Senior Scholars to Freshmen Flunks: the Five Paragraph Essay Unraveled

Cover Page Through writing this paper, I wish to actively inform the public about the universal argument towards the five paragraph essay and formulaic writing in general. To help share this information, I wanted to present the opinions of several accredited sources, and insert them into a conversational format so that the reader can easily navigate and understand their arguments. Apart from informing the public about the current debate, I wanted to introduce a solution to the problem of students using the five paragraph essay in their college English classes.By introducing higher level writing earlier in the education system, students will have a head start once they start taking courses at their university. I believe that this paper will be effective because it appropriately lays out accredited opinions about the positives and negatives of formulaic writing, while at the same time proving the point that it will not be accepted in a college atmosphere. Furthermore, it presents a sol ution to this situation by seeking to implement higher level writing methods while students are still taking high school courses.This paper introduces the argument, supports it from both sides, frames itself, and then offers a possible solution. I personally think that the synthesis of my essay is well written. I feel that I did a good job finding sources that agree or disagree with each other and then implementing those arguments into a conversation. Apart from those strengths, I fear that my niche may seem weak due to the strength of my synthesis. I feel that I may have overshadowed the personal part of the essay with the information I learned from my sources.As a result of this project, I have learned that writing is just another medium through which to inform people about a given topic. I have come to realize that writing is very simple: you do it to inform the reader about something. The complex part occurs when you try to decipher how you will complete that task. In terms of à ¢â‚¬Å"developing theory of writing,† this realization is probably the main point I learned because in all honesty that is a very big concept that I took away from this project. I am excited to see how this theory will change based on the works to come.Campbell Bailey Michael Johnson English 1510 18 February 2013 Senior Scholars to Freshman Flunks: The Five Paragraph Essay Unraveled Almost every high school English classroom in America has been taught the same thing: the five paragraph essay, or â€Å"formulaic writing,† is the proper way to write a paper. Most students would agree with this statement; they think that they five paragraph essay is a simple and efficient way to draft an essay. Additionally, students often start college with the incorrect assumption that this writing style is adequate and acceptable by their instructors.As long as they write an introduction, three supporting paragraphs, and a conclusion, they will receive their coveted grade of an A+. But w hat is the science behind this formulaic writing? Why does it seem to work so well for high school students, but not college students? The five paragraph essay (or FPE) should not be disregarded or seen as a necessity; it should be viewed as an instrument to improve the writing of novice students. But all writing mechanisms have a proper time and place for implementation.As a result, prior to entering college all students must learn that the five-paragraph essay will not always suffice in a university environment. If they continue with formulaic writing style, they run the risk that their assignments won’t come close to receiving the grade that they desire. This represents a shortcoming in the schooling of today’s novice writers, and this limitation cannot be filled by any brilliant instructor. The solution lies at the feet of none other but the institution of education.The American schooling system must start preparing students during their high school years for the c ollege level writing that they will need to become proficient, while also making them aware of both the positive and negative aspects of formulaic writing. The five paragraph essay has been taught in schools for years because it achieves fantastic results. Students can grasp its construction easily, resulting in good grades and positive reputations for school districts. According to Dictionary. com, formulaic is defined as â€Å"made according to a formula; composed of formulas† (dictionary. com).Not surprisingly, that is exactly what the FPE is: it’s a specific formula that, if followed, helps students create and write their papers. Almost every formula for the FPE is the same, and one will rarely find a different structure then the one taught in almost every school system across America. The construction of the FPE is quite simple, which is why it can be taught to students at an academically young age. The first paragraph is the introduction, with the thesis statemen t ending the paragraph. The next three paragraphs all support the thesis, and each one usually contains a source that helps build the writer’s argument.The last paragraph is named the conclusion, and summarizes the main points of the paper. This structure has been used by countless students over the years, and it has yielded consistent and positive results. Not only is it easy for a teacher to grade, but it also allows students a quick and efficient way to write their essays on various state-sanctioned tests. But a problem arises once these students arrive at the college level. It is here where the great debate between scholars begins about whether or not the FPE is a proper and justifiable method for teaching writing skills.In the current and ongoing argument over the FPE, it seems that a great deal of controversy is about format. Both high school teachers and college professors seem to have differing opinions on the topic. Jan Haluska, who currently chairs the English Depar tment at Southern Adventist University, believes that the versatility of the FPE creates more beneficial thought and ideas then does writing without a formula. Novice writers are more capable of furthering themselves intellectually if they follow a set of guidelines, rather than not following anything at all (30).But Rick VanDeWeghe of the University of Colorado, and Richard Argys of North Glenn High School disagree, stating that â€Å"The FPE formula may assist students with proper formatting of papers, but it appears to fall short of helping them offer a cogent discussion of their thoughts† (99). The FPE helps students in the short run with the format of their papers, but it oppresses the persuasive aspect of their words. It seems that while the FPE essay offers students organization and simplicity, it also holds back their natural intellectual ability to persuade and inform.The argument over the structure of the FPE is even more hotly debated. VanDeWeghe and Argys positive ly support the FPE format, saying that it offers writers a solid groundwork unto which to build their essay. They agree that all writers have a hard time creating work, and it is a great advantage to have a clear view of what a proper dissertation looks like (98). In a metaphorical sense, following guidelines to the five paragraph essay is much like riding a bike with training wheels. Without training wheels, the rider would lose their balance and crash, much like a writer ith no direction or foundation. But other writers believe the thesis statement that accompanies the teaching of the FPE overshadows any foundational aspects. Author Mark Graham believes in this notion, and expresses his belief by writing â€Å"And so you can't begin with a thesis, because you don't have one, and may never have one. An essay doesn't begin with a statement, but with a question† (Graham). Many college level educators heartily agree with this statement, and this concept has been used to sway ma ny to veto the use of the FPE.Essays were not initially created to persuade, but to inform and discover. While there is evidence that the FPE suppresses this notion, the fact that the formulaic essay creates a positive working environment for writers cannot be overlooked. It seems that today’s educators play the lottery with whether or not to support formulaic writing; the only way to know if they have hit the jackpot is to pour over the crisp final drafts of their students. When freshman students begin their college careers and flip open their English writing syllabus, they often find themselves anxious and fearful.Thoughts of constantly writing papers and hours of essay formatting leave them anxious with knots in their stomachs so tight that they can hardly breathe. But the stomach knots of some students who have mastered the five paragraph essay are usually a little looser than others according to Kerri Smith, a freshman composition professor at Fairleigh Dickinson Univers ity. Smith exalts students who possess skill with the five paragraph essay. She welcomes them to her class, eagerly overjoyed that she will finally have some students intellectually capable enough to withstand the rigors of college writing (16).So it seems that professors may genuinely believe that formulaic writing lends students a hand in kick-starting their writing careers. They arrive to college armed with valuable information about the structure, organization, and overall atmosphere of a successful essay. But Smith shows us in the above comment exactly what so many educators are arguing for. She references that formulaic writing prepares students for the â€Å"rigors of college writing. † In this one single sentence Smith deals the ultimate blow to the argument for the use of the FPE in college environments.Although it may bring better writers to universities around the country, students will arrive at their freshman English course and discover that they have the skills for an A paper, but they lack the correct form. The formulaic writing that they once knew and loved is rendered completely obsolete by the harsh standards of college writing. Imagine you have been trained from birth to swim with fins attached to your feet. By the time you are 19 years old, you have perfected your stroke and you can gracefully glide through the water. But suddenly, you are told that fins are no longer allowed to be worn while you swim.You confidently take them off and plunge into the water, kicking with your feet like you are so accustomed to doing. You quickly realize that you are hardly moving at all, and that you don’t even possess the strength to tread water in your bare feet. Exhausted, you cling to the side of the pool and come to the conclusion that if you ever want to swim again, you will have to completely re-think and re-learn the skills you have been taught your whole life. The fins represent the formulaic structure of writing that the average stude nt is familiar with.The bare feet symbolize the liberal construction of a college level essay. As one can clearly tell, a college student trying to excel in courses with only knowledge of formulaic writing will struggle much like a swimmer who only knows how to swim with fins. It seems that the â€Å"big final paper† around the country for high school seniors is to write a research paper. This paper is often feared by many students, even though they typically have to argue for one side of a specific topic. These seniors will often investigate a specific topic, and write a glorified summary of the views of a few accredited sources.While this essay is obviously not five paragraphs, students will almost surely mold their writing in a formulaic fashion. They will have a one sentence thesis at the end of their introduction, cite one source per paragraph, give their explanation of that source, and then end with an expected conclusion. The students receive an A grade, and they feel happy and ready to enter college with their expert writing skills, when in reality, they do not have the slightest understanding of what is expected in college writing classes.The concepts that students learn in their freshman English course need to be taught earlier in the curriculum in order to prevent this mistake from happening. Senior year, students are primed and ready to learn essential skills that will help them thrive in a university environment. Concepts that are incorporated into college essays should be introduced at this time. For example, many high school students do not understand that an essay should shed light on two, three, or even four opinions of a specific argument.They also do not know that a complete essay should contain an original argument, or a niche, which is a new opinion or angle on the topic that the writer brings to the conversation. Lastly, high school students don’t understand what a real conclusion is, and this weakness quickly becomes appare nt in their early college career. Writer Paul Graham has never understood the method for writing a conclusion that he was taught in high school, saying that it seemed like he was â€Å"just supposed to restate what we said in the first paragraph, but in different enough words that no one could tell† (Graham).This is a common misconception about the conclusion of an essay, and it is something that develops in middle school and continues on until students graduate from grade school. If high school educators could mold their second semester curriculum around teaching their students the three basic concepts above, freshman writers in their English courses would be better prepared and, but they will also be less anxious which will in turn allow them to write more successful, journal-worthy essays. There has yet to be a study conducted which researches the success of college students in regards to the five paragraph essay.A researcher could study the success of freshman students in their English writing course, and interpret that data based on the intensity of their prior knowledge of the five paragraph essay. Furthermore, a study has yet to be done about the success of freshman college students that had prior knowledge of college-level writing concepts, as discussed above. Such studies would shed much light on the effectiveness of the five paragraph essay. These results may even be the final nudge educators need to rethink and adjust their high school curriculums.In conclusion, academia may never know or agree if the five paragraph essay has a universally positive or negative effect on student writing. There are too many variables that factor into the situation, such as the intentions of the writer, the difficulty of the class they are in, etc. Writers will have to make a personal decision on how they prefer to write their cherished essay. Will they play it safe and stick to a simplistic format of five paragraphs, or will they take the plunge into a risky si xth paragraph and dare to offer multiple sides of the argument?Oddly enough, in the end, this hotly debated decision lies in the hand of the one who holds the pen. Works Cited â€Å"formulaic. † Collins English Dictionary – Complete ; Unabridged 10th Edition. HarperCollins Publishers. 17 Feb. 2013. ;Dictionary. com http://dictionary. reference. com/browse/formulaic;. Graham, Paul. â€Å"The Age of the Essay. † paulgraham. com/essay. html. N. p. , n. d. Web. 10 Feb 2013. Haluska, Jan. â€Å"The Formula Essay Reconsidered. † Education Digest 78. 4 (2012): 25. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 10 Feb. 013. Mary Kendrick, et al. â€Å"EJ† Extra: The Five-Paragraph Essay And The Deficit Model Of Education. † English Journal 98. 2 (2008): 16-21. ERIC. Web. 10 Feb. 2013. Smith, Kerri. â€Å"Speaking My Mind: In Defense Of The Five-Paragraph Essay. † The English Journal 4 (2006): 16. JSTOR Arts & Sciences IV. Web. 10 Feb. 2013. VanDeWeghe, Rick, and Ri chard Argys. â€Å"Research Matters: One More Thing: Can We Teach Process Writing And Formulaic Response?. † The English Journal 3 (2008): 97. JSTOR Arts & Sciences IV. Web. 10 Feb. 2013.

British contemporary art Essay

British contemporary art is the art that developed in the late 20th century and early 21st century in Britain. It was this time when there came a kind of rejection for ‘modern art’ and the force and dynamism of ‘abstract expressionism’ reduced. At the end of 1950s loose movements of early contemporary art developed ‘Pop art’ that emerged formerly in England and started with the exhibition of ‘This Is Tomorrow’. The sixties art scene saw David Hockney, Peter Blake and Richard Hamilton during this time. Pop art’ can be characterized by descriptions of common places that were placed in new artistic ontexts, optical flickering of the international pop art movement were seen in the paintings of some artists and various other varieties in the work of numerous artists were appreciated. The styles that were diminished were put under the umbrella term of ‘postmodernism’. The development of new historicism, ironic and detached, which generated a number of artistic â€Å"neonism†, marked the commencement of a new era in art. The Young British Artists movement in 1990s with the version of conceptual art that featured installations often achieved international recognition. Many new artists simultaneously tirred up and challenged history of art and gave a new definition to art that it is any work of art is an entity, which in itself is self-sufficient. The new art seemed to be sometimes detached with social consciousness and concentrated on issue driven themes and minorities like gay, feminism etc. Another trend that is being seen in numerous works of art is the concept driven by the use of photography and language as the substance. Further contemporary art movement includes digital art, which was initiated in 1970s but became prevalent with the beginning of 21st century. The digital artists make use of software and sophisticated computers along with video equipments and create an extremely different work of art. Damien Hirst, internationally renowned and leader of â€Å"Young British Artists† dominated the art world in Britain especially during 1990s. The central theme of Hirst’s work is ‘death’ and his famous work was a series of dead animals preserved in formaldehyde. â€Å"The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living† is a tiger shark dipped in formaldehyde in a vitrine and is of 14-feet, the sale of which made him world’s second highest expensive living artist. He is well known for his ‘spin paintings’ and ‘spot paintings’. When considering international presentation his first major one was â€Å"Mother and Child Divided† in which a cow and a calf is cut into pieces and displayed in a series of split vitrines. Damien Hirst is considered as the second most famous living British artist after David Hockney. He was born in 1965 in Bristol and was brought up by his mother and stepfather. Before going to college he did a basic course in Leeds School of Art and then moved to London in 1986 and graduated in 1989 at Goldsmith College in BA Fine Art course. During his student life he held an exhibition â€Å"Freeze† in Docklands warehouse for which he himself conceived the idea, organized it as well as promoted it too. This exhibition commenced his career along with many other young British artists. In this Mishra 3 show several of Damien’s art pieces were exhibited along with the works of his 16 fellow students of Goldsmith College. It can be said that this self-promoting exhibition gave way to starting â€Å"Young British Artists† movement. Ex-Thatcher ad-man, Charles Saatchi got impressed by his works and displayed some of his works in the first â€Å"Charles Saatchi’s Young British Artists† show. Saatchi even bought â€Å"A Thousand Years†, a piece of Damien in 1990 and since then he has created a lot of pieces and has been admired by collectors as well as curators and his works are considered extraordinarily provocative. In 1991, he filled an art gallery with live tropical butterflies and presented an installation named â€Å"In and Out of Love†. â€Å"The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Minds of Someone Living†, a piece that made him the second highest expensive living artist, was commissioned for about US$32,000 in 1992. This made Damien a media icon and since then media and public both started to mitate, praise and also criticize him. The Young British Artists of Damien’s generation is completely different from their preceding generation and are well known for their entrepreneurial spirit, independence and media savvy. Most of them are self-promoters and get sponsored privately. They did not depend on government agencies to discover their talent and then present them as was done earlier but instead they displayed their talent with the help of private sponsors who readily organized exhibitions for them. Hirst tried to develop exploration of mortality as the central theme of his artworks and extended it with humor, ynamism, novelty and enthusiasm. His â€Å"The Natural History† series, which is quite well known among his admirers, included dead animals presented, as momento mori as an irony on natural history. This series disclose the contemplation of his approach and the work of art has a visual power which is not possible to be described in words. Without having the experience of the series one cannot imagine or envisage it. If Hirst’s productions were to be categorized, it would be done in three types and they are paintings, the glass tank pieces and cabinet sculptures. Considering his paintings hat are divided into spot paintings and spin paintings. Spot paintings can be described as those paintings that are randomly organized and the canvases are color-spotted and their titles refer to pharmaceutical chemicals. Spin paintings are individually created with the help of centrifugal force and is literary done on a spinning table. His glass tank sculptures include dead animals or animals cut into pieces like cows, shark or sheep that are kept in formaldehyde perched in death. Hirst’s cabinet sculptures include collection of bottles of pills or surgical tools that are on highly arranged shelves. Damien Hirst was very quick in sharing his ideas and interest areas and very easily conveyed his message. His pieces of art were most simple but at the same time had complex ideas knitted along. Along with his paintings he expanded ‘hobby’-art technique that tried to attract audience towards the beauty and extreme energy of haphazard paintings. Hirst’s piece of art in which a single fish is suspended in formaldehyde was admired as a symbol of advanced art and people came to know that how ordinary things placed in an artistic manner could attract and look beautiful. Some of Hirst’s pieces of art ike â€Å"Alone Yet Together† which included a cabinet that held 100 small fishes in small tanks of formaldehyde and â€Å"Loss of Memory is Worse than Death† which included a steel cage that contained several vitrines with surgical mask, syringe and gloves were auctioned but failed to sell. Damien puts the blame on media that it makes the public believe the flawed explanations from art critics and public get misguided and believe in them without even actually viewing the artwork. Damien is of the opinion that people understand as well as appreciate artwork even if they don’t possess an art degree because nyone has the basic knowledge of visual background, which makes them understand complex advertisements too. It is only because people are not exposed to artworks frequently they are unable to express or appreciate it. Damien now insists that his spin paintings should be provided with spinning equipment on the wall so that there is no confusion about the upper side of the painting. As far his spot paintings are concerned they have become an icon of Hirst’s artwork. Usually it is seen that Damien’s work have recurring themes in a different way and one of is themes is â€Å" cigarettes† and the best example is his piece of work, â€Å"Party Time†. Damien considers smoking as a â€Å"theoretical suicide† and he stated, â€Å"The concept of a slow suicide through smoking is a really great idea, a powerful thing to do†. One more theme that is seen quite common in Hirst’s art is medical equipment and he had been infatuated and he wants people to believe in art just as they believe in medicine. The flood of ideas and images that Damien’s artwork creates leaves admirers of art amazed, fascinated and also threatened. One of the themes in Damien’s paintings is ‘emptiness’ like in ‘He Tried to Internalize Everything’ and ‘The Acquired Inability to Escape’ he displays a small cage like structure in which objects like desk, chair and other things usually needed for human interaction are seen covered with glass but there is human presence lacking. The feeling or intension of the artists behind these works can only be experienced and there is no question of solving any problem in this piece of art. Since the things are inside a glass cage the feeling seems to be suffocating and frustrating. Damien has fascination for glass because even though it is solid and dangerous it is transparent. It allows anyone to see everything but you cannot touch anything kept inside it. Damien’s lots of tank pieces are with animals in formaldehyde where they cannot go through any natural process and he finds it quite difficult to preserve them completely. He believes that the idea behind any creation is more important than the actual piece that has been used for the purpose. He wants his creative pieces to last till his lifetime and he is not much bothered about them after it. These animals are most famous among his works and at the same time they have been quite controversial too. He was awarded the Turner Prize for ‘Mother and Child, Divided’ and Damien says, â€Å"I want people feel like burgers. I chose a cow because it was banal. It’s just nothing. It doesn’t mean anything. What is the difference between a cow and a burger? Not a lot†¦ I want people to look at cows and feel ‘Oh My God’, so then in turn, it makes them feel like burgers†. Damien wants to make people look at ordinary things in a different way and he believes that they are frightening. He wants people to question because one thing that is useful in one way can be just opposite the other and this change of function is what makes things frightening. He says that the same is with art. He has received many letters in which people have protested, threatened or laid moral objections to the use of animals in Damien’s artwork. But Damien himself is very sympathetic about animals and most of his animals are bought from slaughterhouses or have died their natural death. Damien had quite a lot of problem convincing concerned authority his pieces of art were to be considered art and not food, as he was not allowed to take his artwork for an exhibition in United States. Again in August 1995 Damien was banned to exhibit his artwork â€Å"Two Fucking, Two Watching† which included dead cows fucking without formaldehyde. The objection was that the methane gas would explode the glass and would probably prompt vomiting among the visitors. Damien’s art installation that got changed into restaurant, which was followed to sale very shortly, is just an example that Damien is simply interested in art rather than conventional media. He is a versatile artist and his art include paintings, video, sculptures and every other media in between them. He has also designed cover art for albums, directed a music video and even was part of an art and film exhibition in 1996 at the  Hayward Gallery with his short film â€Å"Hanging Around†. He included many of his pop star friends from London to provide music for this film. In 1998 he became a part of a pop group and recorded two singles. Damien has also worked on quite a few side projects. Damien’s work has been admired and exhibited in Britain, the USA, Korea, Australia and many other countries in Europe. His works are included in public museums and galleries as well as in lots of private collections too. He lives with his sons Connor and Cassius and his girlfriend Maia Norman in Devon and works at his home.

Humour in ‘Pride and Prejudice’

Humour is a key theme in the novel â€Å"Pride and Prejudice.† It plays a major role in entertaining the reader and providing important characteristics and features of the characters in the novel. Humour is shown in the responses of characters towards one another and the episdary style, which creates humour as it is written from the point of view of the character rather than the style in which the rest of the novel is written in. In chapters 1-20 the reader learns about the character of Mr.Collins. Mr.Bennet's estate brings him two thousand pounds a year, but on his death a distant male relative, Mr.Collins, will inherit both his estate and this income. In chapter 13, Mr.Bennet receives a letter from Mr.Collins in which Mr.Collins informs Mr.Bennet that he will be joining them for dinner. In his letter, Mr.Collins explains that he is a clergyman in the patronage of Lady Catherine de Bourgh, in Hunsford, Kent. He hints a way of resolving the problem of entailment and proposes to visit the family for a week. Jane Austin's use of the letter in chapter 13 is a very clever introduction to the character of Mr.Collins as it gives the reader a brief insight to his character even before the reader meets him. The letter reveals Mr.Collins as a person with an astonishing pomposity. We also learn that he is artificial, haughty, proud and very self-important. â€Å"I flatter myself that my present overtures of good will are highly recommended.† The pedantically worded letter reveals Mr.Collins's artificiality. Furthermore, humour is conveyed in Mr.Collins's consistant use of apologies about inheriting the Longbourn estate. â€Å"I cannot be otherwise than concerned at being the means of injuring your amiable daughters, and beg leave to aplogise for it, as well as to assure you of my readiness to make them every possible amends- but of this hereafter.† Chapter 13. This may have seemed very comical to the reader as Mr.Collins feels that his apology will make the Bennets like him. This reinforces how shallow, insincere and single-minded Mr.Collins actually is. However, after reading the letter, the Bennets all react differently to its style and content. These comments and reactions are used to contrast their characters and perceptions. Mrs.Bennet is immediately placated by Mr.Collins's heavy hints, which suggest that he is thinking of marrying one of her girls. This reinforces Mrs.Bennet's shallowness. Jane approves of his good intentions, which reinforces the point that she is naive. However, Elizabeth questions his sense, which shows her â€Å"quickness†. Mary commends his clicheed composition, whereas, Catherine and Lydia are not interested as he is not a soldier. Mr.Bennet meanwhile looks forward to the enjoyment of Mr.Collins's folly. As does the reader. Later on, after his arrival at the Bennets' estate, Mr.Collins is given a tour of the house not merely in general but to view for value, as he will acquire the property in the future. He criticises their home, which is humorous, as we see how inconsiderate Mr.Collins is. He also does not seem to realise how he may be offending the Bennets. Mr.Collins thinks highly of himself. His language is pedantically worded which shows us that he is trying to convey that he is an intellectual person. The character of Mr.Collins can be likened to the character of Mary, as, although they are both intelligent, they are very artificial in the way in which they present their intelligence to an audience. Mr.Collins uses long sentences in the letter, which portray the shallowness of his character. In chapter 20, when Mr.Collins proposes to Elizabeth, his speech is stilted, pompous and governed by the overweening egotism. His prolix style leads him to break down his speech into numbered points: â€Å"Firstly†¦ secondly†¦ thirdly†¦Ã¢â‚¬  These are unsuitable in a proposal of marriage during which love is proclaimed. Elizabeth nearly laughs at the idea that his business plan is to be presented before he allows his feelings to run away on the subject of the companion that he has chosen for his future life. He shows that he has not considered her views or feelings and he is certain that his offer is an act of generosity. The scene is richly comic, but harsh realities underlie the situation. Collins reminds Elizabeth that since she has so little money to her name, she may never receive another offer of marriage, which shows the reader Mr.Collins's selfishness, rudeness and how inconsiderate he is. Humour is also highlighted in Mr.Collins's marriage proposal when Elizabeth refuses to marry him. He is turned down and this comes as a shock to him. When Elizabeth refuses him, he is determined to see her behaviour as a form of modesty or flirtatiousness, â€Å"the usual practice of elegant females.† The reader comes across absurdity in the way Mr.Collins describes Lady Catherine de Bourgh. He continuously praises her in his letter and compares her with everything and everyone. He says that she is an â€Å"honourable† lady â€Å"whose bounty and beneficence has preferred me to the valuable rectory of his parish, where it shall be my earnest endeavour to demean myself with grateful respect towards her ladyship.† His descriptions of Lady Catherine de Bourgh in the letter are very humorous and Mr.Collins's artificiality is reinforced. This is because he is trying to associate himself with people from the upper class, (although we know he is not as he comes from the same working background as Mr.Bennet). Furthermore, in chapter 16, Mr.Collins, intending a compliment, compares the drawing room to the small breakfast parlour at Rosings, Lady Catherine de Bourgh's estate. Mrs.Philips soon realises that he is tedious snob. Finally, humour throughout â€Å"Pride and Prejudice† has been successful. Throughout chapters 1-20 we see the various ways in which humour is portrayed through the character of Mr.Collins. By using Mr.Collins as the centre of comedy in the novel, Jane Austen entertains the reader and brings a smile to their faces.

Deferred Tax Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Deferred Tax - Essay Example My decision was based on the weight of the present evidence. The matter was whether or not there would be ample taxable income generated in the coming years by the company for the realization of the anticipated tax benefit. The benefits of forthcoming deductible amounts may be realized when the anticipated future income may be at least the equivalent of the deferred deductions. Deductions frequently reduce taxes only when they reduce taxable income. However, the company was not in such a position, and it prompted my decision. However, as a noteworthy additional fact, the allowance ought to be occasionally re-assessed. Out of necessity, alter may be altered in accordance with tax laws that limit the future utilization of deductible provisional differences. The resulting effect of the valuation allowance may also affect the projected yearly effective tax rate. Having reviewed all the positive and negative evidence available, I deduced that the company needed to create value account allowance on deferred tax assets. For instance, the company has been recently operating losses. Moreover, the anticipated situations were likely to impact adversely on future operations. The management has failed, in the past years, to implement viable strategies that would improve the company’s performance. If the company had a sturdy history of profitable and sizable operations, that would be an indication of positive evidence. In such a case, the ample taxable income would lead to a realization of the deferred tax asset. In my capacity as the accountant, I firmly believe that the management was not capable of making any turnaround in the near future. There are many managerial actions that would be taken minimize or eradicate a valuation allowance if deferred tax assets are not to be realized that the company failed to make. The tax-planning tactics encompass any

What is the Cold War (1917-1991) Discuss its cultural, economic, Essay

What is the Cold War (1917-1991) Discuss its cultural, economic, political, religious, and social dimensions - Essay Example between the two power blocs, which led to an international power struggle with both parties vying for control and dominance, exploiting every chance for expansion anywhere in the world. This supremacy battle led to the Cold War, which was a state of military and political tension after World War II between the Western bloc and the Eastern bloc. This paper discusses how the cold war shaped the socio-political and economic landscape of the U.S. As the cold war came to dominance, most of American policies toward the rest of the world, attitudes about immigration and immigration policies began to change. â€Å"The increasing prevalence of an internationalist ideology led to the passage and implementation of the Displaced Persons Acts of 1948 and 1950, which brought more than 400,000 European refugees into the US...†( McLaughlin & Mary, 15). By the early 1960s, calls to reform U.S immigration policy had increased, majorly because of the growing strength of the civil rights movement. The focus of civil rights movement was the importance of equal treatment regardless of nationality or race; this led many to view the quota system that was in place since 1920 as backward and discriminatory. The Congress debated and eventually passed the Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1965(McLaughlin & Mary, 76).This Act greatly changed the face of the American population. The US has been involved in many wars with different objectives and results. However, one thing stands out from the wars that the U.S has been involved in, that is, the wars have served as crusades of political instruments. The only war that was exception to these objectives was the Korean and Vietnam wars. The war was a cold war-era proxy war that started in November 1955 and lasted for 20 years. The war had far-reaching consequences for the US. Many lives were lost; â€Å"†¦.US lost more than 58,000 soldiers while more than 150,000 soldiers were wounded† (Hosch, 43). These harsh consequences led the Congress to

Brand management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Brand management - Essay Example In order to meet the growing demand, WALLS decided to open an ice-cream factory in the year 1959 at Gloucester, England. Later in the year 1981 Unilever combined T Wall and Son Ice-Cream Ltd with Birds Eye Foods Ltd to formulate a new company named â€Å"Birds Eye Wall’s Ltd†. The ice-cream factory further expanded and grew with time and Unilever still continues the brand â€Å"WALLS† in U.K. and other parts of the world. WALLS is facing tough competition with both, high-profile and lesser famous brands like Nestle and Mars but has still maintained its position as a market leader by constantly coming up with innovative products like Magnum, Cornetto, Viennetta, Carte Dor and many more. Wall’s products are sold and known in almost more than forty countries. It operates under various names in various markets having a common logo (Wall's in the UK and majority parts of Asia, Ola in Netherlands, Langnese in Germany, Kibon in Brazil and Algida in the Italy) STR ENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES Strengths Production of quality, hygienic and affordable products Strong distribution network Available world-wide Use of latest and new technology Outstanding and unique packaging Weaknesses Weather conditions can act as a barrier. The demand for ice-cream decreases in cold weather conditions, therefore, walls should come with some products like coffee, yogurt, shakes and cakes. They are unable to meet the growing demand. MARKETING MIX WALLS PRODUCT AND PRICING WALLS have different Sub brands under its umbrella which includes Cones, Cups, Family Packs and Sticks. The major brands below WALLS with distinctive identity and ability are Cornetto, Magnum, and Feast these brands are powerful and have their own awareness amongst consumers. Other brands are however sharing the same identity and are known as products of WALLS. WALLS is constantly innovating by adding to their product portfolio. They bring new products to capture and retain the market they have, if the product is not doing so well they remove it from their portfolio and discontinue its production a example can be Calypso among the existing products WALLS consider every product as a Strategic one except paddle pop. Walls products include Bulk packs of 4.5 and 9 litres and the main current products of WALLS are listed below. WALLS have fixed pricing for their products but occasionally they give discounts on certain products. PROMOTION ATL Activities WALLS is very energetic in its promotional activities and is always innovating. ATL activities include Print ads; they are continuously using this medium whatever the season maybe. They know that print material generates good response because a person has time to view it again and again on his requirement. Apart from this they use active and strategic Bill boards to promote their products and Tv commercials are also used at high level. The campaigns are also doing well and are getting the product and the company positive response. BTL Ac tivity Walls also pay a lot of attention to BTL activities and we can see them sponsoring many events. Even on lower levels Walls always is interested to sponsor College events and they also used to conduct TTL activities earlier such as WALLS carnival. Walls distribute strategic merchandise

Enterprise risk management Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Enterprise risk management - Literature review Example ERM involves taking a proactive view of the entire business or organisation rather than looking at risk as simply a matter of special project overview to identify threats. It goes far beyond the typical SWOT analysis that looks at different weaknesses and threats and recognises the whole of the business as a functional unit that is inter-connected whereby multitudes of risk possibilities exist. This literature review describes what constitutes enterprise risk management, its major components and also provides an identification of how an ERM programme can be designed into virtually any industry. 2. Defining a stable ERM programme Enterprise risk management is defined as: â€Å"The discipline by which an organisation in any industry assesses, controls, exploits, finances, and monitors risks from all sources for the purpose of increasing the organisation’s short- and long-term value to its stakeholders† (casact.org, 2003, p.8). What makes ERM different from typical risk ma nagement programmes is that it recognises strategic imperatives, thus making it an ongoing part of strategic analysis often dictated by executive leadership and Board governance. Generally, risk management programmes are short-term objectives associated with special project teams, thereby somewhat ignoring the long-term prospects of risk mitigation in multiple areas of the business. Kimmel & Anderson (2010) identify five specific elements of an ERM system to include: 1. Linking risk management to the organisation’s strategy, values and culture – This definition insists that enterprise risk management is linked to the operational and human capital components of the organisation and is tied directly to organisational structure and design. 2. Providing management with a comprehensive and repeatable knowledge base so as to understand how to identify and assess potential risk factors. 3. Assignment of specific roles and responsibilities tied to governance for ERM. 4. The ab ility to provide higher valued knowledge so that managers can make better operational and financial business decisions. 5. Providing risk-related knowledge so that auditing and monitoring is an ongoing part of the programme design. Most organisations that utilise ERM systems recognise four categories of objectives in order to assist organisations in meeting long- and short-term strategic goals. These include, as offered by Moore (2010): 1. Strategic imperatives – These are high-level goals that help align the organisation to its overall mission and value proposition. 2. Operational components – Helping to achieve efficient and effective use of resources organisation-wide, such as marketing, production and accounting (as relevant examples). 3. Reporting – Reporting aspects include financial figures and overall business strengths as related to stakeholders and shareholders. 4. Compliance – Laws and regulatory compliance such as Sarbanes Oxley and other labo ur-related laws that drive business structure and operations. These four objectives are part of the COSO model that is widely used in most organisations that have developed an ERM system, one of the most common models of ERM available. It is a comprehensive tool for identifying and managing risk factors (Moore, 2010). Enterprise risk management is beneficial to the business as it creates a teamwork

Juvenile Delinquency - Week 7 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Juvenile Delinquency - Week 7 - Coursework Example Availability of Death Penalty as an authorized sentence: There is no death penalty in juvenile court system while there is death penalty for certain serious crimes under certain circumstances in the adult court system. The juveniles are excused from death sentencing because of their emotional immaturity as well as lessened culpability unlike adults who are mature and cognisantly do wrong. Jury trial: Most of the states do not provide juveniles with the right for jury trial while adults have the right for jury trial. It is argued that if jury trial is warranted in juvenile court system then confidentiality shall be undermined, moreover, the proceedings may adversely destroy the idealistic prospect of an intimate (Feld & Schaefer, 2010). Rehabilitation effort: The main purpose of the juvenile court system is rehabilitation of the offender while in the adult system it is punishment. Rehabilitation of the juveniles is targeted to make them improve on their behavior by being taught by the state as well as the community. I think that there are enough significant differences in both the two-court system since they have delineated very useful rights that protect a juvenile. In essence, it is imperative to note that juveniles often break the law because of ignorance, emotional immaturity and lessened culpability. It is therefore, wise to separate their trial court from adults, who are often cognisantly aware of the law and break it

Research Critiques Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Research Critiques - Essay Example Questions asked of the students determined their understandings of plagiarism, the hardships they had to undergo to avoid plagiarism, and how they have learned to write without plagiarizing.iv Phase two concerned the development of learning materials. The materials developed were evaluated with undergraduate psychology students, some of whom had participated in Phase one. Much like the focus groups in Phase one, the number of sessions was determined by the data.v The latter phase then incorporated the student feedback into the design of the learning materials. The research design included a number of processes whereby feedback was ascertained from students and teaching staff, to ensure the applicability and usefulness of the materials and their responsiveness to students' needs. The results of the study stated in Phase one represented the students' understandings of plagiarism particularly on defining plagiarism, difficulties in writing to avoid plagiarism, strategies to avoid plagiarism, and student suggestions for course improvement. The results in Phase two represented the development and evaluation of the learning materials. Based on the findings three tutorials and a 'tip sheet' were developed. The Tip sheet provided students with a practical guide on the definition of plagiarism and suggestions for its avoidance when writing [for this particular subject, psychology].vi Information is outlined on the following six areas: time management, note taking, critical reading, paraphrasing, referencing, and practice. The researchers finally proposed learning materials that sees a number of advantages over alternate methods of plagiarism reduction: 1) The inclusion of the materials into an introductory unit is preventive rather than reactive; 2) Providing all students with materials as a component of the course is a universal rather than selective approach; vii 3) The materials can be easily adapted to alternative teaching modes of delivery such as print based external and online modes; 4) The materials can be incorporated into units without changing the assessment, official unit outlines, and so on; 5) Although the materials were developed for psychology students, the materials could be adapted to meet the needs of students in other schools and departments; and 6) Once the materials have been implemented into the course, their advantages can be sustained without further staff time commitment. The researchers said the same cannot be said for the provision of additional tutorials, workshops, and programs outside of class time. Article 2 Storch, J. B;Storch, E. A; &Clark, P. (2002, Nov/Dec). Academic dishonesty and neutralization theory: A comparison of intercollegiate athletes and non-athletes. Journal of College Student Development. Retrieved February 9, 2006 from: http://www.looksmartgradschools.com/p/articles/mi_qa3752/is_200211/ai_n9165977#continue The purposes of this study were: (1) to examine the self-reported frequency of academic dishonesty in a sample of student

The United Kingdom and India Essay Example for Free

The United Kingdom and India Essay The purpose of this paper is to understand the benefits of the trade relationship between the United Kingdom and India particularly in the small and medium enterprises sector of each country. Introduction The relationship between the United Kingdom and India can be traced from centuries ago. The British Empire once colonized India and the British have already seen so many unique attributes of India in terms of products and resources that they began taking it to their shores. The Indian and British economy can be both very influential in developing peace and justice in the world economy. Thus it can only be done if both countries will begin seizing the opportunities today. India being the largest democracy is not only a very good potential market, but in the long run, this country is bound to contribute a lot of things to the progress of the world. Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said in (2007) India is one of the engines of world growth. I believe Britain must be a full participant and indeed your partner of choice. Research Question How does the current trade relationship between U. K. and India affect each other’s domestic economic growth? Objectives: †¢ To determine whether the current trade relationship of the United Kingdom and India is strong and beneficial (advantageous) or its opposite †¢ To understand whether to what extent each country influences the other in terms of monetary and non monetary investments †¢ To identify which factors contribute to the success (or failure) of the existing trade relationship Hypotheses †¢ India and the United Kingdom’s trade relationship is a strong and beneficial one †¢ The existing trade relationship between U. K. and India provides India with beneficial technology transfer and knowledge building which improves small and medium size entrepreneurial growth †¢ The existing strong relationship between U. K. and India paved the way for India to invest favorably in the U. K. Methodology This paper will particularly rely on secondary sources taken from the studies of experts in the said field, and primary data coming from government agencies that investigate and study this topic in the United Kingdom and India. Literature Review Gareth Thomas MP, Minister for Trade, Investment and Consumer Affairs in April 2008 further added that, â€Å"The UK can help India achieve this ambitious target. We are a natural ally of India in encouraging Europe to open up in areas of interests. As allies we need to support the global economy and restore confidence. The alternative risks nations succumbing to the growing tide of protectionism. The UK-India partnership – Governments and business – must continue to be at the forefront of those making the case for increased openness. I believe that strengthening still further UK-India trade will help India’s development, will help India to lift more of it’s people out of poverty and at the same time be good too for British business, British jobs and our economy. † This statement goes to show that such relationship equally benefits both countries, because more and more Indian companies are penetrating UK for investments thus providing the UK with more job opportunities, especially on the Northern Ireland part. Now, in the 21st century, the trade relations of both country has gone stronger. The United Kingdom’s strong trading relationships with India provides for advantages specifically in the area of business in the U. K. ’s domestic economy. According to Prime Minister Brown (2008), â€Å"The UK will invest another ? 825 million for development in India over the next three years. † Brown announced the funding during his India visit. UK’s aid in strengthening the education sector of India, will also prove to be beneficial for both countries in the long run. This is so because, there will be an increase in the talent pool which can help Indian and British companies. The UK investment is not merely for trade purposes, but this time a big chunk of the investment will go to humanitarian purposes and education wherein up to ? 500 million is expected be spent on health and education. The said funds will give 300,000 more teachers and another 300,000 classrooms ensuring that in total by 2011, 4 million more children half of them girls – will be able to go to school. This then, will definitely promote more equality in education. Prime Minister Brown in (2008) further added that, Over the last few years, India has made great progress in tackling poverty and sustaining economic development. But some grave challenges remain. The UK is keen to play its part and work in partnership with India to fight poverty. That is why I am pleased to announce this substantial package of support to help make a better future for India’s poorest. This is a very important statement because it reflects how committed the UK is in helping the Indian society. Definitely, a country can only achieve high quality of growth and very good business climate if it is able to sustain its own demands for change. UK is very particular with â€Å"just change†, or an equitable change. It cannot be that India continues to contribute to the most number of billionaires in the world and yet a lot of its citizens are still dying of hunger, unemployment, poverty and other diseases. The UK’s Secretary of State for International Development, Douglas Alexander, said: Without India getting on track, the world will fail to meet the Millennium Development Goals. That is why the UK contribution which accounts for 1/3 of all aid to India is welcomed. Past UK support has helped to raise primary school enrolment rates to 94 per cent and provided water and sanitation for 10 million slum dwellers. The ? 825m contribution will continue to benefit Indias poorest by improving health (including under nutrition) and education for all. Though parts of India are booming, the levels of child malnutrition in India are nearly twice as high as the average for all of sub Saharan Africa. India is home to one third of the world’s poor. Up to 400 million people live on under a dollar a day. UK’s contribution to India transcends business, it has to be also about development. UK believes that India is a huge talent pool, and yet it can only be sustained if education will not be limited to few. If India wants to be one of the largest economies, then it has to produce more leaders by means of education- and this is where UK is very helpful with.

The Anselm Ontological Argument Philosophy Essay

The Anselm Ontological Argument Philosophy Essay In this paper I will argue that Anselms ontological argument for the existence of God is indeed adequate for establishing the necessary existence of the Greatest Conceivable Being. In order to accomplish this, I will argue that Anselms premises are sound, and that his conclusion rightfully follows his premises. I will also defend Anselms argument by demonstrating that objections to Anselms argument are unconvincing. My focus will be on Gaunilos objection to Anselms argument. Essentially, Gauinilos objection is that Anselms argument can be altered to prove the existence of any concept simply by using the definition that the concept is greater than all other concepts which can be conceived this will be refuted. Before I begin my argument I will reconstruct the a priori ontological argument put forward by Anselm to prove the existence of the Greatest Conceivable Anselm begins his argument by introducing â€Å"the fool†, a reference to Psalms 53:1. This fool â€Å"has said that in his heart, [that] there is no God†, or denying the existence of God. Anselm states that even this fool, â€Å"when he hears of this being of which I speak a being-than-which-nothing- greater-can-be-thought understands what he hears, and what he understands is in his understanding; although he does not understand it to actually exist† (Anselm 15). Essentially, Anselm makes the claim that even â€Å"the fool† is forced to concede that the concept of the Greatest Conceivable Being exists in the mind, because he has been told of it. In order to prove the existence of God, Anselm adopts the fools position for his A priori argument. Anselm does not believe the fools position to be correct, but uses it to show that if God exists in understanding, or the mind, then He must exist in reality. Anselm declares that it is one thing for an object to exist in the mind, yet another to understand that it actually exists. To this end, Anselm moves on to give an example of how something can exist in the mind and in reality. The example of a painter is brought forward by Anselm. Before a painter creates a picture, claims Anselm, he has an understanding of what the painting will look like in his mind. Upon completion of the painting, the painter will understand that it exists in his mind, for they had the image of the painting before he created it, and in reality, because now they can see the painting before themselves with their own eyes (Anselm 15). Anselm next defines God as a being-than-which-nothing-greater-can-be-conceived. Anselm follows this definition with the premise that if a being exists in the understanding, but not in reality, then a greater being can be conceived (Anselm 15). To assert this point Anselm argues, â€Å"For if [The Greatest Conceivable Being] exists solely in the mind alone, it can be thought of to exist in reality as well, which is greater† (Anselm 15). Utilizing the idea that if a being exists only in understanding then a greater being exists, Anselm reaches the conclusion that a greater being than God can be conceived. Anselm does not believe that this conclusion is accurate, however, stating that it is â€Å"obviously impossible†. By reaching this conclusion, Anslem is trying to show that if one understands God to be the Greatest Conceivable Being and only exist in understanding as a concept, but not reality, then the conclusion opposes the premises. Anselms case is essentially that because the definition of God is not in question, â€Å"the fool† must be mistaken in assuming that God only exists as a concept. Therefore, Anselm reaches the conclusion that God must exist in both concept and in reality. I will now move on to offering a critical assessment of Anselms ontological argument. To accomplish this task, I will examine both the validity, and the soundness, of Anselms premises. In order to do so, a condensed form of Anselms argument is required. Essentially, Anselms premises can be construed as such: God is that than which nothing greater can be conceived We can conceive of a being than which none greater can be conceived God exists in the understanding, To exist in reality and in the understanding is greater than to exist in the understanding alone. Therefore, God necessarily exists in reality. According to chapter two of Writing Philosophy, a valid argument is â€Å"an argument that has a form such that if its premises were true, its conclusion would be too.† There is nothing to suggest that Anselms argument is invalid. Provided that the premises are sound, the conclusion does indeed follow. However, while the ontological argument may be valid, it remains to be shown that it is sound. A sound argument is one which is both valid and contains true premises (Chapter 2, Writing Philosophy). In order to show this, the individual premises of the ontological argument must be evaluated. Firstly, The truth of premise B] depends on the acceptance of Anselms definition of God (premise A] ) as that than which none greater can be conceived. If we are to accept Anselms definition of God to be plausible, then premise B] is sound because we have accepted the concept and have the idea in our understanding. If we do not accept the definition, then we are not able to proceed to evaluate the rest of the argument. This is not to say that Anselms definition of God is a controversial one, indeed it is a commonly accepted monotheistic interpretation of the nature of God (Mark C. Smith, January 18th Lecture). Secondly, premise B] is sound because existence of such a being is logically possible. No fault can be found with postulating the existence of such a being as defined by premise A]. Finally, Anselms assertion that â€Å"to exist in reality and in the understanding is greater than to exist in the understanding alone† is necessarily sound by our acceptance of his definition of God. By accepting premise A], as we must in order to evaluate the argument, we must concede this it is necessarily greater for God to exist in reality. As a result, we can see that Anselms ontological argument is both valid, and sound, from an examination of its premises. Anselms conclusion that God exists in reality logically follows the premises, given their soundness and validity. In order to demonstrate that Anselms argument is indeed adequate for establishing the necessary existence of the Greatest Conceivable Being, objections to the argument must first be examined and then refuted. One of the more potent objections to Anselms ontological argument is that of the monk Gaunilo. The objection raised by Gaunilo is that the same logical reasoning used by Anselm to prove Gods existence can be used to prove things certain do not exist. Gaunilo puts forth this objection when he argues about the existence of the â€Å"Lost Island†, a conceivable perfect island. Gaunilos proof of the perfect island follows the same logical reasoning as Anselms. He starts with the premise that the idea of a perfect island can be conceived of by the mind. The perfect island is by definition an island than which no greater island can be conceived, and that if a perfect-island exists in as an idea in the mind but not in reality, a greater island than the perfect- island can be conceived (Gaunilo 17). Using a similar argument as Anselm, Gaunilo has shown that the perfect-island must exist in both the mind and in reality for the same reasons that God must exist in the mind and reality. According to Gaunilo, if one accepts Anselms argument as being valid, one must accept the similar perfect-island argument as being valid as well. Both arguments would appear to valid since if the premises are true then both conclusions must be true. The only critical difference between Anselms argument and Gaunilos argument is the use of the perfect-island in place of God. As a res ult, if Anselms method of reasoning is deemed appropriate, then Gaunilos must be appropriate as well. Gaunilo however states that this â€Å"proof of the existence of a perfect-island is implausible, or â€Å"doubtfully real† (Guanilo 17). Gaunilo contends that it is only the definition of â€Å"a-concept-than-which-nothing-greater-can-be-conceived† that allows Anselm and himself to prove the existence of God and the perfect-island respectively. By proving one of the concepts, the perfect-island, to be implausible, Gaunilo feels that the other concept must follow suit (Gaunilo 17). I will now move onto a refutation of Gaunilos objection to Anselms ontological argument. The major fault with Gaunilos objection is that that by proving the existence of a perfect island, using an argument of the same structure as Anselms, he has tampered with the definition of an island. This error becomes apparent when considering what the nature of a perfect island would be. In order for the island to be perfect its characteristics must be perfect as well. Any variation from this â€Å"conceivable† perfection would make the existence of a greater conceivable island possible. Furthermore, the perfect-island could be made greater in a measurable fashion if it was to have a slightly increased landmass this reasoning would persist until the perfect-island becomes infinitely large. An infinitely large island, however, is impossible. An island, by its very definition, must be surrounded by water, and something that is infinite in size cannot be surrounded. Moreover, a perfect island presumably has an abundance of lush trees and pristine beaches. The more of these t hat an island has, the better the island would conceivably be. However, there is no defined maximum number of trees or beaches that an island could possibly have; for any one conceivable island, there is another, even-more -perfect-island with one more exotic fruit tree and one more white sandy beach. As a result, there is no island than-which no-greater-can-be-conceived the more trees and more beaches that are conceived, the more perfect the island would be. Therefore, the perfect-island moves towards infinity in its characteristics once again. The concept of the perfect island is therefore flawed, causing Gaunilos objection to be adequate to impair Anselms ontological argument. In conclusion, Anselms logical a priori ontological argument is adequate for establishing the necessary existence of the Greatest Conceivable Being. The premises of Anselms ontological argument were demonstrated to be sound when examined in the context of Anselms definition of the Greatest Conceivable Being. Moreover, Anselms argument was shown to be a valid argument, with a conclusion that follows from the premises. Gaunilo raised an objection to the ontological argument on the grounds that Anselms argument can be altered to prove the existence of any concept simply by using the definition that the concept is greater than all other concepts which can be conceived. However, this objection was shown to be inadequate on the grounds that the concept of the perfect-island is flawed when conceived with Anselms argument. Therefore, Anselms ontological argument is convincing, despite Gaunilos objections, and is adequate for establishing the necessary existence of the Greatest Conceivable Be ing.

absolute justice Essay -- essays research papers

Does absolute justice exist or not? This essay will present arguments for the existence of absolute justice. Many people disagree that absolute justice exists. Thus they argue that justice cannot be derived from nature since contradictory and different forms of justice exist in nature; and one cannot derive the greater and perfect from the lesser and imperfect, also they argue that the idea of absolute justice is the ideas of different cultures and times. That is why the idea of justice varies greatly from one culture to the next. The argument used to disprove the above statements will stem from the relationship of order to justice. The next paragraphs will present the arguments above. Culture and philosophy have always gone hand in hand. A person who lived in the Middle Ages thought it to be perfectly just to cut off the hand of a thief. In â€Å"modern times† we consider ourselves more â€Å"civilized†, and put people in jail or fine them for stealing. As time and culture changed, so does philosophy. Thus any person of sense will see that justice cannot be absolute since it changed with the times. Each culture has developed a different idea of perfect justices to meet their own individual needs. Since more then one form of absolute or perfect justice cannot exist, thus absolute justice does not exist. Rather for each individual society justice is like beauty that it is in the eye of the beholder. Here presented the other case against absolute justice. Their arguments made that absol...

Ruperts Land: The Division Lies Only in Interpretation :: American America History

Rupert's Land: The Division Lies Only in Interpretation I sit here and I consider myself a young and developing Historian. I consider Frits Pannekoek and Irene M. Spry to be similar historians, yet with more knowledge, age, and experience. What I am sure does not differ between myself, these Authors and other related Historians, is a certain degree of ability to take a piece(s) of work and critically canalize it. I have done just that recently. I have taken the essays, The Flock Divided: Fractions and Feuds at Red river by Frits Pannekoek and The Metis and Mixed-Bloods of Rupert's Land before 1870 by Irene M. Spry, and I have done my own critical analysis. I believe that both Authors are very persuasive in their respective essay, however when analysed and broken down the reader can see that aspects of both essays can be used to determine that just like any groups of a society the two Native groups of Rupert's land were at times separated other times they were not. I would tend to sway more to Spry's well researched essay, but Pannekoek's positive points must also be mentioned to get a broad picture. This is best done by addressing the respective essay one at a time, then bringing some ideas together. Before I get right down to analyse Pannekoek and Spry I must give the general background that the two essay use as their base. The Rupert's Land of Red River has many ethnic groups. The two that are concentrated on, as Pannekoek I believe accurately puts it, are the English speaking Protestant mixed blood (Half-breeds, respectively) and the French speaking Catholic mixed blood (Metis, respectively) . It must also be know the location of Rupert's Land to get a proper mental picture of the events. Rupert's Land, Red River, was in what today would be (fill in later when you find location). The main point that Frits Pannekoek makes in her essay is as follows. Panekoek reasons that there are differences between the Metis and the Half-breeds that led them to form to groups apart from each other, with a bitter relationship between the two . Pannekoek believes that "In fact there was little unity between the two groups during the Riel Resistance" . I must start of my first main point by saying that essential there is much reliability to what Frits Pannekoek is saying.

The Events Preceding the Movement of the Asiatic People into Europe :: Asian History Mongols Osmanli Turks Essays

The Events Preceding the Movement of the Asiatic People into Europe In order to discuss the movements of Asiatic peoples into Europe from the first inroad of the Huns to the conquests of the Osmanli Turks in the sixteenth century, it will be necessary to review briefly the events in central and eastern Asia which preceded and precipitated these incursions. From the time that the Irano-Aryan ancestors had arrived in Russian Turkestan in anticipation of their descent into the hills of northwestern India, much of this grassy plain had been the home of those Iranians who remained behind while their kinsmen climbed the mountains which would take them into India and the Irano-Afghan plateau. These Iranians apparently developed, or borrowed, a high degree of adaptation to their steppe environment, and especially through the perfection of pastoral nomadism with the horse as chief instrument of mobility. They expanded through the passes to the eastward, which took them to Kashgaria, and there came in contact with the Chinese Empire. On the other side, they expanded westward into Europe, where we have already studied them in the form of Scythians and Sarmatians. To the northwest of the vast Iranian domain, in Mongolia, a number of semi-agricultural, semi-pastoral tribes, possessing the sheep, probably also cattle, and perhaps wagons, but apparently not the horse, came in early times to the attention of the Chinese historians. By 800 B.C. we hear of a people called the Hiung-Nu, who gradually grew in importance until they came to dominate all of Mongolia.8 At a fairly late date, set by McGovern between 541 and 300 B.C., the Hiung-Nu presumably obtained horses, and learned to ride them. They seem to have acquired these animals from the Iranians or from Turkish-speaking peoples, along with the whole complex of horse nomadism. Chinese accounts of the Hiung-Nu later than the third century B.C. refer to them as typical plainsmen, strikingly similar in many cultural respects to the Scythians. The six centuries, more or less, from 400 B.C. to 200 A.D., formed the period of greatness of the Hiung-Nu in Mongolia, during which they constantly harried China, and took possession of Chinese Turkestan. Despite their conquest, however, Iranian languages, and the mysterious Tokharian B, persisted in the towns until 800 A.D. or later. At length the Chinese took measures to rid themselves of this nuisance, and succeeded in defeating the Hiung-Nu so completely that they abandoned their territory and disappeared to the westward.

KFC Holding Malaysia Essay

KFC began with Colonel Harland Sanders who discovered his penchant for cooking when he was only 9 years old. Through the years he grew up to become a personage the world knows as Colonel Sanders, founder of KFC. He reached celebrity status in 1952, when he decided to franchise his famous Kentucky Fried Chicken recipe blends of 11 herbs and spices to the rest of America. By the early 70’s, that special recipe reached Malaysia. KFC Holdings (Malaysia) Bhd is a branded chicken retail chain operator. KFC Holding Malaysia continues to serve finger lickin’ good, succulent pieces of chicken. The flavourful blends of 11 herbs and spices give KFC’s delicious aroma. With the chicken’s natural juices sealed-in, leaving a special mouth watering taste that cannot be replaced. KFC prides itself as a fast-food restaurant that give customers great tasting chicken with a selection of home-styled side dishes and desserts to make a wholesome, complete and satisfying meal. KFC chain of restaurants in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, KFCH operates the home-grown Rasamas chain of restaurants, the Ayamas kiosks, and the Kedai Ayamas chain of convenience stores. We are also active in poultry production and processing and a variety of ancillary business. KFC Holding operates chain of restaurants in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei (532 restaurants) and the new Rasamas chain of restaurants in Malaysia (about 37 outlets).The Group also owns approximately 27 Kedai Ayamas and 4 Ayamas Depots, making us the nation’s first branded chicken and chicken-based retail chain. The company also is a part of QSR Brands Bhd (QSR Brand) where is a leading, fully-integrated quick-service restaurant enterprise and the local franchisee and operator of the KFC and Pizza Hut restaurants.QSR Brands is in turn a subsidiary of Kulim (Malaysia) Berhad, a conglomerate focusing mainly on palm oil operations, oleochemicals, biodiesel production and quick service restaurants and also is engaged in the business of poultry processing, restaurant and property holding. After a successful restructuring exercise, KFC Holding has emerged as a strong player in the Malaysian corporate world with a high reputation for excellent products, efficient friendly service and financial strength. Indeed, KFC Holding is the only KFC restaurant operator in the world whose Western Quick Service Restaurant market share is greater than that of McDonald’s.

Comparison & Contrast Essay Essay

Christianity and Confucianism are two religions. Although they are not the same in the aspect of their gods, popularity level and roots, they do have similarities, such as their name, derivation and age. The names Christianity and Confucianism both start with a C. However, we can dive deeper into that. Christianity, the name, was born out of the word Christ, part of the name / title Jesus Christ, an important figure to Christianity and its beginning. According to the religion, Jesus was a real person who was a messenger from God. Confucianism has Confucious in it. Confucious was also a real man (philosopher) that had created Confucianism. Both of these religions are not very modern. Some religions, such as Baha’i or Caodaism, came from the 19th and 20th centuries. Christianity and Confucianism, on the other hand, were created around the time of 500 BCE and 33 CE, respectively. Although there is an approximate 500 year gap between their creation dates, Christianity and Confucianism are both old religions. Also, Christianity and Confucianism are both monotheistic religions. In Christianity, followers believe in God, a figure who oversaw everything. Confucianists believe in Ti’en, or heaven. On the contrary, Christianity and Confucianism have their differences, too. Christianity is a religion followed in many parts of the world, including North America, Europe and Asia. Confucianism, though, is mostly used in Asia, or Oriental Asia to be more specific (China, Vietnam, etc). Catholicism has been widely spread, and it has, evidently, been done successfully. Confucianism has remained practised in the same region, and minimally practised outside of Asia. Furthermore, Christianity is the most widely-followed religion in the world, with over 2 billion followers, whereas Confucianism has around 6. 2 million. The difference is huge, with around 325 times more Christians than Confucianists. Another contrast between Christianity and Confucianism is their roots. Even though they were both old religions, as mentioned before, the countries that they were created in were different. Christianity was founded in Israel, more specifically Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus (just south of Jerusalem). Confucianism was founded in China by Confucious, who resided in the province of Lu in China. Despite having different gods, numbers of followers and roots, Christianity and Confucianism are similar in their name, derivation and age. They are both interesting religions, and although they do not have the same number of religionists, Christianity and Confucianism are important parts of many people’s lives.

Zoe’s Tale PART I Chapter Eleven

Things to know about the life of Zoe, on the Magellan. First, John and Jane's master plan to keep the teenage boys from killing themselves or others worked like a charm, which meant I grudgingly had to admit to Dad he'd done something smart, which he enjoyed probably more than he should have. Each of the dodgeball teams became their own little group, counterpointing with the already-established groups of kids from former colonies. It might have been a problem if everyone just switched their tribe allegiance to their teams, because then we'd have just substituted one sort of group stupidity for another. But the kids still felt allegiance to their homeworld friends as well, at least one of whom was likely to be on an opposing dodgeball team. It kept everyone friendly, or at least kept some of the more aggressively stupid kids in check until everyone could get over the urge to pick fights. Or so it was explained to me by Dad, who continued to be pleased with himself. â€Å"So you can see how we weave a subtle web of interpersonal connection,† he said to me, as we watched one of the dodgeball games. â€Å"Oh, Lord,† Savitri, who was sitting with us, said. â€Å"The self-satisfaction here is going to make me gag.† â€Å"You're just jealous that you didn't think it up,† Dad said to Savitri. â€Å"I did think it up,† Savitri said. â€Å"Part of it, anyway. I and Jane helped with this plan, as I'm sure you recall. You're just taking all the credit.† â€Å"These are despicable lies,† Dad said. â€Å"Ball,† Savitri said, and we all ducked as a runaway ball ricocheted into the crowd. Whoever thought it up, the dodgeball scheme had side benefits. After the second day of the tournament, the teams started having their own theme songs, as team members riffled through their music collections to find tunes that would get them riled up. And this was where we discovered a real cultural gap: Music that was popular on one world was completely unheard of on another. The kids from Khartoum were listening to chango-soca, the ones from Rus were deep into groundthump and so on. Yes, they all had good beats, and you could dance to them, but if you want to get someone wild-eyed and frothy, all you have to do is suggest that your favorite music was better than theirs. People were whipping out their PDAs and queuing up their songs to make their points. And thus began the Great Magellan Music War: All of us networked our PDAs together and furiously started making playlists of our favorite music to show how our music was indisputably the best music ever. In a very short time I was exposed to not just chango-soca and groundthump but also kill-drill, drone, haploid, happy dance (ironically named, as it turned out), smear, nuevopop, tone, classic tone, Erie stomp, doowa capella, shaker and some really whacked-out stuff alleged to be waltz but critically missing three-quarter time or indeed any recognizable time signature at all as far as I could tell. I listened to it all with a fair mind, then told all their proponents I pitied them because they had never been exposed to Huckleberry Sound, and sent out a playlist of my own. â€Å"So you make your music by strangling cats,† Magdy said, as he listened to â€Å"Delhi Morning,† one of my favorite songs, with me, Gretchen and Enzo. â€Å"That's sitar, you monkey,† I said. â€Å"‘Sitar' being the Huckleberry word for ‘strangled cats,'† Magdy said. I turned to Enzo. â€Å"Help me out here,† I said. â€Å"I'm going to have to go with the cat strangling theory,† Enzo said. I smacked him on the arm. â€Å"I thought you were my friend.† â€Å"I was,† Enzo said. â€Å"But now I know how you treat your pets.† â€Å"Listen!† Magdy said. The sitar part had just risen out of the mix and was suspended, heartbreakingly, over the bridge of the song. â€Å"Annnd right there is when the cat died. Admit it, Zoe.† â€Å"Gretchen?† I looked over to my last, best friend, who would always defend me against Philistines. Gretchen looked over to me. â€Å"That poor cat,† she said, and then laughed. Then Magdy grabbed the PDA and pulled up some horrible shaker noise. For the record, â€Å"Delhi Morning† does not sound like strangled cats. It really doesn't. They were all tone-deaf or something. Particularly Magdy. Tone-deaf or not, however, the four of us were ending up spending a lot of time together. While Enzo and I were doing our slow, amused sizing up of each other, Gretchen and Magdy alternated between being interested in each other and trying to see just how low they could cut each other down verbally. Although you know how these things go. One probably led to the other and vice-versa. And I'm guessing hormones counted for a lot; both of them were good-looking examples of blossoming adolescence, which I think is the best way to put it. They both seemed willing to put up with a lot from each other in exchange for gawking and some light groping, which to be fair to Magdy was not entirely one-sided on his part, if Gretchen's reports were to be believed. As for Enzo and me, well, this is how we were getting along: â€Å"I made you something,† I said, handing him my PDA. â€Å"You made me a PDA,† he said. â€Å"I always wanted one.† â€Å"Goof,† I said. Of course he had a PDA; we all did. We would hardly be teens without them. â€Å"No, click on the movie file.† He did, and watched for a few moments. Then he cocked his head at me. â€Å"So, is the whole thing shots of me getting hit in the head with a dodgeball?† he asked. â€Å"Of course not,† I said. â€Å"Some of them are of you getting hit in other places.† I took the PDA and ran my finger along the fast-forward strip on the video player. â€Å"See, look,† I said, showing him the groin shot he took earlier in the day. â€Å"Oh, great,† he said. â€Å"You're cute when you collapse in aching misery,† I said. â€Å"I'm glad you think so,† he said, clearly not as enthused as I was. â€Å"Let's watch it again,† I said. â€Å"This time in slow motion.† â€Å"Let's not,† Enzo said. â€Å"It's a painful memory. I had plans for those things one day.† I felt a blush coming on, and fought it back with sarcasm. â€Å"Poor Enzo,† I said. â€Å"Poor squeaky-voiced Enzo.† â€Å"Your sympathy is overwhelming,† he said. â€Å"I think you like watching me get abused. You could offer up some advice instead.† â€Å"Move faster,† I said. â€Å"Try not to get hit so much.† â€Å"You're helpful,† he said. â€Å"There,† I said, pressing the send button on the PDA. â€Å"It's in your queue now. So you can treasure it always.† â€Å"I hardly know what to say,† he said. â€Å"Did you get me anything?† I asked. â€Å"As a matter of fact,† Enzo said, and then pulled out his PDA, punched up something, and handed the PDA to me. On it was another poem. I read it. â€Å"This is very sweet,† I said. It was actually beautiful, but I didn't want to get mushy on him, not after just sharing video of him taking a hit to his nether regions. â€Å"Yes, well,† Enzo said, taking back the PDA. â€Å"I wrote it before I saw that video. Just remember that.† He pressed his PDA screen. â€Å"There. In your queue now. So you can treasure it always.† â€Å"I will,† I said, and would. â€Å"Good,† Enzo said. â€Å"Because I get a lot of abuse for those, you know.† â€Å"For the poems?† I said. Enzo nodded. â€Å"From whom?† â€Å"From Magdy, of course,† Enzo said. â€Å"He caught me writing that one to you and mocked the hell out of me for it.† â€Å"Magdy's idea of a poem is a dirty limerick,† I said. â€Å"He's not stupid,† Enzo said. â€Å"I didn't say he was stupid,† I said. â€Å"Just vulgar.† â€Å"Well, he's my best friend,† Enzo said. â€Å"What are you gonna do.† â€Å"I think it's sweet you stick up for him,† I said. â€Å"But I have to tell you that if he mocks you out of writing poems for me, I'm going to have to kick his ass.† Enzo grinned. â€Å"You or your bodyguards?† he asked. â€Å"Oh, I'd handle this one personally,† I said. â€Å"Although I might get Gretchen to help.† â€Å"I think she would,† Enzo said. â€Å"There's no think involved here,† I said. â€Å"I guess I better keep writing you poems, then,† Enzo said. â€Å"Good,† I said, and patted his cheek. â€Å"I'm glad we have these little conversations.† And Enzo was as good as his word; a couple of times a day I'd get a new poem. They were mostly sweet and funny, and only a little bit showing off, because he would send them in different poem formats: haiku and sonnets and sestinas and some forms I don't know what they're called but you could see that they were supposed to be something. And naturally I would show them all to Gretchen, who tried very hard not to be impressed. â€Å"The scan's off on that one,† she said, after she had read one I showed to her at one of the dodgeball games. Savitri had joined the two of us to watch. She was on her break. â€Å"I'd dump him for that.† â€Å"It's not off,† I said. â€Å"And anyway he's not my boyfriend.† â€Å"A guy sends poems on the hour and you say he's not your boyfriend?† Gretchen asked. â€Å"If he was her boyfriend, he wouldn't be sending poems anymore,† Savitri said. Gretchen smacked her forehead. â€Å"Of course,† she said. â€Å"It all makes sense now.† â€Å"Give me that,† I said, taking back my PDA. â€Å"Such cynicism.† â€Å"You're just saying that because you're getting sestinas,† Savitri said. â€Å"Which don't scan,† Gretchen said. â€Å"Quiet, both of you,† I said, and turned the PDA around so it could record the game. Enzo's team was playing the Dragons in the quarter-final match for the league championship. â€Å"All your bitterness is distracting me from watching Enzo get slaughtered out there.† â€Å"Speaking of cynicism,† Gretchen said. There was a loud pock as the dodgeball smooshed Enzo's face into a not terribly appealing shape. He grabbed his face with both hands, cursed loudly, and dropped to his knees. â€Å"There we go,† I said. â€Å"That poor boy,† Savitri said. â€Å"He'll live,† Gretchen said, and then turned to me. â€Å"So you got that.† â€Å"It's going into the highlight reel for sure,† I said. â€Å"I've mentioned before that you don't deserve him,† Gretchen said. â€Å"Hey,† I said. â€Å"He writes me poems, I document his physical ineptitude. That's how the relationship works.† â€Å"I thought you said he wasn't your boyfriend,† Savitri said. â€Å"He's not my boyfriend,† I said, and saved the humiliating snippet into my â€Å"Enzo† file. â€Å"It doesn't mean we don't have a relationship.† I put my PDA away and greeted Enzo as he came up, still holding his face. â€Å"So you got that,† he said to me. I turned and smiled at Gretchen and Savitri, as if to say, See. They both rolled their eyes. In all, there was about a week between when the Magellan left Phoenix Station and when the Magellan was far enough away from any major gravity well that it could skip to Roanoke. Much of that time was spent watching dodgeball, listening to music, chatting with my new friends, and recording Enzo getting hit with balls. But in between all of that, I actually did spend a little bit of time learning about the world on which we would live the rest of our lives. Some of it I already knew: Roanoke was a Class Six planet, which meant (and here I'm double-checking with the Colonial Union Department of Colonization Protocol Document, get it wherever PDAs have access to a network) that the planet was within fifteen percent of Earth standard gravity, atmosphere, temperature and rotation, but that the biosphere was not compatible with human biology – which is to say if you ate something there, it'd probably make you vomit your guts out if it didn't kill you outright. (This made me mildly curious about how many classes of planet there were. Turns out there are eighteen, twelve of which are at least nominally humanly compatible. That said, if someone says you're on a colony ship headed to a Class Twelve planet, the best thing to do is to find an escape pod or volunteer to join the ship's crew, because you're not going to want to land on that world if you can avoid it. Unless you like weighing up to two and a half times your normal weight on a planet whose ammonia-choked atmosphere will hopefully smother you before you die of exposure. In which case, you know. Welcome home.) What do you do on a Class Six planet, when you're a member of a seed colony? Well, Jane had it right when she said it on Huckleberry: You work. You only have so much food supply to go through before you have to add to it from what you've grown – but before you grow your food, you have to make over the soil so it can grow crops that can feed humans (and other species which started on Earth, like almost all our livestock) without choking to death on the incompatible nutrients in the ground. And you have to make sure that earlier-mentioned livestock (or pets, or toddlers, or inattentive adults who didn't pay attention during their training periods) don't graze or eat anything from the planet until you do a toxicology scan so see if it will kill them. The colonist materials we were given suggest this is more difficult than it sounds, because it's not like your livestock will listen to reason, and neither will a toddler or some adults. So you've conditioned the soil and kept all your animals and dumb humans from gorging on the poisonous scenery: Now it's time to plant, plant, plant your crops like your life depended on it, because it does. To bring this point home, the colonist training material is filled with pictures of gaunt colonists who messed up their plantings and ended up a lot thinner (or worse) after their planet's winter. The Colonial Union won't bail you out – if you fail, you fail, sometimes at the cost of your own life. You've planted and tilled and harvested, and then you do it again, and you keep doing it – and all the while you're also building infrastructure, because one of the major roles of a seed colony is to prepare the planet for the next, larger wave of colonists, who show up a couple of standard years later. I assume they land, look around at everything you've created, and say, â€Å"Well, colonizing doesn't look that hard.† At which point you get to punch them. And through this all, and in the back of your mind, is this little fact: Colonies are at their most vulnerable to attack when they're new. There's a reason humans colonize Class Six planets, where the biosystem might kill them, and even Class Twelve planets, where just about everything else will kill them too. It's because there are a lot of other intelligent races out there who have the same habitation needs as we have, and we all want as many planets as we can grab. And if someone else is already there, well. That's just something to work around. I knew this very well. And so did John and Jane. But it was something I wonder if other people – either my age or older – really understood; understood that Class Six planet or not, conditioned soil or not, planted crops or not, everything they've done and worked for doesn't matter much when a spacecraft shows up in your sky, and it's filled with creatures who've decided they want your planet, and you're in the way. Maybe it's not something you can understand until it happens. Or maybe when it comes down to it people just don't think about it because there's nothing to do about it. We're not soldiers, we're colonists. Being a colonist means accepting the risk. And once you've accepted the risk, you might as well not think about it until you have to. And during our week on the Magellan, we certainly didn't have to. We were having fun – almost too much fun, to be honest about it. I suspected we were getting an unrepresentative view of colony life. I mentioned this to Dad, while we watched the final game of the dodgeball tournament, in which the Dragons were raining rubbery red doom on the previously undefeated Slime Molds, the team Magdy was on. I was perfectly fine with this; Magdy had gotten insufferable about his team's winning streak. Humility would be a good thing for the boy. â€Å"Of course this is unrepresentative,† Dad said. â€Å"Do you think you're going to have time to be playing dodgeball when we get to Roanoke?† â€Å"I don't just mean dodgeball,† I said. â€Å"I know,† he said. â€Å"But I don't want you to worry about it. Let me tell you a story.† â€Å"Oh, goody,† I said. â€Å"A story.† â€Å"So sarcastic,† Dad said. â€Å"When I first left Earth and joined the Civil Defense Forces, we had a week like this. We were given our new bodies – those green ones, like General Rybicki still has – and we were given the order to have fun with them for an entire week.† â€Å"Sounds like a good way to encourage trouble,† I said. â€Å"Maybe it is,† Dad said. â€Å"But mostly it did two things. The first was to get us comfortable with what our new bodies could do. The second was to give us some time to enjoy ourselves and make friends before we had to go to war. To give us a little calm before the storm.† â€Å"So you're giving us this week to have fun before you send us all to the salt mines,† I said. â€Å"Not to the salt mines, but certainly to the fields,† Dad said, and motioned out to the kids still hustling about on the dodge-ball court. â€Å"I don't think it's entirely sunk into the heads of a lot of your new friends that when we land, they're going to be put to work. This is a seed colony. All hands needed.† â€Å"I guess it's a good thing I got a decent education before I left Huckleberry,† I said. â€Å"Oh, you'll still go to school,† Dad said. â€Å"Trust me on that, Zoe. You'll just work, too. And so will all your friends.† â€Å"Monstrously unfair,† I said. â€Å"Work and school.† â€Å"Don't expect a lot of sympathy from us,† Dad said. â€Å"While you're sitting down and reading, we're going to be out there sweating and toiling.† â€Å"Who's this ‘we'?† I said. â€Å"You're the colony leader. You'll be administrating.† â€Å"I farmed when I was ombudsman back in New Goa,† Dad said. I snorted. â€Å"You mean you paid for the seed grain and let Chaudhry Shujaat work the field for a cut.† â€Å"You're missing the point,† Dad said. â€Å"My point is that once we get to Roanoke we'll all be busy. What's going to get us through it all are our friends. I know it worked that way for me in the CDF. You've made new friends this last week, right?† â€Å"Yes,† I said. â€Å"Would you want to start your life on Roanoke without them?† Dad asked. I thought of Gretchen and Enzo and even Magdy. â€Å"Definitely not,† I said. â€Å"Then this week did what it was supposed to do,† Dad said. â€Å"We're on our way from being colonists from different worlds to being a single colony, and from being strangers to being friends. We're all going to need each other now. We're in a better position to work together. And that's the practical benefit to having a week of fun.† â€Å"Wow,† I said. â€Å"I can see how you weaved a subtle web of interpersonal connection here.† â€Å"Well, you know,† Dad said, with that look in his eye that said that yes, he did catch that snarky reference. â€Å"That's why I run things.† â€Å"Is that it?† I asked. â€Å"It's what I tell myself, anyway,† he said. The Dragons made the last out against the Slime Molds and started celebrating. The crowd of colonists watching were cheering as well, and getting themselves into the mood for the really big event of the night: the skip to Roanoke, which would happen in just under a half hour. Dad stood up. â€Å"This is my cue,† he said. â€Å"I've got to get ready to do the award presentation to the Dragons. A shame. I was pulling for the Slime Molds. I love that name.† â€Å"Try to make it through the disappointment,† I said. â€Å"I'll try,† he said. â€Å"You going to stay around for the skip?† â€Å"Are you kidding?† I said. â€Å"Everyone's going to stay around for the skip. I wouldn't miss it for anything.† â€Å"Good,† Dad said. â€Å"Always a good idea to confront change with your eyes open.† â€Å"You think it's really going to be that different?† I asked. Dad kissed the top of my head and gave me a hug. â€Å"Sweetie, I know it's going to be that different. What I don't know is how much more different it's going to be after that.† â€Å"I guess we'll find out,† I said. â€Å"Yes, and in about twenty-five minutes,† Dad said, and then pointed. â€Å"Look, there's your mom and Savitri. Let's ring in the new world together, shall we?†