The Effects Of Artificial Intelligence On Our Lives

Artificial Intelligence in Our Daily Life AI, or artificial intelligence, is the automation of human processes by means of machine learning, often done by computer systems. These processes include acquisition of complex information and a set rules bound to conclude a reasoning or approximate conclusions. Applications of AI includes expert systems, speech recognition, and machine vision. Goals To discuss the impact of artificial intelligence in our lives and provide a specific set of examples in order to convey the need for their existence. Background and Importance of Artificial Intelligence Automation has revolutionized the modern era. The widespread influence it has brought to our society in invaluable. Basic machine learning†¦show more content†¦Although not perfect, the utilization of such features have created an improved level of conversation in regards to punctuation. The use of AI is often recognized with Siri, Google Assistant, and the newly Amazon Alexa as voice recognition personal assistance. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.Need something to go here Apple Siri was the first voice recognition technology that came out in 2011 along with the iPhone 4S. Siri is an iOS application on embedded on iPhone, Ipad, Mac and Apple TV. Siri is designed to help with various tasks. To name a few, Siri can help one with finding restaurants, checking the weather, searching the web, opening apps and playing music, setting reminders, and more. In 2012, Google Now came out on Android 4.1 phones, It was later replaced with Google Assistant. Google Assistant is not much different from Siri in some of the tasks that can be performed. It can predict locations and travel plans, sport teams, and so much more. Rumor has it that Siri may have a fierce competitor, as Google has plans to challenge Apple. Amazon Alexa came out in 2014, need something to go here While the use of automation in cellular devices may be of most frequent use, it is worthy to mention its contributions in modernizing the field of medicine; specifically with diagnostic examinations. Health care programs offer a variety of services, to those meeting criteria, to haveShow MoreRelatedDisadvantages Of Artificial Intelligence909 Words   |  4 PagesSlowly, throughout time we have developed new methods, ideas, and mechanisms to make our constantly changing lives easier. However, as we advance in society, controversies start up on the right and wrongs of how our mechanics or robots develop, specifically Artificial Intelligence robots. Artificial intelligence is the ability to understand how to control motion and responses based upon experience. Artificial intelligence in robots are based on human traits such as reasoning, knowledge, planning, learningRead MoreEssay On Artificial Intelligence738 Words   |  3 PagesArtificial intelligence is a beneficial form of techno logy used daily by humans around the world, and is widespread across society. It is used in almost every field of our lives, from our phones, to our food, and is devoted to making our day-to-day life easier. However, there is much debate worldwide about whether this technology is truly beneficial or not for society, as some choose to believe that it is doing more harm than good. Artificial intelligence (AI) is usually defined as the scienceRead MoreTechnology Is Growing Faster Than Many Of Us Realize With1250 Words   |  5 Pagesrelying on new and advanced forms of artificial intelligence. Many of us are, however, unaware of how fast technology is evolving because of our constant worry about our classes and exams. It is very important that the next generation is aware of the advancement as it has the potential to create great changes and alterations in our everyday lives. New forms of technology pose an enormous threat to what types of jobs we may acquire and how we may live o ur lives. It is very important that all collegeRead MoreThe Invention Of Artificial Intelligence1668 Words   |  7 Pagesused to â€Å"better† our lives. In our lives today, we all use some form of Artificial Intelligence daily. Some of these activities include: using cellular apps (Google Maps, Siri, Cortana), playing video games, and listening to music. Although the use of Artificial Intelligence has made human life more efficient and effective, it has also insinuated reliance and unsuspecting ignorance into our minds as well, and we do not even see it coming. The history of Artificial Intelligence dates back to theRead MoreIntroduction To Weakness Artificial Intelligence1060 Words   |  5 Pages301 October 10, 2017 Over the past decade, Artificial intelligence has grown to become a prominent element in the technological world and continues to expand rapidly. Artificial intelligence, defined by Dictionary.com, is the theory and development of computer systems able to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and translation between languages. Artificial intelligence has advanced far enough to the capability ofRead MoreArtificial Intelligence Essay924 Words   |  4 PagesComputers and information technology seem to be bringing about a magnitude of change comparable to that which took place during the Industrial Revolution, transforming our social, economic, and political institutions; our understanding of what it means to be human; and the distribution of power in the world. Some may argue that computer professionals have very little say in what technologies get designed and built. This seems to be mistaken on at l east two counts. First, we can distinguish betweenRead MoreThe Controversy of Artificial Intelligence1476 Words   |  6 PagesThroughout its history, artificial intelligence has always been a topic with much controversy. Should human intelligence be mimicked? If so, are there ethical bounds on what computers should be programmed to do? These are a couple of question that surround the artificial intelligence controversy. This paper will discuss the pros and cons of artificial intelligence so that you will be able to make an educated decision on the issue. What is Artificial Intelligence? The first step in getting anywhereRead MoreDisadvantages Of Artificial Intelligence1587 Words   |  7 PagesIntroductions Artificial Intelligence is felt almost everywhere. It is influence basically alters people’s lives, by the technology based applications that is embedded in machines that enhances people’s day to day activity. It is seen and experienced in different institutions, be it public or private, small entity and global. AI, or artificial intelligence, is the automation of human processes by means of machine learning, often done by computer systems. These processes include the acquisition ofRead MoreRole Of Artificial Intelligence1214 Words   |  5 PagesWhat role could Artificial Intelligence play in the lives of people in America throughout the upcoming generations? Intelligence is the potential to gain and use knowledge and skills. Therefore, artificial intelligence is the development of computer systems to potentially gain and use knowledge and skills in their environment and surroundings. In the slides on my group s presentation, you will see the example(s) of artificial intelligence. Some people are excited and hope that A.I. will developRead MoreSocial and Ethical Impact of Artificial Intelligence Essay examples1503 Words   |  7 PagesHistory III What is Artificial Intelligence? III Social and Ethical Issues Associated with Artificial Intelligence IV Part I Social Impact of Artificial Intelligence IV Part II Advantages IV Part III Disadvantages IV Ethical Impact of Artificial Intelligence V Conclusion VI Bibliography VII Introduction As our world expands through the growing abilities and applications of computers in our everyday lives, it seems that the role

The Strange Case Of Dr Jekyll And Hyde, by Robert...

The Strange Case Of Dr Jekyll And Hyde,By Robert Stevenson The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The separation of Jekyll into two beings, Jekyll and Hyde, is an symbol for humankinds conflicting forces of good and evil. These characters bring to life the inner struggle between the two powers of the soul. Jekyll portrays the good side of human nature in this narrative. He is the protagonist of the novel. Dr. Jekyll is an intelligent, tall, and dignified man of late middle age. The people who know him respect him. He is a wealthy man and lives in comfort in a good house with loyal servants, he is the model of the Victorian gentleman, But he has a dark side, Jekyll is not supposed to represent pure good, rather, the whole†¦show more content†¦Hydes youth and small, distorted stature can be linked to the inactive evil within Jekyll. At first, Jekyll is in complete control of the appearance of Hyde, having him only appear when he so wills. At this point, the good is much stronger and has control over the evil. As the iniquity wit hin Jekyll, begins to be exercised with more regularity, it becomes more powerful. Jekyll loses contact first with his good side and then with his friends. The more he plays at being Hyde the more he is cut off from their good worth. With this newfound clout, Hyde begins to appear without Jekylls indicating. This foreshadows that the evil of the human soul now begins to succeed over the once dominant good. The callous murder of Sir Danvers Carew provides the reader with a sense that cruelty has won complete control over merit. Jekyll is now faced with a question of morality. Should he let the evil reign, or should he repeal the being he has created along with himself. It has become clear to Jekyll that he can no longer go on with this front, and decides that Hyde will soon seize complete control. In an effort to stop this conquest from occurring, Jekyll decides that he will soon turn into Hyde for the last time, he declares his life over and that anything that happens after that point on will not happen to him, as Jekyll will be truly dead to the world. Therefore, it will be Hyde who willShow MoreRelatedThe Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde By Robert Stevenson952 Words   |  4 Pagescreated before. Without a guaranteed safe outcome, how can an inventor be sure what they have produced is without a flaw? The answer is simple; they cannot. This is why the monster in Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, and Mr . Hyde in The Strange Case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde by Robert Stevenson, is so unstable and causes so much trauma. These novels stem off the idea of a creator and creature relationship gone awry. Both creators were too entertained in creating things without a regards to the consequencesRead MoreThe Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde By Robert Stevenson Essay2071 Words   |  9 PagesA Literature Review: Analysis of conflicts between temptation and conscience in human nature The well-known story titled The strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde written by Robert Stevenson (2003), can be interpreted in many different ways as evidenced by several critics contrasting themes. Garrett provides a strong focus on the conflicting identities of good and evil living within a man whereas Brantlinger’s focus is to reveal the inspiration behind Stevenson’s ‘Allegory’ and connect it toRead More The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson2416 Words   |  10 PagesThe Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson Good and bad. Pure and evil. Right and wrong. Joy and despair. These are all themes Robert Louis Stevenson addresses in his novel, â€Å"The strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde† Robert Louis Stevenson presents the view that no human has the capacity to be completely good or completely bad. Instead human nature is shown to exhibit both good and bad with dynamic results. Human nature encourages us to feel and experienceRead MoreThe Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson2251 Words   |  10 PagesThe Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson When asked this question, the immediate answer is, yes. Robert Louis Stevenson uses the features of a conventional horror story, which were very popular at the time, but also uses the story to raise social issues and make criticisms about the hypocrisy and double standards of Victorian society, in general, and Victorian London in particular. The first aspect of horror to be noticed is that the mainRead More Analysis of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson2888 Words   |  12 PagesAnalysis of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson In an attempt to consider the duality tale, one narrative inevitably finds its way to the top of the heap as the supreme archetype: Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Immense disagreement permeates the pages of literary criticism relevant to the meaning of the story. Yet, for all of the wrangling focused on the psychology, morality, spirituality, and sociality of the story, itRead MoreAnalysis Of The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, By Robert Louis Stevenson1323 Words   |  6 Pagesdirectly represented in the literature of the time. An excellent example is, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson, which gives a direct image of what Victorian era was like with his writing style as well as the story itself. Specifically, Stevenson portrays exactly how Victorian social life commenced as well as displays the main points of social standards of the time. Robert Louis Stevenson uses individual characters in the novella to accurately depict how people protectedRead MoreLiterary Analysis of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde† by Robert Louis Stevenson1530 Words   |  7 Pageslocation in the 1800’s during the Victorian era in this novel. As the story unfolds in the classic literature novel, â€Å"The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde† written by Robert Louis Stevenson, the magnificent city of London becomes a darker and mysterious location. The powerful city of London embodied the freedom and solitude required for the antagonist of the story, Mr. Hyde to hide his wicked behavior from the society as a whole. According to the history of the Victorian age, â€Å"Traditional waysRead More Good and Evil in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson4276 Words   |  18 PagesGood and Evil in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson Throughout the story of â€Å"The Strange Case Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde†, the author, Robert Louis Stevenson, presents his idea of the duality of man- where we all have a dark, wicked side within us, where evil is held in waiting to surface, but we hide it away, we pretend it does not exist, and we keep it tame. He presents this idea by using two protagonists, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, who are actually the sameRead MoreTransformations in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson704 Words   |  3 PagesDr. Jekyll being an eminent doctor, with a powerful social and educational background, has an extremely sophisticated and refined appearance â€Å"a large, well-made, smooth-faced man of fifty† (44). As the quote suggests Dr. Jekyll has a majestic and renowned persona. The charity he does for the society, and his living Standards are all visible through the appearance he manifests. On the other hand, Hyde being Dr. Jekyll’s contrivance, to carry out evil purposes has an unattractive appearance and a repellentRead More Londons Social Class in Robert Louis Stevenson Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde747 Words   |  3 PagesLondons Social Class in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde One Victorian sentiment was that a civilized individual could be determined by her/his appearance. This notion was readily adopted by the upper classes and, among other things, helped shape their views of the lower classes, who certainly appeared inferior to them. In regards to social mobility, members of the upper classes may have (through personal tragedy or loss) often moved to a lower-class status, but rarely did one see an individual move

Analysis of Shakespeares The Tempest Caliban an Essay Example For Students

Analysis of Shakespeares The Tempest Caliban an Essay d Trinculo Tempest essaysPsychoanalytic Analysis of Caliban and Trinculo of The Tempest From a psychoanalytic perspective, both Caliban and Trinculo of Shakespeares The Tempest are interesting characters. Caliban is very sexual and bitter, while Trinculo is at odds with everything: his situation of being washed ashore and wrongly accused of saying things when he did not utter a word, as well as Calibans worship of an unkingly man, his drunken friend Stephano. Caliban has obviously not had all of his desires trained to stay within him, despite Prosperos punishments and Mirandas schooling. Trinculo, on the other hand, wastes his emotions in a bottle of liquor and knows better than Caliban who is and is not fit to worship. Caliban is rude, crude, ugly and lazy. Speaking in a psychoanalytic manner, Caliban is going to be remembered as bitter and obsessed with sex. This sexual desire is going to be coincided first with thoughts of his mutation a feeling of inadequacy and then more significantly with the absence of his mother. That he had no parents on which to form an Oedipal complex and knows only who his mother was (nothing is mentioned of his father) makes for interesting observations on how he deals with sexuality. We learn that he does not deny that Prospero is the only barrier between him and the rape of Miranda. It is clear that he has developed only so far as Freuds theory of id, with small touches of the superego. Calibans development of the superego is evident only when he does not wish to receive Prosperos pinches and cramps. He is otherwise all for anything that will bring him pleasure. Being free of Prospero, fulfilling his sexual desires with Miranda and drinking liquor are all on his menu. Trinculo is unable to forget, as the butler Stephano does, all of his woes into the bottom of a bottle. He is upset by the way that Stephano allows himself to be carried away by the worship and praise of Caliban. He is also dismayed in the unjust treatment Stephano dispenses on Calibans behalf as Ariel plays Puckish tricks. Clearly, there is no problem with this jesters ego. He wants himself to be taken care of. He does not appreciate the way he is treated on the monsters behalf, because he knows he has done no wrong. Later, Trinculos id takes over somewhat as he becomes more intoxicated and no longer has the will to let his ego control his id. It is not necessarily a change in the man, but in his condition. His ego is quickly sobered when he sees the king. This is apparent in his lame attempt to amuse the king with a joke before he goes to be held with his two accomplices. Trinculo is interested in himself, but not in a narcissistic way. His concern is extended to Stephanothus showing a superego. He does not want Stephano to associate with an influence like Caliban. Of Caliban and Trinculo, the latter is the more developed character in terms of Freuds id, ego, and superego theories.

Employment Law for Trade Union Recognition -myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theEmployment Law for Trade Union Recognition. Answer: Union recognition process: The present question is based on the employment law in Singapore. Under this law, four categories are present to deal with various dimensions of the employment-based problem (Mirsky et al., 2016). They are general employment laws, employment of foreigners, trade union law and workplace safety. Trade unions are set up for the benefit of the workers in a commercial place and attempt to secure the interest of the workers. Therefore, it can be stated that the trade unions are playing important role in work place. After the incorporation, the trade union should be recognized (McDonnell et al., 2013). The main objective of trade union is to secure the interest of the workers, but employers are taking an effective part in the recognition process of the unions. The recognition procedure of the trade union is based on the consent of the employers on the negotiation issue of the wage and working condition. Under the trade union law, the process of negotiation between the employers and the unio n is known as collective bargaining. The union recognition process is divided in two parts, such as voluntary recognition and statutory recognition (McGettigan Scott, 2014). If the employer is giving consent over the trade union issue, the process will be known as voluntary recognition. In this case, there is no necessity of any legal process. The consenting procedure is based on the secret ballot system (Chan Hui, 2014). In this process, the parties remain flexible regarding the recognition arrangement. In Singapore, the trade unions are recognized when the employees are claiming for the same maintaining the rules stated under part 3 of the Act. When the claim has been served to the employer, he is bound to response on the same within the limitation of seven consecutive days. If the employers have failed to meet the criteria within the prescribed period, he will be liable show cause to the commissioner. The commissioner may, at his discretion, informs the employer to state his view by way of secret ballot system. An acknowledgement is needed in this process specify the condition regarding the secret ballot system. In the union recognition procedure, ballot system is mandatory in nature. It is the responsibility of the commissioner to let the employer know about the result of the ballot process regarding the recognition of union. If it has observed that most of the employees had casted their votes for the establishment of trade union, the employer will recognize the trade union within three working days. The countdown for the recognition will be start from the date of knowledge about the result of the secret ballot. It is the sole responsibility of the employer to inform the employees about the recognition process. Dispute regarding bargaining unit Trade unions are used as an institution to promote industrial relationship, which are resulted into an enhancement of the socio-economic status of the country. The parties to the trade union are the employer and employees. When a union is recognized, the employer makes a process of negotiation over the issues related to the wages and working conditions. They are known as collective bargaining (Grimshaw, Bosch, Rubery, 2014). Three Acts are dealing with the collective bargaining procedure. Under the Industrial Relations Act, recognition is possible only by the consent of the employers. It is primary duty of the employer to negotiate on certain issues regarding the interest of the employees. The collective bargaining process includes remuneration, working conditions, facilities, health and safety measures of the employees and other related company affairs. Therefore, it can be stated that the collective bargaining is important in a workplace. If there is, any laxity or dispute arises regarding the same, certain steps can be taken that are ensured by the Industrial Dispute Act. Under the Act, certain steps regarding the conciliation process has been stated in section 21. If it has been observed that there is no possibility regarding the collective agreement in between the employer and the employees, conciliation proceeding can be adopted. The commissioner in certain circumstances may chair conciliation process. In Singapore, there is another process by which dispute regarding bargaining unit be resolved. This process is known as the arbitration process (Leggett Stewart, 2014). If matter regarding the dispute is to be referred to the IAC, an arbitration proceeding will be commenced by them. If the disputed matter is over the waging system, any one of the party can make the request to IAC. However, except the waging problem, joint request is needed in every single issue. Reference: Chan, C. K. C., Hui, E. S. I. (2014). The development of collective bargaining in China: From collective bargaining by riot to party state-led wage bargaining.The China Quarterly,217, 221-242. Grimshaw, D., Bosch, G., Rubery, J. (2014). Minimum wages and collective bargaining: What types of pay bargaining can foster positive pay equity outcomes?.British Journal of Industrial Relations,52(3), 470-498. Grimshaw, D., Bosch, G., Rubery, J. (2014). Minimum wages and collective bargaining: What types of pay bargaining can foster positive pay equity outcomes?.British Journal of Industrial Relations,52(3), 470-498. Leggett, C., Stewart, G. (2014). Australia and the system of arbitration in Singapore.The Economic and Labour Relations Review,25(1), 115-129. McDonnell, A., Bartram, T., Boyle, B., Stanton, P., Burgess, J. (2013). Union recognition, bargaining arrangements and voice mechanisms of US and Australian MNEs in Australia. McGettigan, C., Scott, S. K. (2014). Voluntary and involuntary processes affect the production of verbal and non-verbal signals by the human voice.Behavioral and Brain Sciences,37(6), 564-565. Mirsky, R., Gal, Y. A. K., Stern, R., Kalech, M. (2016, May). Sequential plan recognition. InProceedings of the 2016 International Conference on Autonomous Agents Multiagent Systems(pp. 1347-1348). International Foundation for Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems.

Jane Eyre Settings Essay Example

Jane Eyre Settings Essay Jane Eyre Essay Jane Eyre, a Gothic novel by Charlotte Bronte, tells a story of a beauty and a beast. Jane Eyre grows up an orphaned girl in Victorian England who does not know love in her cruel aunts household; after a few years her aunt sends her to a school where they abuse Jane further. After spending eight years as a student of Lowood and two as a teacher, she takes a nanny position where she meets Mr. Rochester, and sparks begin to fly. Bronte divides Janes story into three significant sections, which have a different effect on Janes life as seen at Gateshead, Lowood, and Thornfield . Janes spends her early life in the clutches of her aunt in Gateshead, a house that Jane experiences most of her loveless years in. After leaving the merciless Gateshead, Jane comes to Lowood School expecting little, but while there she begins to experience her first taste of love, mixed with unkindness from the insufferable Mr. Brocklehurst. Having learned and endured much, Jane arrives at Thornfield looking forward to her next life of servitude; however, while at Thornfield, her life takes a turn for the better, finally granting her the happiness she deserves all these years. Gateshead, Lowood, and Thornfield have a significant role in Jane Eyres life, they all impact her as a person importantly, each in a different way. Gateshead hosts an unloving family that do nothing but hurt Jane, Lowood is a school that practices rigid and harsh rules but allows Jane to experience love for the first time, and Thornfield has the biggest impact on Jane, giving her to have a happy ending. Jane Eyre, an abused, neglected, unloved orphan sent to three very different places over the course of her predominantly unhappy life; each place affects her greatly, and each for an extremely different reason. We will write a custom essay sample on Jane Eyre Settings specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Jane Eyre Settings specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Jane Eyre Settings specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer

Great Gatsby Essay

Great Gatsby Essay Free Online Research Papers Hope and love can be two extreme blinding factors in a person’s life. The two emotions hold back characters from seeing the reality of situations and making clear minded decisions. Jay Gatsby’s hope, the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock, that she will come back to him and his unrealistic expectations that he will receive love from her heart, blind his realistic view of the world. On the other part of the island lives Daisy Buchanan, a symbol of wealth and broken promises. Although Fitzgerald does much to make her character worthy of Gatsby’s unlimited devotion, in the end she reveals her self for what she really is. Daisy has loved money since she was a child – dressing in gorgeous white dresses, always the princess of the tower, and a golden girl every man dreamt of. The young Jay Gatsby fell for her sweet and caring personality like all the other soldiers did . Ever since that moment, Gatsby has loved her, or the idea of her, with such vitality and determination that they will end up together, that the readers would like, in many senses, to see her be worthy of his devotion. Despite her beauty and charm, Daisy is merely selfish, shallow, and in fact a very hurtful woman. Society is does not worry her, if there is enough money everything else can be escaped, such as a hit and run. Even her own flesh and blood she could not take care of, her daughter was a showcase doll who had to put up a cute act for the guests. Gatsby, an extremely hard working and confident man, has created everything he has by himself. He had hope and dreams which he made happen all by himself. He pushed himself dreaming about how some day he will be good enough for Daisy and her parents. Even thought in the book, Gatsby did not go the right way about money he was always true in his hear. As nick said â€Å"Gatsby turned out alright in the end†, in the beginning of the novel wile the reader did not know much about the characters. Only one thing did not fit in, it was that Gatsby lived in a dream world and Daisy was his dream. Although Fitzgerald carefully builds Daisy’s character with associations of light, purity, and innocence, when all is said and one, she is the opposite of what she presents herself to be. Her life is dependant on wealth and position in society, while Gatsby’s is to be finally happy with the love of his life. Daisy cannot meet his high expectation because she has already set up her life while he was at war. Her carelessness and greed made her marry the cheating Tom Buchanan, even though she was still in love with Gatsby. The dream couple’s chances were ruined that same wedding night when drunken Daisy decided to say â€Å"I do†. Her feelings towards him did not change, her values and morals changed and she was not the lovely Daisy that James Gatz fell in love with. Research Papers on Great Gatsby EssayHonest Iagos Truth through DeceptionMind Travel19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraThe Hockey GameCapital PunishmentAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementWhere Wild and West MeetHip-Hop is ArtComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoEffects of Television Violence on Children

Answering a question Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Answering a question - Assignment Example The sentences have been very badly constructed. While reading at the first glance it seems the writer will send the most important work to whom he is interacting with by the 25th of March but after close reading I penetrated that your most important work is just a title of a book. The correct order to write the date is not Mar.25 but either 25 March 2013 or March 25, 2013. The date should be written in full with the year. It is better to always use full form of words in English. We’re, don’t, didn’t etc are not acceptable in writing formal English so short forms must be avoided. The two commas in the second last sentence have been wrongly used. Such commas are used when the word just before the first comma needs to be defined or explained. Then again the vocabulary is not right. The word patronage does simply not makes any sense in the last sentence. Though indenting is optional but one should use it to indicate a new paragraph (Jones). I would like to thank you for the order you placed for the six DVD’s. Due to a lot of work lately I will not be able to hold a meeting with you but feel free to email me if you have questions in mind. I will send you the DVD’s for Performance Appraisal that really improves Performance, Hiring Employees and Your most Important Work by the 25th of March. You will also receive a booklet with your purchase that will contain instructions on how to go about using the DVD. We want you to be 100% satisfied with the products you receive from us. These booklets might also come handy when your organization plans to conduct a workshop or house seminar. Inside the package you will also find our new catalogue that includes information about fifty new DVDs on training. Like with all our training materials, these DVDs carry a 30 day no question asked return policy. Thank you for your order. We very much appreciate your interest in working with

The Responsibilities of Nursing Practitioner to Society Essay

The Responsibilities of Nursing Practitioner to Society - Essay Example While there is no uniformity as to the roles of students in particular institutions, there are roles that students in higher education would be under an obligation to play not only in their respective institutions but also in the society. These include but are not limited to the following. a. Dedicating all their efforts to furthering and attaining the highest levels of excellence for the better of the institution and society at large. As much as students in every other institution are expected to play this role, the responsibility is more pronounced for students in higher education. This is because they have more freedom which definitely comes with more responsibility as to their affairs. In this case, furthering their knowledge and academic excellence in particular fields is their ultimate responsibility all in an effort to make the institution and society better. b. Orienting other or new coming students to the system in the particular higher education institution they are in- more often than not, there will be new students or at least some individuals who are not conversant with the system of the institutions. While it would be possible for such individuals to be oriented to these systems with time, the students play a critical role in fastening the orientation process. This has the effect of stabilizing the institution and ensuring that all processes run smoothly. This also ensures quick implementation of the policies and other fundamental frameworks that exist to guide the smooth running of the institution. c. Contributing to improving the systems and structures of the institution in order to enhance efficiency- in many institutions, students play a very minute role in determining the systems within which they will be operating. However, this would be a bit farfetched as far as students in higher institutions are concerned.  

Immigration reform Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Immigration reform - Term Paper Example Immigration reform targets both legal and illegal immigrants. The proponents of the immigration enforcement argue that immigrants cost tax payers an estimated $338.3 billion dollars. Immigration reform includes the involvement of various state organs stemming from the executive to the judiciary; with each playing a unique role as stipulated in the Constitution. Constitutional Position The United States require a new immigration policy that is based more on realism rather than wishful thinking. The policy should be inclusive with each state organ playing a distinct contributory role in liaison with other organs. It is unwise for the government to waste vast resources in enforcing arbitrary numerical restrictions to immigration policy that have no impact on the economic situation. The government will gain economically if the economic reform undertaken collectively with the involvement of all governance structures. Branches of Government Engaged In Immigration Reform Office of the Presi dent The Office of the President’s role in the reform is putting the necessary judicial line-up in place for reform realization. Such roles include the appointment of the Supreme Court judges and judges of appeal or district courts. The office of the president can also use its powers to influence the senate to changing the immigration reform agenda. The political influence on the debate can also be influenced by the intervention of the president as a state figure. The office of the president has of late remained mum on the issue owing to the political interests vested on the issue. The political orientation determines the decision that the president is expected to take. Although the office of the president continues to insist on a pledge to uphold sustainable immigration policy reform, many critics state that the lagging in the policy implementation signifies lack of commitment to the promise. Executive Bureaucracy The executive is spearheaded by the president and his deputy and is more inclusive in terms of governance as compared to the office of the president. Some of the executive institutions involved in immigration include; the Department of Homeland Security, immigrations and naturalization service, Bureau of Immigration appeals, immigration judges serving in immigration courts and the Executive office of Immigration Review (Serow & Ladd, 2011). Some of these arms of the executive have been involved in bureaucratic actions while dealing with the immigration issue. For instance, the immigration and Naturalization Service has been accused of possessing backlogs on family and employment-based immigration applications. Most of the delays are exacerbated by the numerical visa issuance that faces numerous legal limitations. For instance, the recent statistic states that an estimated 5.8 million individuals that attained the approval for family base immigrant visas have not yet received them up to date. The Customs and Border Patrol agency has been accus ed of using militaristic approaches when dealing with illegal immigrants along the borders. This has fuelled violence, migrant death and anti-immigrant hostility. Yet, the executive regards the departments as efficient in maintaining security along the borders (Kohli and Varma, 2011). The immigrations and customs enforcement (ICE) institution has been accused of targeting innocent illegal migrants and those with petty crimes

The Construction Of Harmandir Sahib Theology Religion Essay

The Construction Of Harmandir Sahib Theology Religion Essay Ancient architecture is always very appealing in the variety of temples and pilgrimages throughout India. Each structure displays its own features and aspects in reflecting the Indian style of architecture. This particular architecture is based on the Sikh principals who have designed vast temples and pilgrimages from early to the late Sikh structures. A golden temple sitting in the middle of a pool of water commonly known as the Pool of Nectar, A temple for those who believed their elders have created a living symbol of the spiritual and historical traditions for the Sikh community. A place which glisters with gold covered exterior stands in the middle of a square tank filled with the water for the pure which brings forth a source of inspiration and primary place of pilgrimage for all Sikhs. This divines is known as the Harmandir Sahib (a word derived from the world of Punjab by their Punjabi language) meaning Temple of God which is commonly known as the Golden Temple or Darbar Sahib. The formation of such a divine place brings out the architecture of how the buildings were designed and the technology applied in its construction. History Construction of Harmandir Sahib: (Sri) Hamandir Sahib the Golden Temple, known for its beautiful scenery and layers of gold coating, named afeeter the Hari the temple of God. Sikhs all across the globe daily pray to visit Amritsar and pay homage to their Holy Harmandir Sahib in their Ardas. As early as from start of the late 14th century, Guru Arjan Dev 1st of the eleven Sikh gurus, founder of the Sikhism religion. Guru Nanak travelled to places far and wide preaching the message of the One God who lives in every one of His creations and constitutes the everlasting truth. Its part of the Sikh religion belief that the spirit of Guru Nanaks purity, spirituality and holy authority descended upon each of the 9 succeeding Gurus when the Guruship was transferred on to them. (Sharma) As the years passed by, guruship was devolved to the next in line eleven Sikh Gurus entrusted from the early times. Guru Arjan Sahib, the 5th Nanak, conceived the idea of creating a creating a central place of worship for the Sikhs and he himself designed the architecture of Sri Harmandir Sahib. Former planning to dig the holy tank (Amritsar or Amrit Sarovar ) was marked out by Guru Amardas Sahib, the 3rd Nanak, but was implemented by Guru Ramdas Sahib under the administration of Baba Budha ji. The site was initially procured by the ancestor Guru Sahibs without any payment or cost from the landlords of resident communities. The construction work on the Sarovar (the water tank) and the town started at the same time in around the year 1570. The work completed on both projects in the year of 1577 A.D.   (Jathedar Avtar Singh) The foundations were laid by a Muslim saint known as Hazrat Mian Mir ji origin of Lahore on 1st March 1645. The construction was directly administered by Guru Arjan Sahib himself and was assisted by the protruding Sikh personalities. Commencing the assembly on a higher level (a traditional in Hindu Temple architecture), Guru Arjan Sahib had it built on the lower level got it open from four sides. Therefore he created a representation of new faith and devotion for people believing on Sikhism. Guru Sahib also made it easily accessible and reachable to every person without any difference of Status, faith, sex and religion.  The construction work completed in start of the 16th century in 1601 A.D. around August or September -1604. The Guru Arjan Sahib then inaugurated the newly constructed statue of the Guru Granth Sahib in Sri Harmandir Sahib and appointed the first Baba Budha ji Granthi (the reader of Guru Granth Sahib). Afeeter this initiation the temple attained the status of Ath S ath Tirath. Now the entire Sikh nation had their specific pilgrimage centre (Tirath). (Jathedar Avtar Singh) The Golden temple Sri Harmandir Sahib, is built on a 67sqfeet. podium the sits in the centre of the Sarovar (water tank). The temple itself is only 40.5sqfeet, which opens a door on all fours sides. The arch (Darshani Deori) erects at the shoreline of the causeway. The frame door of the arch is 10feet high and 8feet 6inches in width. The panels on the door are decorated with artistic style which opens the door on to the bridge leading towards the main building of Sri Harmandir Sahib; measuring to 202 feet in length and 21 feet wide. The bridge connects with a 13 feet wide circumambulatory route (Pardakshna). Thus running it round the main temple and it leads to the Har ki Paure (steps of God). The temples main assembly is based on providing functionally. The front side is faced by the bridge and is decorated with repetitive cusped curves and the roof of the first floor is at the height of the 26 feet and 9 inches. On the top of the first floor, a four feet high bulwark rises from al l the sides which has also 4 Mamtees from the four corners of the central hall from where the main reservation rises; lies a small square room bearing three gates. A low fluted dome is situated on top of this room, having lots of lotus petal motives starting at the base where an inverted lotus supports the Kalash and Chhatri at the end. Sikhism architecture represents a distinctive synchronization between the Muslims and the Hindus method of construction work and thus reflects the best architectural examples in the world. It is quite ofeeten quoted that these kinds of designs have created an autonomous Sikh school of architecture in the antiquity of art in India. (Jathedar Avtar Singh)   The Structure of the Golden Temple: The Golden temple is bordered by a large Amrit Sarovar (pure water). The visitor has to pass through a causeway to reach Gurdwara (main temple). This temple has four entrances, which shows the acceptance and sincerity to all religions and statuses. It also consists of three floors; lowest floor is absorbed by the Amrit Sarovar (pure water) and is normally not visible, and can only be seen when the sarovar is getting cleaned by Kar Sewaks (religious volunteers). The first floor is made of pure white marble, ornamented with flowers of various kinds and animal pictures, which represents an excellent example of Pietra-Dura Art. Lastly, the second floor is embossed with pure gold. The interior of the temple consists of beautifully carved wooden panels, with prints of gold and silver work. The domed building called Sheesh Mahal also known as the Mirrored Hall, is composed of pieces of mirror of various shapes, sizes and colours. The temples architecture signifies the blend of Hindu and Mus lim elegances. The gold and marble work, were conducted under direct guidance of the Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, Punjab Maharaja Ranjit Singh and the Commander-cum-Civil Administrator Hukam Singh Chimni. (Nidhi) The magnificence of Sikh architecture Inspired by Guru Nanaks artistic spirituality, the Sikh architecture is a silent herald of complete humanism based on realistic spirituality (S.S.Bhatti) Many Sikh temples have a  deorhi,  an entrance doorway, through which when one has to pass before reaching the sanctuary. A  deorhi  is often a remarkable construction with a magnificent gateway, and sometimes runs lodging for office and other uses. The visitors get the first sight of the temple sanctorum from the  deorhi.  There are over 500 gurdwaras (temples), big and small, each having an historical past. The structures of Sikh tombs, when classified rendering to their plan, are of 4 rudimentary types: the four-sided, the quadrilateral, the eight-sided, and the cruciform. On the foundation of the number of levels, these gurdwaras have heights which may be from one to nine stories in height. A devotee would come across numerous interesting disparities of gurdwara-design worked out on the transformations and mixtures of the above-mentioned basic plan and elevation-types. (Madra) Sikh architecture has material building-types such as forts, palaces,  bungas (residential places), colleges, etc. The religious construction is the gurdwara, a place where the Guru lodges. A gurdwara is an important building of their faith, just as the masjids of Islam and mandir/temple for the Hindus, it is also, like its Islamic and Hindu counterparts, the key-note of Sikh architecture. (SikhiWiki) The main prerequisite for a gurdwara is that it should consist of a room in which the  Adi Granth, the Sikh Holy Book, can be placed and a small  sangat  (worshipers) can be seated to attend to the  path  or read from the Holy Book and to sing and perform the blessed verses. Gurdwaras have entrances on all (four) sides, representing that they are open to one and all without any discrimination of any kind. This unique feature also symbolizes the vital principle of the faith that God is universal. There are five historical sanctuaries which have been given the status of  takhts (thrones), where the  gurmattas  (spiritual-temporal verdicts) of a obligatory personality are taken through a agreement of the  sangat  (worshipers). Such harmony acts had great importance, heart-rending, as they did, the social and political life of the Sikh community. The 5  takhts  are: Akal Takht, Amritsar; Harmandir Sahib, Patna (Bihar state); Kesgarh Sahib, Anandpur (Ropar district ); Damdama Sahib, Talwandi Sabo (Gurdaspur district); and Hazoor Sahib, Nanded (Maharashtra state). Among these 5  takhts,  Akal Takht (the unchallengeable throne) is the most important by quality of its location in Amritsar, the Vatican City of the Sikhs. (S.S.Bhatti) As a rule, a  gumbad  (dome) is the crowning feature of any temple. Rarely, a sanctuary may be flat-roofed. Sometimes, a small one-room temple is crowned by a  palaki, a palanquin-like roof, derivative from Bengal county style of architecture, and can be seen in Gurdwara Tahli Sahib in village district. (Madra) More often, a dome is grooved or ridged but a basic dome has also been used in some cases. Numerous dome-shapes are to be originated in Sikh temples: torus, hemi-spherical, three-quarters of a sphere. The silhouette of the dome of Gurdwara Pataal Puri at Kiratpur in Ropar region has an extraordinary resemblance to the domes to be seen in Bijapur district style of architecture design. (Madra) The dome is generally white, though sometimes gold-plated, as in the Harmandir Sahib at Amritsar, Darbar Sahib at Tarn Taran, and Sis Ganj in Delhi. On the other hand, in some cases, domes are being covered with brass. (S.S.Bhatti) An exciting point to note is the way in which the dome is connected to the cuboid structure of the temple. As a statute, the lower part leads the domical erection, and looks somewhat serious in comparison with it. (S.S.Bhatti) A repeated component of gurdwara-design is the preferred use of two stories to gain adequate elevation for the temple. On the other hand restrained design may be usually preserved by dividing the frontage in agreement with the physical lines of columns, piers, and pillars, with erect partitions creating areas of well-modelled surfaces. The most important division is the entrance which obtains more decorative treatment of other areas. The action often generates bas-reliefs of geometrical designs. Where brilliance is the aim, repose-work in brass or copper-gilt sheeting is introduced often with a note of luxury. (Madra) Beautiful designs are made on the walls which are successively covered with gold. Exceptional examples of this effort can be seen in the Golden Temple at Amritsar. Sometimes, such work is purified highly decorative by means of colored and mirrored cut-glass as well as semi-precious nuggets. This is known as tukri  (small piece) work. Paintings, portraying widely held episodes from the lives of the 10 Gurus, are to be found in some temples. Projects in a job are based on vine, plant, flower, bird, and animal themes. The largest numbers of such frescoes have been painted on the principal floor of Baba Atal at Amritsar. Pinjras, gentle stone gratings, are used for shades, inclusions, and ramparts. (Madra) Brick, lime cement as well as sea green or gypsum covering, and lime concrete have been the most favored construction materials, even though stone, such as red granite and white marble, has also been used in a number of temples. The former found more use as covering or ornamental material than for meeting physical needs for well over 200 years. Nanak Shahi (of the times of Nanak), brick was most generally used for its fundamental benefits. The brick-tile made decorations, cornices, pillars, etc. easy to work into a diversity of shapes. More often than not, the arrangement was a mixture of the two structures, viz., treated and actuated, based on domes and arches. The exteriors were treated with lime or gypsum covering which was molded into cornices, pillars, and other structural landscapes as well as non-structural accompaniments. (Madra) Sikh architecture symbolizes the last sparkle of religious design in India. The Golden Temple at Amritsar is its most renowned example as it is the only shrine in which all the features of style are completely represented. The Golden Temple, being the sheet-anchor of the technical catalogue of Sikh architecture, may be detailed. (S.S.Bhatti) Almost soaring in the air, and in the mid of, an extensive water-body, the Pool of Nectar,  mixtures extremely with sparkles of its golden dome, cubicles, walls, and reposes-work, and the fascinating evanescence of its shining reflections in the pool. With the temple and reservoir as the main concentration, a compound of buildings, most of which repeat in their architectural fine points and the features of the central building, have come up in the district of the temple in the development of time. (Madra) Even though Sikh architecture certainly initiated with the idea of dedication, it had to experience rigors of impulsively renovating itself into buildings meant for defense purposes. It anticipated the personality of military strengthening which was revealed in a number of buildings throughout Punjab. Gurdwara Baba Gurditta, Kiratpur, is a demonstrative example of this type of Sikh architecture design. (S.S.Bhatti) As flair of building-design, Sikh construction might strike the lay spectator as an extensive pot-pourri of the best structures picked up from here and there. But it symbolizes much more than what meets the unpremeditated eye. It shares its rigorous instruction with the awesome severity of Islams rigid monotheism, and celebrates its luxurious energy with the playful dualism of Hinduism. Extensiveness might have been its starting-point, but Sikh design has thrived to a state of artistic sovereignty so as to work out its own formal peculiarities. It is now an appropriate appearance of impulsive eruptions of psycho-spiritual dynamism that rejoices the perfect magnificence of being within the blending mà ©lange of opposites come across during existence the ground for constant flattering. (S.S.Bhatti) Sikh architecture imitates an energetic blend of Mughal and Rajput styles. Onion shaped auditoriums, multi foil arches, paired columns, in-lay work walls, etc. are without a doubt of Mughal extraction, more precisely of Emperor-Architect Shah Jehans era, while orial windows, strut supported attics at the sequence progression, chatters, richly decorated panels, etc. are evocative of rudiments of Rajput architecture design. (S.S.Bhatti) Sometimes, the alteration in design is so great that it would be hard to recognize a gurdwara if the typical Sikh pole-mark were not there to help its proof of identity. Some of the gurdwaras look more like entrances, as is the situation with Fatehgarh (town of victory) Sahib, Sirhind, or like an instructive foundation, as is the situation with Ber (berry) Sahib, Sultanpur Lodhi, or like a Rajput citadel, when one first come across the temples encircling structures. But all this abnormality, if somewhat mysterious, does not diminish one from the fundamentals of Sikh architecture. On the contradictory verifies the very groundwork of imaginative liberty on which it is constructed.

E. E. Cummings :: essays research papers fc

The Poetry of E. E. Cummings E. E. Cummings, who was born in 1894 and died in 1962, wrote many poems with unconventional punctuation and capitalization, and unusual line, word, and even letter placements - namely, ideograms. Cummings' most difficult form of prose is probably the ideogram; it is extremely terse and it combines both visual and auditory elements. There may be sounds or characters on the page that cannot be verbalized or cannot convey the same message if pronounced and not read. Four of Cummings' poems - l(a, mortals), !blac, and swi( - illustrate the ideogram form quite well. Cummings utilizes unique syntax in these poems in order to convey messages visually as well as verbally. Although one may think of l(a as a poem of sadness and loneliness, Cummings probably did not intend that. This poem is about individuality - oneness (Kid 200-1). The theme of oneness can be derived from the numerous inezces and forms of the number '1' throughout the poem. First, 'l(a' contains both the number 1 and the singular indefinite article, 'a'; the second line contains the French singular definite article, 'le'; 'll' on the fifth line represents two ones; 'one' on the 7th line spells the number out; the 8th line, 'l', isolates the number; and 'iness', the last line, can mean "the state of being I" - that is, individuality - or "oneness", deriving the "one" from the lowercase roman numeral 'i' (200). Cummings could have simplified this poem drastically ("a leaf falls:/loneliness"), and still conveyed the same verbal message, but he has altered the normal syntax in order that each line should show a 'one' and highlight the theme of oneness. In fact, the whole poem is shaped like a '1' (200). The shape of the poem can also be seen as the path of a falling leaf; the poem drifts down, flipping and altering pairs of letters like a falling leaf gliding, back and forth, down to the ground. The beginning 'l(a' changes to 'le', and 'af' flips to 'fa'. 'll' indicates a quick drop of the leaf, which has slowed by a longer line, 'one'. Finally, the leaf falls into the pile of fallen leaves on the ground, represented by 'iness'. Cummings has written this poem so perfectly that every part of it conveys the message of oneness and individuality (200). In mortals), Cummings vitalizes a trapeze act on paper.

Psy270 Week6

Checkpoint Mind Over Matter Week 6 What is the difference between mental illness and insanity? (Hint: What is the important second prong of the McNaughten rule? )  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The McNaughten rule cannot be used to defend the actions of a person who drinks alcohol and then murders someone. Why not?  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Identify each of the following: o  Ã‚  Ã‚   Rational and guilty o  Ã‚  Ã‚   Guilty but insane o  Ã‚  Ã‚   Not guilty by reason of insanity  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   If you were deciding this case, how would you rule? Briefly explain your decision.The difference between mental illness and insanity is mental illness doesn’t diminish the legal sense of a individuals capacity to know right and wrong. In terms of insanity, however it does indicate that an individual would not possess the capacity to know the differences between right and wrong. Mental defects such as diseases, retardation, or when hallucinations are experienced in some cases. The rule for McNaughten is simple knowing the difference between right and wrong and was the capacity affected to the point of not understanding a crime when committed. To use insanity in defense of a crime this rule had to be present in order to use.Mcnaughten’s rule can’t be used to defend intoxicated individuals because it is no longer used in some cases the rule was shortened and now it is knowing the difference between right and wrong. Since an individual is in a diminished state even if they know right from wrong even without mental disease individuals can use it in alcohol related incidents. Rational and guilty: When an individual is fully aware of the right and wrong of their actions this is the term used. Guilty but insane. Due to mental defect or disease and individual is not able to gain control over themselves even though they know the actions are wrong this is the term used.Guilty by reason of insanity. Such in the cases of Clark he had experienced a temporary state of impairment due to schizophrenia that resulted or impaired his capacity to determine right and wrong he thought the cop was an alien. Resulting in insanity temporarily this is the term used. My decision without all the facts and going on what I know from the reading Clark at some point knew what he was doing but at the time may have not and deserves a chance to make his way into a mental clinic for help now if he recovers and is determined sane he then should still serve out his sentence due to his knowing of his having a gun and firing it.If he can be effectively treated in prison then he should be given a half sentence due to impartial insanity. The fact the the police stated he lured the cop out and then ran was an indication of his guilt though regardless of mental illness he may have not been impaired after all. He should be sentenced to an institution where he could be effectively treated for his schizophrenia.

The Engines Impact on Society essays

The Engines Impact on Society essays We were asked to explore the impact of a single social or cultural innovation on any society, as a whole, being free to choose any innovation that interested us. The internal combustion engine is being used today in thousands of different products around the world today. From automobiles, to oil pumps, to generators for houses. Different forms of the engine are being used, like the 2-stroke and the 4-stroke engines. Basically, a 4-stroke works like this: 1.) The intake valve opens in the piston and allows a gas/air mixture to enter the cylinder. 2.) When the mixture is completely in the cylinder, the crankshaft compresses, or smashes, the mixture and ignites it with the sparkplug. 3.) The explosion from the mixture, around 3 tons of force, propels the crankshaft back down, providing the kinetic energy. 4.) The Exhaust valve opens and releases the spent mixtures components. Harold T. Glenn, in his book Exploring Power Mechanics states that this sequence of events is known as the 4-stroke cycle because of the four strokes involved. *** Marshall Brain, in his article in How The Car Works states that the concept is similar to a the mechanics of a cannon. Load the cannon with powder, put a cannon ball on the top, and ignite the powder. The resulting explosion is similar to what happens in an engine . *** Another example that Marshall Brain mentions is the concept of a potato gun. If you were to cap a 3 inch plumbing pipe with an igniter attached, sprayed some WD-40 in one end and a potato in the other, the ignited the WD-40 would explode and force the potato out at a great velocity. The gasoline engine doesnt operate much different than this. The gasoline/air mixture is the WD-40, the igniter is the sparkplug, and the plumbing pipe the engines cylinder. *** In the American culture the internal combustion engine has played a very specific role in most aspects of our liv...

AP Spanish Literature Figuras Retóricas Essays

AP Spanish Literature Figuras Retà ³ricas Essays AP Spanish Literature Figuras Retà ³ricas Paper AP Spanish Literature Figuras Retà ³ricas Paper Essay Topic: Literature aliteracià ³n Alliteration is a stylistic literary device identified by the repeated sound of the first consonant in a series of multiple words. Allen ate apples awkwardly. hipà ©rbole A hyperbole is an extreme exaggeration used to make a point. I literally died. metfora A metaphor is a figure of speech that identifies something as being the same as some unrelated thing for rhetorical effect, thus highlighting the similarities between the two. Freddie is a pig when he eats. onomatopeya the use of imitative and naturally suggestive words for rhetorical, dramatic, or poetic effect. Boo! personificacià ³n Personification is a figure of speech where human qualities are given to animals, objects or ideas. It is the opposite of a metaphor but is very similar. In the arts, personification means representing a non-human thing as if it were human. The fire ran wild. sà ­mil a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more emphatic or vivid Im as brave as a lion anfora Anaphora is the repetition of a certain word or phrase at the beginning of successive lines of writing or speech. I have a dream that I have a dream that antà ­tesis Antithesis is used in writing or speech either as a proposition that contrasts with or reverses some previously mentioned proposition, or when two opposites are introduced together for contrasting effect. Thats one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind apà ³strofe an exclamatory passage in a speech or poem addressed to a person that is not present. Twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are, up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky. circunlocucià ³n o perà ­frasis Circumlocution is a long, complicated word which means a long, complicated way of expressing something. To cut to the chase, circumlocution means to beat around the bush. The edge of a colossal jungle, so dark green as to be almost black, fringed with white surf, ran straight, like a ruled line, far, far away along a blue sea whose glitter was blurred by a creeping mist. The sun was fierce, the land seemed to glisten and drip with steam. elipsis enumeracià ³n An enumeration is a complete, ordered listing of all the items in a collection. Get eggs, rice, cheese, butter and milk please. eufemismo a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing. Passed away in place of died gradacià ³n scale first ____ then ____ hipà ©rbaton an inversion of the normal order of words, especially for the sake of emphasis, as in the sentence. This I must see asà ­ndeton the omission or absence of a conjunction between parts of a sentence. I came, I saw, I conquered. cacofonà ­a Refers to the use of words with sharp, harsh, hissing and unmelodious sounds primarily those of consonants to achieve desired results. Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe; All mimsy were the borogoves,an And the mome raths outgrabe. epà ­teto An adjective or phrase expressing a quality or attribute regarded as characteristic of the person or thing mentioned. Sailing across the wine-dark sea to men. metonimia A figure of speech in which a thing or concept is called not by its own name but rather by the name of something associated in meaning with that thing or concept Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears. paradoja A paradox is a statement that apparently contradicts itself and yet might be true. I must be cruel to be kind. polisà ­ndeton he use of several conjunctions in close succession, especially where some could otherwise be omitted He ran and jumped and laughed for joy. sinà ©cdoque a figure of speech in which a term for a part of something refers to the whole of something, or vice versa. She organized her life around the little yellow ball. (tennis ball) sinestesia technique adopted by writers to present ideas, characters or places in such a manner that they appeal to more than one senses like hearing, seeing, smell etc. at a given time. The word would fill her mind for a few minutes with a single color: not an unpleasant sensation but still an intrusion Patriarch: Brown, she thought, a temple of a word, a shiny red brown, like the surface of a chestnut. retruà ©cano A pun. The two pianists had a good marriage. They always were in a chord.

Strategic Management of Walmart Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Strategic Management of Walmart - Case Study Example The company has its operations in multiple countries including Mexico, UK, Japan, Argentina, Germany, South Korea, China, Canada and Puerto Rico. However in order to operate in international markets the company has changed its name for some of the international markets. As a result company operates as ASDA in UK, Seiyu in Japan and Walmex in Mexico. The case of the Wal-Mart Stores Inc is cited often for the CRM technology that they have in place for managing customer relations, the innovative JIT based zero inventory management system they have for their stock management and the business model of the company which allows it to benefit from economies of scale while keeping its costs to a minimum resulting in the provision of a large variety of products under one roof to its customers at the lowest prices in the market. The political environment for the Wal-Mart Stores Inc in the United States is relatively stable as compared to its other regions of operations. However the company has significantly contributed to the political environment as well by providing a practice of standardization in the retail industry with fair packaging and labelling as early as 1970. Aside from this the regularised retail industry through bills from the political front enable the company to operate in a relatively easy market. The economic environment for the company has been very volatile. The company itself has contributed in a large way to the GDP of the United States through successful and profitable business and growth in the part years. However the recent financial crisis has effected the Wal-Mart Stores Inc forcing it to reduce its expenses, shut down its below average profit bearing operations and to lay of workers in the United States as well as in the International market to sustain itself through the current economic crisis. However this effect has not been focused on Wal-Mart alone all business and companies operating in the retail sector have been effected similarly by the volatile economic environment. The social environment for the company takes the form of a diverse customer base as well as human right groups and consumer action groups that directly effects the operations of the company. The company has often been criticized for its practices of leveraging male employees over the female employees in the company. Human right activities and feminist consumer action groups have filed lawsuits as well as launched protests against the company in this regard forcing the company to change its management practices to avoid any preferential treatment for the male employees or the practice of an established glass ceiling for female employees. Aside from this the company itself has been providing support to the communities' specific to its regions of operations by providing technological, service based as well as infrastructural development support and by providing a large number of jobs to decrease the unemployment rate in the region of its operations. The technological environment that surrounds the operations

Strategic analysis of IBM from 2000 to 2005 Essay

Strategic analysis of IBM from 2000 to 2005 - Essay Example 133). The company has recently adopted an integrated supply, manufacturing and distribution operation into one operating unit. In addition to its own manufacturing operations, the company uses a number of contract manufacturing (CM) companies to manufacture IBM-designed products. In their website, IBM stated that it spends nearly $2 billion a year with diverse suppliers, for example, greater than any other technology company. Yet more than managing their expenditures, IBM had emphasized a responsibility to hold themselves and their suppliers to high standards of behavior. This means complying with all applicable laws and regulations. They seem to support a strong commitment to work with suppliers to encourage sound practices and develop sound global markets. Despite their company's strong performance in the recent years, IBM is aware that it competes with several large players in the various industries it operates in. In the consulting and outsourcing industry, it faces stiff competition from Accenture and Capgemini. In the application infrastructure software business, IBM faces competition from BEA Systems, Oracle, Sun Microsystems and Microsoft. In software, IBM is second to Microsoft, the world's largest software company. ... This is useful, because it could assist people in understanding both the strength of an industry's current competitive position and the strength of a position the industry is looking to move into. In analyzing the IBM's competitive environment, Porter's Five Forces will delineate that there are five important forces that determine competitive power in a situation: Supplier Power, Buyer Power, Competitive Rivalry, Threat of Substitution and Threat of New Entry. Supplier Power In their website, IBM mentioned that it developed an IBM Global Procurement, which is part of the Integrated Supply Chain organization. This arm of the IBM acquires goods and services for IBM and its clients. This is done with flexibility to sense and react to changing market dynamics. With few exceptions, this organization is the only group authorized to commit IBM funds to external suppliers. Furthermore, IBM explained that their Procurement fulfills its mission by using Global Commodity Councils to strategically source goods and services through a network of international, regional and emerging suppliers for IBM's varied businesses. Procurement is conducted in an environment of pervasive e-procurement across all steps of the acquisition process - from initial market segment intelligence and strategic sourcing, to tactical order placement, invoicing and electronic payment. With enhanced supplier interaction, Procurement takes responsibility to maintain IBM's competitiveness by enga ging suppliers to provide competitive advantage in cost, technology, innovation, speed to market, quality, and supply assurance. This responsibility includes activities such as supplier selection, negotiation

Employee benefits Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Employee benefits - Assignment Example include, vacation and sick leave, health insurance, pension plans and proper remuneration according to the local standards on minimum wages and working duration. The organization executes annual health and safety day where health consultants and safety experts advise the employees and carry out health assessments on employees. Besides, the employees are informed on safety compliance and health as well as compliance to environmental protection. The blood pressure of employees is measured and fresh up massages. The company allows a maximum of 6 months of sick leave for its employees but with no pay. The company has a policy of not forcing its employees to work; the only remedy for this is to deduct salaries. The directors are paid compensation in terms of pension plans, stock option plan at market price among other related benefits. The employees are offered an employee Benefit Plan 401(k) as well as single employer plan, health insurance cover which is deductable from their basic pay (Finance Week 23). The health insurance for employees is compulsory for all permanent employees. The temporary or contract employees are required to organize for their own personal health insurance prior to signing their employment contracts. The executive employees have other benefits which tied onto performance but majorly linked to the stock options plans. The executive employees receive the highest compensation in the company depending on the extent of output of the organization and its investments. Richemont Swiss offers life insurance to its employees, which is optional and deductable from the basic pay of employees. This comes after an agreement with the employees from the deduction on their pay. Besides, the organization has other health benefits such as dental benefits, long term disability for the employees in line of duty, temporary disability benefits such as accident and sickness, death benefits which comprise of travel accidents with exclusion of life assurance. The

Key aspects of legislation Essay Example for Free

Key aspects of legislation Essay For example: Having a training session in a room only accessible by stairs would discriminate against a person with difficulty walking due to disability or age. Unnecessarily strict dress codes could discriminate against a person who wears a turban, hijab or sari. In most cases, such inadvertent discrimination could be avoided by ensuring that full details of any requirements are obtained at registration. It is vital that the reasonable adjustments required by the student are available right from the start, if possible without the student having to ask for them. This will enable that student to participate at the same level as their peers, without drawing specific attention to their additional requirements. A teacher would also need to be on guard to ensure that no deliberate or accidental discrimination took place between students, such as sexism or racism, even in jest. One way of addressing this is to have the students themselves develop and agree to a code of conduct from the start. Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 This Act is concerned with securing the â€Å"health, safety and welfare of persons at work† (Health and Safety Act 1974) as well as protecting other people in connection with the activities of the person at work (for example, students). Some examples of this might include: Ensuring that electrical equipment is tested and safe before use Ensuring that there are no trailing wires which may cause a trip hazard Ensuring the teaching space is safe and suitable before the students arrive Checking any materials for possible hazards, such as risk of allergic reaction Carrying out and maintaining a risk assessment. Other legislation and codes of conduct to be mindful of include: Child Protection Guidelines – although my area of interest is with teaching adults, it is feasible that I would come into contact with children under 16 professionally Data Protection Act 1998 – I would need to ensure that all personal data held on my students was stored accordingly Freedom of Information Act 2000 – this legislation may apply should I be employed by a public body Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 – for example, the use of photographs downloaded from the internet and used in training materials Specific codes of conduct issued by employers. References www.legislation.gov.uk Last accessed:12th May 2014

Folk Heroes versus Modern Role Models :: essays research papers

There are six different qualities of folk heroes. Three are self-sacrifice, the willingness to go on a search for something of value, and someone who is willing to ask for help from others. Therefore, we need to examine our modern role models of today to see if they have any of these qualities of a folk hero. The first quality is that a folk hero must show values of his or her culture. A folk hero must be someone who is a good community member who puts the needs of their community above their own needs. In other words, they must be open to self-sacrifice. However, we don’t really see any celebrities or politicians risking for their teams, peers, neighborhood, or country. There is no one famous in the headlines that show that they have strength and are willing to undergo pain without complaint. There don’t seem to be any role models today who are intelligent. We don’t seem to care about personality. Our societal value seems to focus on money and recognition. Thus, our role models should be those who put others before themselves and show that they care for other people. The second quality of a folk hero is the willingness to leave the familiar in order to quest for something of value. They don’t have to leave their country, but they just need to be open to the unknown, willing to risk it all to attain a worthy goal. They have to be willing to give up money and fame, which is very rare for someone to do in today’s world. In today’s society it seems that only ordinary people are risking their lives and no one hears about them. So, our role models and heroes in the modern world should be those risking their lives for us instead of someone who memorizes lines and then gets paid for it. The third quality is that a folk hero must be willing to seek help from others either from spiritual or physical mentors. They need to be seeking help from those with knowledge, insight, and wisdom. They cannot be full of themselves thinking they can do everything and know everything. This seems to be the only quality that some of our role models have. Some of our celebrities and politicians do have people that they go to for advice.

Value Based Leader

PSC- 410 Servant Leadership Value-Based Leadership: Challenges and Opportunity A Value Based Leader is someone that align an organization’s values, mission, and processes into one standard style of management. Although a Value-Based Leader has the mission of the organization in mind when developing a strategy plan he or she will still face challenges. There are six challenges in which today’s organizations face and they are Technology, Ethics, Globalization, Knowledge, Diversity and Change. I would like to focus on two challenges faced by leaders today which are Change and Technology.The core values of a leader within an organization often establish the pattern of the employees in which he or she will lead. Robert McDonald, COO of Proctor and Gamble, believes that it is important for a good Leaders to be a leader with purpose as well as character which could assist a leaders in dealing with today’s challenges. If a leader leads with a purpose for the organization , he or she will share a desire for a positive end result or set an attainable goal in which all involved will be determined to see the purpose fulfilled with maximum outcome.With Change so often an organization has to adjust to these changes in order to adapt to whatever changes that will affect the end results. Sometimes the change for an organization could be as major as a change in the economy or as simple as a change in a style trend. In a recent CNNMoney article fashion trend setter Abercrombie & Fitch had a fall out due to declining sales. It was suggested that the companies challenges were due to macroeconomic conditions.Abercrombie clients are trendy teenagers and Twitter followers which snub the company due to a fall out of a popular teen idle which resulted in a drop in sales and a desire for the popular clothing line. It’s amazing that something as simple as a twit could affect the increase or decline in sales of a major organization. In this case, a Value-Based l eader would have to adjust to this change by assessing the current strategy, vision and the mission of the organization to better understand and support the changing trend of the current market.It’s not always easy to continue to do business as usual when the market has shifted but the organization has failed to adjust to these changes. This will have negative fallout for any company not willing to adjust and adapt. In the case of Abercrombie & Fitch, the role of a Servant Leader in this organization could be a benefit because the Servant leader would have the potential add value to this organization to ensure the success of the stakeholder by developing a new strategy plan.The twenty first century competency that would use in this situation would be a person with Cognitive skills and ability such as oral communication and to be able to solve the problems between Abercrombie and the needs of the changing market. Another challenge faced by today’s Value-Based Leadership is Technology. Technology could be defined in various ways within an organization to include Information Technology, cell phones, barcode scanners as well as DVD recorders. Technology within an organization has greatly improved the performance, productive and communication.Although technology has improved the way we do business it has not been without its challenges. Recently, several organizations have fallen victim to cyber-attacks by pranksters, criminal syndicates or foreign governmental agencies. Companies spend billions of dollars in security software in an attempt to secure their company’s information and the information of its customers. The growth or decline of an organization could increase or decrease if a company is exposed due to the lack of proper security policies.A Value-Based Leader would have to devise a stagey to review the company’s policies and procedures in order to prevent such things from happening. Although, security breaches are a growing tre nd within business it’s how the leadership of an organization handle these matters could define the direction in which the organization could take in the fall out. Most Competency Based leaders have an understanding of the mission of an organization and the things may lack can most often be taught or learned over the course of time.The focus is on the need of the organization based on goal set by management which could be totally focused on customer service or employee relations. In the newest challenges of an organization, the ability to adjust the changing demands and needs of an organization is a defining trait of a good Value Based leader. I strongly believe that leaders who are chosen for their competencies could also demonstrate servant leadership qualities if this attribute is cultivated as well as the individual have a heart to serve.Service is often a matter of the heart and a person would have to walk in humility in order to truly be able to demonstrate servant lead ership qualities. So often in the corporate world, people are focused on the mission of the organization, output and quantity rather than quality. A servant leader focuses on the moral and well-being of their employees which can contribute to increase productivity, quality customer service and increase profits for an organization. A Competency-Based leader could be taught good interpersonal skills in order to learn to deal with the growing diversity of a workplace.This will help them to learn the qualities of service by learning to deal with different personality, attitudes and cultures. I believe Servant Leadership is something that has the possibility to be taught to people with other leadership styles if they are truly open to learn how to serve. References Catherine Tymkiw (2012). Abercrombie & Fitch falls out of fashion, CNNMONEY Retrieved from www. cnn. com/ money Nicole Perlroth and Evenly Ruslie (2012) Security Start-Ups Catch Fancy of Investors (P. A. ) Retrieved from www. newyorktimes. com

Chapter 3 The Invitation

By the time Harry arrived in the kitchen, the three Dursleys were already seated around the table. None of them looked up as he entered or sat down. Uncle Vernon's large red face was hidden behind the morning's Daily Mail, and Aunt Petunia was cutting a grapefruit into quarters, her lips pursed over her horse-like teeth. Dudley looked furious and sulky, and somehow seemed to be taking up even more space than usual. This was saying something, as he always took up an entire side of the square table by himself. When Aunt Petunia put a quarter of unsweetened grapefruit onto Dudley's plate with a tremulous â€Å"There you are, Diddy darling,† Dudley glowered at her. His life had taken a most unpleasant turn since he had come home for the summer with his end-of-year report. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia had managed to find excuses for his bad marks as usual: Aunt Petunia always insisted that Dudley was a very gifted boy whose teachers didn't understand him, while Uncle Vernon maintained that â€Å"he didn't want some swotty little nancy boy for a son anyway.† They also skated over the accusations of bullying in the report – â€Å"He's a boisterous little boy, but he wouldn't hurt a fly!† Aunt Petunia had said tearfully. However, at the bottom of the report there were a few well-chosen comments from the school nurse that not even Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia could explain away. No matter how much Aunt Petunia wailed that Dudley was big-boned, and that his poundage was really puppy fat, and that he was a growing boy who needed plenty of food, the fact remained that the school outfitters didn't stock knickerbockers big enough for him anymore. The school nurse had seen what Aunt Petunia's eyes – so sharp when it came to spotting fingerprints on her gleaming walls, and in observing the comings and goings of the neighbors – simply refused to see: that far from needing extra nourishment, Dudley had reached roughly the size and weight of a young killer whale. So – after many tantrums, after arguments that shook Harry's bedroom floor, and many tears from Aunt Petunia – the new regime had begun. The diet sheet that had been sent by the Smeltings school nurse had been taped to the fridge, which had been emptied of all Dudley's favorite things – fizzy drinks and cakes, chocolate bars and burgers and filled instead with fruit and vegetables and the sorts of things that Uncle Vernon called â€Å"rabbit food.† To make Dudley feel better about it all, Aunt Petunia had insisted that the whole family follow the diet too. She now passed a grapefruit quarter to Harry. He noticed that it was a lot smaller than Dudley's. Aunt Petunia seemed to feet that the best way to keep up Dudley's morale was to make sure that he did, at least, get more to eat than Harry. But Aunt Petunia didn't know what was hidden under the loose floorboard upstairs. She had no idea that Harry was not following the diet at all. The moment he had got wind of the fact that he was expected to survive the summer on carrot sticks, Harry had sent Hedwig to his friends with pleas for help, and they had risen to the occasion magnificently. Hedwig had returned from Hermione's house with a large box stuffed full of sugar-free snacks. (Hermione's parents were dentists.) Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper, had obliged with a sack full of his own homemade rock cakes. (Harry hadn't touched these; he had had too much experience of Hagrid's cooking.) Mrs. Weasley, however, had sent the family owl, Errol, with an enormous fruitcake and assorted meat pies. Poor Errol, who was elderly and feeble, had needed a full five days to recover from the journey. And then on Harry's birthday (which the Dursleys had completely ignored) he had received four superb birthday cakes, one each from Ron, H ermione, Hagrid, and Sirius. Harry still had two of them left, and so, looking forward to a real breakfast when he got back upstairs, he ate his grapefruit without complaint. Uncle Vernon laid aside his paper with a deep sniff of disapproval and looked down at his own grapefruit quarter. â€Å"Is this it?† he said grumpily to Aunt Petunia. Aunt Petunia gave him a severe look, and then nodded pointedly at Dudley, who had already finished his own grapefruit quarter and was eyeing Harry's with a very sour look in his piggy little eyes. Uncle Vernon gave a great sigh, which ruffled his large, bushy mustache, and picked up his spoon. The doorbell rang. Uncle Vernon heaved himself out of his chair and set off down the hall. Quick as a flash, while his mother was occupied with the kettle, Dudley stole the rest of Uncle Vernon's grapefruit. Harry heard talking at the door, and someone laughing, and Uncle Vernon answering curtly. Then the front door closed, and the sound of ripping paper came from the hall. Aunt Petunia set the teapot down on the table and looked curiously around to see where Uncle Vernon had got to. She didn't have to wait long to find out; after about a minute, he was back. He looked livid. â€Å"You,† he barked at Harry. â€Å"In the living room. Now.† Bewildered, wondering what on earth he was supposed to have done this time, Harry got up and followed Uncle Vernon out of the kitchen and into the next room. Uncle Vernon closed the door sharply behind both of them. â€Å"So,† he said, marching over to the fireplace and turning to face Harry as though he were about to pronounce him under arrest. â€Å"So.† Harry would have dearly loved to have said, â€Å"So what?† but he didn't feel that Uncle Vernon's temper should be tested this early in the morning, especially when it was already under severe strain from lack of food. He therefore settled for looking politely puzzled. â€Å"This just arrived,† said Uncle Vernon. He brandished a piece of purple writing paper at Harry. â€Å"A letter. About you.† Harry's confusion increased. Who would be writing to Uncle Vernon about him? Who did he know who sent letters by the postman? Uncle Vernon glared at Harry, then looked down at the letter and began to read aloud: Dear Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, We have never been introduced, but I am sure you have heard a great deal from Harry about my son Ron. As Harry might have told you, the final of the Quidditch World Cup takes place this Monday night, and my husband, Arthur, has just managed to get prime tickets through his connections at the Department of Magical Games and Sports. I do hope you will allow us to take Harry to the match, as this really is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; Britain hasn't hosted the cup for thirty years, and tickets are extremely hard to come by. We would of course be glad to have Harry stay for the remainder of the summer holidays, and to see him safely onto the train back to school. It would be best for Harry to send us your answer as quickly as possible in the normal way, because the Muggle postman has never delivered to our house, and I am not sure he even knows where it is. Hoping to see Harry soon, Yours sincerely, Molly Weasley P.S. I do hope we've put enough stamps on. Uncle Vernon finished reading, put his hand back into his breast pocket, and drew out something else. â€Å"Look at this,† he growled. He held up the envelope in which Mrs. Weasley's letter had come, and Harry had to fight down a laugh. Every bit of it was covered in stamps except for a square inch on the front, into which Mrs. Weasley had squeezed the Dursleys' address in minute writing. â€Å"She did put enough stamps on, then,† said Harry, trying to sound as though Mrs. Weasley's was a mistake anyone could make. His uncle's eyes flashed. â€Å"The postman noticed,† he said through gritted teeth. â€Å"Very interested to know where this letter came from, he was. That's why he rang the doorbell. Seemed to think it was funny.† Harry didn't say anything. Other people might not understand why Uncle Vernon was making a fuss about too many stamps, but Harry had lived with the Dursleys too long not to know how touchy they were about anything even slightly out of the ordinary. Their worst fear was that someone would find out that they were connected (however distantly) with people like Mrs. Weasley. Uncle Vernon was still glaring at Harry, who tried to keep his expression neutral. If he didn't do or say anything stupid, he might just be in for the treat of a lifetime. He waited for Uncle Vernon to say something, but he merely continued to glare. Harry decided to break the silence. â€Å"So – can I go then?† he asked. A slight spasm crossed Uncle Vernon's large purple face. The mustache bristled. Harry thought he knew what was going on behind the mustache: a furious battle as two of Uncle Vernon's most fundamental instincts came into conflict. Allowing Harry to go would make Harry happy, something Uncle Vernon had struggled against for thirteen years. On the other hand, allowing Harry to disappear to the Weasleys' for the rest of the summer would get rid of him two weeks earlier than anyone could have hoped, and Uncle Vernon hated having Harry in the house. To give himself thinking time, it seemed, he looked down at Mrs. Weasley's letter again. â€Å"Who is this woman?† he said, staring at the signature with distaste. â€Å"You've seen her,† said Harry. â€Å"She's my friend Ron's mother, she was meeting him off the Hog – off the school train at the end of last term.† He had almost said â€Å"Hogwarts Express,† and that was a sure way to get his uncle's temper up. Nobody ever mentioned the name of Harry's school aloud in the Dursley household. Uncle Vernon screwed up his enormous face as though trying to remember something very unpleasant. â€Å"Dumpy sort of woman?† he growled finally. â€Å"Load of children with red hair?† Harry frowned. He thought it was a bit rich of Uncle Vernon to call anyone â€Å"dumpy,† when his own son, Dudley, had finally achieved what he'd been threatening to do since the age of three, and become wider than he was tall. Uncle Vernon was perusing the letter again. â€Å"Quidditch,† he muttered under his breath. â€Å"Quidditch – what is this rubbish?† Harry felt a second stab of annoyance. â€Å"It's a sport,† he said shortly. â€Å"Played on broom-â€Å" â€Å"All right, all right!† said Uncle Vernon loudly. Harry saw, with some satisfaction, that his uncle looked vaguely panicky. Apparently his nerves couldn't stand the sound of the word â€Å"broomsticks† in his living room. He took refuge in perusing the letter again. Harry saw his lips form the words â€Å"send us your answer†¦in the normal way.† He scowled. â€Å"What does she mean, ‘the normal way'?† he spat. â€Å"Normal for us,† said Harry, and before his uncle could stop him, he added, â€Å"you know, owl post. That's what's normal for wizards.† Uncle Vernon looked as outraged as if Harry had just uttered a disgusting swearword. Shaking with anger, he shot a nervous look through the window, as though expecting to see some of the neighbors with their ears pressed against the glass. â€Å"How many times do I have to tell you not to mention that unnaturalness under my roof?† he hissed, his face now a rich plum color. â€Å"You stand there, in the clothes Petunia and I have put on your ungrateful back -â€Å" â€Å"Only after Dudley finished with them,† said Harry coldly, and indeed, he was dressed in a sweatshirt so large for him that he had had to roll back the sleeves five times so as to be able to use his hands, and which fell past the knees of his extremely baggy jeans. â€Å"I will not be spoken to like that!† said Uncle Vernon, trembling with rage. But Harry wasn't going to stand for this. Gone were the days when he had been forced to take every single one of the Dursleys' stupid rules. He wasn't following Dudley's diet, and he wasn't going to let Uncle Vernon stop him from going to the Quidditch World Cup, not if he could help it. Harry took a deep, steadying breath and then said, â€Å"Okay, I can't see the World Cup. Can I go now, then? Only I've got a letter to Sirius I want to finish. You know – my godfather.† He had done it, he had said the magic words. Now he watched the purple recede blotchily from Uncle Vernon's face, making it look like badly mixed black currant ice cream. â€Å"You're – you're writing to him, are you?† said Uncle Vernon, in a would-be calm voice – but Harry had seen the pupils of his tiny eyes contract with sudden fear. â€Å"Well – yeah,† said Harry, casually. â€Å"It's been a while since he heard from me, and, you know, if he doesn't he might start thinking something's wrong.† He stopped there to enjoy the effect of these words. He could almost see the cogs working under Uncle Vernon's thick, dark, neatly parted hair. If he tried to stop Harry writing to Sirius, Sirius would think Harry was being mistreated. If he told Harry he couldn't go to the Quidditch World Cup, Harry would write and tell Sirius, who would know Harry was being mistreated. There was only one thing for Uncle Vernon to do. Harry could see the conclusion forming in his uncle's mind as though the great mustached face were transparent. Harry tried not to smile, to keep his own face as blank as possible. And then – â€Å"Well, all right then. You can go to this ruddy†¦this stupid†¦this World Cup thing. You write and tell these – these Weasleys they're to pick you up, mind. I haven't got time to go dropping you off all over the country. And you can spend the rest of the summer there. And you can tell your – your godfather†¦tell him†¦tell him you're going.† â€Å"Okay then,† said Harry brightly. He turned and walked toward the living room door, fighting the urge to jump into the air and whoop. He was going†¦he was going to the Weasleys', he was going to watch the Quidditch World Cup! Outside in the hall he nearly ran into Dudley, who had been lurking behind the door, clearly hoping to overhear Harry being told off. He looked shocked to see the broad grin on Harry's face. â€Å"That was an excellent breakfast, wasn't it?† said Harry. â€Å"I feel really full, don't you?† Laughing at the astonished look on Dudley's face, Harry took the stairs three at a time, and hurled himself back into his bedroom. The first thing he saw was that Hedwig was back. She was sitting in her cage, staring at Harry with her enormous amber eyes, and clicking her beak in the way that meant she was annoyed about something. Exactly what was annoying her became apparent almost at once. â€Å"OUCH!† said Harry as what appeared to be a small, gray, feathery tennis ball collided with the side of his head. Harry massaged the spot furiously, looking up to see what had hit him, and saw a minute owl, small enough to fit into the palm of his hand, whizzing excitedly around the room like a loose firework. Harry then realized that the owl had dropped a letter at his feet. Harry bent down, recognized Ron's handwriting, then tore open the envelope. Inside was a hastily scribbled note. Harry – DAD GOT THE TICKETS – Ireland versus Bulgaria, Monday night. Mum's writing to the Muggles to ask you to stay. They might already have the letter, I don't know how fast Muggle post is. Thought I'd send this with Pig anyway. Harry stared at the word â€Å"Pig,† then looked up at the tiny owl now zooming around the light fixture on the ceiling. He had never seen anything that looked less like a pig. Maybe he couldn't read Ron's writing. He went back to the letter: We're coming for you whether the Muggles like it or not, you can't miss the World Cup, only Mum and Dad reckon it's better if we pretend to ask their permission first. If they say yes, send Pig back with your answer pronto, and we'll come and get you at five o'clock on Sunday. If they say no, send Pig back pronto and we'll come and get you at five o'clock on Sunday anyway. Hermione's arriving this afternoon. Percy's started work – the Department of International Magical Cooperation. Don't mention anything about Abroad while you're here unless you want the pants bored off you. See you soon – Ron â€Å"Calm down!† Harry said as the small owl flew low over his head, twittering madly with what Harry could only assume was pride at having delivered the letter to the right person. â€Å"Come here, I need you to take my answer back!† The owl fluttered down on top of Hedwig's cage. Hedwig looked coldly up at it, as though daring it to try and come any closer. Harry seized his eagle-feather quill once more, grabbed a fresh piece of parchment, and wrote: Ron, it's all okay, the Muggles say I can come. See you five o'clock tomorrow. Can't wait. Harry He folded this note up very small, and with immense difficulty, tied it to the tiny owl's leg as it hopped on the spot with excitement. The moment the note was secure, the owl was off again; it zoomed out of the window and out of sight. Harry turned to Hedwig. â€Å"Feeling up to a long journey?† he asked her. Hedwig hooted in a dignified sort of a way. â€Å"Can you take this to Sirius for me?† he said, picking up his letter. â€Å"Hang on†¦I just want to finish it.† He unfolded the parchment and hastily added a postscript. If you want to contact me, I'll be at my friend Ron Weasley's for the rest of the summer. His dad's got us tickets for the Quidditch World Cup! The letter finished, he tied it to Hedwig's leg; she kept unusually still, as though determined to show him how a real post owl should behave. â€Å"I'll be at Ron's when you get back, all right?† Harry told her. She nipped his finger affectionately, then, with a soft swooshing noise, spread her enormous wings and soared out of the open window. Harry watched her out of sight, then crawled under his bed, wrenched up the loose floorboard, and pulled out a large chunk of birthday cake. He sat there on the floor eating it, savoring the happiness that was flooding through him. He had cake, and Dudley had nothing but grapefruit; it was a bright summer's day, he would be leaving Privet Drive tomorrow, his scar felt perfectly normal again, and he was going to watch the Quidditch World Cup. It was hard, just now, to feel worried about anything – even Lord Voldemort.