The Painful Truth About Affirmative Action - 1992 Words

Minorities and their supporters in the late 1960s gave birth to the implementation of what is now known as Affirmative Action (AA) at institutions of higher education. This mark in history was viewed as a great effort to integrate minorities into society through the use of preferences in college and university admissions. Lately when addressing AA people have begun to question its cause and if it truly is a positive force for change. However, AA has not always been shrouded in a veil of suspicion. In fact, questioning of whether AA fails to successfully place students in institutions where they can succeed is fairly recent. The doubting of AA comes from what is called mismatching. Mismatching questions whether preferences in school†¦show more content†¦For this reason, Sander is known as one of the leading supporters and researchers in mismatching, his research was even used in the Supreme Court Case Fisher v. University of Texas as the leading work to oust AA as a failure. In an amicus brief in the case, the following was stated to show Sanders involvement, â€Å"the study most often cited is by Richard H. Sander† (Lempert par.1). Sander believes that the use of preferences, especially those that are based on race can affect the performance of students. He argues that mismatching prevents minorities from excelling at prestigious institutions because they are not as competitive as their white counterparts. Sander even claims that â€Å"even though blacks are more likely to enter college than whites with similar backgrounds, they will usually get much lower grades, rank toward to the bottom of the class, and far more drop out† (Sander par.4), a statement that implies that black students cannot compete academically with white students from the same backgrounds. Furthermore, Sander goes as far as to state â€Å"racial preference policies often stigmatize minorities, reinforce pernicious stereotypes, and undermine the self-confidence of beneficiaries† (Sander par.4). With this statement AA can only be viewed as a tool whose sole purpose is to create racial diversity and not as a tool to benefit the ac ademic careers ofShow MoreRelatedThe Gender Division Between Men And Women Essay1624 Words   |  7 Pagesdistractions. This is coded language: the dress code serves as another form of hegemony against females. Limiting what can be worn, and shaming those who don t comply certainly does not sound right for a free society such as ours, but it is the unfortunate truth. These deeply ingrained sexist protocols have now invaded high schools and colleges alike, and have deeply affected our youth. In America it has been made clear that the bare skin of females is inadmissible and is dangerous to our carefully craftedRead MoreAnalysis Of Sal Castro And Maria Tula s Hear My Testimony1698 Words   |  7 Pagesthrough a personal response of someone who experience it first hand. As the Blowouts progressed the Chicano students attitudes changed. A student explains after the movement, â€Å"‘were the first time that we began to develop consciousness...It was very affirmative. Thats where you began to have an identity’†(Garcia Castro, Blowout! pg 322). The Chicano students realized that their complaints for the school were actually a bigger problem that had to do with the larger education system. They recognized thatRead MoreWalt Whitman and War Essay1626 Words   |  7 Pagessometimes lessons need to repeat. Life during the time of Walt Whitman was oddly and sadly similar to our very own time in some ways. Like us, Whitman dealt in Leaves of Grass with living in a nation during wartimes; and if you can say anything about war, it is that, it is never fast and never easy. Armd year-year of the struggle, No dainty rhymes or sentimental love verses for you terrible year ( Whitman 227). War tears down nations, piece by piece bit by bit; and even thoughRead MoreEssay on Personal Leadership1764 Words   |  8 Pagesproblems early, before they become too painful to ignore. Unfortunately, honest self-evaluation is one of the hardest skills to master. People tend to be self-serving in their thoughts. For most people, self-reflection involves looking into a mirror, with all the information warped and distorted until it barely resembles reality. True self-evaluation is challenging, and requires you to be open to â€Å"see† your strengths and weaknesses, and to develop a plan of action to develop those areas that are lackingRead MoreEssay on Maxine Waters: Raising consciousness, not money5192 Words   |  21 Pagescast her into the lime light, given her a platform to state her agenda, her concerns, and to point out the skewed set of priorities that exists in American Politics today. Maxine Waters is not a naÔve woman, she has seen and she has felt the painful hand of oppression. The hand of oppression has laid its wrath upon her and her constituency, Americas minorities, particularly African Americans, with such force that the blow, be it the pain, the social inequality, the outright disrespect for humanityRead MoreThe Challanges Faced by White Teachers Teaching Black Students2432 Words   |  10 Pagespopulation increasingly becoming the minority) and that the main role of our teachers, most of whom are white, is shaping the education of our students, the question is: How can white teachers effectively teach students of color? Although little is known about the effectiveness of white teachers and achievement in students of color, there definitely is an underlying philosophy of multicultural education that students benefit from being taught by someone of similar race and cultural background. That beingRead More Social and Legal Definitions of Slavery Narr ative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave3974 Words   |  16 PagesMr. Covey seemed now to think he had me, and could do what he pleased; but at this moment -- from whence came the spirit I dont know -- I resolved to fight; and, suiting my action to the resolution, I seized Covey hard by the throat; and as I did so, I rose. (Douglass 112, chapt. 10) In Chapter 10 of Frederick Douglass Narrative of the Life of... an American Slave, Douglass describes an important incident in which he forces backward the standard master-slave hierarchy of beating privilegesRead MoreGender Inequality And Gender Roles2518 Words   |  11 Pagesappropriate way defined by society. These are shaped through the years by parents, teachers, and by themselves, as they begin to learn social norms and what it means to fit in society. The actions that gender associate to sexes, demoralizes the strength that many women posses compared to their male counterparts. Feministic actions such as walking slowly and sitting in closed position restricts the level of activity performed by girls, making them less susceptible to join sports such as football, sports thatRead MoreRemains of the Day as a Postmodern Novel5345 Words   |  22 Pagesstatic). Stevens, alike all of Ishiguros narrators, is not at all objective and trustworthy. His memory plays tricks on him (mot if especially present in his earlier two novels with Japanese protagonists), his language distorts to reveal the actual truth that is buried under layers of self-deception. The language is seen as an important weapon, and as much as it is used by Ishiguros narrators, as the means of suppression of the actual state of affairs, it is also the very thing that unmasks them.Read MoreEssay about The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro5293 Words   |  22 Pagesstatic). Stevens, alike all of Ishiguro’s narrators, is not at all objective and trustworthy. His memory plays tricks on him (motif especially present in his earlier two novels with Japanese protagonists), his language distorts to reveal the actual truth that is buried under layers of self-deception. The language is seen as an important weapon, and as much as it is used by Ishiguro’s narrators, as the means of suppression of the actual state of affairs, it is also the very thing that unmasks them.

The Return Midnight Chapter 42 Free Essays

â€Å"It’s not a problem,†the fair ruler, Ryannen, said unexpectedly. â€Å"We can make it so that your Mr. Tanner repel ed an apparent vampire attack and the school cal ed in Alaric Saltzman to take his place and investigate. We will write a custom essay sample on The Return: Midnight Chapter 42 or any similar topic only for you Order Now All right, Idola?† – to the redhead, and to the dark one – â€Å"All right, Susurre?† Elena wasn’t All right. Despite the example she’d just had of turn-on-a-dime plotting and scheming, she was scarcely listening. Al she knew was that her voice had gone husky and that tears blurred her eyes. â€Å"And†¦for the Master Key – I want – â€Å" Stefan squeezed her hand. Elena suddenly realized that they were al standing, al three of them, beside her. And the look on every face was the same. Dead resolve. â€Å"I want Damon back.†Elena hadn’t heard quite this note in her voice since the day she’d been told both her parents had died. If there had been a table, she would have put her clenched fists on it and did her best to loom over the women. As it was, she simply leaned toward them, speaking in a low and grating voice. â€Å"If you do that – bring him back, exactly as he was before he walked into the Gatehouse – then you get the Master Key and the treasures. You say no – and you lose everything. Everything. This is non-negotiable, get it?† She kept staring into Idola’s green eyes. She refused to see dark Susurre drop her forehead onto three fingertips and begin to rub it in smal circles. She wouldn’t give a glance to blond Ryannen, who was looking at her steadily, having gone into people-management mode. She stared directly into those green eyes under their wil ful eyebrows. Idola gave a little huff and shook her gorgeous head. â€Å"Look, someone clearly has screwed up in preparing you for this interview.†A glance at Susurre. â€Å"The other things you’ve asked for – al together, it forms a very heavy ransom. Do you understand that? Do you understand that it involves changing the memories of al the people for miles around your town, and changing them for every day of ten months? That it means changing everything in print about Fel ‘s Church – and that there is a lot in print – not to mention other media outlets? It means begging for three human spirits and weaving flesh around them again. I’m not sure we even have the personnel for this – â€Å" Blond Ryannen put a hand on the redhead’s arm. â€Å"We have it. Susurre’s women have little to do in the Nether World. I can lend you perhaps thirty percent of mine – after al , we’re going to have to send up a petition to a higher Court for those spirits – â€Å" Idola the redhead interrupted. â€Å"All right. What I was saying is that we might just be able to manage – if you throw in the Key. However, your vampire companion – we can’t give life back to the lifeless. We can’t work with vampires. Once they’re gone – they’re gone.† â€Å"That’s what you tell us!†Stefan cried, trying to get in front of Elena. â€Å"But why are we so particularly damned, of al creatures? How do you know it’s impossible? Have you ever even tried? â€Å" Red-haired Idola was making a disgusted gesture, when Bonnie interrupted, her voice shaking. â€Å"It’s ridiculous! You can rebuild a town, you can kil the person who’s real y behind al Shinichi and Misao did, but you can’t bring one little vampire back? You brought Elena back!† â€Å"Elena’s death as a vampire al owed her to become the Guardian she was original y meant to be. As for the person who gave orders to Shinichi and Misao: It was Inari Saitou – Obaasan Saitou, as you knew her – and she is already dead, thanks to your friends in Fel ‘s Church, who weakened her – and to you, who destroyed her star bal .† â€Å"Inari? You mean Isobel’s grandma? You’re saying it was her star bal in the Great Tree’s trunk? That’s impossible!†Bonnie cried. â€Å"No, it’s not. It’s the truth,†blond Ryannen said simply. â€Å"And she’s dead now?† â€Å"After a long battle which nearly kil ed your friends. Yes – but what actual y killed her was having her star bal destroyed.† â€Å"So,†dark Susurre said quietly, â€Å"if you fol ow the curve†¦in a way your Damon did die to save Fel ‘s Church from another massacre like the one on that Japanese island. He kept saying that was what he’d come to the Nether World to do. Do you not think he would be†¦satisfied? At peace?† â€Å"At peace?†Stefan spat bitterly, and Sage growled. â€Å"Woman,†he said, â€Å"you obviously have never met Damon Salvatore before.†The tone in his voice – more resonant, more threatening somehow – made Elena final y break off her staredown with the red-haired Idola. She turned and looked – – and saw the enormous room fil ed with Sage’s out-spread wings. They weren’t like any of her ephemeral Wings Powers. They were clearly part of Sage. They were velvety and reptilian, and, unfurled like this, they stretched from distant wal to wal , and touched the grand, golden ceiling. They also demonstrated why Sage didn’t usual y wear shirts. He was beautiful this way, bronze skin and hair against those giant, leathery soft-looking arches. But Elena, after one look at him, knew that the time had come to play the ace up her sleeve. She turned around to meet Idola’s green gaze squarely. â€Å"Al this time we’ve been bargaining for a Gatehouse ful of treasures,†she said, â€Å"and – one Master Key.† â€Å"A Master Key, stolen by the kitsune ages upon ages ago,†Susurre explained quietly, lifting her dark eyes. â€Å"And you’ve said that it’s not enough for you to bring Damon back.†Elena forced her voice not to waver. â€Å"Not even if it were your only request.†Ryannen tossed a golden lock of hair over her shoulder. â€Å"So you say. But†¦what if I throw into the pot†¦another Master Key?† There was a pause, and Elena’s heart began to pound in sick terror. Because it was the wrong kind of pause. There were no shocked gasps. No astonished glances from one Guardian ruler to another. No looks of disbelief. After another moment Idola said smugly, â€Å"If you mean the other stolen key that your friends had on Earth – it was confiscated as soon as they hid it. It was stolen property. It belonged to us.† She’s been here too long, in the Dark Dimensions, Elena thought with one part of her mind. She’s enjoying herself. Idola leaned toward her, as if to confirm Elena’s guess. â€Å"It – simply – is not – possible,†she said emphatical y. â€Å"Real y, it isn’t,†the fair Ryannen added briskly. â€Å"We don’t know what happens to vampires. But they don’t pass through our purview. We never see them after death. The simplest explanation is that they just – go out.†She snapped her fingers. â€Å"I don’t believe that!† Elena was aware that her voice had risen in volume. â€Å"I don’t believe that for one moment!† Voices, not attached to anyone in particular, burst into a clamor of argument around Elena, forming a sort of poem: Not possible. It’s simply not possible! ( But please†¦) No! Damon is gone, and to ask where is like asking where a candle flame goes when it’s blown out. ( But shouldn’t you try to bring him back, at the least? ) Whatever has happened to gratitude? You four should be grateful that the other things you asked for can be done. ( But in exchange for both Master Keys – ) No Power we can command could bring Damon back! Elena must try to reconcile herself to reality. She has been pampered too much already! ( But what harm can it do to try again? ) All right! If you must know, Susurre has already forced us to try. And nothing came of it! Damon†¦is†¦gone! His spirit was nowhere to be found in the ether! That is what happens to vampires, and everyone knows it! Elena found herself looking down at her own hands, which were very clean but with broken nails and every knuckle bleeding. The outside world had become unreal again. She was inside herself, struggling with her grief, struggling with the knowledge that Idola, the central ruler of Guardians, hadn’t even mentioned before that they had looked for Damon’s spirit. And that it was†¦gone. Suddenly, the room was pressing in on her. There wasn’t enough air. There were only these women: these powerful, magical Guardian women; who Stilldid not have enough power or magic to save Damon – or at least didn’t even care enough to try twice. She wasn’t sure what was happening to her. Her throat felt puffed out, her chest was both huge and tight. Each heartbeat sounded through her as if trying to shake her to death. To death. In her mind’s eye, she saw a hand hold up a glass of Clarion Loess Black Magic. And then, Elena knew that she had to stand a certain way, and hold her arms a certain way, and whisper certain words in her own mind. But the last, the naming of the spel , had only to be said aloud at the end. At the end – when things slowed. When green-eyed Idola – what a perfect name for someone who idolized herself, Elena thought – and fair businesslike Ryannen and nurturing Susurre – al stared at her with open mouths, too shocked to move even a finger as, quietly and calmly, Elena said, â€Å"Wings of Destruction – â€Å" It was a soldier, just an ordinary one of the rank and file, one of the dark women, who stopped it. She leaped up onto the dais, and, with inhuman speed, slapped her hand over Elena’s mouth, so that the final syl able was a mumble, and the golden, green, and blue hal did not explode into fragments with hot metal running in rivulets like lava, and the flower-fountain did not vaporize, and the stained-glass windows didn’t shatter into atoms. Then there were more arms around Elena, holding her down, scarcely letting her breathe, even when she went limp for lack of air. Elena fought like an animal, with her teeth and nails, to escape. But she eventual y was completely restrained, pinned to the floor. She could hear Sage’s deep voice raging and Stefan, in between desperate telepathic bursts to her, pleading and explaining, â€Å"She’s Stillnot in reality! She doesn’t even know what she’s doing!† But louder, she could hear the voices of the Guardians. â€Å"She would have kil ed us al !†Ã¢â‚¬ Those Wings – I’ve never seen anything so deadly!†Ã¢â‚¬ A human! And with just three words, she could have wiped us out!†Ã¢â‚¬ If Lenea hadn’t tackled her – â€Å"†Or if she had been another few feet away – â€Å"†She destroyed a moon, you know! No life on it at allnow, and ashes Stillfal ing from the sky!†Ã¢â‚¬ That isn’t the point. The point is that she shouldn’t have Wings powers at all. She’s got to be clipped of them.†Ã¢â‚¬ That’s right – clip her Wings! Do it! â€Å" Elena recognized Ryannen’s and Idola’s voices at the end there. She was Stilltrying to fight, but they held her so tightly and piled on her so ruthlessly that it had become a fight simply to get air and al she did was exhaust herself. And then they clipped her Wings. It was quick, at least, and Elena felt very little. What hurt most was her heart. Some proud, stubborn streak had been brought out with the fighting, and now she was ashamed to feel each pair cut off. First went Wings of Redemption, those great rainbow-hued arches. Then Wings of Purification, white and iridescent as frosted cobwebs. Wings of the Wind, like honey-colored thistledown. Wings of Remembrance, soft violet and midnight blue. And then Wings of Protection – emerald green and gold, the Wings that had saved her friends from Bloddeuwedd’s frenzied attack on them the first time they had entered the Dark Dimensions. And, final y, Wings of Destruction – high, ebony arches with edges as delicate as black lace. Elena tried to keep silent as each power was taken. But after the first one or two had fal en at her sides, in shadows that perhaps only she could see, she heard a smal gasp, and realized that it was her own voice. And with the next cut, an involuntary little cry. For a moment there was silence. And then suddenly there was overwhelming noise. Elena could hear Bonnie keening and Sage roaring, and Stefan, gentle Stefan, shouting blasphemies and curses at the Guardians. Elena guessed from the stifled sound of his voice that he was fighting them, fighting to get to her. He reached her, somehow, just as the deadly, delicate Wings of Destruction were sheared from her shoulders and mind, and fel like tal shadows to the ground. It was good that he did reach her then, because at last, when Elena was the least dangerous she had been since the Powers of Wings had begun awakening in her, suddenly the Guardians seemed afraid. They stepped back from her, these strong and dangerous women, and only Stefan was there to catch her and hold her in his arms. Stunned, dazed, she was an eighteen-year-old girl who was ordinary. Except for her blood. They wanted to rob her of her blood as well†¦to â€Å"purify†it. The three rulers and their attendants had already gathered in a determined, multihued triangle around her and were working their magic when Sage bel owed, â€Å"Stop!† Elena, drooping over Stefan’s shoulder, could see him vaguely, his velvety black wings Stillspread from wal to wal , Stilltouching the golden ceiling. Bonnie clung to him like a bit of stray dandelion fluff. â€Å"You have already diminished her aura to almost nothing,†he growled. â€Å"If you ‘purify’the blood of this pauvre petite completely, she wil die – and then she wil awaken. You wil have created un vampire, Mesdames. Is that what you wish?† Susurre reeled back. For the ruler of such a harsh and unyielding realm, she seemed almost too gentle – but not too soft to shear off my Wings, Elena thought, wriggling her shoulders to ease them. Maybe she didn’t know how much it would hurt, another part of her mind offered vaguely. Then al her mind came together in an emergency meeting. Something warm and cooling was sliding down the back of her neck, in tiny droplets. Not blood. No, this was infinitely more precious than what the Guardians had taken away. Stefan’s tears. She rocked hard, trying to take her own weight on her feet. Somehow, shakily, she managed it. She only realized just how shaky she was when she tried to lift a hand and wipe the tears off Stefan’s cheeks with her thumb. Her whole hand wobbled as if she were making a childish joke. Her thumb struck his cheek with enough force to make anyone else wince. She looked at him with dumb apology, too shocked to try to speak. Stefan was speaking. Over and over. â€Å"It doesn’t matter,†he was saying. â€Å"It’s All right, love. Oh, lovely love, it wil be All right.†He wiped her eyes with a hand that was rock steady, and al the time he was looking only at her, and – she knew – thinking only of her. She knew that because she also knew the moment when it changed. Red hair was in her line of sight, blurred through new tears. Red hair and narrow green eyes, too close to her. That was when Elena felt Stefan remember that there was anything other than Elena in the world. His face changed. He didn’t snarl or stick out his chin. The change was an entire alteration, but it centered around his eyes, which became deadly hard while everything else became sharp and fierce. â€Å"If you touch her again, you vicious bitch, I wil rip out your throat,†Stefan said, and each word was like a chip of ice-cold iron dropped onto the floor. Elena’s tears stopped with the shock of it. Stefan didn’t talk that way to women. Even Damon didn’t – hadn’t. But the words were Stillechoing in the sudden silence of the cathedral-like room. People were backing away. Idola was backing away too, but her lip was curled. â€Å"Do you think that because we are Guardians that we cannot harm you – ?†she was beginning, when Stefan’s voice cut through hers cleanly. â€Å"I think that because you are ‘Guardians’you can kil sanctimoniously and get away with it,†Stefan said, and his lip made a far more compel ing – and frightening – line of scorn than Idola’s had. â€Å"You would have kil ed Elena if Sage hadn’t stopped you. Damn you,†he added softly, but with such utter conviction that Idola took another step backward. â€Å"Yes, you’d better ral y al your little friends around,†he added. â€Å"I might just decide to kil you anyway. I kil ed my own brother, as I’m sure you realize.† â€Å"But surely – that was only after taking a mortal blow yourself.†Susurre was between the two of them, trying to intercede. Stefan shrugged. He looked at her with the same contempt as he had the other ruler. â€Å"I Stillhad the use of my arm,†he said deliberately. â€Å"I could have decided to drop my sword, or to merely wound him. Instead I chose to put a blade straight through his heart.†He showed his teeth in a distinctly unfriendly smile. â€Å"And now I don’t even need a weapon.† â€Å"Stefan,†Elena managed at last to whisper. â€Å"I know. She’s weaker than I am and you don’t want to see me kil her. That’s why she’s Stillalive, love. It’s the only reason.†As Elena lifted half-frightened eyes to him, Stefan added in a voice only she could hear, Of course, there are some things about me you don’t know, Elena. Things I’d hoped you’d never have to see. Knowing you – loving you – made me almost forget about them. Stefan’s voice in her head woke something inside Elena. She lifted her head and looked at the blurry mass of Guardians around them. She saw strawberry-blond curls suspended in midair. Bonnie. Bonnie fighting. Doing it weakly, but only because a pair of the fair Guardians and another pair of dark ones were holding her in the air, one to each limb. As Elena stared at her she seemed to regain energy and fought harder. And Elena could hear†¦ something. It was faint and far away, but it almost sounded like†¦her name. Like her name spoken by whispering branches or the whirring of passing bicycle wheels. lay†¦nah†¦eee†¦lay†¦ Elena reached inwardly for the sound. She tried desperately to grasp whatever came after, but nothing happened. She tried a trick she would have found easy yesterday – channeling Power to the center of her telepathy. It didn’t work. She tried her telepathy. Bonnie! Can you hear me? There wasn’t even the slightest change in the smal er girl’s expression. Elena had lost her link to Bonnie. She watched as Bonnie realized the same thing, watched the fight go out of the smal body. Bonnie’s face, upturned in blank despair, was indescribably sad, and somehow indescribably pure and beautiful, al at once. That will never happen to us, Stefan’s voice in her mind told her fiercely. Never! I give you my – No! Elena thought back, superstitiously terrified of a jinx. If Stefan swore, something might happen – she might have to become a vampire or a spirit – to ensure that he didn’t break his word. He stopped, and Elena knew that he had heard her. And somehow this knowledge, that Stefan had heard a single word from her, Stilled her. She knew he wasn’t spying. He’d heard because she’d sent the thought to him. She wasn’t alone. She might be ordinary again; they might have taken her wings and most of the Power of her blood, but she wasn’t alone. She leaned toward him, her forehead against Stefan’s chin. â€Å"No one is alone.† She’d told Damon that. Damon Salvatore, a being who no longer existed. But who Stillcal ed forth from her one more word, one final cry. His name. Damon! He’d died four dimensions away. But she could feel Stefan backing her, amplifying her transmission, sending it like one last beacon through the multitude of worlds that separated them from his cold and lifeless body. Damon! There wasn’t the slightest glimmer of an answer. Of course not. Elena was making a fool of herself. Suddenly something stronger than grief, stronger than self-pity, even stronger than guilt, took hold of her. Damon wouldn’t have wanted her to be carried out of this hal – even by Stefan. Especial y by Stefan. He would have wanted her to show no sign of weakness to these women who’d shorn her and humiliated her. Yes. That was Stefan. Her love, but not her lover, wil ing to love her chastely from now until the end of her days†¦. The end†¦of her days? Elena was suddenly glad that she couldn’t project to strangers telepathical y and that Stefan had set shields around them when he’d taken her into his arms. She turned to Ryannen, who was watching†¦warily, but Stillwith business in her eyes. â€Å"I’d like to go now, if you don’t mind,†she said, picking up her backpack and slinging it over her shoulder with a gesture as arrogant as she could make it. There was a bolt of agony as the weight of the strap hit the place from which most of her wings had sprung, but she kept her face contemptuous and indifferent. Bonnie, back on the ground since she wasn’t fighting any longer, fol owed Elena’s lead. Stefan had left his backpack in the Gatehouse, but he gently cupped a hand around Elena’s elbow, not guiding her, but showing that he was there for her. Sage’s wings folded back into themselves and were gone. â€Å"You understand that for the return of these treasures which are ours by right – but which we were barred from retrieving – you wil be granted your requests with the exception of the imposs – â€Å" â€Å"I understand,†Elena said flatly, just as Stefan said, much more brusquely, â€Å"She understands. Just do it, wil you?† â€Å"It is already being organized.†Ryannen’s eyes, dark blue splashed with gold, met Elena’s with a look not entirely unsympathetic. â€Å"The best thing,†Sussure added hastily, â€Å"would be for us to put you to sleep and send you to your – your old, new dwellings. By the time you awaken, al wil have been accomplished.† Elena forced her face not to change. â€Å"Send me to Maple Street?†she asked, looking at Ryannen. â€Å"Aunt Judith’s house?† â€Å"In your sleep, yes.† â€Å"I don’t want to be asleep.†Elena moved even closer to Stefan. â€Å"Don’t let them put me to sleep!† â€Å"No one’s going to do anything to you that you don’t want,†Stefan said, and his voice was like the edge of a razor. Sage rumbled his support, and Bonnie stared at the fair woman hard. Ryannen bowed her head. Elena woke up. It was dark, and she’d been asleep. She couldn’t remember exactly how she’d fal en asleep, but she knew she wasn’t on the palanquin, and she knew she wasn’t in a sleeping bag. Stefan? Bonnie? Damon? she thought automatical y, but there was something odd about her telepathy. It felt almost as if it were confined to her own head. Was she in Stefan’s room? It must be pitch-black outside, since she couldn’t even see the outline of the trapdoor that led to the widow’s walk. â€Å"Stefan?†she whispered, while various bits of information pooled in her mind. There was a smel , at once familiar and unfamiliar. She was lying on a comfortable double bed, not one of Lady Ulma’s silken-and-velvet extravaganzas, but not any lumpy featherbed from the boardinghouse, either. Was she in a hotel? As these various thoughts came together in her brain, there was a soft quick rapping. Knuckles on glass. Elena’s body took over. She tossed off the bedspread and ran to the window, mysteriously avoiding obstacles without thinking about them at all. Her hands wrenched aside curtains that she somehow knew were there and her skyrocketing heart brought a name to her lips. â€Å"Da – !† And then the world stopped and did its slowest somersault of al . The sight of a face, fierce and concerned and loving and yet strangely frustrated, just on the other side of the second-story window, brought Elena’s memories back. Al of them. Fel ‘s Church was saved. And Damon was dead. Her head bent slowly until her forehead touched the cool pane of glass. How to cite The Return: Midnight Chapter 42, Essay examples

Advantages and disadvantages of multitouch interfaces free essay sample

What are the advantages and disadvantages of multitouch interfaces? How useful are they? Explain. Extremely good for object manipulations Touch, drag, â€Å"pinch† to zoom in and out, slide finger up and down or sideways as if they were physical objects without moving a mouse, pressing buttons or striking keys. For example, Perceptive Pixel offers pressure-sensitive multi-touch displays that can sense an unlimited number of simultaneous touches with accuracy and precision. Their displays come bundled with the right software and have applications in broadcasting, medical imaging, data exploration, digital storyboarding, industrial design and more. More versatile than single-touch interfaces as opposed to the single-touch screen, which recognizes only one touch point. Multitouch interface allows one or more fingers to perform gestures to manipulate objects. Multi touch gestures are easier to remember than commands Based on ingrained human movements that do not have to be learned. Touch is ideal for consuming/presenting information. Because it is a more natural interface, it increases user productivity. Collaborative use before the multitouch technology was invented, even with computer display connected to an external projector and another mouse, it was impossible for more than one person to make edits when pulling together a PowerPoint presentation. There is now an operating system that would support a minimum of dual input for â€Å"group conversations† on a single workstation. Made editing easier as more than one person can make edits to a project or presentations at the same time. There are some disadvantages for the multi touch that might be a problem to some and to others might be only a simple accommodation to new technology. Eyes on Touch screen interfaces are nearly all â€Å"eyes on†. You cannot type by touch while your eyes are occupied elsewhere like most cases of 12-17 year old kids than can text and type without looking. With an all touch-screen interface you generally cannot start, stop, or pause your MP3 player, for example, or close and answer your phone by reaching into your pocket, purse, or briefcase like you usually do since you dont have a one mechanical key to memorize its location and operate eyes free. This risks serious accidents for example if someone tries to operate a multi touch car radio while driving. Hands on Handheld devices that rely on touch screens for input require two hands to operate: one to hold the device and the other to operate it. Thus, operating them generally requires both eyes and both hands. Unlike the usual phones that can be operated and held using one hand: one hand to hold the device and a finger of the same hand to operate it. Fingers on Your finger is not transparent: the smaller the touch screen, the more you obscure what is being pointed at. That is why a stylus or pointer should be used: it is very skinny and accurate in such a way that nothing on the screen gets obscured. There is a reason we don’t rely on finger painting: even on large surfaces, writing or drawing with the finger is generally not as effective as it is with a brush or stylus. And on small surfaces, it is even more ineffective to try and draw or write with a finger.? This is a disadvantage as for note taking and writing as well as for applications for drawing and design since it is ineffective, a stylus should be used instead to replace the keyboard on a multi touch surface. Prices Prices of such devices might be too high at the beginning as it is for every new emerging technology. That might be a disadvantage and people might refrain to buy it and be afraid to try new stuff but eventually prices will continually decrease year after year until the product reaches every customer it can in order to spread the new technology Multi touch in businesses Multi touch has several uses in the business model of today’s technological era. There are several connections that today’s case study will have to emphasize on. Examples are such as: Mobile applications Tools for sales teams, technicians, medical staff, logistics tracking, banking, insurance, and teaching: professional mobile apps are popping up in all industry sectors, particularly for tablets. Here are some of the latest to appear on the market: †¢ An in-store digital sales companion developed by SFR (Vodaphone) for its in-store sales representatives. With access to catalogues, prices, special offers, real-time updates, etc. , the sales reps now have new ways to pitch and sell products and services via an attractive interface. †¢ What do L’Oreal, the French boy scouts and Bouygues have in common? They all use the services of â€Å"Urban Gaming†, a French company that claims to â€Å"turn the city into a playground† with touch-screen tablet-based team-building and incentive activities. Equipped with tablets with â€Å"serious game† apps, the teams are let loose in a city as part of a team-building exercise with a difference. The long-neglected office-based workers Touch-screen devices are huge at the moment: tablets enhance users’ image and are ideal for mobile staff and executives. But what about staff who are chained to their desks all day? The future will doubtless see an increase in interactive desks, i. e.  touch-screen features but copied onto a physical desk, with all the advantages of interactive, paperless functions. Microsoft and Samsung have already begun with the launch of Surface 2, a 40’’ multi-touch table that can be laid horizontal or mounted on to four legs and costing around â‚ ¬6,000. It can be used for anything from medical imaging to air patrol configuration and post-flight debriefing (as demonstrated by Dassault at this year’s Paris Air Show). Canadian company ExoPC is also working on a 40’’multi-touch interactive desk that is compatible with Windows 7 and can be hooked up to a monitor. ExoDesk will be on sale for around â‚ ¬1,000.

Employment Relation Legal Working Process

Question: Discuss about the Employment Relationfor Legal Working Process. Answer: Introduction The report is prepared to provide a detailed knowledge regarding the legal working process in the Australian enterprises. In that context, the report will provide the key insights with respect to the workplace relations system by taking into consideration the economic, social and industrial environment which can bring changes within the enterprises. In relation to that, the Australian government had started the reshaping as well as the structural transformation of the organizations to bring enhancement in the Australian economy. Thus due to that reason, there will be the proper description of the boot process which will describe the better off overall tests of the employees within the organization. In return, the boot process will provide the analysis of the proper validity of the enterprise project. Thus the report is prepared with an aim to provide some more recommendations by which the BOOT test can be improvised more (Annink den Dulk, 2015). For that reason, the report has been addressed to the President of Work Fair Commission who is responsible for bringing any kind of changes within the organization by the use of proper enterprise agreement. It is also that the process of BOOT also affects the employee relations within the organizations by the help of the enterprise agreement. So the work fair commission carries out the process by setting as well as varying the minimum wage fixation, industrial awards, handling the claims properly, dispute resolution and the approval of enterprise agreements. Therefore the report will provide the details of the requirements by which the President can be able to bring changes to the Work Fair Commission in the organization (Bartling, Fehr Schmidt, 2013). Fair Work Act The basic part which is focused as per the concept of the report is the better off overall test and the agreement associated with the enterprise. Thus it is necessary to have a clear idea regarding the better off overall test as well as the agreement and the enterprise agreement. In relation, the government of Australia had started with a new system called the Fair Work Act. This act has been started in 2009 (Bartling, Fehr Schmidt, 2013). As per this act the employees, employers, contractors as well as the communities get complied with a system enclosed within the agreement. In that case, the government set the requisite rules which will help in resolving the workplace issues by conducting relevant investigations in the workplace (Bogg, 2014). Thus the Fair Work Commission is supposed to establish the clear set of rules as well as obligations that will help with the approval of the enterprise agreement. What does the Agreement Mean? The proper meaning of an agreement is the part that provides the requisite terms as well as conditions regarding the employment within the employee or the group of employees and the employer of the organization. Thus the agreement is the fact that has been carried out as per the national workplace relations systems in two categories, namely, enterprise agreements and the agreement-based transitional instruments (Dorssemont, Lrcher Schmann, 2013). As per Zakaria Hashim, the agreement-based transitional instruments basically provide the insight by which it will help the agreements to continue the process until it is terminated or replaced. In relation to that, the agreement-based transitional instruments include the collective agreements, preserved individual and collective state argument, individual transitional employment agreements, pre-reform certified agreements and the Australian Workplace Agreements (Zakaria Hashim, 2015). At the same time, the enterprise agreement is the part that builds up the relation in between the one or more system of employers and the employees in the organization. This process goes as specified within the agreement (French, 2014). These enterprise agreements are such formulated that it will provide an ease to the parties during the negotiation. In that context, the parties carry out the negotiation with proper bargaining in a good faith within the level of the enterprise. Thus the Fair Work Commission that works with any kind of projects or businesses or activities and undertaking. The enterprise agreement is therefore worked with three kinds of agreements, namely, single enterprise agreement, multi-enterprise agreement, and Greenfields agreement (Jensen, 2015). The single enterprise works with the part that shows the agreement made in between the single employer and the employees which are employed while the issuance of the agreement. In that process, these are basically used by the single interest employers in a joint venture or any kind of common enterprises (Kersley, et al., 2013). Thus, in this case, the Work Fair Commission should have provided the employers the authority to become the single interest employers. Similarly, the multi-enterprise agreement is basically carried out in between the two or more employees along with the employees that are employed in the organization at that time of the agreement (Tan, 2015). These all are being covered by the agreement. Thereafter the Greenfields agreement is such an agreement which is made in between the employer as well as the employee who are employed in the generation of a new enterprise. This agreement can either be the single enterprise agreement or the multi-enterprise agreement (Lai, 2016). Thus in that context, the parties that are involved in this agreement are supposed to be the employer as well as one or number of employees associated to the enterprise. Depending upon the initiation of the enterprise agreement it is also essential to know that what the requisite requirements of the agreements are. Thus the successful agreements should definitely contain the necessary elements by which the agreement can operate smoothly. It should also contain the proper deductions from the wages for the generation of the authorized purpose of any enterprise (Tan, 2015). Further enterprise should also contain the basic terms which will properly signify the relationship in between the employee and the employer during the trading process (Lucio, 2015). In addition to that, the enterprise agreement should definitely contain the nominal expiry date, dispute settlement procedure, flexibility term and the consultation term. Along with that while considering the enterprise agreement it is seen that the amount which must be the rate of pay of any employee under any employer as per the agreement then he or she must be the paid should not be less than that of any relevant rate of pay as per the modern award system. This is the process which comes under the national minimum wage order for the employee (McDonald Thompson, 2016). What is the BOOT? Now coming to the basic portion of the report, which will help in providing a signified description of the BOOT as well as the description regarding its functioning within the processing of Work Fair Commission? The effective description of the BOOT will provide a proper validation to the enterprise agreements to carry out an enterprise project successfully. In that case, the enterprise agreements are prepared in such manner that it should definitely pass the better off overall test or BOOT. Passing this test will ensure the approval of the enterprise by the Fair Work commission in Australia (Nettleton, et al., 2016). Thus the enterprise agreement gets passed from the test the Fair Work Commission gets satisfied from the award covered employee along with all other prospective award covered employee. So basically the BOOT is the part that is applied to the process while measuring the employees employed under the agreement as compared to any kind of relevant modern award. In this regard, the BOOT is the process which has been used the Fair Work Commission to take the test of the employee classes (Nicaise, 2016). In that process, the Fair Work Commission found that it has made the assumptions regarding the process which indicated that in the absence of evidence it is seen that the award covered employees are found to be better than that of the modern award employee (Snyman, Ferreira Deas, 2015). Thus the better off overall test is the particular point seen in the time test where there will be the presence of the both award covered employee and the prospective award covered employee. In that context, the particular which should be considered as the test time is the time when the bargaining representative applies in front of the Commission to make the approval of the enterprise agreement (Palmen, et al., 2013). So basically it can be said that the better off overall test is the matter that provides the base in the approval of the enterprise agreement. On the contrary, the Commission does not provide approval to the agreement due to some unexpected conditions or exceptional circumstances. It can also be said that the approval of agreement cannot be supposed to be contrary to the public interest in any instance. Another reason that forms the basis for the approval of the enterprise agreement is it can also provide the exact rate of pay to the employees (Schtz Jacobs, 2014). It is mentioned in the earlier part that this test is a point in time test but along with that it also enables the situation for the employees to get their basic rate of pay which must not be lower than that of the basic rate of the national minimum wage order. Therefore this becomes the matter then the particular employee must be paid at a rate of equal pay as mentioned in the enterprise agreement. It will eventually satisfy the conditions mentioned under the national minimum wage order rate of the employee (Schz, 2014). Recommendations to Bring Changes in BOOT in Work Fair Commission Basically, while the matter of enterprise agreements is considered at that time there has been the proper description of the Work Fair Commission in Australia under the Act of Fair Work. In that case, it is seen that many of the projects started facing many kinds of issues by going through the procedural traps of the FW Act that generally arise during the bargaining process and most of the time hinders the growth of the approval of the enterprise agreements. In relation to that, it is seen that FW Commission has set the Act that provides the minimum requirements which the Commission must go through before providing approval to any kind of enterprise agreement. The reason behind it has to go through various functions like the negotiations, bargaining, and explanation to the employees along with the advice to the employees upon the vote on the agreement. Thus the whole process revolves around a specific scenario that says the Fair Work Commission should go through the proper correct steps to ensure the proper execution of the process. Otherwise, it can be seen that the process of negotiations can take months to get resolved due to the presence of many procedural errors. For that reason, this report will definitely provide a clear scenario regarding the changes that should be done to bring a union by which the Work fair Commission should take the decision of approval of the enterprise agreement smoothly. Thus while viewing the whole list of acts carried out by FW Commission it is seen that the issues were raised there is not any clear news that at what time the employer agreed to the bargaining process and because of this there should be the initiation of obligation in the process. Again the issues are raised when the employees who are be notified are on leave. Further, it is seen that the when the employees that have to be covered are not identified in a proper manner which hindered the approval process. The approval process also gets hindered due to the agreement coverage is the exact matter of negotiation in all cases. So basically it can be recommended to the President that the bargaining process should be provided with time duration of 14 days. After that, the process should be cancelled and depending upon that the concerned employer in that matter should definitely take care of the every possible reasonable step to make the circulation of the notice to all the employees properly. Apart from that, the employers should take a personal care regarding the Notice of the Employee Representational Rights in front of the employees during signing the agreement. Along with that, the President should also bring into consideration that the Notice which should be provided to the employees must be substantial compliance in form of the template as per the regulations of Work Fair Commission. Apart from that, it is also recommended that the regulations included with the Work Fair Commissions should definitely enclose the process regarding the delivery of the Notice in front of the employees. Thus this delivery of the Notice can be done by the help of email or making the display of the notice. By sending the proper email to the work mail of the employee with a proper address along with the Notice will help the employee in getting the update through the electronic link in the intranet. Next to that by displaying the notice the process is carried out in any kind of prominent location so that employee should easily trace the Notice. Thus the Notice should be easily accessible to the employees. In that case by opting this recommendation the President of the Work Fair Commission will help to manage the issue of miscommunication of the employer with the employees. Thereafter the next change or the recommendation to be provided is the matter of timing. In that case, the change should be brought in case of the providing time before starting any kind of voting process. Thus the employer should provide an extended duration of access period to the employees. In relation to that, the employer should keep 7 days duration of the access period. In that period it is recommended that the employer should ensure that the employees have the detailed knowledge of the agreement for which they are voting for. Along with that the employer should also go forwards and provide the notification to the employees regarding the timing as well as the place of the vote and the proper method of voting. By taking this method of voting the employer can very easily find out any kind of mistake from the agreement which will help in the rectification. It will also provide the proper incorporation of the material within the agreement. Moreover, the employer should take the proper advantage of the access period so that the employer should go through all the requisite terms associated with the agreement. Again by this manner, the employee can have the regard towards the particular needs of the employees. And lastly, the President should take care that the voting process should take place by the end of access period. It can also be kept within the consideration that the access period should be within the 21 days after the distribution of Notice in between the employees. Conclusion The report has presented the key points regarding the implementation of the better off overall test for completing the approval of the enterprise agreements in the organization. Moreover, the report includes the description of how the implementation of the better off overall test is carried out by the Work Fair Commission in Australia. And the most important fact regarding the report is that it contains the best possible recommendations regarding the changes which should be undertaken by the Commission for the betterment of the agreement approval process. Thus it can be concluded that if President opts for the changes then the Commission will be able to find effective ways to provide approval for the agreements of the enterprise or activity or project. References Annink, A. and den Dulk, L., 2015. Employment Relation and Work-Life Balance in Europe.Stabiliteit en verandering in Europa, p.147. Bartling, B., Fehr, E. and Schmidt, K.M., 2013. JEEA?FBBVA Lecture 2012: USE AND ABUSE OF AUTHORITY: A BEHAVIORAL FOUNDATION OF THE EMPLOYMENT RELATION.Journal of the European Economic Association,11(4), pp.711-742. Bartling, B., Fehr, E. and Schmidt, K.M., 2013. Use and Abuse of Authority: a Behavioural Foundation of the Employment Relation (vol 11, pg 711, 2013).JOURNAL OF THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC ASSOCIATION,11(5), pp.1230-1230. Bogg, A.L., 2014. The European Convention on Human Rights and the Employment Relation by Filip Dorssemont, Klaus Lrcher and Isabelle Schmann (eds).Yearbook of European Law,33(1), pp.557-559. Dorssemont, F., Lrcher, K. and Schmann, I. eds., 2013.The European Convention on Human Rights and the employment relation. Bloomsbury Publishing. French, S., 2014. The European Convention on Human rights and the Employment Relation. Jensen, C.S., 2015. Employment Relations, Flexicurity, and Risk: Explaining the Risk Profile of the Danish Flexicurity Model. InThe Danish Welfare State(pp. 57-71). Palgrave Macmillan US. Kersley, B., Alpin, C., Forth, J., Bryson, A., Bewley, H., Dix, G. and Oxenbridge, S., 2013.Inside the workplace: findings from the 2004 Workplace Employment Relations Survey. Routledge. Lai, Y., 2016.Employee relations in SMEs: an empirical approach using the Workplace Employment Relation Survey (WERS 2011)(Doctoral dissertation, Kingston University). Lucio, M.M., 2015. Capital and Labour: The Shifting Terrains of Struggle and Accommodation in Labour and Employment Relations.The SAGE Handbook of the Sociology of Work and Employment, p.148. McDonald, P. and Thompson, P., 2016. Social media (tion) and the reshaping of public/private boundaries in employment relations.International Journal of Management Reviews,18(1), pp.69-84. Nettleton, S., Sebbens, T., Fairhall, H. and Firth, T., 2016. Stay agile: Managing employment relations in the new economy.Governance Directions,68(8), p.475. Nicaise, I., 2016. Access to employment and its relation to minimum income schemes in the EU. Palmen, H., Hilverda, F., Blokland, A. and Meeus, W., 2013. Pathways to adulthood and the relation between employment, education and criminal behaviour: A latent class analysis. Schtz, G. and Jacobs, A., 2014. Making Out All Right in a Triangular Employment Relation.Revue franaise de sociologie,55(1), pp.73-100. Schz, G., 2014. Making Out All Right in a Triangular Employment Relation: The Case of Outsourced Receptionists.Revue franaise de sociologie (English Edition),55(1), pp.61-85. Snyman, A., Ferreira, N. and Deas, A., 2015. The psychological contract in relation to employment equity legislation and intention to leave in an open distance higher education institution.South African Journal of Labour Relations,39(1), pp.72-92. Tan, L., Washington State University, 2015.Systems and methods for collecting and accruing labor activity data under many-to-many employment relation and with distributed access. U.S. Patent 8,959,594. Voorhoof, D. and Humblet, P., 2013. The right to freedom of expression in the workplace under Article 10 ECHR. InThe European convention of human rights and the employment relation(pp. 237-286). Hart Publishing. Zakaria, N.S. and Hashim, M.K., 2015. THE IMPACT OF EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS PRACTICES ON PERFORMANCE OF MALAYSIAN SMES: THE CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK.Editors, p.91.

Sample Essay on Vietnam War

Sample Essay on Vietnam WarA sample essay on Vietnam War is a good place to start if you are considering writing an essay on the Vietnam War. There are many excellent sources that you can use to help you learn more about the Vietnam War and its aftermath.To give you a perspective, there are those who argue that the nation's leaders were left with no choice, since the events of the war could not be avoided by political scientists, politicians or historians. They were forced to take the actions they did in order to stay in power.Perhaps this is the case, but there was a war going on within the United States as well, and a large area of the country was under military occupation at the time. Most political scientists will agree that the decisions made by the nation's leaders at the time were not good, as they led to the tragedy of the Vietnam War.Regardless, of where you stand politically, a sample essay on Vietnam War is an ideal way to begin to learn more about the war. Start by writin g down your thoughts about what you have just read in the essay. Write down all the facts that you can recall about the Vietnam War, as well as any additional information that you think might be relevant.In the final analysis, you should then consider whether your political views are right or wrong. Remember, opinions are usually based on personal experiences. Be sure to write down your opinions first and then decide for yourself what your opinion actually is.In this final assessment, don't hesitate to read more articles that are written on the Vietnam War, as well as other essays written by members of the armed forces. It is likely that these sources will reveal some of the reasons that led to the decision to go to war, as well as more recent views on the conflict. You should also spend time researching the official histories of the war in the United States.One last thing to keep in mind when looking at sources of a sample essay on Vietnam War is that it may be difficult to find a group of people who have direct experience with the war. You will also not know that stories that they will tell, since they are likely to have a lot of difficulty recalling. The best way to get firsthand accounts of the war is to talk to those who were there.If you think you will be able to find the necessary resources to write a sample essay on Vietnam War, start by looking for additional information in article databases on the Internet. Try searching for different topics on the topic. By doing this, you will have a good idea of the type of research questions that you will need to answer.

MIDDLE EAST Essays - Western Asia, Arabian Peninsula,

MIDDLE EAST MIDDLE EAST Regional Makeup- There are three main regions that make up the Middle East. The Fertile Cresent it includes the countries of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Isreal, and Jordan. It is a 1000 mile long area of, fertile land and is shaped like a cresent moon. Another region is the Highlands it includes the countries of Turkey, Iran, and Afghanistan.A sereies of mountain ranges stretch through these countries. They are the Taurus Mountains,Elburz Mountains, and the Zagros Mountains.A third region is the Arabian Peninsula it is bordered by the Red Sea, Persian Gulf and,Arabian Sea. Its land area is about 1 milloin squaremiles Saudi Arabia the largest country in the Middle East takes up much of the area. Much of the rest is covered by the Rub' al-Khali or the empty quarter. Physical Features- There are many physical features made up of water such as seas the Red, Mediterranean, Dead, Caspian, Arabain, and Black. Rivers the Euphrates and Tigris are the main rivers. Straits the Bosporus and the Dardanelles. Gulfs Aden, Persian, and Oman. There is also two plateaus the Iranian and the Anatolian and three main mountain chains Zagros, Elburz, and the Taurus. Deserts the Rub' al-Khali (empty quater). Lifestyles- If you lived in the Middle East you would probally not have much money and no material things. You have to work all day to survive the types of work you would probally be doing is herding sheep,weaving baskets,selling fruit at the markets,and trading goods. Languages- Pastro,Dari,Farsi,Turkish,Kurdish,Arabic,Persian,Hebrew,English,French, and Armenian. Major agricultural,manufactured, and exported products- Exports-Crude Oil,Petroleum, Services, Machinery,Diamonds, and Natural Gas. Imports-Motor Vehicles, Machinery,Food,and Crude Oil. Agriculture-sheep and fruits. The thing that interested me most about the Middle East is that if you are a muslim you must visit Mecca at least once in your life if you can afford it. That interests me because if you are catholic you do not have to visit Vatican City home of the Pope. Another thing that interested me about the muslim religion is that you must pray in the direction of Mecca wich is the most holy city in the muslim religion. Extra tidbits of information- In our textbooks it states that three major religions were started in the Middle East they were Judism,Christianity,and Islamic but I found out that a fourht major religion was also started there it is Zoroastrianism. The meaning for the word muslim is "Those who surrender to gods will" In sixth century B.C. the Persians overran the whole Middle East and set up a ruling system that became the model for all later empires.

The Sounds of the Unknown essays

The Sounds of the Unknown essays Try to create a music, which no one has ever heard. It is so broad, new, and unexplored even the creator cannot even place a name for it. As Derrik May put it, "We had to crack some serious codes, we did things no one else would do, played music no one else would touch. Those were some brave times" (Sicko 67). A name was finally concocted by a group called the Belleville Trio. May, one of the trio, stated, "We were calling it techno. Nobody really gave it that name. I think it was just the obvious title for the kind of music we made (Silcott 46). The actual word is said to have originated in Detroit, along with pretty much everything else having to do with it. So, what exactly is techno, and how has it had an influence? In order to comprehend techno, along with its simply deceptive grooves, and how its uprising has brought on a dramatic change in American as well as European culture, there must be a deep reaching with the mind alone into an electronic culture, along with le tting the influence run through the body. The life of techno is not nearly long enough to recap and write on for even a few paragraphs. There is hardly any sources on techno as well. But, anyone who is living in the twenty- first century can remember hearing the word or its vibe. Here is the beginning. A Roland TB 303 Bass Line Machine started it all. A DJ by the name of Pierre discovered a "crazy frequency sound" when he was messing with one in his home studio (Silcott 42). DJ Pierre ran the most fluencial group on the global scale, Phuture. The Roland 303 then became discovered as a inticing, great machine. Many of them were used and produced many of the first "Acid Tracks" (Silcott 44). Although the 303 was originally intended to provide bass lines for a practicing guitarist, it set the record, however, for the birth of techno (Silcott 45). Rarely known to anyone or anything, techno was a freakazoided, undulating, gurgling, psychedelic, ...