Bug Inc Paper

Intellectual Property properly safeguards those who apply for patent registration. It is especially important in the industrial field, such as that where BUG Inc operates, because it protects the research and development investments of the company. There are many legal protections that BUG Inc can apply for to accomplish this. The protections on Intellectual Property can fall under the ambit of Copyright, Trademark and Patents. Trademark is a very visible and wide issue because of the fact that it is seen in everyday things.Given the globalization of the world economy, it is now currently the most violated aspect of Intellectual Property Law at present. Under this legal protection, the owner of the trademark has a right to prevent any person from committing trademark infringement or any act that is not in good faith with regard to the use of the company logo. Trademark covers a very wide scope since it can be used for nearly any creation or icon that is protected by the trademark lic ense. It covers all signs and insignias that are directly connected to or related to the company that registered the trademark.As such, any company or firm cannot use such trademark without prior consent of the company which owns the trademark. In relation to the logo of BUG Inc, the corporation may file for trademark protection. Under this legal protection, the owner of the trademark has a right to prevent any person from committing trademark infringement or any act that is not in good faith with regard to the use of the company logo. Another legal protection that Bug Inc can apply for is a patent which is designed to protect the electronic recording devices that the company makes. The first subject matter to be discussed is that of Patent.There are basically three (3) types of patents that an individual can apply for. The first type is called the Utility Patent. This type of patent is given to any person who is able to invent or discover any novel and useful process, machine, and manufactured article or matter composition. It also includes any new and useful improvement of such. The second type of patent is the design patent. This patent is given to anyone who is able to create an original and novel ornamental design for any manufactured article. The third type of patent is the plant patent, which is given to anyone who invents or discovers any distinct new variety of plant.In this case, as long as the invention involves a new inventive step that has an industrial application it may be registered and issued a patent that gives the owner the exclusive right to utilize the object. 2. ) Given the facts of the case, it must be stated that there is a clear conflict under international laws in case Steve is found guilty. Under the principle of international laws, the imposition of criminal charges is not territorial except if such is a crime against humanity or has been recognized by international tribunals as among the list of crimes that are crimes regardless of location.For the case at hand, if Canada or Steve’s mother country does not recognize his act as a crime the United States will have a hard time prosecuting and charging him because he is of a different citizenship. The civil liabilities involved in industrial or corporate espionage depend on the laws of the particular state. One law, however, that is applicable in all states would be the civil liability that is derived from the United States Constitution.It has been recognized by a number of Supreme Court decisions that the right to privacy can be invoked by a corporation to a certain extent. This means that the act of Steve in transmitting the communications between the officers and employees is a violation of this right and he is thus civilly liable for damages. Steve may also be found in violation of the pertinent copyright and patent laws depending on the content of the information sent. If the correspondence contained sensitive insider information with regard to any in vention, then Steve would be in violation of the patent law.If on the other hand, there was no sensitive information, the act of hacking into the computer system is also an act that is criminally punishable. In addition to the criminal liability, there is a corresponding civil liability for damages as well. WIRETAP can only be held liable if it is sufficiently shown that it had a hand in the actions of Steve; a corporation having a juridical personality distinct from that of its employees, it can be held liable along with Steve if it is shown that it was involved in the aforementioned acts.

American Reform Movements Essay

When the United States was founded, neither women nor African Americans had civil rights. This all began to change in 1800’s when people began to fight for equality. The Women’s Rights Movement and the Abolitionist Movement, although different in leadership and protest, were similar in their motivation and spread of ideas. One key differentiation between the fight for women’s rights and for African Americans rights is the methods of protest and gathering. While women held conventions and occasional strikes, slaves organized violent rebellions and insurrections. In Lowell in February of 1834 Women were peacefully protesting the unfair wages and conditions they worked in. (Nash). In 1848 the first Woman’s Rights Convention was held in Seneca Falls (Abolition). On the other end of the spectrum, in August of 1831, Nat Turned and approximately 40 other slaves traveled from house to house and killed every white person they encountered (Nat). This shows a clear difference between how women’s rights and how American American rights were sought after. Another significant difference between the fight for women’s right and for African American rights was the people in leadership. In both of these movements, the key writers and leaders were usually white. This was obviously due to the fact that most African Americans were still enslaved; therefore, they often weren’t allowed to congregate and had no access to the tools necessary for writing and spreading information. Because of this, passionate white people took charge of both fights. Even some women became prominent leaders in the abolition movement. Angelina Grimke and Sarah Moore Grimke became famous for making speeches to about slavery (The Abolition). Other women who were active in the abolitionist movement became interested in women’s rights as well; women working to secure freedom for African Americans began to see similarities in their situation as white women and the situation of enslaved black men and women (The Abolition). African Americans did not have as much of an opportunity to fight for their rights which led to some leaders in the abolitionist movement who weren’t affected by it. One thing that ties both freedom movements together is their motivation. In the early 19th century, married women were denied rights to own and manage property, to form contracts, to sue and be sued, and to exercise legal control over their children. In addition, women were prohibited from voting or holding public office and were denied access to higher education and high professions (Nash). Married women had no legal identity apart from their husbands. Divorced women could not gain custody of their children. Similarly, African Americans did not have the right to own property or to exercise legal control over anything; additionally they could not vote in a public election and were only worth three fifths of a person in state representation. African Americans were deprived of a real education or high authority jobs. Both groups of people lived in very similar situations and were motivated by their lack of freedom to fight for their human rights. In the Abolitionist Movement and the Women’s Rights Movement, the use of pamphlets, newspapers, and books were very advantageous. Women wrote articles for Humanitarian Rights papers, circulated Rights pamphlets, and spread, signed, and delivered petitions to Congress calling for equal rights. In 1854 Douglass wrote the autobiography, My Bondage and My Freedom (Abolition). News Papers such as The Liberator made a large contribution to the gain in support for Rights movements. Both movements largely benefited from pamphlets, papers, and books in spreading their ideas. The fight for the abolition of slavery and for women’s rights shared many similarities and differenced. The Abolitionist Movement was much more violent and morbid compared to the Women’s Rights Movement. However, both movements were motivated by the same want and need for freedom and equal rights, and they both heavily relied on the spread of ideas through pamphlets and newspapers. Overall, both of these fights are a very important part in American history and contribute to future events including the current issue in communist countries such as North Korea to gain freedom from government oppression for all citizens. â€Å"Abolition, Women’s Rights, and Temperance Movements. † National Parks Service. U. S. Department of the Interior, 1 Mar. 2008. Web. 18 Nov. 2014. Nash, Gary, and Julie Jeffrey. â€Å"The Lowell Factory System. † Web. 17 Nov. 2014. â€Å"Nat Turner’s Rebellion- 1831. † PBS. PBS. Web. 18 Nov. 2014. â€Å"The Abolition Movement and Woman Suffrage. † National Women’s History Museum. 1 Jan. 2007. Web. 17 Nov. 2014.

Canadian Shield Case Essay

Using the Accenture document on governance presented with the Alcan case, place Canadian Shield in the appropriate quadrant. According to the Accenture document, I would place Canadian Shield within the efficient, predictable operator category. The slow rate of change and need to compete on operational efficiencies characterized by most companies in this quadrant is detailed by the following quote from the case authors. â€Å"Sustainability for Canadian insurance companies greatly depended on investments in projects that increased customer service and improved operational efficiency.† This comment is aligned with the predictable operator company practices and is evidence that in order to gain a competitive advantage in the Canadian insurance industry it is vital that operational efficiencies are realized through better IT solutions at Canadian Shield and its parent company, Assurance Centrale Inc. (AC). In the key decision going forward, is this Seamus’ call? If not, whose decision is it? Who should make the decision? Under what decision area(s) in the Weill & Ross governance model does this decision fall? As the leader of Information Systems at Canadian Shield, one of many subsidiaries of Assurance Centrale, Seamus Reynolds was tasked with piloting a new information system that could potentially replace the IS’s at all of Assurance Centrale’s regional offices. Five years after starting this project he was feeling the weight of the responsibility for a project that could eventually transform the entire enterprise. The executives at Canadian Shield and AC should have put together a team of knowledgeable IT professionals, business unit heads, and executives to make sure that the new IS would be selected, budgeted, and implemented properly. Instead they allowed one IT leader in a Calgary-based subsidiary to essentially determine the course of the entire enterpriseà ¢â‚¬â„¢s information systems. This type of decision making identifies with the IT Monarchy type of governance styles displayed in the Weill & Ross governance model. According to the model the IT Monarchy style allows IT executives to hold the right to make important IT decisions. A more affective mechanism could be put in place by AC in the form of an IT leadership council that includes corporate and business unit CIOs. What do questions 1 & 2 tell us about IT governance at CS? Is it appropriately structured for this kind of decision? As mentioned above, AC  and Canadian Shield both reflect signs of the IT Monarchy style of IT governance. It appears that by letting the same IT manager that helped create the existing problematic information system called ALPHA spearhead the project of finding its replacement was a conflict of interest. In an industry that is heavily dependent on gaining a competitive advantage through operational efficiencies and consistently delivering value added projects to the customer, it is essential for AC and CS to rethink the current corporate governance model. Across almost all of the major IT governance categories, it seems that CS and AC are either lacking elements completely or lagging behind current IT standards significantly. IT principles or high-level statements about how to use technology to create business value is non-existent in the Canadian Shield philosophy statement and hard to identify within the case write-up by the authors. Furthermore, the corporate IT infrastructure and architecture has become so archaic that the functionality of basic business applications is troublesome for end users such as insurance underwriters. Based on the previous analysis I would say that the IT governance in place at both AC and CS are not structured properly to make a potentially enterprise-wide solution decision. Both economic and gaming theories tell us how CS should approach the issue of sunk costs with respect to the â€Å"current† situation with ISS. Does the traditional view of sunk costs apply here? Sunk costs are costs that a company cannot recover no matter what happens financially in the future. In this case it is hard to the think of the million dollars and five years of time and resources as a sunk cost. However, to AC and Seamus that unfortunately is the truth. Since the proximity of the new ISS system being implemented is close and it has taken so long to arrive at this point, taking a traditional view of sunk costs will not be easy for the employees at CS. Despite this sentiment, it is important that executives remain objective when determining the future direction of the company. This project should be treated the same as if were any other business project such as a building and if it no longer viable it should be seen as a sunk cost and a new project should be selected for implantation. A sunk cost is not necessarily considered a loss however, if CS decides to abandon the ISS project that is exactly what it could and in my opinion should be. Here’s your obvious final question- what would you recommend and why†¦ As tough as it will be for Seamus, I believe that he should consider his IS project a failure and consult with the executive council in order to prepare the company for Request for Proposals (RFPs) from outside software vendors like AIS. The current ISS project is now five years old and almost 5 times  over budget and from initial testing end users find it complicated and not user friendly. This could lead to extensive training, ineffective and inefficient workflows, and further extensive development projects. Despite the previously mentioned hurdles to get the ISS off the ground, it is only given a 50 to 70 percent long-term success rate while the AIS was given better odds. In addition, the AIS solution is already proven to be a sustainable IS platform for insurance companies with the promise of successful Canadian market capabilities. It is unfortunate that Seamus will inevitably develop dissention between the IS professionals he works with as well as the potential lay off of many of his team members. However, business is business and if Canadian Shield and the rest of Assurance Centrale’s subsidiaries wish to capture a competitive advantage in the 21st century, an off-the-shelf solution such as AIS should be considered immediately.

Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Economics - Essay Example It is a type of RAM that retains its data only if it is continuously accessed by a refresher circuit, in the absence of which it loses its contents. All personal computers use DRAM, as against SRAM (static random access memory), because they are much cheaper and occupy much less space (PC Guide, 2001). Online technology news publication Network World reported on January 4, 2011, that towards the end of 2010 until the date of writing, there had been an oversupply of DRAM which sent prices to its lowest price in one year (Jennings, 2011). The situation was blamed on post-holiday oversupply, also sending prices for personal computers lower. 3.0 Analysis 3.1 Supply and Demand Demand is â€Å"a desire for a good, backed by ability and willingness to pay.† Market demand is the cumulative demand of all buyers (Dwivedi, 2005, p. 34). The law of demand is â€Å"all things being equal, the amount demanded increases with a fall in price and diminishes with a rise in price† (Marsha ll, quoted in Dwivedi, 2005, p. 35). In the article, it was mentioned that earlier in 2010 there had been a forecast of shortage for the DRAM. The forecast was based on a Goldman Sachs PC unit growth forecast made in March 17, 2010 (Telecoms Korea, 2010). Because DRAMs are major components of PCs, there was a projected increase in demand for DRAMs to service the higher demand for PC manufactures. As the market unfolded for the rest of the year, however, it became apparent that the forecasted demand was overestimated. Supply is â€Å"the quantity of a commodity which its producers or sellers offer for sale at a given price, per unit of time.† Market supply is the sum of supplies of commodity by all individual firms (Dwivedi, 2005, p. 47). The law of supply is â€Å"all things being equal, the quantity supplied increases with the increase in price, and decreases with the decrease in price† (Dwivedi, 2005, p. 47). In the article, it was mentioned that beginning December, as the holiday shopping season lost momentum, major semiconductor manufacturers continued to output DRAMs in large volume, purported to stay competitive. This was due to the earlier forecast of a DRAM shortage, for which companies increased factory capacity, that in turn required higher production outputs to even out the additional overhead and maintain a lower per unit cost. Figure 1 following is a graph of the superimposed supply and demand curves. It is evident that increasing price leads to an increase in quantity supplied and decrease in quantity demanded. The point at which the two curves intersect is the equilibrium point, representing the price at which the quantity demanded is equal to the quantity supplied, and transactions take place. It is at this point where the market is made. There are shaded portions of the graph where surplus and shortages are represented. The interest of this paper is the area above the equilibrium point, where surplusage, or oversupply, occurs. At these prices, the quantity supplied exceeds the quantity demanded, forcing the suppliers to lower their prices. Figure 1: Law of Supply and Demand 3.2 Oversupply (Surplus) Oversupply occurs when the quantity supplied exceeds quantity demanded. This would tend to drive prices down, because suppliers would tend to outbid each other in a price war

CURRENT ISSUES IN FINANCIAL REPORTING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 3

CURRENT ISSUES IN FINANCIAL REPORTING - Essay Example Such statements, however, have inaccuracies due to increased off-balance sheet activities devised by firms to escape legal bondages. In this case, the aspect of OBS transactions and their relative representation of economic substance in a business setup is explored. This refers to the structures put in place by corporate to reflect their economic reality for the purpose of facilitating various transactions including tax optimization. In the United States, the doctrine of economic substance is used to direct tax policies, with focus on reducing tax burdens on the given firm. Through this doctrinal setup, the validity and intentions of various organizational structures relative to tax-policy compliance are determined. It provides precise procedures used in computation of taxable income, and other deductions payable by a given entity (Jacobson, 2009; 3). Through court processes, various amendments have been made on the standard economic substance doctrine. Such amendments have been aimed at curbing unethical practices which may be motivated by financial gains. Through legislative reforms, it is widely acceptable that courts can deny firms or individuals from enjoying specified tax benefits if such transactions are ill-intentioned. By all indicatio ns, however, the application of this doctrine has been marred with several instances of inconsistencies, with courts challenged with determination of the liquidity of various entities. Such challenges in ascertaining accurate financial positions of firms have been compounded by the increasing adoption of OBS transactions, a prospect that has rendered financial statements of many firms inaccurate and unreliable in predicting financial position of the firms. One of the common ways through which firms promote off-balance sheet transactions is through sales of receivables (Molina and Preve, 2009: 653). Basically, accounts receivable are representative of sales that are yet to be collected.

Effect of E-Business on Marketing Strategies Case Study

Effect of E-Business on Marketing Strategies - Case Study Example Amazon.com becomes the first mover in the e-retailing market proposing a wide product range to diverse customer targets. E-business allows the company to connect customer service and good levels, increases customer satisfaction and decreases retention artistries. The main strategy is a virtual bookshop which helps the company to promote and sell its products to customers. Similar to traditional marketing, a virtual bookshop allows customers to review product details and analysis, read about the main characteristics and qualities. In contrast to traditional marketing, a customer sees only an image of the product. Following Archer et al (2002) "Various information systems can be used to process transactions, collect and analyze data. Technology-based tools have helped marketers perform their marketing strategies more efficiently and effectively in the traditional marketplace" (73). In contrast to traditional marketing, Amazon.com proposes a greater range of titles to choose from. Customers have twenty-four-hour access to book, table of contexts and reviews. They can order the book from any parts of the world and at comparatively low price. Also, e-business allows Amazon to establish a competitive price through lower transaction costs. Customer service therefore plays a pivotal role in e-business. Getting this role right, and to a standard of expertise that is superior to that of competitors and sustainable in the longer term, requires an in-depth understanding of the nature and nuance of customer service. Knowing customers means closing the loop between the messages sent to them and the messages they send back. The personalization of the service allows Amazon to create a core of brand supporters and increase its sales. Core information builds and provides access to the books catalogue (Turban et al 2004). The customer database also provides added-value informa tion. Core handling and processing maintains payment services between the company and its customers whether they be readers, publishers, resellers or authors. This function also covers shipping and delivery administration. From this configuration, the process of publishing and book selling became much more dynamic than the linear model that was the traditional industry model. The Internet has allowed each party in the process to interact with each other with more intensity (www.amazon.com). In contrast to traditional marketers, Amazon has wide possibilities to gather information about target groups and is able to make customer-specific recommendations, analyze their demands and needs. The customer database is used as a marketing tool in targeting existing customers and pursuing potential new ones. Amazon services (web-site and delivery service) are accessible for a large number of households and individuals. Delivering content gives more detailed information on an offer and goods; enabling transaction leads direct to a sale. Shaping attitudes can help build brand awareness, and solicit response. An advertisement may be intended to identify new leads or as a start for two-way communication (Archer et al 2002). In these cases an interactive advertisement may encourage a use to type in an e-mail address. In contrast to tra

Human resource management. Training and development Essay

Human resource management. Training and development - Essay Example It increases the level of individual and organisational competence and helps to reconcile the gap between what should happen, and desired targets and standards of performance; and what is happening and actual levels of work performance. According to Armstrong (2001): "training needs analysis is partly concerned with defining the gap between what is happanng and what should happen. However, it is necessary to avoid falling into the trap of adopting the "deficiency model" approach, which implies that training is only about putting things rights that have gone wrong" (Armstrong, 2001, p. 551-552). Training needs assessment is necessary to ensure an adequate supply of staff who are technically and socially competent, and capable of career advancement into specialist departments or management positions. There is, therefore, a continual need for the process of staff development, and training fulfils an important part of this process. Training should be viewed, therefore, as an integral part of the process of total quality management. Armstrong divides training needs assessment into three levels: corporate, group and individual level (Armstrong, 2001). A large number of organisations make some use of separate training needs analysis, although this is usually a periodic rather than a regular activity. There are many different ways of conducting such assessments, but they usually involve some form of survey, either by discussion or questionnaire, with managers. This does not automatically remove the problem of a failure to perceive the real needs, which occurs with annual appraisals (Beardwell, Holden, 2004). The same people are involved, and unless they are provoked by the approach into a different way of thinking, the probability is that their response will be the same as in the appraisal. One approach, which is somewhat broader than an assessment of training needs is to design a workshop for senior managers to work through what is needed to implement some of the strategic decisions the company has made (Reed, 2001). Part of this workshop would involve a consideration of the skills required against what they feel exists within the company. This can help managers to perceive needs which may otherwise be hidden to them, such as the many capabilities needed to manage strategic alliances, and the degree to which the managers who report to them have experience or knowledge that is relevant. Another approach is bottom-up feedback. This approach can be used in performance management processes, as a basis for personal improvement, and in order to gain a more objective view of company capabilities and areas of management weakness. They are particularly useful for measuring capabilities in management and interpersonal skills, aspects of a manager's behaviour which are experienced by others besides a manager's boss, peers and subordinates, and in some cases customers and suppliers. All the methods take readings from one or all of these groups of people, as well as requiring the manager to undertake a

Marketing Strategies Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Marketing Strategies - Case Study Example Factors identified that can affect the marketing strategy of the firm include; the marketing environment which includes everything from lifestyle changes to consumer education and the economic environment. Other than that the demographic environment with a special consideration to those who are interested in convenience eating , the cultural, natural, technological and political environment all play a key role in shaping the marketing strategy of this firm. The target market is an important consideration for any firm selling whichever product. A target market is the group of people for which a certain product is intended. It could be an age group for example products targeted for children such as Nesquik- a milkshake, a social class such as products targeted for the rich and status conscious like Rolex watches and a particular gender like Maybelline- it is a cosmetic targeted at women only. Other factors can also be brought into the picture and often integrated with other variables to form a target profile of the consumer. It is essential that the right target market is targeted so as to achieve the relevant objectives. If the right target market is not targeted any amount of promotional effort will not achieve marketing objectives and all efforts will go to waste. The target group for the product includes people who are health conscious and who are able and willing to invest in their health. They are also people who are willing to pay a premium price for the product therefore being loyal to the product. These are people who want a convenient lifestyle and are looking for on the go breakfasts which serve their nutritional purpose but are still not heavy on the stomach. The rising health concerns amidst the general public can be capitalized on and used for this purpose. It is expected that the target market will have some attachment for the product even though they have not been educated culturally on careful health choices.3 Market segmentation is the process of dividing a market into distinct subsets of consumers with common needs or characteristics and selecting one or more segments to target with a distinct marketing mix. Initially the world began with mass marketing. Products were targeted to anyone and everyone without any changes and modifications. This is exemplified by Henry Ford's model T example; ' in any colour they want it as long as it is black'. With time marketers have learnt that not all consumers are alike and they have different needs and wants. They need to be targeted differently and given different offerings to appeal to their taste. There are certain bases for segmentation that can be used to give a coherent and homogeneous cluster of individuals. These include geographic segmentation, demographic segmentation, psychographic segmentation and use-related segmentation etc. Not all bases are used at one time and only the relevant ones are considered. 9 The relevant segmentation bases for this product include demographic segmentation, psychological segmentation, and psychographic segmentation, use related segmentation and benefit segmentation. Therefore demographically the target market profile that we are looking at is an age group of 16-25, male and female, single and usually studying or just started working. Other than them young executives who have a busy and

Module Two Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Module Two - Essay Example Here is a generic form of function: 4. Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) formula is also represented as a function. EOQ is the number of units in an order that minimizes the total costs. EOQ is a function of setup costs and the cost of holding inventories. 7. Make or Buy decisions are the most important decisions made by the managers. Managers define the models as functions and then make decision for whether to produce the materials themselves or outsource them. 9. Forecasting of various variables can be represented using functions. For instance if we want to predict the next year profit then we will first find out the linear equation from the past data using regression tools and then we can simply put the value of the year for which we want to predict the profits. Sets are fundamental concept of mathematics. A set is a well-defined collection of objects. For instance, a set of people who have defaulted on loans amounting $500,000. The set theory involves operation related to sets (union, intersection and complement etc.). These sets are also vital for business applications. For example, let’s say that, The set theory has a limited usage in business world but set theory concepts provide a useful vehicle for presenting and discussing probability concepts. These probability mechanisms are applied thoroughly in business world. Fuzzy set theory is also an emerging concept that is being applied now days for business

Association football Essay Example for Free

Association football Essay Hi all i am new here. Was searching helps on essay and found this webby. nice one. My teacher just asked me to write an essay with the title [ my favorite sport game ]. So far as i know, on this case, we are suppose to write about [ why we like it ] instead of [ talking about the sport ] , isnt it? My teacher has given me the notes which are all relating [ talk about the sport ]. below are the notes given from my teacher 1. intro write about the game 2. what it is special about? famous in world , world class team, have won many championship 3. who are the special/outstanding players in the team? 4. what are their special abilities score alot goals, can run and driblle the ball - I am just disagree with the way of writing this essay. It is probably out of topic, if i am not wrong. However, i have done an essay based on the notes given. Pls check and remark for me. If possible, help me think of the REAL and BETTER way to write this essay. Your help is greatly appreciated, thank you. A game is an activity involving one or more players. Games are played primarily for entertainment or enjoyment, but may also serve as exercise. Everyone in this world has their own favorite games, so do I. My favorite game is football . I often play this with my friend in the evening. I like this game because it is exciting and challenging. Football is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players each. It is a ball game played on a rectangular grass field with a goal at each end. The objective of the game is to score by maneuvering the ball into the opposing goal. The winner is the team which has scored most goals at the end of the match. Football is played at a professional level all over the world, and millions of people regularly go to football stadium to follow their favorite team, whilst millions more avidly watch the game on television. A very large number of people also play football at an amateur level. In many parts of the world football evokes great passions and plays an important role in the life of individual fans, local communities, and even nations; it is therefore often claimed to be the most popular sport in the world. There are many worldwide international competition of football. One of the major international competitions in football is the World Cup organized by Federation Internationale de Football Association. Over 190 national teams compete in qualifying tournaments within the scope of continental confederations for a place in the finals. The finals tournament, which is held every four years, now involves 32 national teams competing. The next World Cup takes place in Germany 2006. The star I admired most in football is Edson Arantes do Nascimento, nicknamed Pele, is a former Brazilian football player and thought by many to be the finest player of all time. Often considered the complete attacking player, he was completely two-footed, a prolific finisher, exceptional at dribbling and passing, and was a remarkably good tackler for a forward. He was also famed for his speed and strength on the ball. Since his full retirement he has served as an ambassador for the sport. There is many reason football is my favorite game. I wish to become a professional football player. I learnt teambuilding, discipline as well as teamwork through playing football. A game is an activity involving one or more players. Games are played primarily for entertainment or enjoyment, but may also serve as exercise. Everyone in this world has their own favorite games, so do I. My favorite game is football. I often play this with my friends in the evening. I like this game because it is exciting and challenging. Football is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players each. It is a ball game played on a rectangular grass field with a goal at each end. The objective of the game is to score by maneuvering the ball into the opposing teams goal. The winner is the team which has scored the most goals at the end of the match. Football is played at a professional level all over the world. , and m Millions of people regularly go to football stadiums to follow their favorite team, whilst millions more avidly watch the game on television. A very large number of people also play football at an amateur level. In many parts of the world, football evokes great passions and plays an important role in the life of individual fans, local communities, and even nations; it is therefore often claimed to be the most popular sport in the world. There are many worldwide international football competitions of football. One of thesethe major international competitions in football is the World Cup organized by Federation Internationale de Football Association. Over 190 national teams compete in qualifying tournaments within the scope of continental confederations for a place in the finals. The finals tournament, which is held every four years, now involves 32 national teams competing. The next World Cup takes place in Germany 2006. The football star I admired most in football is Edson Arantes do Nascimento, nicknamed Pele. Pele is a former Brazilian football player and thought by many to be the finest player of all time. Often considered the complete perfect attacking player, he was completely two-footed, a prolific finisher, exceptional at dribbling and passing, and was a remarkably good tackler for a forward. He was also famed for his speed and strength on the ball. Since his full retirement he has served as an ambassador for the sport. There are is many reasons football is my favorite game. I wish to become a professional football player. I learnt teambuilding, discipline as well as teamwork through playing football.

Growth Of Islamic Fundamentalism In South Asia History Essay

Growth Of Islamic Fundamentalism In South Asia History Essay Islamic fundamentalism is not a new phenomenon. In recent times, it has acquired a militant and jihadi form. It has grown because of the failure of the ruling elite in South Asian countries in nation building and in constructing democratic polities. Successive regimes, both civilian and military, in some of the countries in the region have used Islam as a means to legitimise their rule. As seen in previous chapter that the Islamic fundamentalism has been well entrenched in Pakistans power structure for the last two decades or so, ever since the military rule of General Zia-ul Haq. Pakistan militarys alliance with the Mullahs was formed during this period. The conglomerate of six fundamentalist parties, the Muttahida Majlise Amal (MMA), controls the provincial government in the strategic NWFP, where it has already enforced a kind of Taliban rule. The MMA is also part of the government in Baluchistan. Subsequently Gen. Musharraf strengthened the Mullah-Military alliance. In the subsequent paragraphs we will study the Islamic fundamentalism in various other asian countries and pak role in spreading this fundamenatalism. PART I: ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALISM IN AFGHANISTAN Afghanistan and the Rise of Taliban Demography. Afghanistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia, bordered by Pakistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzebkistan and China. Its population approximately stand somewhere between 15 and 20 million people. The overwhelming majority of its population is Muslims, although a significant minority -between 10 and 20 per cent adheres to heterodox Sunni confession. The population is also diverse in both ethnic and linguistic terms. While two Indo- Iranian languages Persian and Pustho- are the ones most widely heard in the country, one also encounters speakers of Turk, Dravidian, Nuristani, and other languages. Afghanistan besides ethnicaly and linguistically, is also divided economically and spatially. Shaping of Fundamentalism Power Struggle the Root Cause. The Afghanistan is in turmoil since 1973. In 1973 Mohammed Daoud khan staged a coup, deposing his cousin king Zahir Shah and appointing himself as president. Daoud captured power with the help of Soviet- trained military officers, who were members of the Peoples Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA). On 27 Apr 1978, the leftist military officers overthrew Mohammed Daoud Khan in a surprise coup and Noor Mohammed Taraki came to power. Due to internal disputes within the Taraki Camp there was widespread killing of tribal leaders to extend control over them. Thus Amin overthrew and killed Taraki and made overtures to the USA. Russian Intervention. The Russian Intervention in Afghanistan played a crucial role for its subsequent control and a state of anarchy in the region. The reason for russian intervention in Afghanistan were as under:- Iranian Connection. During Oct 1974 The Shah of Iran offered aid worth $ 2 billion to Kabul and also give secure access to Iranian port of Bandar Abbas to the sea via Iran, there by reducing the Soviet leverage as the only alternative route for Afghan overland trade. The increased overtures of iran towards Afghanistan increased Soviet apprehensions. Inclination to USA. The Amin after assuming the power from Taraki made overtures towards USA. This caused Moscow panic and at this stage the Soviets decided to intervene militarily to stabilize the situation, instead the soviets got sucked into the war. Situation after Soviet Withdrawal. After the withdrawal of Soviet forces from Afghanistan in 1989. The number of Mujahideen faction who fought their Jihad against Soviet forces and communist regime of Kabul tried to capture the power in Kabul. The Afghan society was highly divided on tribal and ethnolinguistically lines at that time. The mujahideen warlords were also fragmented along these lines. As their communities interests were involved hence a consensus government could not be formed and neither a power sharing agreement could reach between them. The end result was anarchy in Afghanistan. Pakistan, which was a front line state for Americans and western nation for arms supplies to mujahideen during Soviet occupation of Afghanistan had now its own interest in keeping the Afghan disintegrated as it wanted it establish its own puppet government there, so it backed number of mujahideen groups but when they failed to capture the power in Kabul, it started the Taliban movement with Sau di money and US planning and Pakistans manpower. Pakistans Objectives. Pakistan objectives in Afghanistan are two fold. The first was to secure a receptive leader ship in Kabul which would ensure the transformation of Afghanistan into a Pakistan dominated, Pushtun ruled enclave and assist Pakistans goal of wider regional influence, and broader regional political, economic and strategic gains. The other was to enable Pakistan to enmesh the identity of Pakistans and Afghanistan Pushtun into one and settle once and for all the longstanding Afghanistan -Pakistan border dispute in line with Pakistans interests. These considerations assumed greater urgency after the collapse of the Soviet Union, which not only signalled the imminent end of communist rule in Kabul, but also opened up the potentially resource rich Central Asian Republic( CAR). Growth of Taliban Birth of Taliban. It is generally accepted by Afghanistan watchers that the Taliban had its birth in the rugged mountains of the Pak-Afghan border, inside Pakistan territory some time in Aug 1994. By early 1994 it became obvious to the ISI that the Burhanuddin Rabbani regime, not very friendly to Islamabad, was slowly consolidating itself in Kabul. While they were looking for alternative s, Maj Gen (Retd) Naseerullah Babar, the Interior Minister in the second Benazir Bhutto government floated the idea of creating a students militia along with some veterans from the Afghan mujahideen who had fought the Red Army and who had taken shelter in Pakistan. Gen Babar started his search for suitable leaders from around April-May 1994. In the process, he came across a certain Mohammad Umar Mujahid. Later widely known as Mullah Umar. By the end of May 1994 the basic infrastructure for launching the Taliban was in place. Around this time, the meeting with the Jamait Ulema Islam headed by Maulana Fazlur Rahman started bearing fruit in terms of deputing its students for the proposed outfit, which it proposed to call Taliban. Most of the Taliban are the children of the Jihad against Soviet Union. Many were born in Pakistani refugee camps, educated in Pakistani madrassas and learnt their fighting skill from Afghan Mujahideen parties based in Pakistan. Their families continued to live in Pakistan as refugees even after the fall of Kabul to the Mujahideen in 1992. The Taliban the Army of Islamic students -was raised from the madrassas on the Afghan Pakistan border. Sociologically, Pakistan had based this new revolution upon the segment of the fanatical and illiterate village mullahs- the land less and weakest section of Afghan society. They are generally orphans who prefer to live in madrassas for three square meals a day. Pakistani Connection. Many Taliban carry Pakistani identity cards, as they spent years in refuge camps in Pakistan, and thousand voted in the 1997 elections Baluchistan for their favourite Pakistani party- the Jamiat -e Ulema-I Islam. Moreover the Taliban recruited hundreds of Pakistani Islamic fundamentalist students to fight for their causes and were closely linked to Pakistans fundamentalist Islamic parties such as the Jamait -e Uleama Islam led by Maulana Fazular Rahman. Their social history also allowed them to be extremely well connected to many Pakistani state institution, political parties and business groups in what was already an extremely fragmented Pakistani power structure. Thus the Taliban were never beholden to one exclusive Pakistani lobby. ISI Support to Taliban. It is believed that the Taliban Shura and Umer are only a front and the actual thinking and strategy is provide by the former and serving members of the Inter Services Intelligence Agency (ISI) of Pakistan. It wold be difficult to explain otherwise how the students of madrassas, dedicated to religious learning as a way to life almost overnight became warriors. The improvised madrassas in the NWFP and Baluchistan would hardly be in a position to impart any military training, unless they have sound and organized financial and military backing. In any event, over the last two years Lt Gen (Retd.) Hameed Gul, former Chief of the ISI, has emerged as an important spokesperson of the Taliban movement. Large number of former Pakistani military personnel a have been spotted in Taliban camps actively engaged in Taliban activities. PART II: ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALISM IN BANGLADESH Brief History Formation of Bangladesh. Bangladesh emerged as a new state in 1971 after a protracted struggle for autonomy, which evolved into a freedom movement against the Punjabi-dominated military bureaucratic establishment of Pakistan. Religion and Constitution. Though the initial Constitution of Bangladesh unambiguously enshrined secularism, which was to be realised by eliminating communalism in all its forms, and the establishment of multi-party democracy as fundamental political values. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had spelt out the meaning of secularism in the context of the Muslim society. He had explained that secularism does not mean absence of religion. The people of Bangladesh would have the right to religion but nobody would be allowed to use religion as a political weapon. Islam in Bangladesh has been based on three types of religious beliefs: modern, orthodox and popular. A majority of the Muslims of Bangladesh practice popular religion that includes faith in pirs, sacred places, Hindu gods and local deities and spirits. The Jamaat-i- Islami had no appeal in the political environment in East Pakistan since 1947. In, the Jamaat-i-Islami had only one member in that part of Pakistan. Bangladeshs Drift Towards Extremism. However, after the military coup dà ©tat of 1975, secularism was replaced by the words Faith in Almighty Allah in the revised constitution. A new era of the relationship with Middle Eastern Muslim countries, brought Wahhabi ideology back home from Arabia and created a social ground and support base for future fundamentalists in the country. In 1988, another military dictator declared Islam the state religion of Bangladesh by amending the Constitution. To create an aura of political legitimacy as well as to win support from the oil-rich Middle Eastern Muslim countries, military regimes rehabilitated and eventually collaborated with Islamic political organizations, some of which were radical and fundamentalist in nature. 43 Both military regimes tried to overcome their legitimacy crises by manipulating the political issue of Islamic identity. In this way, the military regimes not only created the opportunity for the Islamists to be a part of mainst ream politics in Bangladesh, but they also made Islamization an agenda of the state and Islam the de facto state ideology.44Subsequent democratic governments could not overcome the religious ideology created by the military regimes. During the anti-military period of the 1980s, the two major political parties, the Bangladesh Awami League (AL) and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), continued to maintain tactical relationships with fundamentalist political organizations. The party that won the general elections in 1991 and 2001 formed a coalition with fundamentalist political organizations. The two of the militant fundamentalist organizations of this period that shocked the country the most were the HUJIB and the JMB. The mother organization of the HUJIB was located in Pakistan. Fundamentalist Acts in Bangladesh. Between March 6, 1999 and January 27, 2005, militant Islamists killed at least 156 people in Bangladesh. Bombs were thrown mostly at secular cultural gatherings, courthouses, and Sufi shrines. Worst among them were the bomb attacks at Udichi programs (a secularist cultural organization) programs, the Ahmadiyya mosque (a minority Islamic religious sect), Bengali new year celebrations, churches, movie theatres, the Bangladeshi born British High Commissioner to Bangladesh, and at the rally of the party of opposition. The bomb attack that shocked the country most was the blast of August 17, 2005, where 459 bombs were exploded in 63 of the 64 districts in the country between 11:00 and 11:30 am. There were also several attacks on secularist NGO (Non-Government Organization) activists and newspapers. Two militant religious fundamentalist organizations, Harkatul Jihad al-Islam Bangladesh (HUJIB), and Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), carried out these a ttacks. These two groups alone exploded hundreds of bombs throughout the country during this period in order to establish an Islamic regime in the country. In addition to these two groups, other militant Islamist organizations, active in this period that were also involved in similar violent and terrorist activities included, Shahadat al-Hikma, Hizbut Tawhid, Bangladesh Islamic Manch, and Hifajate Khatme Nabuwat Andolon. Pakistan Link. The two of the major and active militant fundamentalist organizations of Bangladesh are HUJIB (Harkatul Jihad al-Islam of Bangladesh) and the JMB (Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh). The mother organization of the HUJIB was located in Pakistan. The Pakistani HUJI had first appeared in the early 1980s as a group of supporters of the Afghan resistance against Soviet aggression, known as Jamaatul Ansar (Group of the Helpers). With the support of Pakistans Inter-Services Intelligence Agency (ISI), the group renamed itself as Harkatul Jihad al-Islam (The Movement for the Islamic Jihad) in 1988.53 In the 1990s it expanded its operations beyond Afghanistan, especially in support of the struggle of Muslims in non-Muslim countries. Shafiqur Rahman, an Afghan war veteran, founded the Harkatul Jihad al-Islami Bangladesh in 1992. The organization officially declared its existence at a press conference at the National Press Club in Dhaka on April 30, 1992. Presently there are approx 27 militant outfits in Indias Northeast that have ties with Bangladesh and its various religio-political groups. The ISI and Bangladeshs DGFI coordinate with ULFA. The influx of migrants from Bangladesh across the border into north-east India and West Bengal certainly poses a threat of Islamic militancy spreading in these regions of India as well. During the rule of the BNP-led four-party alliance between 2001 and 2006, militant Islamic groups such as the HUJIB and JMB received significant material and moral support from Islamists within the alliance. PART III:THE DANGER IN NEPAL Gen. Nepal is a Hindu kingdom but not a Hindu state and religious minorities have lived in the Kingdom without any discrimination. Over the last several years, the Kingdom, however, has been in turmoil. It has been plagued by Maoist insurgency and the struggle for end of monarchy and establishment of Democracy in the Kingdom. Both these major struggle were over by 2006. However the country had to think and work out the settlement before the maoist can be adopted and the new constitution can be enacted for the country. Though the country is pro India and anti Islamic Fundamentalism, but a disturbed situation has been exploited by the anti India countries over the years. The use of Nepal soil by the Islamist for causing disturbance in India have been established time again.The presence of militant Islamists on the India-Nepal border has been causing concern in the contiguous Indian areas. Geographical Realities. It may be noted that India has an open, porous border with Nepal, which is 1,859 km-long. There are almost 20 Indian districts that share the border with 27 Nepalese districts. The open border provides a free field to all kinds of criminal activities, like drug trafficking, smuggling, intelligence activities, fake currency, fugitives, etc. Matter of Concern. What has caused concern is the emergence of numerous madrassas and mosques on both sides of the border. The number of mosques is certainly not justified by the number of Muslims in the area. The madrassas are largely funded from West Asia. These developments too have serious implications for India. The 1999 hijacking of the Indian Airlines plane on a flight from Kathmandu to New Delhi, which ultimately ended with the release of three top Pakistani terrorist leaders, showed that the ISI had set up an active base in Nepal. Some Kashmiri groups belonging to Hizb-ul Mujahideen have been caught in Nepal trying to send money to Islamic separatists in Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistani presence in Nepal is reflected in the growth of madrassas, increase in Muslim population, floating of fake Indian currency and is helped by an open border and lack of monitoring system. PART IV: ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALISM IN SRI LANKAN Origin and Growth of Islamic Fundamentalism. Muslims in Sri Lanka are the descendants of the Arabs, who came about a thousand years ago. The origins of Islamic fundamentalism in the country, however, are recent and can be traced to 1990 when the Sri Lankan ethnic Tamils drove away Muslims from the Eastern region under their control. This forced migration increased Muslim population in the districts to which they had migrated. No effort was made by the government to rehabilitate these uprooted Muslim refugees, who had to live in poverty and misery. Over time, madrassas came up, funded by munificent Arabs. Frequent Sinhala-Muslim communal clashes began to take place. Shariat courts were set up and strict rules imposed on Muslim women in the Eastern areas. The situation in the Muslim areas deteriorated and Muslim- Buddhist clashes became a regular feature. Militant camps were set up in the Eastern areas where volunteers were given arms and weapons training in the jungles and they called themselves jihadis fighting a holy war for protecting themselves. Ironically, the government itself had provided arms to the Muslims in the early 1980s to protect themselves against the LTTE. Also, attempts were made on part of the government to use Islamic militancy as a buffer against the LTTE. The country has been facing the threat of Tamil Eelam. The situation in the Eastern province is a potential bloody cauldron. There have been reports of two Islamic militant bases in Valaichchenai. The formation of an Osama Squad in Batticaloa has also come to notice. All this indicates growth of extremist elements in the community. Pak Involvement. The ISI is keenly interested to collect intelligence about developments in Indian nuclear establishments, many of which are located in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. In this background, the appointment by Pakistan two years ago of a former director of the Intelligence Bureau as its High Commissioner in Colombo was not without significance. There has been an increase in the activities of Lashkar-e-Toiba in the Eastern province. PART V: ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALISM AND INDIA Fundamentalist Parties Post Independence. After independence apart from some minor outfits, there were two main fundamentalist parties in the country, the Jamiat-al Ulema-i-Hind and the Jamaat-t-Islami. The Jamiat-al Ulema, which had opposed the creation of Pakistan till the end, withdrew from Indian politics after the freedom and the framing of the Indian Constitution. While the Jamaat-i-Islami was divided after the emergence of Pakistan in 1947 and some members of the Jamaat, including its founder, Maulana Abul Ala Maududi, migrated to Pakistan, with an aim of creating an Islamic country. While the, members of the Jamaat, who stayed back in India, formed a separate Jamaat in April 1948. The leaders of the Indian Jamaat opposed secularism in all walks of life and decided not to participate in elections, and decided to opt out of the Indian political system. However Jamaat accepted the secularism in 1960s, though with some reservations. The Jamaat members from Jammu Kashmir have not been part of the Indian Jamaat and formed a separate party in the state. Growth of Islamic Fundamentalism in India. India is marred with a plethora of terrorist/ insurgency related problems, terrorism in Punjab, insurgency in its NE, Maoist insurgency in its Central Part, Islamic Fundamentalism in J K and till late LTTE influence in its southern part. However among all these the threat from Islamic fundamentalism by large, poses the most complex and significant threat to India. India comprises of largest Muslim population after Indonesia in south Asia. Islamic fundamentalism in the form of terrorism in India was initially limited to the region of J K, but today it has spread its tentacles to other parts of India too. The series of bombing episodes in Mumabai, Banglore, Hyderabad, Varanasi, the hijacking of Indian airlines, attack on parliament, mumbai 26/11, etc are testimony to the growing influence of Islamic fundamentalism in India. India clearly has become a target of jihad in the age of globalisation. Islamic fundamentalism is against democracy and equal rights for all citizens, irrespective of caste, creed, or gender. Its further growth will disrupt peace and stability in the country and in the entire region. Pakistan Invovement. It was well realised by various pakistani rulers and dictators that subdueing India with military might is near to impossible and a proxy war in the form of Jihad would accrue disproportionate result. Keeping this aspect in mind Gen Jia-ul-Haque implemented this plan during his tenure. This plan of destabilising India, was implemented through the ISI, an intelligence agency whose officer cadre is drawn from Pakistan Army which is considered to be the state Instrument of this policy, Pakistan involvement in creating and fostering religious extremist groups and terror organisations in Kashmir and elsewhere in India is well documented. PART VI: PAK INVOLVEMENT IN GROWTH OF ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALISM IN SOUTH ASIA Through our previous study it ha sbeen amply established that the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in Pakistan is not only responsible for the present situation in Afghanistan and in Jammu and Kashmir, but it also has far reaching consequences for all countries of the South Asian region. All South Asian countries are pluralistic and face at different levels, internal tensions and conflicts based on caste, religion, ethnicity, language and community, and these distort their national integrity and unity. Religious nationalism has made a great headway not only in Pakistan but also in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. It has made Pakistan a haven for Islamic terrorists, including Al Qaida, and it inspires terrorist activity in Kashmir. Some of the features of Islamic extremism in South Asia are: religiously defined national identity, undermining of democracy by promoting majoritarian theory and practice of non-liberal democracy and accentuation of international conflicts on ethno-religious lines, for example, between Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan and Hindu India and Muslim Bangladesh. The fundamentalists aim to turn the Muslim majority states of the region into Islamic states and start jihad in those countries where Muslims are in a minority. There is no accurate information about the exact number of madrassas in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and India. Many of these madrassas disseminate the militant ideology of Islamic fundamentalism and turn out militants. These contribute to the ongoing destabilisation not only in Pakistan but also in other countries of the region. The potential radicalisation of Indian Muslims is also a cause of concern. The Pakistan had the repercussions in other countries of the region. The major Islamic party, the Jamaat-i- Islami of Pakistan, and the Tablighi Jamaat and their militant offshoots has a strong presence in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. There is a wide network of Deobandi and Wahabi madrassas in almost each South Asian country and many of them are being funded by Saudi and Pakistani sources. Pakistan has been sponsoring a militant terrorist campaign in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir for the last two decades. Pakistans official agencies have been active in promoting militant groups in all countries of the region. In India, there has also been a visible increase in the activities of Pakistani-sponsored militant groups, like Lashkar-e Toiba and Jaish-e Muhammad. South Asia is the most complex region of the world in terms of religion, and is inhabited by the followers of all major religions. Islam, after Hinduism, is one of the major religions of South Asia. It has the second lar gest following (29 per cent) after Hinduism (64 per cent). Almost four out of every 10 South Asians are Muslims, and they form the single largest Muslim population in the world. Islam in the region has had to co-exist, ever since its arrival in the Indian subcontinent in the first century of the Islamic calendar, with a bewildering variety of religions and cults. All the countries in the region that emerged after Independence are hence multireligious, multi-ethnic and multi-linguistic. India is larger, both in size and population, than all the other countries of the region combined. It has also the largest Muslim population in the world after Indonesia. Conclusion Muslims constitute the majority of the population in three of the seven countries in South Asia, i.e., Pakistan, Bangladesh and Maldives, and they are also a significant minority in India, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. But Muslims of South Asia are not a monolithic community. Even at the height of the Mughal Regional Implications of the Rise of Islamic Fundamentalism in Pakistan rule in India, the Muslims of the region did not constitute a single harmonious community. They are divided in different Islamic sects, subsects and schools of thought. Though a majority of them belong to the Sunni sect, each South Asian country has a substantial number of Shias and other minority sects and schools. Almost every country in the region also faces unresolved ethnic, communal and linguistic tensions that at times lead to major conflicts. The terrorist campaign in Jammu Kashmir- waged mainly by militant Islamic groups sponsored and trained by Pakistans agencies and the disruptive activities of the Islam ic fundamentalist parties within Pakistan, therefore have wider implications and pose a major threat to the region. The rise of Islamic fundamentalism in Pakistan has had serious implications for social and political stability in the region and a highly volatile impact on relations among communities adhering to different faiths. References/End Notes

Differences Of Mermaid Myths From Cultural Beliefs English Literature Essay

Differences Of Mermaid Myths From Cultural Beliefs English Literature Essay Myth is traditional ancient stories which have actually occurred in a previous age, explaining cosmological and supernatural traditional of a people, their gods, heroes, cultural traits and religions beliefs (Leach 1975 778). This essay will compare relationship between mermaid myths from different cultural beliefs and its symbols which represent the inner meaning of each myth. It is certainly true to say that the idea of mermaids when first arrived into peoples mind is a mythology aquatic creature with female human torso; instead of legs, mermaids have tail of a fish. They have beautiful crystal clear voice, which seduced men to fall into the hallucination when they are singing. In other word, it could be understood that Mermaid themselves portrait the beautiful seduction of the female sex. Nobody could possibly stand the pleasing voice if any of them get close to the mermaid. This significant also has been taken as a theme, connotation, slogan or the meaning of some certain tales and advertising products. Though, there are some questions about the mermaid myth that have been wondered by mythological researcher. (Doty 2004 11) They have a broad presentation in different myths and folklores depending on those cultural beliefs. The appearance of mermaids can be differentiated up to the imagination and the message they want to send. As long as they maintain the female figure with dramatically long hair, it is a copy right of mermaids characteristics. Significance and meaning are broadly different as well according to a particular cultural mythology. Initially, the word Mermaid means sea woman. Mere is an old English means sea and maid from maiden, means woman. Males equivalent is Merman, where it could be recognized clearly the use of direct word man after mere, Mythological research. (Doty 2004 11) Unfortunately, the ideology of this aquatic myth is focused on the representation of womans enchantment and seduction due to the emphasis of appearance. Merman obviously does not play a big role in those issues. Besides, there is another dark story of mermaids attitude, where they would portray foxy planners. They are depicted to be squeezing life out of mostly sailor, while attempting to escape from sea storms. In some myths, mermaids also carry humans down to their underwater kingdom. These two ideas are more terrified than the first mermaid tale, but still emphasize on seduction. It is normal in term of classical myth to depict women as negative or passive models, said Marta Weigle in Myth and Mythmaking in Fantastic Literature by Women. (Shinn 1986 19) If women in mythology described as negative example, then Why is a mermaid not portraying as a creature with more masculinity? Since a holy spirit of aqua is a Goddess in Thai Pra-mae-kong-ka or waters spirit in Greek mythology not including the famous Poseidon. Anything associated with water should be translated to the meaning of softness. Women do not have masculine body constructed as men. They would not be able to intensively fight as the way male heroes did. Therefore, they have to use the ability of enchanting nearby men who lured by their stunning bodies and music. Greek mythology explains the characteristics of mermaid in similarity. Greek addressed the name of Sirens. Three dangerous bird-women lived in mysterious rocky coast, where they lure nearby sailors to enchanting by their fine music. Sirens portray as seductresses as same as the description of women in mythology. Women were sources of sin (Shinn 1986 110). Sirens sometimes portrayed in later folklore as fully aquatic and mermaid-like. They still sustain the figure of female who is the best in seducing human in every myth. witcombe.sbc.edu/water/artmermaids.html there is another mermaid myth in Japanese beliefs. According to old Japanese tale, Mermaids organs could give the miracle affection to people who desired in particular supernatural power. Anyone who ate flesh of a mermaid would achieve the immortality and vice versa A mermaids heart would turn back to mortal human. This mermaid myth is rather extra-ordinary to the ideology of Western mermaid. The ability of gaining immortality would persuade the dark side of human to hunt mermaid selfishly, as human is afraid of aged and death. However, there is a drawback to remind a sin of going against the nature. A person, who became an immortal, would live in the world alone for eternity. He or she could only watch their beloved people died as time passed by while he or she was the only one who survived for decades. That is the agonic pain human could feel without physical wound. (Doty 2004 15) Such myths that are embedded into the different cultures are the result of the fears of water. Regarding to Geoffrey Galt Harpham, the author of On The Grotesque: Strategies of Contradiction in Art and Literature, The grotesque is the concept without form: the world nearly always modifies such indeterminate noun as monster, objects or things (Harpham 1982 3). A byproduct of fear as a mermaid may be makes the figure of the mermaid a monstrous, an abject; a grotesque. Feared and unbearable, human invent a figure that represent their different suppressed fear; fear of oceans, fear of travelling or perhaps fear of women. Human in the presence of the fearful figure get what is called the temptation. Temptations are not grotesque not because they are hideous dragons and gorgons terrible beasts are not necessarily grotesque but because in the midst of an overwhelming impression of monstrousness there is much we can recognize, mush corrupted and shuffled similarities, (Harpham 1982 5). Due to these temptations, the abject, the grotesque human fear and cannot bear is in fact rather something familiar. The idea results in a cross over between human and non-human. To mermaids, theyre fish crossing over with human; the familiar with the abject. Even though Mermaids myth is broadly presented according to culture and belief, there are basic understandings of mermaid maintained. Mermaid could not be a mermaid if there is no seductive characteristic in any sense. The tale of different world becomes very well known narrative by media and the adaptation such as The Little Mermaid of Waltz Disney Picture. In the adaptation, the mermaid figure Ariel plays the protagonist who longs to explore the land above and eventually falls in love with the human prince Phillips while recuing him from a shipwreck. Difference leads to the struggling situation, and audiences love to consume the conflict within a plot. As the crossing over gets narrowed down into something forbidden, the mermaid figure in the narrative seeks to become human. She is then seen as a human being the protagonist and has humanly feelings. From the frightening image of a sea monster grotesque, the mermaid myth gets varied by the new identity as a protagonist who is portrayed as a young curious and delightful girl who can fall in love with the most forbidden condition; racial difference. Therefore, the forbidden love issue between human and mermaid appears to be the most famous genre. Within the Thai culture, according to Jit Phumisak, there are fewer stories about mermaids comparing to the western; although, mermaids have appeared in some Thai literatures. Most people might imagine that mermaid has half and half body between human and fish but in the very first Thai literature mermaid appeared as a snake in Li-lit-ong-karn-chang-nam (à  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ¥Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ´Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ¥Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ´Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¹Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ­Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ²Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ £Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¹Ã‚ Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã…  Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¹Ã‹â€ Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â€ž ¢Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¹Ã¢â‚¬ °Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ³) à  Ã‚ ¸-à  Ã‚ ¹Ã¢â‚¬ °Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ²Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¹Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ªÃƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¹Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‹â€ Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¹Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ «Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â€ž ¢Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ·Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ­Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ±Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¹Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã…“à  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ·Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ­Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚  à  Ã‚ ¹Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ­Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ²Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¹Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ·Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ­Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¹Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ µÃƒ  Ã‚ ¹Ã¢â‚¬ °Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ¢Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¹Ã¢â‚¬ °Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ²Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ ¡ à  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ­Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¹Ã¢â‚¬ °Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ²Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸-à  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ±Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‹â€ Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ±Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â€ž ¢Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸-à  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ £Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¹Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃƒ  Ã‚ ¹Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â€ž ¢Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ´Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¹Ã‹â€ Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â€ž ¢ (He, Pra-insuan rode on the white cow and use mermaid as a weapon) à  Ã‚ ¸-à  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ £Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ­Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ´Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â€ž ¢Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸-à  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ £Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã…  Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã… ½Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ² à  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ªÃƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ²Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ¡Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ²Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã… ¾Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ £Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ °Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¹Ã‚ Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã… ¾Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ £Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¹Ã‹â€ Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ ¡ à  Ã‚ ¹Ã‚ Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¹Ã‹â€ Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¹Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã… ¾Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã…  Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ £Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ¥Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¹Ã¢â‚¬ °Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ² à  Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬  Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¹Ã‹â€ Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ²Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚  Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ´Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬  Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â€ž ¢Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‹â€ Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ±Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¹Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ £Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ¯Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (With a power of mermaid he could destroy anything) Pra-insuan uses the holy white cow as his transportation and use a snake as his weapon but in this poem the writer didnt use the word snake but he used mermaid or nguak Which means that snake and mermaid referring to the same thing. This mermaids appearances are nearly like mermaids archetypes in general; although differentiate to fit the Thai literature world. The myth of mermaids is also used through a symbol by using its appearance and its characteristics. The symbolism of a mermaid that is widely known is the Starbucks Coffee logo having a twin-tailed siren in the middle surrounded by the green circle labeled the company name. Siren is a name calling for a creature having a half-fish, half-woman body in Greek mythology. According to the myth, sirens actually take forms of a bird or a fish but soon after, the myth stated as the siren was a fish-woman. The origin of the twin tails is a combination of a fish tail and a womans legs. Usually Sirens are hunting around rocks or cliffs. Additionally, they are believed to be daughters of the river Achelous and the nymph Calliope and usually they live in mountains. Basically, a symbolic figure of siren can have diverse meanings such as an inferior of women, a impure imagination attracted towards the beginning or the end of life, or a suffering of a yearning leading to death meaning though they ha ve a beautiful face and breast, they could not satisfy the craving occurred by their music and charm because of their atypical bodies. But essentially they give a meaning of temptations or seduction meaning the use of the charm to death. According to Juan Eduardo Cirlot, the author of The Dictionary of Symbols, The spell thus cast is attributed to the siren whose songs so captivates the listeners that he falls into the ocean (of the lower water and of nascent forms) teeming with multitudinous life. (Cirlot 2002 298) What significance of sirens is that they were given such a beautiful rhapsody which really the music has reductive and deadly sense hidden that anyone who hear the song may step into sirens places without knowing that he will be a prey of them. So this feature is what Starbucks company got the idea of the logo from the myth of sirens. The Starbucks logo was inspired from the invention of the name of the company. At first, the company name Starbucks was taken from the cha racter who is the first crew on the ship, Pequod, from a literature named Moby Dick. According to Sara Gilbert, the author of The Story of Starbucks, The striking green, black and white logo that adorns all the Starbucks products is a salute to the companys earliest incarnation.(Gilbert 2008 13) The name, Starbucks, is an intention of the company that every costumer reminds of a fascinating scent of a deep ocean. And that intention comes to a research on the symbol to represent of it, and so they come up with a twin-tailed mermaid or so called siren which was copied from a Nordic woodcut of the sixteen century. The first usage of the twin-tailed siren was the original symbol from the woodcut which the siren was having a Rubenesque body, showing its breasts and navel and wearing a crown. Also, apart from her breasts and navel, her tail symbolizes as a more sexual connotation openly. According to Howard Schultz, Dori Jones Yang, the author of Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Bui lt a Company One Cup at a Time, That early siren, bare- breasted and Rubenesque, was supposed to be as seductive as the coffee itself .(Schultz and Yang 1997 33) The company gives the significance of the siren as a creature who devour men to death, when compared to the smell of the coffee that the smell was like such a sweet song a siren singing which is, due to the mythology, having a seductive music and it seduces people who hear of it to come to its place or people who smell of their coffee would come to the shop. According to Bryant Simon, the author of Everything but the coffee: learning about America from Starbucks, With Schultzs approval, they drew her as a less seductive, less dangerous icon, more a sweet, mild-mannered mermaid than a sexually dangerous mermaid.(Simon 2009 42) Later on, the company changed the appearance of the siren logo by covering up its breasts and belly button to have less sexual connotation and it was redrawn by focusing on the sirens face into a sweet ly smiley siren than a dangerously seductive previous one. Importantly, the new siren logo gives a new brighter good feeling of a siren rather than a woodcut siren. Also they changed color of the surrounding circle from brown to green which is more nature conservative and it gives a feeling of more friendly along with the new siren than the preceding version and it is the one used in every branch until today. In conclusion, the mermaid myth has long been bounded to the civilizations of mankind. Each culture around the world may have its own interpretation of the mythical sea creature, but it is notable that all share similar features of half fish half human. The figure is often seen as the representation of the females dark side, for example the seductresses of the sea that lure sailors to their end in the deep water of the oceans by their beautiful deceiving voices. Or the scary mythical creature that holds the secret to eternal life and youthful that people are after with little knowledge of the consequence of their greed. The figure of a mermaid can be called a grotesque; the non-thing that stands for anything opposing human, all that is feared and disgusted by human. However, from another point of view, the mermaid grotesque can be seen as rather familiar to human as a mermaid features half of a woman body, and in some narrative come in contact with such personal side of the human lif e; love. Furthermore, the figure of mermaid can not only represent aspects of darkness of the femininity but also the humans mind in general, for example, seduction, sexual desire, fears, greed, religion or even forbidden sexual perversity. Different tales were told in many different narratives about the mermaid through space, time and media means.

Looking Out for Future Pain :: Pain Health Medical Essays

Looking Out for Future Pain Pain is a method used by the body to interpret the outside world. Our skin is covered with sensory neurons that are responsible for acquiring information about the body's surroundings (6). Some of the nerve endings involved in the pain sensing process are called nociceptors (6). Most of the sensory receptors and nociceptors come from an area near the spinal cord (6). The information from the sensory neurons is sent through intermediate neurons and is passed onto the motor neurons that are involved in a physical movement, or are sent to the brain (1). In the brain, the information is interpreted and behavioral and emotional reactions are created (6). The definition of pain used by the International association for the Study of pain describes it as a sensory or emotional interpretation that is produced when there is the potential or actual occurrence of tissue damage (2). Adults are able to verbalize the intensity of their pain and can help monitor the effectiveness of treatment when there is damage to the body tissue. How can adults interpret the pain in infants who cannot verbalize their experience? What concerns should we have when treating tissue damage in babies? What about the damage treatment of babies inside the womb? It has been noted that a newborn has sensory nerve cells that have a greater respond rate than an adult (4). With sensitive sensory nerve cells, the spinal response to a stimulus is also increased and lasts for a longer period of time when compared with an adult (4). The appearance of these sensitive nerve cells is found on a larger portion of a newborn's skin when compared with adults (4). These sensory areas are called receptive fields (4). The receptive fields help the nervous system keep track of where the stimulus was received (4). With a larger receptive field, babies are unable to pin point the exact location of the stimulus (4). Since newborns have very sensitive sensory nerves, the same response is produced to any stimulus without regard to the intensity (4). A newborn may react in the same way to a pinch as to a soft touch (4). The newborn will respond to non-harmful experiences as if they were potentially harmful (4). Questions have been raised about the level of sensation that the fetus itself undergoes when using surgery to address abnormalities in a fetus (1).

Abortion: Points Of View :: essays research papers

Abortion: Points of View   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is nearly impossible anymore to find someone who doesn't have an opinion about abortion, and probably a strong opinion at that. Yet the endless debates on the topic usually go nowhere, leaving the opponents even more committed to their positions and the open-minded observers confused. Both sides make a good case. An unwanted child is a pitiful thing, and the attendant social problems (single motherhood, financial destitution, child neglect, and urban overcrowding, to name just a few) do not have easy solutions. On the other hand, the thought of terminating something that, if left to run its natural course, would ultimately result in the birth of a human being gives all but the most hard-hearted among us cause for serious introspection.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One reason the debate goes nowhere is that each side focuses on a different topic. We make no progress because we are not talking about the same thing. The pro-abortionist prefers to discuss choice, and to dwell on all of the social problems inherent in an unwanted child. The anti-abortionist is interested primarily in protecting the life of the fetus. In simple terms, the pro-abortionist focuses on a woman's rights and the anti-abortionist focuses on a fetus' rights. Though interrelated, these are basically different topics.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Though neither side realizes it, there is actually much more agreement than disagreement between the opposing views. The majority on both sides would agree that social problems like child neglect and urban overcrowding are serious issues. Most would also agree that the life of a child is a precious thing that deserves the full protection of the law. There would even be nearly universal agreement that it is a woman's exclusive right to make decisions concerning her body. So where's the disagreement? The entire complex issue comes down to one question:  Ã‚  Is the fetus a person? If you believe it is not a person, then it is simply part of the woman's body and subject to her exclusive control. From this point of view, any attempt to diminish that control is a cruel infringement upon a woman's rights. If, however, you believe the fetus is a person, then you are obligated to protect it, even to the point of delimiting the actions of the woman carrying it. For you, the suggestion that this issue is a matter of personal choice is like saying that whether or not a parent kills a two-year-old is a matter of personal choice. The goal of these pages is to examine the abortion debate from several perspectives, focusing on the question of when the fetus' life as a person

Linen and Laundry Service in Off Premise

Different types of hotel in the Philippines Many people visit the Philippine Islands each year in order to enjoy its picture perfect views and Asian hospitality. Luckily, there are several types of hotels available in the Philippines that make it possible for anyone to afford a trip. Whether you're looking for student-budget type lodging, luxurious accommodations or something in between, the Philippines has got you covered. Luxury Hotels Luxury hotels are available across the Philippines and are an ideal type of hotel if you're looking for refined surroundings.They're a great option for honeymooners or anyone who wants to be treated like royalty for a while. This type of lodging facility will ensure that you are fully pampered and leave you feeling like your money was very well spent. Consider these top- rated luxury hotels located in the Philippines. Diamond Hotel, Manila This 27-story, five star hotel is located in Manila and radiates class and elegance. It's located in a great are a, Just minutes away from museums, parks, convention centers and shopping malls. Your accommodations, from the sheets on your bed to the towels in your bathroom, are guaranteed to be top-of-the-line quality.If you stay here, take advantage of the exquisite guestrooms, bars and restaurants. Location: Rosa Blvd. Core. Dry. J. Quintus SST. Manila 1000 Web: Demimondaine. Com Marimbas Blurter beach resort, Zebu Indulge yourself at the Marimbas Blurter Beach Resort in Zebu. Choose from rooms located on the beach wing (including bungalows), the garden wing, or the Mama Spa wing and enjoy authentic Filipino hospitality. This is the ideal hotel to book if you're looking for relaxation and deluxe accommodations. Location: Marimbas, Buying, McCann Island Zebu 601 5 Web: www. Blurter. Com. PH/marimbas/home. P Budget Hotels A budget hotel is ideal for business travelers and those who don't require frills and want to save some money. There is a variety to choose from across the Philippines and al l offer affordable rooms and Filipino hospitality. If you're looking for a comfortable bed and great bargain, opt for a budget hotel while in the Philippines. The Legend Hotels organization has hotels all across the Philippines, including the Legend Villas, Legend Palatal, Mayhap Manor, Cabana Cloacae, Cabana Cuba and Cabana Papas. Each one is owned and managed by Filipinos, which give them n authentic Filipino flavor.They offer value rates that make rooms affordable for many people and each room is different from the others. Location: 2650 A. Boniface SST. , Magmata City 1233 Web: Lighthouses. Com. PH SST. Alien's Inn, Magmata This boutique-style budget hotel in Magmata has a great sense of charm. It provides guests with basic amenities and is a practical choice for any traveler. Enjoy yourself in the inner courtyards and take in the classic architecture during your stay. Location: 7461 Scintilla Street, Poi del Pillar Magmata City 1230 web: Scintillating. M Hostels Hostels are the best solution for the budget traveler who likes to meet new people from all over the world. By staying at a hostel in the Philippines you can save a substantial amount of money each night, making the overall cost of your vacation much lower. Prices per person, per night, range anywhere from $5 to $50. Here are a few excellent hostels to choose from. Townhouse Manila You can't beat paying less than $10 for a bed. The Townhouse opened in 1986 and has served as a comfortable place to sleep for people from more than 85 countries.

African American History Paper Essay

Dr. Hardy’s view is that if you really want to understand slavery and know its full legacy and meaning you have to work with blacks. Dr. Hardy felt that even though slavery was so long ago we still feel the suffering and sorrow psychologically. According to Hardy, â€Å"talking about slavery may evoke feelings of shame and humiliation or anguish and rage in African Americans, while it tends to bring up shame, guilt, and denial in White people.† Dr. Hardy believes that even though slavery happened so long ago today both black and whites have negative feelings when the topic of slavery is brought up. The documentary that we watched in class called Africans in America: the terrible transformation is about slowly but surely piece by piece African Americans became enslaved in the US. Now to tie these together is very difficult. They are similar yet different subjects. The major topic that ties them together is slavery. What is most critical to understand especially when we consider the video Africans in America: a terrible transformation is that the Atlantic Slave Trade and slavery in America were invented to pull poor people, black and white people apart to keep them fighting one another making blacks and whites begin resent each other. I agree with Dr. Donald H. Matthews when he pointed out, in his book Slavery was â€Å"a violation of one of the greatest achievements of Western Civilization, namely, that one should never treat a subject as an object.† When we watched the PBS documentary Africans in America: the terrible transformation I learned about how slowly America was evolving into a country of slavery. Before life wasn’t perfect but it was decent not everyone was equal neither. Even not all white people were equal the classes were rich and poor. The blacks and the poor whites were on the same level/class and they began to fight though like I said earlier. There aren’t many differences between the documentary and the book that Dr. Hardy wrote but I can name a couple. The documentary looks at the past and how it evolved. While the book looks at the future/present and how we are affected now. Even though these very different they bring together the same idea that slavery has a big effect.

The Return: Nightfall Chapter 17

In the first days after she'd come back from the afterlife, Stefan had always put her to bed early, made sure she was warm, and then allowed her to work on his computer with her, writing a diary of sorts, with her thoughts on what had happened that day, always adding his impressions. Now she called up the file desperately, and desperately scrolled to the end. And there it was. My dearest Elena, I knew you would look here sooner or later. I hope it was sooner. Darling, I believe that you're able to take care of yourself now, and I've never seen a stronger or more independent girl. And that means it's time. Time for me to go. I can't stay any longer without turning you into a vampire again – something we both know can't happen. Please forgive me. Please forget me. Oh, love, I don't want to go, but I have to. If you need help, I've gotten Damon to give his word to protect you. He would never hurt you, and whatever mischief is going on in Fell's Church won't dare touch you with him around. My darling, my angel, I'll always love you†¦. Stefan P.S. To help you go on with your real life, I've left money to pay Mrs. Flowers for the room for the next year. Also, I've left you $20,000 in hundred-dollar bills under the second floorboard from the wall, across from the bed. Use it to build a new future, with whomever you choose. Again, if you need anything, Damon will help you. Trust his judgement if you're in need of advice. Oh, lovely little love, how can I go? Even for your own sake? Elena finished the letter. And then she just sat there. After all her hunting, she'd found the answer. And she didn't know what to do now but scream. If you need help go to Damon†¦. Trust Damon's judgment†¦.It couldn't be a more blatant ad for Damon if Damon had written it himself. And Stefan was gone. And his clothes were gone. And his boots were gone. He'd left her. Make a new life†¦. And that was how Bonnie and Meredith found her, alarmed by an hour-long bounce-back of their telephone calls. It was the first time they hadn't been able to get through to Stefan since he'd arrived, at their request, to slay a monster. But that monster was now dead, and Elena†¦ Elena was sitting in front of Stefan's closet. â€Å"He even took his shoes,† she said emotionlessly, softly. â€Å"He took everything. But he paid for the room for a year. And yesterday morning he bought me a Jaguar.† â€Å"Elena – â€Å" â€Å"Don't you see?† Elena cried. â€Å"Thisis my Awakening. Bonnie predicted that it would be sharp and sudden and that I would need both of you. And Matt?† â€Å"He wasn't mentioned by name,† Bonnie said gloomily. â€Å"But I think we'll need his help,† Meredith said grimly. â€Å"When Stefan and I were first together – beforeI became a vampire – I always knew,† Elena whispered, â€Å"that there would come a time when he would try to leave me for my own good.† Suddenly she hit the floor with her fist, hard enough to hurt herself. â€Å"I knew, but I thought I would be there to talk him out of it! He's so noble – so self-sacrificing! And now – he'sgone .† â€Å"You really don't care,† Meredith said quietly, watching her, â€Å"whether you stay human or become a vampire.† â€Å"You're right – Idon't care! I don't care about anything, as long as I can be with him. When I was still half a spirit, I knew that nothing could Change me. Now I'm human and as susceptible as any other human to the Change – but it doesn't matter.† â€Å"Maybe that's the Awakening,† Meredith said, still quietly. â€Å"Oh, maybe him not bringing her breakfast is an awakening!† Bonnie, said, exasperated. She'd been staring into a flame for more than thirty minutes, trying to get psychically in touch with Stefan. â€Å"Either he won't – or he can't,† she said, not seeing Meredith's violently shaking head until after the words were out. â€Å"What do you mean  ¡Ã‚ ®can't'?† Elena demanded, popping back off the floor from where she was slumped. â€Å"I don't know! Elena, you're hurting me!† â€Å"Is he in danger? Think, Bonnie! Is he going to be hurt because of me?† Bonnie looked at Meredith, who was telegraphing â€Å"no† with every inch of her elegant body. Then she looked at Elena, who was demanding the truth. She shut her eyes. â€Å"I'm not sure,† she said. She opened her eyes slowly, waiting for Elena to explode. But Elena did nothing of the kind. She merely shut her own eyes slowly, her lips hardening. â€Å"A long time ago, I swore I'd have him, even if it killed us both,† she said quietly. â€Å"If he thinks he can just walk away from me, for my own good or for any other reason†¦he's wrong. I'll go to Damon first, since Stefan seems to want it so much. And then I'm going after him. Someone will give me a direction to start in. He left me twenty thousand dollars. I'll use that to follow him. And if the car breaks down, I'll walk; and when I can't walk anymore, I'll crawl. But Iwill find him.† â€Å"Not alone, you won't,† Meredith said, in her soft, reassuring way. â€Å"We're with you, Elena.† â€Å"And then, if he's done this of his own free will, he's going to get the bitch-slapping of hislife .† â€Å"Whatever you want, Elena,† Meredith said, still soothingly. â€Å"Let's just find him first.† â€Å"All for one and one for all!† Bonnie exclaimed. â€Å"We'll get him back and we'll make him sorry – or we won't,† she added hastily as Meredith again began shaking her head. â€Å"Elena, don't! Don't cry,† she added, the instant before Elena burst into tears. â€Å"So Damon was the one to say he'd take care of Elena, and Damon should have been the one last to see Stefan this morning,† Matt said, when he had been fetched from his house and the situation was explained to him. â€Å"Yes,† Elena said with quiet certainty. â€Å"But Matt, you're wrong if you think Damon would do anything to keep Stefan away from me. Damon's not what you all think. He really was trying to save Bonnie that night. And he truly felt hurt when you all hated him.† â€Å"This is what is called  ¡Ã‚ ®evidence of motive,' I think,† Meredith remarked. â€Å"No. It's character evidence – evidence that Damondoes have feelings, that he can care for human beings,† Elena countered. â€Å"And he would never hurt Stefan, because – well, because of me. He knows how I would feel.† â€Å"Well, why won't he answer me, then?† Bonnie said querulously. â€Å"Maybe because the last time he saw us all together, we were glaring at him as if we hated him,† said Meredith, who was always fair. â€Å"Tell him I beg his pardon,† Elena said. â€Å"Tell him that I want to talk with him.† â€Å"I feel like a communications satellite,† Bonnie complained, but she clearly put all her heart and strength into each call. At last, she looked completely wrung out and exhausted. And, at last, even Elena had to admit it was no good. â€Å"Maybe he'll come to his senses and start callingyou ,† Bonnie said. â€Å"Maybe tomorrow.† â€Å"We're going to stay with you tonight,† Meredith said. â€Å"Bonnie, I called your sister and told her you'd be with me. Now I'm going to call my dad and tell him I'll be with you. Matt, you're not invited – â€Å" â€Å"Thanks,† Matt said dryly. â€Å"Do I get to walk home, too?† â€Å"No, you can take my car home,† Elena said. â€Å"But please bring it back here early tomorrow. I don't want people to start asking about it.† That night, the three girls prepared to make themselves comfortable, schoolgirl fashion, in Mrs. Flowers' spare sheets and blankets (no wonder she washed so many sheets today – she must have known somehow, Elena thought), with the furniture pushed to the walls and the three makeshift sleeping bags on the floor. Their heads were together and their bodies radiated out like the spokes of a wheel. Elena thought, So this is the Awakening. It's the realization that, after all, I can be left alone again. And, oh, I'm grateful to have Meredith and Bonnie sticking with me. It means more than I can tell them. She had gone automatically to the computer, to write a little in her diary. But after the first few words she'd found herself crying again, and had been secretly glad when Meredith took her by the shoulders and more or less forced her to drink hot milk with vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and when Bonnie had helped her into her pile of sleeping blankets and then held her hand until she went to sleep. Matt had stayed late, and the sun was setting as he drove home. It was a race against darkness, he thought suddenly, refusing to be distracted by the Jaguar's expensive new-car smell. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he was pondering. He hadn't wanted to say anything to the girls, but there was something about Stefan's farewell note that bothered him. The only thing was, he had to make sure it wasn't just his injured pride speaking. Why hadn't Stefan ever mentionedthem ? Elena's friends from the past, her friends in the here and now. You'd think he'd at least give the girls a mention, even if he'd forgotten Matt in the pain of leaving Elena permanently. What else? There definitely was something else, but Matt couldn't bring it to mind. All he got was a vague, wavering image about high school last year and – yeah, Ms. Hilden, the English teacher. Even as Matt was daydreaming about this, he was taking care with his driving. There was no way to avoid the Old Wood entirely on the long, single-lane road that led from the boardinghouse to Fell's Church proper. But he was looking ahead, keeping alert. He saw the fallen tree even as he came around the corner and hit the brakes in time to come to a screeching stop, with the car at an almost ninety-degree angle to the road. And then he had to think. His first instinctive reaction was: call Stefan. He can just lift the tree right off the ground. But he remembered fast enough that that thought was knocked away by a question. Call the girls? He couldn't make himself do it. It wasn't just a question of masculine dignity – it was the solid reality of the mature tree in front of him. Even if they all worked together, they couldn't move that thing. It was too big, too heavy. And it had fallen from the Old Wood so that it lay directly across the road, as if it wanted to separate the boardinghouse from the rest of the town. Cautiously, Matt rolled down the driver's side window. He peered into the Old Wood to try to see the tree's roots, or, he admitted to himself, any kind of movement. There was none. He couldn't see the roots, but this tree looked far too healthy to have just fallen over on a sunny summer afternoon. No wind, no rain, no lightning, no beavers. No lumberjacks, he thought grimly. Well, the ditch on the right side was shallow, at least, and the tree's crown didn't quite reach it. It might be possible – Movement. Not in the forest, but on the tree right in front of him. Something was stirring the tree's upper branches, something more than wind. When he saw it, he still couldn't believe it. That was part of the problem. The other part was that he was driving Elena's car, not his old jalopy. So while he was frantically groping for a way to shut the window, with his eyes glued to thething detaching itself from the tree, he was groping in all the wrong places. And the final thing was simply that the beast was fast. Much too fast to be real. The next thing Matt knew, he was fighting it off at the window. Matt didn't know what Elena had shown Bonnie at the picnic. But if this wasn't a malach, then what the hell was it? Matt had lived around woods his entire life, and he'd never seen any insect remotely like this one before. Because it was an insect. Its skin looked bark-like, but that was just camouflage. As it banged against the half-raised car window – as he beat it off with both hands – he could hear and feel its chitinous exterior. It was as long as his arm, and it seemed to fly by whipping its tentacles in a circle – which should be impossible, but here it was stuck halfway inside the window. It was built more like a leech or a squid than like any insect. Its long, snakelike tentacles looked almost like vines, but they were thicker than a finger and had large suckers on them – and inside the suckers was something sharp. Teeth. One of the vines got around his neck, and he could feel the suction and the pain all at once. The vine had whipped around his throat three or four times, and it was tightening. He had to use one hand to reach up and rip it away. That meant only one hand available to flail at the headless thing – which suddenly showed it had a mouth, if no eyes. Like everything else about the beast, the mouth was radially symmetrical: it was round, with its teeth arranged in a circle. But deep inside that circle, Matt saw to his horror as the bug drew his arm in, was a pair of pincers big enough to cut off a finger. God – no. He clenched his hand into a fist, desperately trying to batter it from the inside. The burst of adrenaline he had after seeingthat allowed him to pull the whipping vine from around his throat, the suckers coming free last. But now his arm had been swallowed up past the elbow. Matt made himself strike at the insect's body, hitting it as if it were a shark, which was the other thing it reminded him of. He had to get his arm out. He found himself blindly prying the bottom of the round mouth open and merely snapping off a chunk of exoskeleton that landed in his lap. Meanwhile the tentacles were still whirling around, thumping against the car, looking for a way in. At some point it was going to realize that all it had to do was fold those thrashing vine-like things and it could squeeze its body through. Something sharp grazed his knuckles. The pincers! His arm was almost completely engulfed. Even as Matt was focused entirely on how to get out, some part of him wondered: where's its stomach? This beast isn'tpossible . He had to get his arm freenow . He was going to lose his hand, as sure as if he'd put it in the garbage disposal and turned it on. He'd already undone his seat belt. Now with one violent heave, he threw his body to the right, toward the passenger seat. He could feel the teeth raking his arm as he dragged it past them. He could see the long, bloody furrows it left in his arm. But that didn't matter. All that mattered was getting his armout . At that moment his other hand found the button that controlled the window. He mashed it upward, dragging his wrist and hand out of the bug's mouth just as the window closed on it. What he expected was a crackling of chiton and black blood gushing out, maybe eating through the floor of Elena's new car, like that scuttling thing inAlien . Instead the bug vaporized. It simply†¦turned transparent and then turned into tiny particles of light that disappeared even as he stared at them. He was left with one arm with long bloody scratches on it, swelling sores on his throat, and scraped knuckles on the other hand. But he didn't waste time counting his injuries. He had to make it out of there; the branches were stirring again and he didn't want to wait to see whether it was wind. There was only one way. The ditch. He put the car in drive and floored it. He headed for the ditch, hoping that it wasn't too deep, hoping that the tree wouldn't somehow foul the tires. There was a sharp plunge that made his teeth clash together, catching his lip between them. And then there was the crunch of leaves and branches under the car, and for a moment all movement stopped, but Matt kept his foot pressed as hard as he could on the accelerator, and suddenly he was free, and being thrown around as the car careened in the ditch. He managed to get control of it and swerved back onto the road just in time to make a sharp left turn where it curved abruptly and the ditch ran out. He was hyperventilating. He took curves at nearly fifty miles an hour, with half his attention on the Old Wood – until suddenly, blessedly, a solitary red light stared at him like a beacon in the dusk. The intersection with Mallory. He had to force himself to screech to another rubber-burning stop. A hard right turn and he was sailing away from the woods. He'd have to loop around a dozen neighborhoods to get home, but at least he'd stay clear of any large groves of trees. It was a big loop, and now that the danger was over, Matt was starting to feel the pain of his furrowed arm. By the time he was pulling the Jaguar up to his house, he was also feeling dizzy. He sat under a streetlight and then let the car coast into the darkness beyond. He didn't want anyone to see him so rattled. Should he call the girlsnow ? Warn them not to go out tonight, that the woods were dangerous? But they already knew that. Meredith would never let Elena go to the Old Wood, not now that Elena was human. And Bonnie would kick up a huge noisy fuss if anyone even mentioned going out in the dark – after all, Elena had shown her thosethings that were out there, hadn't she? Malach.An ugly word for a genuinely hideous creature. What they really needed was for some official people to go out and clear the tree away. But not at night. Nobody else was likely to be using that lonely road tonight, and sending people out there – well, it was like handing them over to the malach on a platter. He would call the police about it first thing tomorrow. They'd get the right people out there to move that thing. It was dark, and later than he'd imagined. He probably should call the girls, after all. He just wished his head would clear. His scratches itched and burned. He was finding it hard to think. Maybe if he just took a moment to breathe†¦ He leaned his forehead against the steering wheel. And then the dark closed in.