Sports Autobiography free essay sample

It was as if I had won the World Series. Next I would be touring the country, signing autographs, and riding on floats in city parades. Everywhere I’d go, locals would triumphantly hoist me atop their shoulders as I would wave to the adoring fans. I believed this all to be true. I was on top of the world, and a member of the red Aces, the winning team of the Ridgway, IL, tee-ball tournament. At five years of age, this was no small feat. It was the most significant event of my dear little life. I felt like a rock star, a five year old rock star. Even since with monumental moment, athletics have always played a large role in my life. It’s obvious that at a young age, I desperately believed that I was great at sports, whether I actually was or not. To me, I was the cat’s pajamas. We will write a custom essay sample on Sports Autobiography or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This sense of accomplishment is common at that age according to the Developmental Changes in Goal Orientation, which implies that effort equals excellence. Even before my tee-ball years, I remember playing sports with my family, baseball in the backyard, and basketball in the shed, depending on the weather. I had always been encouraged by my family, especially my mother who was a volleyball coach and had played several sports herself. She felt it was important for my sister and me to understand and participate in athletics. My mother would tell me stories of how my grandmother played basketball in the 30s in Tennessee. I was inspired by the women in my family and their experiences with sports. I wanted to be a part of something they were apart of and had thoroughly enjoyed. Oddly enough, it was my sister and I who excelled in sports, in comparison to both of my brothers. My family didn’t exactly fit the mold of the traditional gender stereotyping when raising sons and daughters. Parents give more encouragement to sons than daughters in sports. Girls reported lower physical competence in physical activity than boys,† (Brustad, 1996). I participated in sports at an early age because I had positive influences in my family, and because I enjoyed the challenge and the physical activity. By middle school, I began to excel in basketball. Playing for the Gallatin County Hawks girls’ basketball team, I was discovering my talents as a ball player. I played opposite Dana Pinkston, former Saluki women’s basketball guard. She was quick, agile, and very tough. She pushed me to be a better ball player. During this time in my life, I experienced both intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation, as described in the Self-Determination Theory. The Self-Determination Theory describes intrinsic motivation as challenge, skill improvement, and fun. Extrinsic motivation includes privileges, social status, recognition, and awards, (Deci Ryan, 1985). My intrinsic motivation included gaining more control of my dribbling, having more confidence on the court, and increasing my shooting accuracy. However, I was motivated as well by the attention I got from the coach and teammates when I performed well. I loved the feeling I got when people clapped for the team as we ran out onto the court. I especially wanted people to clap for me. Basketball was going very well for me at the time and I felt as if I had great potential in the future. During that particular basketball season, I spent several weekends traveling with my family to St. Louis for consultations with an orthopedic surgeon. It was discovered that I had severe scoliosis and might need surgery. I had gone to the doctor after an injury on my hip during the previous softball season and an x-ray on my hip had discovered my problem. Fortunately, it didn’t seem to affect my game, and wasn’t noticeable if you weren’t looking for it. In fears the scoliosis would progress, my parents thought it would be best to have a spinal fusion surgery. Halfway through the basketball season, I had spinal surgery at 13 years old. After the surgery, I was in bed for six weeks, and wasn’t able to exercise or do much of anything for six months. This was very hard, emotionally and physically for a previously very active 13 year old. I wasn’t allowed to participate in competitive sports for one year, but I was determined to play basketball again in high school. During my freshman year basketball season, I spent a couple of months practicing with the team as much as I physically could. It was apparent during the practices, that I had lost much of the stamina, strength, and mobility I once had. I had difficulty keeping up with my teammates, and it seemed my teammates would be frustrated with me for it. After a year following the surgery, I was allowed to compete in games. I wasn’t as good as the year before and I was very conscious of it. I very much wanted to regain what I had lost, and more. I wanted to be able to compete, exceptionally. My perceived competence was very low, but I had a high mastery goal orientation. According to the Achievement Goal Theory, goal orientation and perceived competence of one’s ability will determine their motivation. Goal orientation is not enough to determine motivation (Nichols, 1984, 1989). My motivation and goal orientation, determined that I had high motivation for excelling. I very much wanted to get back into the shape I had once been in. I didn’t play much at all during the rest of the season, and I had lost confidence in myself as an athlete. I felt so far behind and felt obligated to make up for lost times, so I made a goal that I would do anything to get the endurance and strength I once had. During my sophomore year, I began going to early morning practices, which were a volunteer exercise program, mainly for members of the boys’ basketball team. I and one other female attended these early morning practices and were the only two females at the workouts. The other female was a good friend of mine, and also an extremely competitive person. Since I was the only other female, it felt as if we were always in competition with each other. It seemed she always tried to beat me at all the drills. I soon let my goals become more ego oriented. I felt I was always trying to prove myself and my ability and began focusing more on being in competition with others, (Nichols, 1984, 1989). It was noticeable that my enjoyment of sports began to diminish. Not only was I participating in before and after school practices, I took up weight lifting class. I was gaining strength and becoming a better athlete, but was not enjoying sports like I had in the past. I began becoming ego oriented and obsessed with sports and being better. I was playing basketball, softball, and volleyball. In the beginning, I wanted to improve myself, but as the competition escaladed, I began working hard for to prove something to my teammates, coach, and for merit on college applications. My identifications changed, and for the wrong reasons. By my senior year of high school, halfway through basketball season, the burn out began to weigh heavily. A month left in the season, I got mononucleosis. All I wanted to do was play basketball, and again, a physical ailment prevented me from playing. It was probably a blessing in isguise. I think it was a sign that I needed to rest and re-evaluate sports. I began recovering as softball season began to roll around. The funny thing was I really didn’t feel like playing. Three years starting at third base, I just couldn’t do it anymore. I was completely burnt out. All I wanted to do was go home after school, eat dinner, take a nap, and watch wheel of fortune. That’s exactly wh at I did during the spring quarter of my senior year. Season after season of sports, I never allowed myself to rest, even after I had a serious surgery. It was rest that was well needed. I went to college and began participating in intramural basketball and softball. My goals and motivations were focused less on the ego and more on mastery. Maybe it was maturity, or the less competitive environment I was in, but I started to enjoy sports more than I had in high school. I seemed to care less about competing with my teammates or winning, and more about playing hard and having fun. I still had times when I let those ego beliefs take over, but then again, who doesn’t? Exercise and sport has always been a part of my life. Various experiences and challenges have shaped my motivation and approach to sports.

Once upon a time

Once upon a time there was peace between the people of England and the settlers of the American colonies. But as time went on and England began to take advantage of the colonies this great peace left and turned into a bloody revolution which would change the world. This revolution resulted the end of the great English power and the birth of a new country America. Before the actual fighting really started the relationship between the colonists and Great Britain was stretched out to the breaking point as the Americans Representation was very important to the American colonists. The Americans felt that they needed to be represented when issues were brought up that dealt with the welfare of the American colonists. England felt the colonists should do and act on how they felt. To England the Americans were a private gold mine. The colonists could only take so much before rebelling. The Boston Tea Party is just one example of the Americans being fet up with the suffocating grasp which the British held over them. Taxation without representation became a well known cry from the colonists that could The term sovereignty meant nothing to the Royal family which felt they had total control and overall power of the American colonies settled in the English name. But to the American colonists the term sovereignty meant they had the right to rule themselves as their own nation . Part of coming to the American colonies in the early days was the fact that you had certain freedoms that were not permitted in England. The people of America became used to these freedoms and were not about to change their ways when England needed the raw materials and the business. In England there was no such thing as a constitution. The word existed, but their was no piece of paper telling the people of England what rights they had and did not have. It was all knows in a sense by word of mouth. The Amer

Work Breakdown Structure in Project Management Essay

Work Breakdown Structure in Project Management - Essay Example Some of its advantages are the following: A typical construction project involves a WBS that evolves from an initial task that is successively subdivided into smaller work blocks until the lowest level is reached, indicating a tree-like structure. Subdividing the project breaks down the project work effort into packages that are both manageable and independent. It connotes that the lowest level of the package corresponds to the smallest project work, which requires the shortest completion time periods. As WBS shows the relationship of all elements of a project, a sound basis for cost and schedule control is provided. Some lists of project activities involved in WBS include budgeting, cost allocation, time allocation and management, and quality assurance. These are being ensured in the process of work packages. A well-designed WBS often consists of software, hardware, services, data, and facilities (Zachman 1987). Since WBS breaks down the work project into subdivisions in a tree-like structure, the classification format of work packages may include cost centre, fields for responsibility, activity numbering, and so on. A description of the tasks purported to be performed is generated for each element of the WBS, in which each task is diverse from the others. Due to its being process-oriented, the WBS approach is convenient for activity definition, which is the starting step for project planning. ... Due to its being process-oriented, the WBS approach is convenient for activity definition, which is the starting step for project planning. This phase involves several dimensions such as budget, cost, time, and quality, to name a few. A well-designed WBS enables it to easily assign each level of project activity to one terminal element of the structure. From its inception to a completed project, the period of a project's life involves cost estimating, budgeting, accounting, reporting, controlling, and auditing (Wysocki et al., 2003, pp. 137). Work packages involved in the WBS process should be defined in terms of construction methods, design, and completion requirements, which are to be accomplished according to performance dates (Pritchard 1999).It provides a classification system for project work packages according to client needs. A code designation as a means of identification and classification is assigned in each account of a contractor's accounting system, in which the most widely used cost codes are Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) and Uniform Construction Index (UCI) (Zachman 1987). They keep the construction costs within the established budget as well as develop equipment and labor productivity information to estimate the cost of future work. Clearly, the client's budget allocation is reflected in determining a classification system for project work packages. (Task: Let us say you are the manager of a new project to build a new supermarket. Create two WBS examples, one is done by Discipline, the second one is Phase.) Using the Discipline of WBS I am a manager of a new project to build a new supermarket, which in this paper is called Need Superstore. Developing a comprehensive WBS serves as the framework for the new supermarket project,

Statistical assessment of two research reports Essay

Statistical assessment of two research reports - Essay Example A few studies have compared care recipients’ and relatives’ perceptions of care quality in nursing homes as opposed to home-based care. However, a few studies have systematically compared how different stakeholder groups perceive the quality of care offered in different types of community-based older people care settings. Specifically, little is known as to how care recipients and their relatives perceive the quality of services offered in home care as opposed to nursing homes. Such comparisons could offer concrete information regarding quality aspects in need of improvement in each respective setting. In the paper â€Å"Relationships between coping, coping resources and quality of life in patients with chronic illness: a pilot study†(Study 2)- The original purpose of the study was to determine differences between two groups of patients with chronic illness (ESRD and CHF) regarding the following study variables: coping, sense of coherence (SOC), self-efficacy and quality of life (QOL). ... There have been studies where researchers examined relationships between coping and QoL, SOC and QoL, or self-efficacy, coping and QoL. But In these studies, there was no attempt to investigate the relationships between all four variables in patients with chronic illness.This study will consider all the 4 variables at one time and find the correlation between them. 2. Data Collection Method Study 1- All the older people receiving home help services, home care or living in nursing homes in these two municipalities were considered eligible for the study. However, older people not capable of expressing their perceptions because of severe dementia did not receive the questionnaire. The questionnaires were distributed by the nursing staff who were instructed to discuss the capability of each care recipient to reply to the questionnaire with their supervisors. Thus, the only reason for not receiving the questionnaire was severe dementia.All the individuals who were registered as a primary family member to care recipients were included in the study and are referred to as care recipients’ relatives. One relative per care recipient was registered as primary family member and therefore one relative per care recipient was invited to participate in the study. Study 2- A total convenience sample of 201 patients (125 CHF and 76 ESRD) was selected from the medical records in two hospitals in Sweden. The inclusion criteria were: 45–80 years old, main diagnosis of CHF or ESRD, lived in their own homes, read and understood the Swedish language, and that they were not in the terminal stage. Questionnaires were mailed to the recipients with two reminders, which resulted in answers from 64 CHF and 41 ESRD patients within a period of 6 months. Five of the CHF

Term Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 5

Term Paper - Essay Example Humans preserve life, as duty requires. Duty seeks to restrict the actions of humans to follow a certain direction. In a way, duty brings out the best of someone’s will. Kant depicts how a dealer interacts with his customers to illustrate how accordance to duty affects the will of a person. The dealer treats all of his customers, whether recent or patrons equally. He does so prudently to maintain his customer base. Utility is the greatest form of happiness a human can experience. According to the principle of utility, a person acts in ways that are most likely to cause him happiness. To the majority of humans, happiness is all about the absence of pain and the abundance of pleasure. Pleasure, as with any resource, is more desirable when it is in plenty. Quantity is more desirable than quality and is usually the measure of happiness. All humans are subject to this principle as they all attempt to achieve happiness in their lives. Another correlation that is similar to the relationship between pleasure and pain is that of vice and virtue. The desire of virtue is similar to that of happiness. Unlike happiness, the desire of virtue is not universal. For this reason, the pursuit of happiness is one of the motivators of human conduct but it is not the only one. The major issue of contention in developing laws is the issue of injustice and favoring one party over the other. Using a veil of ignorance, as Rawl puts it, lawmakers are able to develop laws that are just and fair. This veil ensures that there is no party that is advantaged or disadvantages as everyone becomes subject to social circumstances and natural chance. A veil of ignorance ensures that all the principles that dictate the law are arrived through fair agreement and bargain. Through the veil, justice has the chance to become fair. By thinking what might happen in the absence of a certain law, legislators naturally use to veil to come up with the laws. An example is that of a

The World According To Garp English Literature Essay

The World According To Garp English Literature Essay The story is set in the past. It starts in the year 1942, when Jenny Fields injures a man at a movie theater. The exact date at the end of the story, is somewhat more difficult to determine. Garp was born at the end of the second World War, I think around 1944 or 1945. He lived to be 33 years old. The book ended when he died, so that should be in the year 1977. It quite easy actually to determine, because of the books first line: Garps mother, Jenny Fields, was arrested for wounding a man in a movie theater. Altogether the story takes about 35 years. The story is set in a couple of different places. It starts of in the US, when Garp is at Steering school, where his mother is head nurse. When he graduates from Steering, he decides to go to Austria, to develop himself as a writer. He lives in Vienna for about 1 or 2 years. Then he returns to the US. Their he decides he finally wants to marry the love of his live, Helen. For quite some time he lives with Helen, in a house of their own. The exact location isnt known. When the accident happens (for a precise description: see the summary), they go to live with Jenny, who is taking care of them at that moment. The last couple of years they live at Steering school (again), where Helen is teaching English. The story tells us about the life of an extraordinary man, T.S. Garp. He is the son of the famous feminist Jenny Fields, which will hunt him for all his life (and eventually is an indirect cause of his death). In his younger years Garp lived at Steering School, where his mother was head nurse. As soon as he graduates, he goes to Vienna with his mother, where he resides for about one or two years. Then he return to the US, to marry Helen. They bought their own house and lived happily for a couple of years. Then Garp finds out Helen is unfaithful. Then the accident happens and the Garps move in with Jenny, who starts nursing them. When the family Garp was ready to live by themselves again, they bought a house at Steering, where Helen starts teaching English. Eventually Garp was murdered by a feminist (for specific details see the summary). The storys main characters are: T.S. Garp, Helen Holm and Jenny Fields. T.S. Garp: Garp is the lead character in the story. Actually it is his story (which is quite obviously concerning the books title). The story is that of Garps life. What happens to him, what people are involved, and how it affects him mentally. He is a strange man in some ways. His ideas of what is normal, and what isnt, are different from the common perceptions. On the other hand he is a real funny guy. His sense of humor is real good (which makes the book much more fun to read). Helen Holm: Helen is the daughter of Garps wrestling coach Ernie Holm. Garp met Helen when he started wrestling, and he always liked her. But Helen said she would only marry a writer. Therefore Garp decided to become a writer. When Garp returns from Vienna, he started to live with Helen. They got two children: Duncan and Walt. Helen studied English and taught at a university, before she eventually taught English literature at Steering School. Jenny Fields: Jenny Fields is the mother of T.S. Garp. She became famous by writing the first feminist novel. This will be a disadvantage for Garp for all his life. He will always be knows (even with the sales of his own novels) as the son of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Jenny was nurse a Boston Mercy Hospital during the second World War. There she met Garps father. When Garp was born, she took him to Steering, where she became head nurse. It was at Steering and Vienna that she wrote her famous book. She stopped being nurse as soon as she became rich and famous, and started working for charity. The books minor characters are: Duncan Garp, Walt Garp, Ernie Holm, Cushie Percy, Roberta, Ellen James, John Wolf and Dean Bodger. The message of the story is not so obvious in this story. You learn a lot about the different characters, what kind of people they are, and what theyre capable of. So maybe thats the message: people arent all bad, except some. You should always be aware of the dangers ahead. Thats what eventually killed Garp. But still, I think the author wrote this book to entertain people. He always making fun of characters, or making a quick little joke. I dont think he wrote it to learn the reader something. Its not that kind of story. The story ends with Garps death. Before he was murdered, the narrator says things like: If he noticed it, he might have prevented it. So he should have seen the danger ahead. He should have noticed something was wrong. Your Opinion Well of course, Garp is the most sympathetic character in the story. Besides him, Helen is always considered sympathetic by the narrator. So these two are the (main) characters, that I found the most sympathetic. Garp is a very humoristic man, but also a loving father and husband. He always good towards others, willingly to help someone if necessary. Helen is a somewhat strange woman. Is diffecult to explain in what way. Maybe she doesnt really show her emotions. But still, she is always kind and nice to others. The most unsympathetic characters are Pooh Percy and Mrs Ralph in my opinion. Pooh Percy is quite obvious: she kills Garp for some ridiculous reason. She jealous at him, therefore thinks her problems will be solved by killing him. Mrs Ralph is a lot less obvious. Her attitude isnt that of an unsympathetic person. But still, she neglects her son Ralph, and tries to get Garp in trouble by seducing him. Shes full of self-pity, and tries to get advantage out of others. When I read the story I was constantly surprised. You really dont know whats going to happen. Garp as a person is unpredictable, but his environment might be even more unpredictable. Thats an important element for the story, because it inflicts on Garps personal life. On the other hand, the story is full of humor. Not only jokes that Garp makes, but also events that take place. Irving writes with a great ironic tone in his story, which I consider is brilliant. My favorite part of the book is where Garp is trying to catch the child molester. The child was raped in the park by a man with a mustache, so Garp went of and soon he saw a man with a mustache: Garp yelled at the figure, an elderly gentleman with a white mustache, who looked over his shoulder at Garp with an expression so surprised and ashamed that Garp was sure hed found the child molester. He thundered through the vines and small, whiplike trees to the man, who had been peeing and was hastening to fold himself back into his trousers. He looked very much like a man caught doing something he shouldnt have done. I was justà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ the man began, but Garp was upon him and thrust his stiff, cropped beard into the mans face. Garp sniffed him over like a hound. If its you, you bastard, I can smell it on you! Garp said. Funny thing is, that the man wasnt involved in the rape at all. He was just taking a leak over there. Imagine, youre just taking a leak, someone yells at you, is sniffing your genitals and accuses you of being a child molester. Irving did make me aware of certain things, that I probably already knew before I read the book. The world is unpredictable, you dont know what lies ahead. This novel is a great example of what can happen. This message becomes clear by the storyline in the novel, but also by the short stories that Garp wrote. They are strange, especially the world according to Bensenhaver. This is a great example of strange things that can happen to you. But if this message is important? I dont really know. It probably is, but you dont learn this kind of ethics by reading a book. I gained by gaining more experience in life, not by reading a book. If I could ask Irving a couple of questions, It would be these: how did you manage it to make up such a story, where everything is unpredictable but afterwards explainable? Because thats the strength of the novel. Afterwards everything makes sense. Every event is for the sake of the novel. I would like to know if it was all Irvings imagination or he did it otherwise. why didnt you make the story that long? Its getting quite boring the last hundred pagesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Like I said, the last hundred pages are just too much. I think its also for the sake of the book. how did you manage to write a novel within a novel? You can see the similarity in Garps writing style and Irvings, but there are some differences. Is this done purposely, or not? C. Sumamry The story starts with the life of the nurse Jenny Fields. She doesnt like men and she loathes the feeling she calls lust. Because shes a nurse and cares a lot about people, she wants to have a child but she doesnt want to have anything to do with a man, she isnt searching for sex or a relationship, so it seems almost impossibleto get pregnant. But in a very special way, she manages to get pregnant. When the baby is born she calls him T.S. Garp because this was the fathers name, and the only thing he was able to say. She stops working at the hospital and finds a job, as a nurse, at Steering, a school for boys. Garp grows up there and when he is old enough he attends school there too. The Percy familie that lives at Steerings too, has a dog called Bonkers. It is not a very friendly dog, one day he bites a piece out of Garps ear. Stewart Percy isnt nice eather, he refuses to put the dog down. Garp doesnt care much for sports but he is obligated to preform at least one sport. His mother chooses wrestling for him and becomes friends with the coach. The coach has a daughter, Helen, and garp is fond of her, but she isnt really interested in him. Garp is a talented wrestler, but he decides that he wants to become writer and when he has finished high school, Garp and Jenny leave for Vienna. A few days before they leave, Garp and Cushie Percy, Stewart daughter, have sex in the infirmary. On their way there, Garp meets Bonkers and bites off a piece of the dogs ear. Garp and Jenny both start writing in Austria. Jenny is writing a book about her life as a nurse and her opinion on lust. Garp is about eighteen years old now and often visits the whores in Vienna. he likes women and sex and this is very weird for Jenny because she cant imagine why someone would enjoy anything like that and she finds it peculiar that her son can have these feelings while she loathes thins like that. Garp writes a lot to Helen because she promised him that if he writes something she likes, she will marry him. In the beginning he ony writes letters, the real writing of a book, hasnt really started. Finally he finishes a stroy called the pension Grillparzer Helen really likes it. She also read Jennys book and she really liked that too. Garp finishes a whole book, Procrastination. Jenny and Garp fly back to the U.S. and Helen and Garp get married. Jenny and Garp find a publisher for their books. His name is John Wolf. Jennys book turns out to be a huge succes. It is found to be a controversial book about feminsme. Jenny doesnt really like this label but she does like it that her book is such a succes. She has a lot of fans, including a group of women who call themselves Ellen Jamesians, after a girl who got raped and got her tongue cut off. The women have also cut their tongues off and arent able to say a word. Garp finds them really weird but his mom takes care of everyone. She becomes very popular, even the nurse dress she always wears is copied by many women. Garps book doesnt become as succesfull as his moms work but it isnt a failure either. Garp and Helen have a child, a boy called Duncan and Jenny and Garp move. Onde day, Garp hears that Cushie Percy has died in childbirth. He calls Stewart Percy to offer his condolences but what he doesnt know is that Cushie died motns before, and he is calling Percy on the day Bonkers died. Stewart thinks that tis is another one of Garps cruel jokes. Garp writes a second novel, called Second Wind of the Cuckold, the success of it is smaller than that of his first novel, and Helen takes on a second job. Their friends, the Fletchers, have marital problems and the Garps try to help them. But this doesnt really work out. For a while, Garp is involved with Alice and Helen with Harrison Fletcher. Jenny introduces them to Roberta Muldoon, she used to be a man and a famous football player but she got surgery and now shes a woman, and Jennys bodyguard. Garp and Roberta become close friends and play a lot of squash together Helen and Garp have a second child, a boy again, they call him Walt. Because Helen works a lot, Garp takes care of the house keeping. He cookes, cleans the house, does the laundry and takes care of the children. He is often very worried about them and when Duncan spends the night at a friends house, he doesnt trust it because he thinks the mom is verry sloppy and isnt able to take good care of her child. He goes there in the middle of the night and finds the house to be very dirty. The mother is drunk and tries to seduce him but he doesnt fall for it and takes Duncan home. One day he finds Helen reading a story written by one of her students, called Michael Milton. He isnt like Garp at all and that is what attracts Helen to Michael. An ex-girlfriend of Michael tells Garp that his wife is having an affaire. Garp is very angry and forbids Helen to see Michael again and tells her to phone Michael to break with him. He gives Helen the time for it by taking the children to a movie but he calls to their house to check if shes still home. When she doesnt answere the phone he drives home like a maniac though the weather is very bad. He crashes into Michales car, Helen and Michael are inside of it. Walt is killed and Garp, Helen Duncan and Michael are seriously injured. The Garps move to Jennys house and she nurses them. While the family gets well, Garp starts writing again. In his new novel he puts all his grief. While he is writing the book, Helen and Garp have a third child, a girl and they call her Jenny. John Wolf reads the first chapter of Garps new book, but he really dislikes it and doesnt want to publish it. Theres a woman called Jillsy Sloper, she cleans Johns office and he often gives her a novel to criticize it. She reads Garps new book and she doesnt like it but she isnt able to put it away and finishes it, something she rarely does, so John decides to publish the book anyway. John writes the jackets of the book himself and is afraid that Garp wont approve them. He is also affraid of bad reviews and he advices the Garps to go on a holiday abroard.They decide to go to Vienna and they have a great time there, until Roberta calls them to tell that Jenny Fields got killed, someone shot her. The Garps fly immediately back home. The funeral that is organised for Jenny will be the first feminist funeral ever, and not even Garp is allowed to come, but Roberta dresses him in womens clothes to make sure no-one will recognise him. But Bainbridge Percy, Cushies younger sister recognises him anyway. She accuses him of murdering her sister. Garp runs away and takes the next plane home. On the plane he meets the real Ellen James. She lost her parents a little while ago and she was on her way to see Jenny Fields. Garp allows her to come and live with his family. When he is back at steerings, the dean tells him that both Stewart Percy and Helens father have just died. The Garps decide to stay at Steering. Helen will teach and Garp will be the new wrestler coach. Jennys house is turned into a foundation supporting all women with problems that is runned by Roberta.. Garp wants to keep the Ellen Jamesians out of the house because he thinks theyre insane. One day Garp is training with his wrestling team in the gym. Helen is also there, she is reading a book in the corner of the room. Then Bainbridge Percy wakls in and killes Garp by shooting him. Helen lives to be quite old and never remarries. Roberta looks after Duncan. Ellen James becomes a writer. Jenny Garp outlives all the others and becomes a doctor.

Elie Wiesels Night :: Elie Wiesel Night Essays

Elie Wiesel's Night      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   "For more than half an hour he stayed there, struggling between life and death, dying in slow agony under our eyes.   And we had to look him full in the face.   He was still alive when I passed in front of him.   His tongue was still red, his eyes were not yet glazed.   Behind me I heard [a] man asking:   Where is God now?"      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The suffering of this child being hanged is comparable to the suffering endured by many Jews during the holocaust.   This quotation is found in just one of many heart wrenching scenes found in Night, a biography of the holocaust survivor, Elie Wiesel.   Wiesel stayed quiet about the holocaust for ten years and his reasoning for this was, "I didn't want to use the wrong words.   I was afraid the words might betray it."   This also may account for the fact that some of the sentences found in Night are very wordy and often are overwhelming to the reader because of the amount of significance found in each.   This flaw, though, is very forgivable under the circumstances.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Besides for the brilliant descriptions found in Night and the feeling that you were walking in Elie's shoes, if he literally had any, Night opens the readers mind to the atrocities of the holocaust and concentration camps.   We take for granted, today, our knowledge of knowing how many Jews were killed by the Nazi's and having a general idea of the kind of life people led in the concentration camps.   People never really stop to think about what it must have felt like not knowing what was going on or what was going to happen next.   Wiesel illustrates this very clearly at the beginning of his autobiography.   He shows the reaction of the townspeople when they first heard of Hitler and German troops and the optimistic approach they ecided to take on life.   This technique of taking the reader to life before the ghettos and the concentration camps is very interesting and unique.   Before reaching about the middle of the novel, the beginning may not really be appreciated.   The reader probably will not realize how much greater the effect is on him/her until he/she notices how much life has changed for

Succubus Shadows Chapter 3

I worked until closing that night and didn't get home until around ten. To my surprise, I found Roman on the couch eating a bowl of cereal while the cats competed for who could take up the most attention on his lap. Honestly, they seemed to love him more than me lately. It was a betrayal of Caesarean proportions. â€Å"What are you doing here?† I asked, sitting on the armchair opposite him. I noticed then that the last of the party untidiness had been cleaned. Somehow, I suspected mentioning that would result in him never cleaning again. â€Å"I figured you'd be out chasing Jerome's succubus.† Roman stifled a yawn and set the empty bowl on the coffee table. Immediately, both cats sprang off his lap to get to the residual milk. â€Å"I'm on break. Been following her all day, though.† â€Å"And?† My natural curiosity aside, I was uneasy about the idea of Jerome's authority being called into question. The arch-demon might annoy me sometimes, but I had no desire for a new boss. We'd come dangerously close to a leadership change when he'd been summoned, and I hadn't been impressed with any of the candidates. â€Å"And it was incredibly boring. You're much more fun to stalk. She went shopping for most of the day. I didn't even know stores would let you take that much shit into dressing rooms. Then, she picked up a guy at a bar, and, well, you can figure out the rest.† I rather liked the idea of Roman suffering while Simone had sex. â€Å"Figured your voyeuristic tendencies would be into that kind of pornographic display.† He made a face. â€Å"It wasn't good porn. It was like the nasty, kinky porn they keep in the back of the store. The kind of stuff that only really sick people go after.† â€Å"So no clandestine meetings to report to Jerome?† â€Å"Nope.† â€Å"Makes sense, I guess.† I stretched out and put my feet out on the table. With Doug incapacitated, I'd spent a rare day on registers, standing more than I usually did anymore. Unless I was mistaken, Roman's eyes lingered on my legs before returning to my face. â€Å"If she didn't see any immortal action today, she'd have nothing to tell on.† â€Å"Not until tonight, at least.† â€Å"Tonight?† â€Å"How scattered are you? Peter and Cody are having one of their things tonight.† â€Å"Oh, man. I forgot.† Peter loved to throw dinners and get-togethers and seemed unconcerned that I'd just had a major party of my own. As a nocturnal creature, his soirees always took place late at night. â€Å"And Simone's going?† â€Å"Yup. Mei's with her now, and I'll relieve her at Peter's.† â€Å"So you'll be there in spirit, if not in person.† â€Å"Something like that.† He smiled at my joke, and for the first time since he'd returned to town, I saw a genuinely amused sparkle in those teal eyes. It reminded me a bit of the witty, gallant guy I used to date. It also occurred to me that this was a rare non-antagonistic conversation for us. It was almost†¦normal. Misunderstanding my silence, he gave me a wary look. â€Å"You aren't thinking of wussing out, are you? Your day couldn't have been that hard.† I actually had been thinking of wussing out. After yesterday's drama and now my regret over yielding to Maddie, I wasn't sure I was up for my immortal friends' zany hijinks. â€Å"Come on,† Roman said. â€Å"Simone is so boring. And I don't even mean her activities. She's just bland. If you're not there to entertain me, I don't know what I'll do.† â€Å"Are you saying the rest of my friends aren't entertaining?† â€Å"They pale in comparison.† I finally agreed to go. Although, it wouldn't have surprised me if his interest in me making an appearance was just to bum a ride. Nonetheless, I was in a good mood as I headed over to Capitol Hill. It was a little weird having Roman with me and not with me. To continue his spying, he'd gone invisible and without signature. It was like having a ghost in my car. As usual, I was one of the last to arrive. The Three Amigos – Peter, Cody, and Hugh – were there, dressed in their usual attire now, rather than historically accurate costumes. That meant a perfectly coordinated sweater vest and slacks for Peter, jeans and a T-shirt for Cody, and business casual for Hugh. I held the door open a little longer than usual, to facilitate Roman sweeping in after me. From there, I took it on faith that he was hanging out. As soon as he let us in, Peter scurried back to his kitchen without a word. Simone was there too. She sat on the loveseat, long legs perfectly crossed and hands resting on her knees. Her body was slim with respectably sized breasts, clad in a black skirt and silvery silk blouse. Her hair was – unsurprisingly – long and blond. Most succubi seemed to think blond was a sure-fire way to get guys in bed. I considered that attitude a sign of inexperience. I'd been a brunette – albeit one with gold highlights – for a while and never had trouble scoring action. Hugh sat next to her, wearing the flirtatious face that was standard for him when it came to wooing women into bed. Simone regarded him with a polite smile, one she turned on me when I entered. She stood up and held out her hand. Her immortal signature smelled like violets and put me in mind of moonlight and cello music. â€Å"You must be Georgina,† she said. â€Å"Nice to meet you.† She kept that same polite expression, and I could tell it wasn't faked. It also wasn't mischievous or overly charming. Likewise, she bore none of the open hostility succubi had around each other, or even the sugar-coated passive aggressiveness that was also common among us. She was just averagely nice. She was†¦bland. â€Å"You too,† I said. I turned to Cody as I tried to identify the scents coming from the kitchen. â€Å"What's for dinner?† â€Å"Shepherd's pie.† I waited for the joke, but none came. â€Å"That's not Peter's usual style.† He was a great cook but tended to stray toward filet mignon or scallops. Cody nodded. â€Å"He was watching a documentary on the British Isles earlier, and it inspired him.† â€Å"Well, I've got nothing against it,† I said, sitting on the arm of the couch. â€Å"I guess we should just be grateful he didn't decide to make blood pudding.† â€Å"In Australia, they have a variant of shepherd's pie that has potatoes on the top and the bottom,† Simone said out of nowhere. â€Å"They call it potato pie.† Several seconds of silence followed. Her comment wasn't entirely off-topic, but it was just odd – particularly since she didn't deliver it in a smug, know-it-all voice that you found among people who always won at Trivial Pursuit. It was just a statement of fact. It also wasn't very interesting. â€Å"Huh,† I said at last, voice deadpan. â€Å"Good to know the name's accurate. It'll avoid any embarrassing confusion that might occur at dinner. God only knows how many wacky mishaps have happened when people ordered sweetmeats.† Cody choked a little on his beer, but Hugh gave Simone a high-beam smile. â€Å"That's fascinating. Are you a cook?† â€Å"No,† she said. Nothing more. Peter popped back in just then with a vodka gimlet for me. After last night's showdown with Doug, I'd vowed to lay off for a while – like, a few days. I suddenly decided I might need a drink after all. Peter glanced around with a small frown. â€Å"This is it? I'd kind of hoped Jerome might come.† Our boss used to hang out with us quite a bit but had been avoiding social events since his summoning. â€Å"I think he's got some business to take care of,† I said. I honestly had no clue, but I kind of hoped my vague allusion would trigger a reaction in Simone. It didn't. Peter put on a good spread as always, his kitchen table immaculately set, along with cabernet sauvignon to complement the shepherd's pie. I noted that Guinness might be a better pairing, but he ignored me. â€Å"Where are you from?† I asked Simone. â€Å"You're here on vacation, right?† She nodded, delicately lifting her fork. She'd cut her pie into perfect one-inch-sized cubes. It was enough to rival Peter's obsessive compulsion. â€Å"I'm from Charleston,† she said. â€Å"I'll probably stay for a week. Maybe two if my archdemon will let me. Seattle's nice.† â€Å"I've heard Charleston's nice too,† said Hugh. He apparently hadn't given up on getting laid tonight. â€Å"It was founded in 1670,† she said by way of answer. That weird silence followed again. â€Å"Were you there at the time?† I asked. â€Å"No.† We ate without further conversation. At least, we did until dessert arrived and Cody turned his attention to me. â€Å"So, are you going to help me or not?† I'd been pondering how Simone ever managed to score guys and if her use of adjectives expanded beyond â€Å"nice.† Cody's question blindsided me. â€Å"What?† â€Å"With Gabrielle. Remember? Last night?† Right. Bookstore Gabrielle who was only into Goth and vampire guys. â€Å"I didn't promise you I would, did I?† I asked uneasily. There were too many memory gaps from that party. â€Å"No, but if you were a friend, you would. Besides, aren't you some kind of love expert?† â€Å"For myself.† â€Å"And if memory serves,† said Hugh, â€Å"she's not even really good at that.† I shot him a glare. â€Å"You have to give me something,† said Cody. â€Å"I need to see her again†¦need something to talk to her about†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I'd thought his infatuation with Gabrielle had been alcohol induced last night – seriously, was there anything alcohol couldn't be blamed for? – but that look of puppy dog love was still in his eyes. I'd known Cody a few years and had never seen this kind of reaction from him. I'd never seen it from Peter either, but my friends and I had secretly decided long ago that he was just asexual. If vampires had been capable of reproduction, he would have done it amoeba-style. I racked my brain. â€Å"I saw her reading The Seattle Sinner the other day on her break.† â€Å"What's that?† Cody asked. â€Å"It's our local industrial-Goth-fetish-horror-S-angst underground newspaper,† said Peter. We all turned and stared at him. â€Å"So I've heard,† he added hastily. I glanced back at Cody with a shrug. â€Å"It's a start. We've got it in the store.† â€Å"Are you guys done with the boring love stuff?† a voice suddenly asked. â€Å"It's time to get onto the real action.† The new voice made me jump, and then I felt the familiar crystalline aura signaling an angel's presence. Carter materialized in the one empty chair at the table – Peter had set for six, hoping Jerome would show. Seattle's worst dressed angel sat back in the chair, arms crossed over his chest and expression typically sardonic. His jeans and flannel shirt looked like they'd gone through a wood chipper, but the cashmere knit hat resting on his shoulder-length blond hair was pristine. It had been a gift from me, and I couldn't help a smile. Carter's gray eyes glinted with amusement when he noticed me. Hanging out with an angel might be weird in some hellish circles, but it had become pretty standard in our group. We were used to Carter's comings and goings, as well as his cryptic – and often infuriating – remarks. He was the closest Jerome had to a best friend and always had a particular interest in me and my love life. He'd let up a little since the recent debacle with Seth. Carter might be commonplace to us – but not to Simone. Her blue eyes went wide when he appeared, her face completely transforming. She leaned over the table, and unless I was mistaken, her neckline had gotten a little lower since my arrival. She shook Carter's hand. â€Å"I don't think we've met,† she said. â€Å"I'm Simone.† â€Å"Carter,† he replied, eyes still amused. â€Å"Simone's visiting from Charleston,† I said. â€Å"It was founded in 1670.† Carter's smile twitched a little. â€Å"So I've heard.† â€Å"You should visit,† she said. â€Å"I'd love to show you around. It's very nice.† I exchanged astonished looks with Peter, Cody, and Hugh. Simone's bland demeanor hadn't lit up exactly, but she'd suddenly become 2 percent more interesting. She wasn't infatuated with Carter the way Cody was with Gabrielle. She was just trying to bag an angel. Good luck with that, I thought. That was ballsy for any succubus. Certainly angels fell because of love and sex – Jerome was living proof – and I'd even witnessed it once. But Carter? If ever there was a staunchly resistant being, it was him. Except when it came to chain-smoking and hard liquor, of course. Yes, things with Simone had definitely gotten more interesting. â€Å"Sure,† said Carter. â€Å"I bet you could show me all sorts of places off the beaten path.† â€Å"Absolutely,† she replied. â€Å"You know, there's an inn there that George Washington had dinner at once.† I rolled my eyes. I doubted there was any part of Charleston she could show Carter that he didn't know about. Carter had been around to watch cities like Babylon and Troy rise and fall. For all I knew, he'd personally helped take down Sodom and Gomorrah. â€Å"So what kind of action did you have in mind?† I asked Carter. As entertaining as Simone's pathetic flirtation might be, I wasn't sure I was up to American History 101 tonight. â€Å"I am not playing ‘Have You Ever' again.† â€Å"Better,† he said. Out of nowhere, Carter produced Pictionary. And when I say out of nowhere, I meant it. â€Å"No,† said Hugh. â€Å"I spent years perfecting my illegible doctor's signature. I've totally lost any artistic aptitude whatsoever.† â€Å"I love Pictionary,† said Simone. â€Å"I think I have some things to do,† I added. I felt a shove on my shoulder and glanced around in surprise, seeing nothing. Then, I knew. Roman apparently still wanted me to entertain him. I sighed. â€Å"But I can stay for a little while.† â€Å"Great. That settles it,† said Carter. He turned to Peter. â€Å"You got an easel?† Of course Peter did. Why, I had no clue, but after he'd bought a Roomba and a Betamax player, I'd learned not to ask questions. We split into teams: me, Cody, and Hugh against the others. I went first. The card I drew was â€Å"Watergate.† â€Å"Oh, come on,† I said. â€Å"This is ridiculous.† â€Å"Don't whine,† said Carter, his grin annoyingly smug. â€Å"We all take a random chance here.† They started the timer. I drew some remedial waves that immediately got a â€Å"Water!† from Cody. That was promising. Then, I drew what I hoped looked like a wall with a door in it. Apparently, I did too good a job. â€Å"Wall,† said Hugh. â€Å"Door,† said Cody. I added some vertical lines to the door to emphasize the gate aspect. After a moment's thought, I drew a plus sign between the water and wall to show their connection. â€Å"Aqueduct,† said Cody. â€Å"A bridge over troubled water,† guessed Hugh. â€Å"Oh my God,† I groaned. Unsurprisingly, my time ran out before my teammates could figure it out, though not before they guessed â€Å"Hoover Dam† and â€Å"Hans Brinker.† With a groan, I flounced onto the couch. The other team then got a shot at it. â€Å"Watergate,† said Carter right away. Hugh turned on me, face incredulous. â€Å"Why didn't you just draw a gate?† Simone went after me, and I hoped she'd get â€Å"Cuban Missile Crisis† or â€Å"Bohr's Law.† The timer started, and she drew a circle with lines radiating out from it. â€Å"Sun,† said Peter immediately. â€Å"Right!† she said. I glared at Carter. â€Å"You. Are. Cheating.† â€Å"And you're a bad loser,† he replied. We played for another hour, but after my team got â€Å"Oncology,† â€Å"The Devil and Daniel Webster,† and â€Å"War of 1812,† and theirs got â€Å"Heart,† â€Å"Flower,† and â€Å"Smile,† I decided to go home. At the door, I heard a wistful sigh in my ear. â€Å"You're on your own,† I growled to Roman in an undertone. I left amid protests about being a bad sport and considered myself lucky when Carter said they were going to play Jenga next. The drive back to West Seattle was quiet this time of night, and after parking underneath my building, I was happy to see that today's unseasonable heat still hung in the air. Being so close to the water had cooled it slightly, bringing it to a perfect nighttime temperature. On impulse, I walked across the street to the beach, which was actually more like a park: grassy with only a few feet of sand. In Seattle, there were few places that offered much more. Still, I loved the water and the soft sounds of waves against the shore. A light breeze stirred my hair, and those costly glittering lights shone in the distance. I'd moved here partially to get away from Queen Anne and its regular proximity to Seth, but also because the ocean always brought back memories of my mortal youth. Puget Sound was a far cry from the warm Mediterranean waters I'd grown up near, but it soothed something within me nonetheless. That comfort was bittersweet, of course, but it was an unfortunate tendency of mortals and immortals alike to gravitate toward things we knew would cause us pain. The water was enchanting, glittering in both moonlight and street light. I stared off at a lit ferry moving toward Bain-bridge Island, then returned my gaze to the lapping waves before me. They seemed to be choreographed into a dance, an alluring pattern that urged me to join in. I might not be able to draw, but dancing was an art I'd carried from my mortal days. The water beckoned, and I could almost hear the music it danced to. It was intoxicating, filled with warmth and love that promised to ease that constant dull ache in my chest, the ache I'd carried since losing Seth†¦. It wasn't until I was calf-deep in water that I realized what I had done. My high heels were sinking into the sand, and warm day or no, the water was still at a low temperature, its icy touch seeping into my skin. The world, which had before seemed dreamy and hazy, now snapped into sharp relief, no longer an inviting dance that promised comfort and pleasure. Fear sent my heart racing, and I hastily backed up, something that wasn't easy as the sand wrapped around my heels. I finally stepped out of them and reached down, pulling them up from the water and walking back to the shore barefoot. I stared out at the sound a few moments more, startled at how much it now scared me. How far would I have walked in? I didn't know and didn't want to think about it too hard. I turned and hastily headed toward my condo, oblivious to the rough asphalt against my feet. It wasn't until I was safely back in my living room – having locked the door behind me – that I felt some measure of safety. Aubrey walked up to me, sniffing my ankles and then licking the salty water that still clung to them. I'd had one drink almost two hours ago, a drink that had long metabolized out of my system. This had been no buzzed delusion – neither had last night's sleepwalking or near-balcony jump. I sat on my couch, arms wrapped around me. Everything around me seemed a threat. â€Å"Roman?† I asked aloud. â€Å"Are you here?† My only answer was silence. He was still out with Simone and probably wouldn't be back the rest of the night. I was astonished at how suddenly and desperately I wished he were here. My condo seemed lonely and ominous. Water had splashed against my dress, and I changed out of it, swapping it for the soft comfort of pajamas. I decided then that I wouldn't sleep. I'd wait in the living room for Roman. I needed to tell him what had happened. I needed him to guard my sleep. Yet, somewhere around four, my own fatigue overcame me. I stretched out along the couch, both cats curled against me, and gradually lost track of the infomercial on TV. When I woke, it was late morning, and sunlight warmed my skin. Roman was still gone. I hadn't been able to wait him out, but I was still on the couch. For now, that was the best I could hope for.

Why We Fight Essay Example

Why We Fight Essay Example Why We Fight Essay Why We Fight Essay Why We Fight, is a movie that examines the growth of the military industrial complex as well as the reasons that Americans go to war. If asked the question, Why do you fight? most of us would give the same answer, for freedom and to stop terrorism, but Jarecki, the director of Why We Fight, implores to us to dig deeper and introduces us to an America that is quite confused about their identity both at home and abroad. The film suggests that political and corporate interests are at the heart of the Americans post World War Two warmongering. In my opinion`, Why We Fight forces our attention to the true purposes of the American government and to show us that the threat to the USA is from the inside rather than the outside. I think he`s trying to portray the extreme danger to America`s way of life and democracy. Jareckis Why We Fight, takes its inspiration from President Eisenhowers final address to the American nation and warns us that the military-industry complex could outpace the control the republic has over it. Jarecki makes us realise that what Eisenhower described in the 1960`s is far worse today and frankly I agree. As a way to justify my opinion I would like to state some statistics. In 2008, the US spent approximately $12 billion monthly in Iraq, which amounts to approximately $5000 spent every second1. In comparison America does not spend that much on health care or education combined. Thus, I think that the virtues of American democracy and liberty have been overwhelmed by ravenous military spending and the ridiculous profits of military contractors. But, what I really find interesting about Why We Fight is that we see the words, thoughts and deeds of many American`s that have been touched in quite a personal way by the war. For example, one of the film`s most powerful devices is the use of lengthy interviews with people such as a retired New York City Police Officer who lost a son in the attacks of September the eleventh and a couple of bomber pilots who carried out the first air strike over the Iraqis. The bomber pilots fell great pride in their work for starting a war which I think is quite stupid because their pride has overshadowed their natural instincts of sympathy. I felt sorrow for the retiree because he had great pride in his nation but it was shown a cold shoulder by the Bush Administration and I`m sure he felt like a mere puppet rather than a person within the USA. I think that Why We Fight has pulled the curtain a little out of the way between the pillars of the present-day American military strategy and the American public. I realise that the US Foreign policy has been hijacked quite far maybe even too far and America has started her own road towards her downfall. I think the question is: Should the military-industry complex be reigned in or even more importantly can it be reigned in? I think Eisenhower stated the answer almost 50 years ago, it should be compelled and controlled by alert and knowledgeable citizens. But again can it be? I think that we have stop living life for ourselves in this age, and start thinking about the future of the world as a whole. Being a fan of history, I have noticed that great empires from the Roman to the British, apart from their greatness, share one thing in common: they lead to their own downfall. I think that we have to tackle America`s seemingly unstoppable war machine and make them change their tapestry of the past 50 years which compels America to continuously fight enemy after enemy. The first step in the process is the knowledge to citizens about the misallocation of power and I believe that Why We Fight has taken that first step in informing the public. We have to remember to keep persevering in the face of adversity. I think that the solution is simple: We have to prevent the strong from abusing the weak.

Oil Spills essays

Oil Spills essays An oil spill can be defined as an accidental or deliberate dumping of oil or petroleum products into the ocean and its coastal waters, bays, and harbors, or onto land, or into rivers or lakes (Holum 1977). Between one and ten million metric tons (one metric ton is 1000 kilograms) of oil are put into the oceans every year. The oil is released, most often, in small yet consistent doses from tankers, industry, or on shore waste disposal (Boesh, Hersher, et al. 1974). Tanker spills cost the United States more than one hundred million dollars every year. Spill frequency increases proportionally with tonnage carried, in a linear manner. Non-tanker spills also increase linearly and account for thirty percent of all spills. The Atlantic area near Europe averages eight spills a year, the American area seven, and the Pacific two. Spills of more than ten thousand metric tons account for about two and a half percent of total spills, and spills above fifty thousand metric tons occur on ave rage once a year. The average spill size is around seven thousand metric tons (Smets 1982). If left alone, oil spills will eventually break up naturally. The natural degradation is influenced by temperature, wind, wave action, the thickness of the oil, the degree of dispersion, and the oils tendency to form emulsions with water (Smith 1968). There are eight primary processes in the natural degradation of oil. The first step is spreading and motion. This step can be broken down into three smaller steps: gravity, viscous forces, and surface tension. Gravity initially spreads the oil into an even layer across the surface. Viscous forces then take over and account for even more spreading. The oil is finally spread into a monomolecular slick by the surface tension of the water. The second step of natural degradation is evaporation. The amount of evaporation that occurs is dependent on how far the oil slick has spread. There is ...

Critical Analysis of an HRD Intervention (Human Resources Development) Essay

Critical Analysis of an HRD Intervention (Human Resources Development) - Essay Example arning is defined as organization’s capability to disseminate, exploit as well as to create and generate knowledge which is an essential resource and also increases capability of organizations seeking to maintain a cutthroat advantage in present marketplace. There are two types of organizational learning. One is exploitative learning and another one is explorative learning. The capability to acquire knowledge unquestionably gives sustainable benefit for the organization. Organizations which are capable in creating or innovating fresh knowledge and maintain that knowledge as well as to transfer this throughout the venture are more prolific as well as more capable in flourishing than their counter parts and are less skilled at the organizational learning (Carnegie Mellon University, n.d.). The HRD research and practice describes itself emphasizing in three main areas in the organizations workplace which critically covers adult education’s importance of learning or following subjects like career development, organizational development and training and development (Fenwick, n.d.). Along with intervention, orientation holds supreme importance in the arena of human resource development. Orientation basically comprises of the scheduled program that one undergoes when he or she joins a new company. Human resource development orientation basically aims a new recruit to adopt with the organizational culture. The present day organization as well as academia provides increased emphasis upon the orientation segment within the discipline of human resource development. The essay focuses on the requirement and involvement of orientation within the perspective of human resource development. An employee orientation program is very important for making the employee comfortable with his new surroundings and also making them understand the work ethics, culture of the company. In my orientation program, I was given a formal introduction to all my co workers by our HR personnel.

How a person can fall into debt Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

How a person can fall into debt - Essay Example A person missing on one or two payments can kick start a process of never ending debt trap where enormous amount of charges in the form of late payments, mark-ups etc are charged which never subsidize to allow a breathing space to the person availing the debt. Falling into debt is not a new phenomenon as almost everyone in civilized world is trapped into this never ending vicious cycle of debt. There are various ways through which a person can fall into debt. These means include from economic hardships to increasing social pressures to maintain certain social status within a society. b. Living beyond one’s means therefore force individuals to look for money to match their lifestyle with those they want to match. Thus forcing them to incur high cost debt and when they fail to payback, a never ending spiral of mounting debt start to increase thus almost perpetually forcing them to remain into debt. Social as well as economic pressures on individuals force them to fall into debt. This falling into debt, in current world, is mostly done through financial institutions – banks especially which offer various products catered according to individual needs at high cost which ultimately put a person into perpetual