely appear among the top global economies. Drug trafficking, and indeed drug abuse, has been associated with negative socio-economic effects among nations (Lyman 2014). Therefore, drug trafficking has been fought against by the international community for many years now. Cocaine heroin and cannabis are among the most common forms of drugs that international focus has been given to prevent cultivation and distribution. Even with such efforts, drug trafficking still remains a rampant practice in a majority of countries across the world. Whereas governments have institutionalised programmes aimed at dismantling the illicit trade, no meaningful reduction in the trade has been experienced. Thus, this paper evaluates some of these efforts to determine their effectiveness. Nations around the world have adopted critical strategies to combat international trafficking of drugs. According to the Maxwell Knowledge Group (2007), four pillars have been adopted in a majority of these cases. As borrowed from the UK Drug Strategy, these pillars encompass prevention of young people from being drug users, reduction of crimes related to drugs, increasing the number of those who could access drugs and reduction of supply of illicit drugs. Combined together, these four efforts seek to eliminate drug trafficking across

The major factors of business expansion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The major factors of business expansion - Essay Example Total float for the entire project is the sum of all floats of the activities. . Critical path. (American Society for Quality, 2008). Critical path = path A-B-D-E-G-H-L-M-N-O-Q-R Project Time Project time equals adding the durations for the activities in the critical path. = 4 + 6 + 2 + 2 + 6 + 12 + 4 + 4 + 2 + 6 + 1 = 49 days. If the project begins on July 6, 2009, Activity A would take 4 days to end on July 9 2009, activity B starts on 10 July up to July 17 2009, activity D starts on July20 2009 and ends on July 21 2009. Activity E would start on July 22 2009 and end on July 23 2009 while on July 24 2009, activity G runs up to July 31 2009. This would pave the way for activity H that would begin on August 3 2009 and run up to August 18 2009. Activity L starts on August 19 2009 and take 4 days up to August 24 2009. Activity M starts on August 25 2009 up to August 28 2009 and activity N goes on till September 1. Activity O starts on September 2 2009, till September 9 2009 and activity Q ends on September 10 2009. Activity R ends on September 11 2009. A 1 day delay on activity J would not affect the duration of the whole project since activity L can wait for 12 days for activity H to end. Completing activity O one day before schedule would reduce project days by one day. Activity C can not affect the duration for he whole project. A network diagram is a logical approach of representing several activities which indicate the flow or sequence of a certain project. It is used to indicate the path of the project and all its activities and the starting and finishing time for every activity. It also shows the names and events for every operation Case 2: Feasibility Report for...Activity O starts on September 2 2009, till September 9 2009 and activity Q ends on September 10 2009. Activity R ends on September 11 2009. A 1 day delay on activity J would not affect the duration of the whole project since activity L can wait for 12 days for activity H to end. Completing activity O one day before schedule would reduce project days by one day. Activity C can not affect the duration for he whole project. A network diagram is a logical approach of representing several activities which indicate the flow or sequence of a certain project. It is used to indicate the path of the project and all its activities and the starting and finishing time for every activity. It also shows the names and events for every operation I examined the feasibility of establishing a new base for William CO. Ltd for expanding its current base that has a medium sized head office of about 2,600 square meters and employs nine administration staff members in addition to the operational workers who total to 48 in number. The company is an SME company which is involved in supply of mechanical services including heating, air conditioning, ventilation systems and plants.