Lincoln by Steven Spielberg - 892 Words

The movie Lincoln by famous producer, Steven Spielberg, is a newer film based upon the life of Abraham Lincoln and his endeavor to pass the 13th amendment giving the right to free all slaves in their entirety. (1. How does this film relate the material to this course?) As we are currently going over the 19th century discussing slavery and the civil war, the movie deals directly with president Abraham Lincoln and his attempt to abolish slavery indefinitely through the act of the 13th amendment leading up to his inevitable assignation by John Wilkes Booth, a well-known actor and confederate spy having never served with the confederate army. (2. What did you learn from the movie you did not already know?) There were many intriguing parts, being interested in the Civil War, that the film shined a light on, that I had never taken interest into before. I never realized that while Lincoln was pushing for ending slavery first and foremost it seemed he and his contemporaries debated diligentl y the pros and cons of choosing to first end slavery or ending the war. While Lincoln was gaining and losing votes citizens took the approach to look at the situation that if African Americans are giving the right then women will be next and so on causing controversy on when it will end. (3. Were there any inaccuracies in the film?) I found the film very accurate in part but at the beginning of the movie I recalled back to something we have talked about in class that does not correlate properlyShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Steven Spielberg s Lincoln1788 Words   |  8 Pagesbetween the North and South, which eventually led to the civil war. Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln takes place during the last four months of President Abraham Lincoln s life, which coincided with the end of the civil war, and, not coincidentally, the death of slavery in America. The chronology of events in Lincoln is accurate for the most part, but there are a few things that happened out of place. During a house debate Thaddeus Stevens is told by James Ashley to state that he does not believe in racialRead MoreLincoln: An American Historical Drama Film by Steven Spielberg1004 Words   |  5 PagesLincoln is a 2012 American historical drama film directed and produced by Steven Spielberg, starring Daniel Day-Lewis as United States President Abraham Lincoln and Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln. The film is based in part on Doris Kearns Goodwins biography of Lincoln, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, and covers the final four months of Lincolns life, focusing on the Presidents efforts in January 1865 to have the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States ConstitutionRead MoreSteven Spielberg s Lincoln And The End Of The Civil War994 Words   |  4 PagesSteven Spielberg’s â€Å"Lincoln† (2012) The â€Å"Lincoln† started in January 1865. It was the second month since Abraham Lincoln’s reelection and the fourth year of the American Civil War. The â€Å"Lincoln† is a history of Abraham Lincoln’s legacy in dealing with the casualties in the Civil War battlefield and the debates over the passage of Thirteenth Amendment. In a nation divided by war and the eagerness of change, Lincoln strived for the end of the Civil War, the unity of the country and the abolishmentRead MoreBiography of Steven Spielberg: The Best Director of All Time Essay602 Words   |  3 PagesSteven Spielberg is arguably the best director of all time! His unique movies have made him very successful in the list of all time directors. His expressive imagination makes him so unique from other directors. Blockbusters such as Jurassic Park or Saving Private Ryan helped him rise to the top. Steven Spielberg was born on December 18, 1946, in Cincinnati, Ohio. His parents were Arnold Spielberg and Leah Spielberg, who soon influenced the movies he would make. Surprisingly enough, Steven SpielbergRead MoreA Brief Look at Steven Spielberg1726 Words   |  7 PagesSteven Allan Spielberg is known worldwide as a screenwriter, producer and one of Americas most successful filmmakers. His 20 highest-grossing films grossed 8.45 billion. He is a three-time winner of the Oscar Award, twice as the best director of the year. Spielberg was born on December 18, 1946 in Cincinnati (Ohio, USA), the son of a Jewish family engineer Arnold Spielberg and professional pianist Leah Adler (nee Posner).The mother had to give up the idea of her career for education of four childrenRead MoreEssay about Steven Spielbergs Life and Accomplishments1187 Words   |  5 Pagespopular to this very day. He has received many winning awards for his movies, and was also nominated for best director. This director started at a young age, and has become one of the most talented directors today. Steven Spielberg was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on December 18, 1946. Spielberg lived in a family of six including him, and he was the eldest of his siblings. His sibling’s names are Anne, Sue, and Nancy. In his early years he was forced to do a lot of relocating because of his parent’s jobsRead MoreAnalysis Of Film The Filmmaking World1197 Words   |  5 Pagesare endless. In many cases, a director’s editing techniques and narrative are so distinct that one might differentiate the film’s director just by examining its cinematic language. For example, Steven Spielberg uses signature works in many of his films that allow viewers to categorize them as his own. Spielberg, a famous Hollywood style director, was born in Ohio. He kicked off his Hollywood career after directing his low budget films Firelight and Amblin’. After he signed his contract with UniversalRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie Lincoln 962 Words   |  4 Pages Actually, Steven Spielberg ’s film named â€Å"Lincoln† starts during the time of the Civil War, when President Abraham Lincoln was requiring this war’s end. From the initial scene the cruelty of the war is clearly shown, mostly against African American soldiers. In fact, racial discrimination was a significant problem at that time and that was one of the biggest struggles of Abraham Lincoln, as he attempted to maintain the whole nation as one union. The film describes the situation occurred in the 1860sRead MoreAmbition, Ethics And Leadership Essay1253 Words   |  6 Pagestexts ‘Lincoln’ by Steven Spielberg and ‘The Year of Living Dangerously’ by Christopher Koch, has enhanced my understanding of the texts’ explored values. These values include ambition, ethics and leadership, and they, to a large extent, enhanced my knowledge as the texts offer different perspectives into different values. Ambition is a key value in both texts, and it is seen through the main protagonists Abraham Lincoln in ‘Lincoln’ and Guy Hamilton in ‘The Year of Living Dangerously’. Lincoln hasRead MoreLeadership Qualities Of President Rodham Clinton1030 Words   |  5 Pagesoutlined a detailed program for achieving the objectives the committee set out, and worked together with both American political parties in order to implement those changes. Steven Spielberg A rather different example of a strategic leader comes from the world of entertainment. The award-winning director Steven Spielberg has showcased how the leadership framework can be used when contributing to the world of cinema as well. Not only has his movies applied visionary and strategic tactics that enthral

Thorn Queen Chapter Eighteen Free Essays

The village I’d passed earlier was called Marmant, and I had to get directions from Maiwenn’s guards to make sure I didn’t accidentally take some twisted Otherworldly path in my attempt to return. I rode there with troubled feelings, still replaying the events with Kiyo and trying to decide if our assorted arguments today had qualified as true fights. I soothed myself a little by reaching out and manipulating the air, creating gusts and eddies and attempting to see how big a blast I could make. We will write a custom essay sample on Thorn Queen Chapter Eighteen or any similar topic only for you Order Now At one point, I made a scrubby tree bend pretty far, but it tired me out. I had to practice more to sustain true gale-force winds, and lightning still remained out of my grasp. The people of Marmant greeted me with that same mix of fear and awe I had come to expect. Word of the changes being wrought in the land was getting around, so they were grateful and allowing themselves optimism at last. Yet, my fearsome reputation always lurked on the horizon, so they spoke gingerly around me, fearful of enraging the dangerous monarch who had forced this dangerous land upon them. â€Å"How is everything?† I asked, hoping I seemed concerned and nonthreatening. Rather than a mayor, this town had a council of five that made decisions, and they’d invited me inside for a private meeting. They were ordinary-looking men and women-still with that peasant feel so common in the Otherworld-but there was an air of competence around them. â€Å"You’ve got water and food now?† â€Å"Yes, your majesty,† said a middle-aged woman who seemed to be the speaker of the group. â€Å"Thank you, your majesty.† â€Å"Good. I’m sorry it’s been so hard on you. Things should be better now.† There was a brief silence in the group, one heavy with unspoken meaning. I looked from face to face. â€Å"What?† â€Å"We don’t want to trouble your majesty†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Trouble away. It’s what I’m here for.† This got another round of exchanged looks. It was still apparently an odd concept for these people. â€Å"Well,† began the woman, â€Å"near the outskirts of our town’s boundaries, there have been some attacks.† â€Å"What kind?† â€Å"Bandits, your majesty.† â€Å"Son of a bitch,† I said. We’d known the group had moved, but they’d been quiet thus far, allowing me to hope I could take Kiyo up on his offer and deal with them before they caused more trouble. â€Å"We actually have many fighters and strong magic users,† she said with some pride. â€Å"But we could not stand against their monsters.† â€Å"You mean demons.† She gave a nervous nod. â€Å"Son of a bitch,† I said again. This had to be dealt with, and at this point, I really was willing to be a bastard and hold a gun to Jasmine’s head. â€Å"Don’t worry. They’re going to be taken care of. Soon. Very soon.† The woman looked startled at the menacing tone in my voice, but her words were grateful. â€Å"Thank you, your majesty.† â€Å"Anything else I should know about?† This time, it was a man who spoke up. â€Å"We don’t want to trouble you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I groaned. â€Å"Just tell me what it is.† â€Å"We heard your majesty has been seeking missing girls.† I straightened up. â€Å"Yes. What about it?† â€Å"One of ours disappeared two days ago. My neighbor’s daughter, Markelle.† A small, wry smile crossed his lips. â€Å"She’s a wild one, often wandering off where she shouldn’t. But she hasn’t come back†¦and she always does†¦.† I felt my fists clenching and forcibly relaxed them. I didn’t need to scare these people any further. â€Å"Aside from the bandits, have you seen anyone else lurking around? Humans, maybe?† He seemed even more afraid to discuss this topic. â€Å"We see humans sometimes, your majesty.† I think he thought mentioning my own kind would anger me. â€Å"It’s not uncommon. Often there are humans who†¦ah, give chase to some of the denizens of this world.† Shamans like me, he meant. â€Å"Usually, they leave us alone once they’ve found their quarry.† I thought back to Jasmine. â€Å"Any soldiers or warriors of the gent-shining ones?† â€Å"Occasionally. I presume they’re deserters from King Aeson.† Not a bad theory, actually. â€Å"But we see none of them regularly. There’s no one in particular who keeps returning.† I leaned forward, some part of me feeling like everything was about to fall together. â€Å"But there is a human you keep seeing, isn’t there? Especially since the girls began disappearing?† He nodded. It was here. Everything was here. â€Å"A man, right? A man with a red snake tattoo?† â€Å"No, your majesty.† â€Å"I-what?† I froze for a moment. â€Å"Then who?† â€Å"A woman, your majesty. A woman with graying hair that she wears in a long braid.† I stared at him for several seconds, and then I laughed. This seemed to scare them all more than if I had burst into a rage. â€Å"Abigail,† I said at last, more to myself than them. â€Å"Your majesty?† I waved a hand at them. â€Å"Never mind.† Abigail. Fucking Abigail and Art. Working together to†¦what? Abduct gentry girls? But why? I’d toyed with the idea of Art as some kind of sick rapist, but where did Abigail fit in with this? Surely that would hold no interest for her. With a sigh, I pushed the questions to a small box in my mind, needing to wrap this up and get back to the human world. I needed to have that talk with Roland. â€Å"Anything else going on I need to know about? You’ve got copper nearby, right?† Finding water and food was naturally essential, but it was copper that was going to truly change things in the Thorn Land. It was what all our trade agreements were being based on. â€Å"How’s the extraction going?† â€Å"Slowly until today, your majesty,† the woman admitted. â€Å"Our magic users are skilled in many things, but we have few who can work with metal. Much of our labor has been manual.† I frowned. â€Å"Why did things change today?† â€Å"Why,† she said in surprise, â€Å"because you sent the Oak King to us.† â€Å"The Oak-wait. You mean Dorian?† I exclaimed. â€Å"He’s not here now, is he?† They were all clearly surprised at my surprise. â€Å"Yes, your majesty,† said the guy who’d spoken earlier. â€Å"He’s out with the workers now. I thought you knew.† I stood up, still full of shock. â€Å"I have to see him. Excuse me.† They all murmured polite farewells and nearly knocked each other over with bows. I didn’t stick around to return the formality. Instead, I headed back out into the bright afternoon sun, lightly jogging to where I’d seen the workers on the far side of the village. At first, I saw no indication of Dorian. Men and a few women were digging diligently, sweat rolling down their faces. Then, suddenly, I heard a slight rumbling, and the ground trembled. Huge chunks of rock rose from the earth, a few of them glinting in the sunlight. They lifted in a cluster and then slowly drifted off to the side of the work site, gently coming to rest on a pile of similar stones. Turning, I looked to the opposite side of the area and finally found Dorian, his hands moving in the air as he guided the ore. His clothes were simple today, but that hair burned and rippled in the sunshine like liquid fire. His face was filled with concentration as he watched the rocks, but once they’d come to a halt, he broke into a smile as he strode forward. â€Å"My lady Thorn Queen, what a delight.† I let him kiss my hand for the sake of appearances-seriously, why were the gentry so into that?-and then pulled him out of earshot of the others. â€Å"What the hell are you doing here?† I exclaimed. â€Å"Why, retrieving my copper.† â€Å"That’s not what I mean!† He shrugged and wiped sweat off his brow. His devil-may-care expression aside, it was clear he was tired. I grabbed hold of his arm and led him back toward the town. â€Å"Come on, get something to drink before you get dehydrated. And start explaining.† â€Å"I heard there was some difficulty with your copper, and I decided to come help, seeing as it benefits me too. My sword is in need of replacement, you know-and that’s not a metaphor. The metaphorical one is just fine. Besides, you don’t honestly think I can let you take all the glory as being the most helpful monarch around, do you? You’re making us all look bad.† â€Å"Dorian,† I groaned. Because there was really no other response. If people had fallen all over me when I arrived, the two of us together created quite the stir. Again, I was reminded of some celebrity tabloid couple. We returned to the council hall, at which point I used my queenly authority to get some privacy and some refreshment. It was a bit startling to see how quickly my orders were obeyed. Once we were alone and Dorian was sprawled in a chair, I truly got a good look at just how exhausted he was. â€Å"How long have you been out there doing this?† I asked, pouring him water from a pitcher. â€Å"Most of the day. And I’ll take the wine, my dear.† He nodded toward a nearby decanter. â€Å"It’ll dehydrate you further,† I scolded, handing him the cup of water. He scowled but drank it down eagerly. I watched him, still perplexed. â€Å"But why? You don’t need the copper that badly.† â€Å"Perhaps not. But you do.† He finished the water, and I gave him a refill. â€Å"Thank you. Waited on by a queen-truly the dream of many a man.† I pulled over a chair of my own. â€Å"You didn’t need to do it,† I protested. â€Å"You’ve practically killed yourself.† â€Å"Hardly. Give me and my stamina some credit.† â€Å"I still don’t get it.† He finished this cup too and then gave me a look that was both exasperated and amused. â€Å"Eugenie, why do you keep having such a hard time believing I’d do things for you?† There was earnestness in his voice, and I realized we kept having this conversation over and over. Out of everyone in my life lately, it seemed like he was the only reliable one. â€Å"I don’t know why. I’m sorry. I just run into few people who give something for nothing. Mining isn’t going to get me into your bed.† â€Å"Well,† he said cheerfully, â€Å"nobody knows that for sure, but even if not? It doesn’t matter. You need it. It makes you happy. End of story.† I looked away. Dorian truly was my friend. â€Å"Thank you. It does make me happy. One less thing in a sea of problems today.† He handed me the cup. â€Å"Get me wine this time, and tell me what your problems are. You can even sit on my lap.† â€Å"No thanks,† I said, but I did get him the wine. â€Å"I saw you and the kitsune pass earlier, actually. Is that part of your problem?† He answered his own question. â€Å"Yes, yes. Of course it is.† I was a bit surprised to hear myself pouring my thoughts out to him again. I didn’t even have the excuse of being drunk this time. â€Å"I saw the baby today.† â€Å"Cute?† â€Å"Very. And it just made me feel†¦I don’t know. Kiyo thinks it’s jealousy, but it’s more than that. I just can’t explain it.† â€Å"Kind of a questioning of your own life and the choices-or lack thereof-before you?† I looked up, startled, and met his eyes. They were unusually serious. â€Å"Yes, exactly.† Dorian remained silent, and I found myself rambling more. â€Å"He’s having a hard time getting all of it lately-the magic, the girls, the demons†¦he doesn’t like me spending time over here. Neither does Roland.† I couldn’t help a smile. â€Å"Hell, neither do I. But†¦I have to. I have to put things right around here.† â€Å"I know you do,† he said, face serious. â€Å"Dorian†¦what would happen if I got a crown?† This made him a smile a little. â€Å"It would make you look even more beautiful.† â€Å"No, I’m serious. Kiyo says it’s a bad idea. That it would make all this real.† â€Å"It’s already about as real as it’s going to get, my dear.† â€Å"That’s what I told him! But I don’t get the big deal. You never wear a crown.† â€Å"Not often. But I have one, and I was crowned and all my people swore fealty to me. That’s what a crown would lead to. You want one for ornamentation? Sure, that’s easy. But put one on and walk out among your people-especially in a city like Highmore-and say, ‘This is who I am, I am your queen†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Well, that’s what the kitsune fears. You’re already queen. No crown can affect that. But you accepting one and declaring your authority is when you truly believe you’re a queen. And as far as Kiyo is concerned, that’s where the danger is.† â€Å"Wow,† I said, nearly as surprised to have such a thorough explanation from him as I was by the content itself. â€Å"Are you afraid of it?† He snorted. â€Å"Hardly. I don’t need a crown to know you’re a queen. It radiates off of you. But I would like for you to know you’re a queen.† If dealing with all the crap I had on my plate didn’t make me think I was a queen, then I didn’t really know what else would. I let the crown issue go and instead recapped my latest intel about the bandits and Abigail. â€Å"I can’t figure out her role here. You mentioned before that Art’s motives would be†¦uh, understandable. But why her? Unless she’s just enough of a pal to help him score some gentry action.† Dorian was still in his pensive mode. He’d poured himself yet another glass of wine and handed me one too that I sipped sparingly. â€Å"Let me ask you this. Why do men of the shining ones so often abduct your women?† â€Å"Easy,† I returned. â€Å"Because we’re more fertile. You guys might have sex in public, but it doesn’t usually result in anything. A guy who wants a kid has better luck with a human.† Dorian nodded. I had a feeling he’d already made some leap of logic and was prompting me here to figure it out myself. â€Å"And what about humans? Are you hoping for children each time you make love?† I laughed, thinking of my stock of condoms and birth control pills. â€Å"Hardly. We go to a lot of trouble not to. Too easy for us.† He leaned toward me, green eyes shrewd. â€Å"Then think about it. You understand why we would want humans. Why would humans want us?† I studied him, trying to catch up to what he’d already thought of. A few moments later, I got it. â€Å"Because you’d fulfill the opposite need. A human could have sex with a gentry girl and not worry too much about her getting pregnant. Or getting a disease.† Gentry were healthier than us in that regard. It seemed to go along with them having such long life spans- â€Å"Oh God. That would be part of it.† The more I followed his logic, the clearer and clearer it became. â€Å"You guys live longer. Gentry girls would stay young and beautiful for a long time†¦.† The horror of it was setting in. Until that moment, I had thought there were few sexual crimes worse than gentry guys consistently trying to rape me to get me pregnant. As shocking as it seemed, I was wrong. If this were true†¦if this idea that Dorian was suggesting was true†¦well. That was worse. Gentry girls taken because they were the ideal sexual partners: young, disease resistant, hard to get pregnant-even with a human. I almost laughed. It was like Tim’s poem about the maiden who’d come from another world, whose beauty and youth were so great that mortal men had coveted her. The question was, how did the gentry girls feel about this role? A lot of girls wanting to get pregnant might wholeheartedly embrace human lovers-literally and figuratively. But Moria’s traumatized state suggested her stint with Art hadn’t been welcome†¦ I stood up and rubbed my eyes. â€Å"Oh God,† I repeated. â€Å"The stuff†¦all the stuff†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"What?† asked Dorian, understandably confused. Dropping my hands, I looked back at him. â€Å"These shamans, Abigail and Art. They live well. They have more possessions†¦nicer things than they should for the jobs they have.† Art’s giant house in an upper-class neighborhood. The shiny SUV. Abigail’s luxurious-albeit messy-apartment. Her extensive jewelry collection. â€Å"I don’t know how, but they’re making money off it. Off these girls.† I slumped against the wall. â€Å"And I don’t know what to do about it.† Dorian rose and came to stand by me. â€Å"You’ll stop them.† I shook my head. â€Å"It’s not that simple. Art was right-there’s no shaman council. I can’t report them to anyone, certainly not human authorities. There’s no accountability, no laws that apply here.† â€Å"They’re breaking your laws,† he said, leaning toward me. â€Å"Therefore you have every right to stop them. Treat them as you would any other criminal in your land. Kill them.† â€Å"I can’t!† I exclaimed. â€Å"I’d have to actually catch them here, and so far I haven’t been able to. And I’m certainly not going to go to Texas and kill them there.† â€Å"Why not? If a murderer from my kingdom killed someone in yours, I wouldn’t bat an eye if you came to slay him.† â€Å"It’s different. They’re†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Human?† I hated to admit, but yes, there it was. I had chased Otherworldly monsters from my world back to this one and never hesitated to kill them or banish them directly to the Underworld. But somehow, the thought of intentionally tracking humans and killing them†¦ I didn’t need to voice my answer for Dorian to understand. Exasperation flared on his face, this time mixed with†¦anger. â€Å"Damn it, Eugenie. You just told me you had to put things right! Which is it? Or does it only depend on what’s easy at any given time? What your mood is? Who you like better that day?† â€Å"It’s not that easy!† I exclaimed. â€Å"You don’t understand. You can’t understand. I’m caught between two worlds here, with two sets of loyalties. I’ve spent my entire life being human-being part of that world. You can’t expect me to throw all that away and betray my own kind.† He opened his mouth to retort and was interrupted by a faint roll of thunder. Whatever words he’d been about to utter disappeared, and he laughed. â€Å"Do you hear that? That’s you, Eugenie. Your anger.† I shook my head. â€Å"I can’t control thunder and lightning yet.† â€Å"Not control, no. But you can summon it unconsciously. Do you think there’s anything in this land that isn’t tied to you?† He gestured around us. â€Å"All these people here†¦all the people in this village looking at you with adoring eyes†¦they are your own kind too. This is what I meant when I said you’re the only one who doesn’t seem to realize you’re a queen yet! All these people are looking to you to protect them and do what’s right. If you can’t do that, then you might as well back off and do what the kitsune and your stepfather want you to do.† â€Å"Dorian, I can’t kill in cold blood!† He gripped me by the arms, voice calm but infused with anger. â€Å"You can do whatever it is you have to do! You are a queen. Forget all this talk about Storm King’s grandson. Right now, you are his heir. You are on the verge of becoming one of the most powerful rulers in this world, which means you don’t have the luxury of being squeamish. You can rule with love, but you have to rule with ruthlessness too. You are going to go down in history, Eugenie, as one of the greatest monarchs we have ever seen. And it is going to start with this-this wrong that you’re going to right. If you can’t do it, if you can’t stop those who are hurting your people, then you might as well stop the rest of this charade. Go out there and tell those people you can’t do anything for them, that you can’t feed them or protect them because they aren’t your kind and aren’t worth bloodying your hands for!† He was shouting now, breathing heavily. I stared at him, eyes wide, filled with a little of that fear I always got when his temper rose. Moments like these reminded me of just how powerful Dorian was physically and magically. His lazy, lean appearance was deceptive; I’d seen him fight. Between that and the power he wielded, I hoped there would never come a day when we were truly antagonists. Outside, I heard thunder again. It took me several seconds to muster an answer, and when I spoke, my voice was very small. â€Å"I can’t,† I said. â€Å"I can’t tell them that.† â€Å"I know you can’t,† he whispered. And then, still gripping me, he leaned down and kissed me. More astonishingly, I kissed him back. It seemed like all the emotions that had consumed me recently-all the rage and confusion-were poured into that kiss. My teeth bit against his lips, and when he shoved me against the wall, I welcomed the brief pain. Our hands were all over each other as we kissed, mine running the length of his body while his more aggressively hiked up the dress I’d earlier regretted wearing. In a matter of seconds, it was pushed over my hips, leaving my legs bare. With one hand still holding the skirt up, his other pushed between my thighs, slipping underneath the thong I’d put on this morning in the hopes of getting intimate with Kiyo. Those clever fingers slid into me, stoking a wetness I hadn’t thought could come on so fast. My small exclamation was muffled in his crushing kiss as he alternately thrust his fingers into me and pulled out to tease and dance with my clit. It was the latter he eventually settled on, circling and stroking as heat built between my legs and made all my muscles tense up. Then, the burning flood of sensation exploded, and I came with another cry that his kiss smothered, a cry that faded into a moan as my body trembled and spasmed from the shock waves of heat and electricity still shooting through me from his touch. My orgasm created no pause in the action, though. The hand that had just brought me such pleasure moved from between my legs to his pants as he began to unfasten them. His mouth finally left mine, moving on to my neck, his kisses hot and fierce. He shoved his pants down, and I felt him against me, hard and ready as he pressed his hips to mine. My hands were tangled in his hair as I tilted my head back to receive his kisses, but his hands, busy as always, were prying off my underwear. The reality of what was happening sank in. â€Å"Wait†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I murmured, lost as his mouth bit against my skin. â€Å"No, we can’t†¦I can’t†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"You can,† he breathed in my ear. â€Å"Let me†¦let me do it. Let me bury myself in you. Let me spread your legs and take you like I did before. We are gods in this world, Eugenie, with no other lovers who are our equals. No others who are worthy of this joining.† The thong was on the ground now, and I could feel his erection pressed against my skin, so, so close to sliding in and doing all the things he promised. He rested his hands under my thighs and hoisted me up against the wall so that my legs wrapped around his hips. â€Å"Dorian†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I gasped. â€Å"I’m with Kiyo†¦.† â€Å"So? You’re a queen. Do you think you can’t have as many lovers as you like?† â€Å"It’s†¦it’s wrong. We can’t†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"We can,† he said, voice low and full of promise. â€Å"And when we do, this land will be reborn†¦.† Afterward, I would never be entirely sure if I would have let him do it. I like to think I would have stopped him. I was in love with Kiyo, after all, and loyal to him. Surely I would have said no and shoved Dorian aside. I wasn’t in love with him†¦or was I? In those moments before we’d kissed, I’d felt like he truly got me and understood the things in my head. I think I’d probably loved him since around the time we’d met; I certainly never lost the attraction. Still, that didn’t make cheating on Kiyo right. Whatever decision I would have made was taken from me when there was a knock at the door. I jerked away from Dorian and hastily shoved my skirt down. He more casually turned away to pull his pants back up, seeming in no particular hurry. The door opened, and the lead councilwoman stuck her head in. Even with Dorian’s back to her and me dressed, it had to have been obvious what was going on-particularly with my underwear on the floor. If she found it shocking, though, she didn’t show it, and I recalled how free the gentry were in public. â€Å"Your majesties,† she said politely, â€Å"there’s a storm coming in, and the workers were wondering what the Oak King wanted to do.† Dorian, decent once more, turned around and gave her a laconic, charming smile. â€Å"A storm? Really? How truly unexpected. Well, tell them to bring as much of the ore as they can into storage before the rain and cover the rest up. I’ll come check on it in a moment since I have a feeling the Thorn Queen is about to depart with some haste.† The woman gave a quick curtsey and shut the door once more. â€Å"You’re right,† I said, jerking my thong back on. â€Å"I’m leaving.† â€Å"Yes,† he agreed, still smiling. â€Å"Because that’s your normal course of action when something happens that you don’t know how to process.† â€Å"That’s the thing,† I growled. â€Å"Nothing happened here, okay? None of this did.† His eyebrows rose. â€Å"Really? Because I could have sworn that something happened when my hand was between your-â€Å" â€Å"No!† I would have approached him with clenched fists to drive home my threat but was afraid of what would happen if I was close to him again. â€Å"This didn’t happen. This was anger and confusion and me in a weak place, okay? I appreciate what you’ve done here with the copper-really. And for the advice on the girls. But that’s it.† I turned, not wanting to look into those green eyes or see that smirk anymore. I didn’t want to admit that loving two men was just like the rest of my life, ripped into two worlds. I needed to get out of here and get back home-though I wasn’t sure which home I meant. Dorian didn’t try to stop me, but his voice rang out after me as I hurried out and rain began to fall outside. â€Å"Don’t forget what I said, Eugenie. Crown or not, you are a queen, so don’t be afraid to do what you have to do. Love and ruthlessness. Those are the keys.† How to cite Thorn Queen Chapter Eighteen, Essay examples

Learnin a Great Lesson Essay Example For Students

Learnin a Great Lesson Essay Everyone has a different story about their literacy adventure, but we all have one thing in common: we all have a story about how we first started to read or what first sparked our attention in the literacy world. As long as I can remember I have been reading and writing. I was a top â€Å"AR† reader in my fifth grade class. I always had a quiz that came along with the piece I had to read. I received several awards and points for being such a great reader. To others, this seemed like a great accomplishment, but to me it was nothing really; I like to read and write. So what? This was just something I didn’t really have to work at. This early interest in reading became the stepping stone I needed to adventure into writing. Throughout middle school I loved English. Absolutely loved it. It was one class I could always count on. It never confused me, never worried me. I was always looking for ways to improve, because a paper is never perfect. Somebody’s always going to have an opinion, or something they think you should change as a writer. I learned quickly that interpretation meant everything, and there was always going to be somebody dissatisfied. Writing came effortless to me during my middle school years, and the beginning of high school. I scored well on my papers, some really difficult ones and I would always get questioned by my peers. How did you do that? Did you pay him/her off? Countless questions arose but what they didn’t understand is that it is something that came so naturally to me. I knew what needed to be done and I executed it. This all seemingly worked through high school until I met seemed to be a rock wall: Mrs. Thomas, my senior English teacher. Senior year came around, and I just knew it would be a breeze. I knew how high school worked, why would this year be any different? Boy I was in for a rude awakening. First day of English class I remember having no worries. I focused more on math and science which are the classes I thought would bring me down. My English teacher Mrs. Thomas tried scaring us on the very first day. This will be difficult†, she said. â€Å"Throw all you know about writing out the window. † Why on earth would I do that? Ever since I was little all my teachers have taught me the same thing. Five paragraphs, strong thesis statement, intriguing introduction and conclusion. But not now, what I did know about English is getting thrown out the window and now I am learning all over again. I couldn’t understand why she wanted to change what we have learned so far. Mrs. Thomas made me write journals, made me write research papers, and most importantly she pushed me out of my comfort zone. Way, way, way out of my comfort zone. I remember struggling at times. Well actually I struggled a lot of times. I remember being up for hours trying to figure out what she wanted from me. When I’d ask her for help her reaction would simply be â€Å"You just aren’t used to it. Think in broader terms Chrissy. Beyond what you know and what you’re comfortable with. † This was difficult for a girl who hated change to comprehend and to adjust to. My first paper I gave to her got returned to me with a big fat D. Disgusting. Dreadful. Disastrous. This was not a mark I expected on my paper, and clearly not one I had hoped for. It was unexpected, but ultimately taught me a lesson. I didn’t know everything about writing. I hadn’t mastered it. Mrs. Thomas challenged me the entire year. I never felt too comfortable with my writing, but I think that’s what helped me. I started going back and changing my essays. I was never satisfied with my first draft anymore. I knew I could be better, and I knew I could write to her standards. In a way my own standards became higher. .u6815d28c47cbe975b2914cdc209ea880 , .u6815d28c47cbe975b2914cdc209ea880 .postImageUrl , .u6815d28c47cbe975b2914cdc209ea880 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u6815d28c47cbe975b2914cdc209ea880 , .u6815d28c47cbe975b2914cdc209ea880:hover , .u6815d28c47cbe975b2914cdc209ea880:visited , .u6815d28c47cbe975b2914cdc209ea880:active { border:0!important; } .u6815d28c47cbe975b2914cdc209ea880 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u6815d28c47cbe975b2914cdc209ea880 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u6815d28c47cbe975b2914cdc209ea880:active , .u6815d28c47cbe975b2914cdc209ea880:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u6815d28c47cbe975b2914cdc209ea880 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u6815d28c47cbe975b2914cdc209ea880 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u6815d28c47cbe975b2914cdc209ea880 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u6815d28c47cbe975b2914cdc209ea880 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u6815d28c47cbe975b2914cdc209ea880:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u6815d28c47cbe975b2914cdc209ea880 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u6815d28c47cbe975b2914cdc209ea880 .u6815d28c47cbe975b2914cdc209ea880-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u6815d28c47cbe975b2914cdc209ea880:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Swimming History EssayI didn’t let myself just do the bare minimum work anymore. I wrote multiple drafts, and used every resource I could to adjust my writing from what I knew to something foreign to me. I have learned it’s not all about rubrics, and it’s not all about what the teacher wants to hear. Sure there are requirements but the actual stuff that’s graded is deeper than that. It’s about opening yourself up completely. Being open to change, and learning something new at the end of each paper. I never looked at papers the same after the first dreadful one that got returned to me marked up with red ink. Mrs. Thomas taught me all I didn’t know about writing, and in a surprising way made me more literate. I’m a better writer, and a better student no matter how much I despised the process that it took to get there. The lessons I learned in Ms. Thomas’s class didn’t just help me make it through my senior year English class. The skills I learned will continue to be a part of my writing, and I’ll always think back to the way I adjusted. Writing and reading is not simply being able to do the task at hand. It’s about learning, and growing. We all learn literacy, and increase our abilities throughout life even if we don’t notice the changes.

Life of Polar Bears

The polar bear is a native of bear found within the Arctic Circle that encompass the Arctic Ocean at the North Pole and the adjacent land. According to the observation of many scientists, this type of animals must have evolved from the ancestors of the brown bear. Polar bears are carnivorous, meaning that they are meat-eaters. Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Life of Polar Bears specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Their most common food includes bearded seals, ringed seals and walrus pups. As a matter of fact, these creatures are reputed to be the largest meat eating animals worldwide. And alongside the omnivorous Kodiak, they are the largest in the bear family, measuring almost the same. On average, male polar bears are estimated to weigh between 770-1,500 lb, while females range almost half the males in size. According to Stirling and Archibald, owing to their unique body features and characteristics, po lar bears have successfully adapted to living close to Northern Hemisphere’s farthest tip (127). Current, polar bears are distributed in five regions, that include: Greenland (Denmark), Norway, Canada, Russia, and Alaska in the US. These animals are covered with heavy fur allover the body, a unique feature that enables them to survive in extremely cold temperatures. Their fur constitutes of hollow guard hairs to avoid it from matting down while swimming in waters. The color of the fur would vary from pure white to something close to a yellow hue. The white fur is beneficial to the animals, considering the fact that they normally spent most of their time on the snow hunting for their prey. This plays a significant purpose in helping them avoid detection by their prey. This also serves as a key adaptation feature which makes the bears, and especially the cubs, less vulnerable to predator attacks (Derocher 168). However, apart from their fur being pure white, their skin is actu ally black and this is another distinguishing feature which enables polar bears to absorb much heat from the sun into their bodies. The habitant for polar bears would include both the sea ice and the land. Polar bears have very large fore paws with a diameter of about 12 inches and just like any other sea creature, their toes are webbed to enable them propel rapidly through the water. Polar bears are observed to possess poor eyesight, but their excellent ability to smell is applied to compromise their sight disadvantage, thus enabling them to survive well in their habitats (Atkinson and Stirling 231). The animals communicate with each other through sounds and body language. Other things which add up to their diet include vegetation, sea birds and their eggs and beach-cast carrion, among other food stuffs in the arctic. Advertising Looking for research paper on biology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More However, one surprising f act with these animals is that, despite them living in water, they don’t drink water. Liquids needed for their normal body functioning is attained from what they consume as food. Normally, a female bear gives birth to two tiny cubs at a time. The cubs are usually attached to their mother for a period of two to three years, before they become independent and start hunting for themselves. Usually, polar bears would be solitary except in some cases such as when they are mating. Another distinguishing characteristic associated with polar bears is that, they are intelligent and even curious by nature. This is evident in their habit to courageously approach and try to investigate ships and vehicles that tend to pass near them. Polar bears would feel endangered when provoked and this can lead to possible attacks to humans who may happen to cross their way. This however, would be expected, especially with bear mothers who may tend to become aggressive in an attempt to defend her you ng ones. Usually, the life span of a wild polar bear is estimated to be 20 years. It may not be easy to know the exact number of polar in the world, owing to their existence in several regions. However, according to recent information about polar bears, their population is estimated to be below 25,000 worldwide. The world count of these creatures is highly endangered and is likely to drop greatly in the near future, leading to a possible extinct of these endangered creatures. It is observed that, the decreasing population of polar bars has been caused by a number of factors such as the loss of habitat by humans, regular climatic changes, and constant environmental pollution which has been extended to their ecosystems. According to Derocher, these creatures are likely to face extinction by 2100, if efforts are not taken to preserve their conservation (172). The heightening issue of global issue remains to be the biggest threat of polar bears today (Derocher 243). Changes in the glo bal temperatures are responsible for changing the creatures’ habitat, their behavior, their food, and also their life span. As it would be observed, ice platforms are constantly melting as a result of the heightening atmospheric temperatures. In this case, the life of polar bears, ranging from feeding to breeding is highly threatened, thus indicating a possibility of real extinction of the polar bear.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Life of Polar Bears specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Works Cited Atkinson, Shannon and Stirling, Ian. Growth in early life and relative body size among adult polar bears (Ursus maritimus). Journal of Zoology 239. 2 (2006): 225—234. Derocher, Andrew. Polar bears in a warming climate. Integrative and Comparative Biology 44. 2 (2004): 163-176. Print. Derocher, Andrew. Possible impacts of climatic warming on polar bears. Arctic 7. 12 (2003): 240-245. Print. Stirli ng, Ian. and Archibald, Ralph. Aspects of predation of seals by polar bears. Journal of the Fisheries Board of Canada 34. 8 (1997): 126-129. Print. This research paper on Life of Polar Bears was written and submitted by user Jonathon Q. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Free Essays on Greek Culture

Greek Culture Most Greeks wear Western clothing, although traditional clothing continues to be worn in some rural areas. There are two types of traditional clothing for men: on the mainland men wear a foustanela (skirt), while a type of baggy trousers called a vraka is worn on the Aegean Islands and Crete. The traditional clothing for women consists of a kavadi (a dress of thick, often gold-woven, silk brocade) worn over a poukamiso (chemise); a kondogouni (tightly fitted velvet jacket) is worn over the poukamiso and a fessi (tasseled cap) completes the outfit. Popular foods include avgolimono (egg-lemon soup), moussaka (eggplant casserole), souvlakia (skewered meat), and baklava (nut-filled pastry). Greeks enjoy retsina wine and ouzo, a strong aperitif made from grape stems and flavored with anise. Traditional houses have whitewashed walls, long, narrow windows, and tiled roofs. Urban housing includes tall apartment buildings. The country’s favorite sports are soccer, basketball, and trac k-and-field events. Among the arts and crafts are ceramics, embroidery, jewelry-making, and leather goods. The culture of ancient Greece had a major influence on the development of Western civilization. For information on Greek culture, see Drama and Dramatic Arts; Greek Art and Architecture; Greek Literature; Greek Music; Greek Philosophy; Greek Mythology; Olympian Games. About 98 percent of the people are followers of the Orthodox Church of Greece. The remaining 2 percent of the population includes Muslims, Roman Catholics, Protestants, and Jews. The great majority of the people of Greece speak Modern Greek (see Greek Language). The vernacular Modern Greek and language of popular literature is Demotike, as opposed to Katharevousa, a more formal modern Greek or purist Greek. Demotike became the official language of Greece by an act of parliament in 1976. It is used by the government, the newspapers, and educational institutions. Great diff... Free Essays on Greek Culture Free Essays on Greek Culture Greek Culture Most Greeks wear Western clothing, although traditional clothing continues to be worn in some rural areas. There are two types of traditional clothing for men: on the mainland men wear a foustanela (skirt), while a type of baggy trousers called a vraka is worn on the Aegean Islands and Crete. The traditional clothing for women consists of a kavadi (a dress of thick, often gold-woven, silk brocade) worn over a poukamiso (chemise); a kondogouni (tightly fitted velvet jacket) is worn over the poukamiso and a fessi (tasseled cap) completes the outfit. Popular foods include avgolimono (egg-lemon soup), moussaka (eggplant casserole), souvlakia (skewered meat), and baklava (nut-filled pastry). Greeks enjoy retsina wine and ouzo, a strong aperitif made from grape stems and flavored with anise. Traditional houses have whitewashed walls, long, narrow windows, and tiled roofs. Urban housing includes tall apartment buildings. The country’s favorite sports are soccer, basketball, and trac k-and-field events. Among the arts and crafts are ceramics, embroidery, jewelry-making, and leather goods. The culture of ancient Greece had a major influence on the development of Western civilization. For information on Greek culture, see Drama and Dramatic Arts; Greek Art and Architecture; Greek Literature; Greek Music; Greek Philosophy; Greek Mythology; Olympian Games. About 98 percent of the people are followers of the Orthodox Church of Greece. The remaining 2 percent of the population includes Muslims, Roman Catholics, Protestants, and Jews. The great majority of the people of Greece speak Modern Greek (see Greek Language). The vernacular Modern Greek and language of popular literature is Demotike, as opposed to Katharevousa, a more formal modern Greek or purist Greek. Demotike became the official language of Greece by an act of parliament in 1976. It is used by the government, the newspapers, and educational institutions. Great diff... Free Essays on Greek Culture Greek Culture Most Greeks wear Western clothing, although traditional clothing continues to be worn in some rural areas. There are two types of traditional clothing for men: on the mainland men wear a foustanela (skirt), while a type of baggy trousers called a vraka is worn on the Aegean Islands and Crete. The traditional clothing for women consists of a kavadi (a dress of thick, often gold-woven, silk brocade) worn over a poukamiso (chemise); a kondogouni (tightly fitted velvet jacket) is worn over the poukamiso and a fessi (tasseled cap) completes the outfit. Popular foods include avgolimono (egg-lemon soup), moussaka (eggplant casserole), souvlakia (skewered meat), and baklava (nut-filled pastry). Greeks enjoy retsina wine and ouzo, a strong aperitif made from grape stems and flavored with anise. Traditional houses have whitewashed walls, long, narrow windows, and tiled roofs. Urban housing includes tall apartment buildings. The country’s favorite sports are soccer, basketball, and trac k-and-field events. Among the arts and crafts are ceramics, embroidery, jewelry-making, and leather goods. The culture of ancient Greece had a major influence on the development of Western civilization. For information on Greek culture, see Drama and Dramatic Arts; Greek Art and Architecture; Greek Literature; Greek Music; Greek Philosophy; Greek Mythology; Olympian Games. About 98 percent of the people are followers of the Orthodox Church of Greece. The remaining 2 percent of the population includes Muslims, Roman Catholics, Protestants, and Jews. The great majority of the people of Greece speak Modern Greek (see Greek Language). The vernacular Modern Greek and language of popular literature is Demotike, as opposed to Katharevousa, a more formal modern Greek or purist Greek. Demotike became the official language of Greece by an act of parliament in 1976. It is used by the government, the newspapers, and educational institutions. Great diff...

The History of Kleenex Tissue

The History of Kleenex Tissue In 1924, the Kleenex brand of facial tissue was first introduced. Kleenex tissue was invented as a means to remove cold cream. Early advertisements linked Kleenex to Hollywood makeup departments and sometimes included endorsements from movie stars (Helen Hayes and Jean Harlow) who used Kleenex to remove their theatrical makeup with cold cream. Kleenex and Noses By 1926, Kimberly-Clark Corporation, the manufacturer of Kleenex, became intrigued by the number of letters from customers stating that they used their product as a disposable handkerchief. A test was conducted in the Peoria, Illinois newspaper. Ads were run depicting the two main uses of Kleenex, either as a means to remove cold cream or as a  disposable handkerchief for blowing noses. The readers were asked to respond. Results showed that 60%  used Kleenex tissue for blowing their noses. By 1930, Kimberly-Clark had changed the way they advertised Kleenex and sales doubled proving that the customer is always right. Highlights of Kleenex History In 1928, the familiar pop-up tissue cartons with a perforated opening were introduced. In 1929, colored Kleenex tissue was introduced and a year later printed tissues. In 1932, pocket packs of Kleenex were introduced. That same year, the Kleenex company came up with the phrase, The handkerchief you can throw away! to use in their advertisements. During World War II, rations were placed on the production of paper products and the manufacturing of Kleenex tissues was limited. However, the technology used in the tissues was applied to the field bandages and dressings used during the war effort giving the company a big boost in publicity. Supplies of paper products returned to normal in 1945 after the war ended. In 1941, Kleenex Mansize tissues were launched, as indicated by the name this product was aimed at the male consumer. In 1949, a tissue for eyeglasses was released. During the 50s, the spread of the popularity of the tissues continued to grow. In 1954, the tissue was the official sponsor on the popular television show, The Perry Como Hour. During the  60s, the company began successfully advertising the tissue during daytime programming rather than just nighttime television. SPACESAVER tissue packs were introduced, as well as purse packs and juniors. In 1967, the new square upright tissue box (BOUTIQUE) was introduced. In 1981, the first scented tissue was introduced to the market (SOFTIQUE). In 1986, Kleenex started the Bless You advertising campaign. In 1998, the company first used a six-color printing process on their tissues allowing for complex prints on their tissues. By the 2000s, Kleenex sold tissues in over 150 different countries. Kleenex with lotion, Ultra-Soft, and Anti-Viral products are all introduced.   Where did the word come from? In 1924, when  Kleenex  tissues were first introduced to the public they  were intended to be used with cold cream to remove makeup and clean the face. The  Kleen in Kleenex represented that clean. The ex at the end of the word was tied to  the companys other popular and successful product at the time,  Kotex brand  feminine napkins. Generic Use of the Word Kleenex The word Kleenex is now commonly used to describe any soft facial tissue. However, Kleenex is the trademarked name of the soft facial tissue manufactured and sold by the Kimberly-Clark Corporation. How Kleenex Is Made According to the Kimberly-Clark  company, Kleenex tissue is made in the following way: At the tissue manufacturing mills, bales of wood pulp are put into a machine called the hydrapulper, which resembles a giant electric mixer. The pulp and water is mixed to form a slurry of individual fibers in water called the stock. As the stock moves to the machine, more water is added to make a thinner mixture which is more than 99 percent water. The cellulose fibers are then thoroughly separated in refiners before being formed into a sheet, on the forming section of the creped wadding machine. When the sheet comes off the machine a few seconds later, it is 95 percent fiber and only 5 percent water. Much of the water used in the process is recycled after being  treated to remove contaminants prior to discharge. A felt belt carries the sheet from the forming section to the drying section. In the drying section, the sheet is pressed onto the steam-heated drying cylinder and then scraped off the cylinder after it has been dried. The sheet is then wound into large rolls. The large rolls are transferred to a rewinder, where two sheets of wadding (three sheets for Kleenex  Ultra Soft and Lotion Facial Tissue products) are plied together before being further processed by calender rollers for additional softness and smoothness. After being cut and rewound, the finished rolls are tested and transferred to storage, ready for converting into Kleenex  facial tissue. In the converting department, numerous rolls are put on the multifolder, where in one continuous process, the tissue is interfolded, cut and put into Kleenex brand  tissue cartons which are inserted into shipping containers. The interfolding causes a fresh tissue to pop out of the box as each tissue is removed.

Sustainability and Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sustainability and Ethics - Essay Example The very issue of fuddling may also lead to the civil society organisations competing with each other for funding and therefore render it impossible for the civil society organisations to work in concert to have creative and constrictive regulation of the business environment.Given the fact that these organisation can be manipulated by the very businesses they are supposed to regulate, it becomes clear that they may not work for the good of the public but may seek the good of the individual people running them. In this kind of scenario, it can be said that their value to the society is not only reduced but that they are actually harmful to the very public they are supposed to protect. However, it cannot be assumed that all civil societies are easily manipulated by private business through funding. Some of them are well managed and are able to retain their authority and are run with integrity. These few civil society organisations are most likely to be helpful to the public and help i n protecting the public from other organisations that may be unethical in the way they operate.There are a number of issues that affect the way a business is run. Sustainability has become a major beacon in the development of business strategies and it is important for any business manager to be able to know what business sustainability is in order to carefully and effectively include it in the business model and ensure that the business has a good sustainability plan (Brockett and Rezaee, 2012). However, the challenge to its is that there are various definitions of sustainability, and although they are all similar, they all defer from each other in at least one critical way.

Japanese views on Gender Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Japanese views on Gender - Essay Example The post-war educational reforms in 1949 had opened all forms of higher education to women but the ‘gender-track’ in Japan continues. Higher education in Japan serves only two functions – general education and professional education and there is significant difference in the higher education of men and women. Women were given education enough for them to fulfill their assigned roles as women, which is why their education was limited to home sciences and humanities. Women are still confined to Junior colleges or women’s colleges or to some particular fields of specialization. Women however became conscious and entered the field of high education and started fighting for their rights as equals. With changes in education, legislation and work force, women’s attitudes and values changed. This affected women’s self-concepts and perception of abilities. According to Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, Japan is a collectivist society, an extremely masculine country. Inequality and gender discrimination in Japanese society remains pervasive due to persisting assumptions about the sexual division of labour. Women have made progress in the education the business world but obstacles towards equality persist. While women’s consciousness has been stirred and they have also entered the field of politics, it is argued that gender issues should not be seen as a simple issue of improving the status of women. Women are becoming engaged in politics and standing for election. They have also been forming associations to act together on issues such as day-care, maternity leave, and sexual harassment policies but they encounter political constraints when it comes to decision making.

Famous Creative Thinkers in the World Essay Example for Free

Famous Creative Thinkers in the World Essay It is said that there is greatness in everybody, and it only requires the right place and time to burst out and bless the world. This planet has been blessed to have amazing people walk among us, and they have revolutionized the way people perceived certain ideologies. Jesus Christ, Leonardo Da Vinci, Martin Luther King, Benjamin Franklin and Voltaire, just to mention a few are accredited to have left a mark in this world. With none claiming to be any special than any other man, they stood out to make this world a more comfortable place to live in during their time. Quentin Tarantino, a film director, actor, producer and screenwriter is one of the great men that the 21st century has been blessed to have. With a creative, innovative and ever awe-inspiring works, Quentin has become a figure in society that many people can look up to. His films are usually characterized by non-linear storylines, a glorification of violence and a satirical subject matter that in most times results in an exhibition of neo-noir characteristics. His creative genius by the use of mix and match genre as well as an infusion of music and the morphing of old works and making them new and better are his main characteristics that define him. Quentin’s works have always had a cut above the rest because they seek to contribute largely to the society in general. Whether in educating, reminding or entertaining the society, Quentin has had movie lovers at the edge of their seats and in turn, he has received awards for the same. Quentin has entertaining movies like Pulp Fict ion (1994) that is considered one of the greatest if not the greatest movie produced of all time and Django Unchained that seeks to tell the story of slavery. Movies with stories that remind human beings of their past, or those that make them forget about the daily hassles of life have garnered him success as well as health, although without their share of problems. For example, making of a slavery movie was initially not favored by potential audiences, and it received severe criticism although it resulted to his highest grossing movie of all time. On the other hand, other movies are criticized as having too much violence which is mostly in his line of creativity. The solutions to these problems were primarily making movies that are entertaining and educative, that leave out the brutality of the times that the movies are based on. The second is that the action movies he directs or produces are made for the enjoyment of the entire family, without vulgar language and sometimes incredible humor. For a creative thinker, obstacles are a daily routine since thinking outside the proverbial box is commonplace. For Quentin, research is the initial step towards a resolute creative thinking process. This means a lot of reading and comparisons of different scripts and different possibilities. Tarantino’s creative thinking process revolves around all matters that seem reasonable and worth investing in, promoting ideologies and uplifting talented scriptwriters. Although he is attributed to having anger issues, his movies cannot be remade any better without denying the audience their intended purpose. For example, Django Unchained was meant to educate and remind the American of the past that they are too ashamed of to remember. His works fit perfectly in the 21st century movie making field where creativity and the ‘anything goes’ attitude is prime. Having been an avid movie fan, a trained actor, movie critique and an investor, Tarantino has continued to expand both h is knowledge and skill in the movie world. The age of computing has revolutionized the 21st century and the world has become a better place with computers. The age of computers, as this century is commonly referred to have experienced profound effect in all industries that have chosen to adopt the technology. Grace Murray Hopper (nicknamed ‘amazing Grace’), an American computer scientist as well as the United States navy rear admiral had notable contributions to the world of technology and modern warfare. She is among the pioneer programmers of Harvard Mark one computer, and she developed the first compiler for a computer programming language. This was her first most significant contribution to society. She is also renowned for popularizing the term ‘debugging’ as a term for fixing computer glitches. It is probably because of her sense of patriotism that she volunteered to join World War II, and she was sworn into the Navy reserve where she gained an exemption to enlist because she was underweight. This was among the first hurdles in her career, but what she did not have in physical attributes; she more than made up for them in brains. Throughout her career in both industry and academia, Hopper was a consultant for the United States Naval Reserve as well as a lecturer there. She held several posts in leadership through her career both outside the Navy and also within the Navy. Her technical and marketing skills proved to be of great use to her as she also demonstrated superb political and general business acumen. The major hurdles that she had to overcome were the computer bugs that she was working on while in Harvard. However, working alongside brilliant minds, she co-authored several papers on computers. By the virtue of patience and perseverance, Hopper was able to tackle many of the problems she faced by herself, but in some, she got the assistance of fellow brilliants. She is said to have never turned down a good idea from anyone regardless of their rank in the military of in the lab. By being involved in the successful programming of Mark I through III computers, she was awarded the Naval Ordnance Development Award. Nothing could have been done any different at the time, and up until now, the Mark computers are still formidable in the market. With the age of computing, Hopper’s works fitted perfectly with her time, and her innovations remain a valuable contribution to human beings. By being involved in the university’s academic program, Hopper was able to learn and continue to excel in her field of study and expertise. Up until her retirement, she was a lecturer and an academician whose contributions were noted and highly regarded. Until her death in 1992, Hopper remained an invaluable asset for the United States Navy, Harvard and the World at large. For that, the USS Hopper (DDG-70) Navy Destroyer and the Cray XE6 â€Å"Hopper† supercomputer were named after her in the United States Navy and NERSC respectively. References Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper, USN. (2012, March 4). Biography Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper, USN. Retrieved May 28, 2014, from http://www.history.navy.mil/bios/hopper_grace.htm Everything Tarantino. (2014, May 27). Everything Tarantino. Retrieved May 31, 2014, from http://www.everythingtarantino.com/ Grace Hopper Biography. (2010, May 12). Bio.com. Retrieved May 31, 2014, from http://www.biography.com/people/grace-hopper-21406809#awesm=~oFPA4E99lVVRqY Quentin Tarantino Biography. (2013, September 27). Bio.com. Retrieved May 31, 2014, from http://www.biography.com/people/quentin-tarantino-9502086#awesm=~oFPAGvRhIMAhpw Source document

Abraham Lincoln Essay -- essays papers

Abraham Lincoln In Abraham Lincoln: The Man Behind the Myths, Stephen Oates interpretation of the Historical Lincoln had three examples of Lincoln’s actions; Moral decisions, his expression and progression. The first illustration that I see is his beliefs in moral determination. He not only believed that ethically slavery was wrong, but also believed that he could do something about it. One way that he tried to change peoples mind was to pass the Emancipation Proclamation Act. The proclamation declared "that all persons held as slaves" within the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free." Even though this Proclamation did not immediately free a single slave, Lincoln believed that it was a start in ending slavery. Lincoln â€Å"†¦contended in any case that blacks who had tasted freedom would never consent to be slaves again† (p.115). He believed that once the â€Å"black’s† or slaves had a chance at freedom, Lincoln knew that they would never go back to being treated unequally. Lincoln was not much more than the simple saint, he was just an abolitionist. He was determined to stand by his word. He was willing to do anything and everything to get his beliefs out. Another action that I choose to illustrate his ways was his expressions. Lincoln felt so strongly about the Union that he expressed that the â€Å"†¦slaves were a tremendous source of strength†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p. 105). He conjectured that having the slaves freed meant that the military would be much stronger. Even though ...

Race and Identity in Richard Wright’s Black Boy

Stephen Donato Professor Schmitz HSF 20 September 2012 Race and Identity in Richard Wright’s Black Boy Each and every person on this Earth today has an identity. Over the years, each individual creates their identity through past experiences, family, race, and many other factors. Race, which continues to cause problems in today’s world, places individuals into certain categories. Based on their race, people are designated to be part of a larger, or group identity instead of being viewed as a person with a unique identity. Throughout Richard Wright’s Black Boy, Richard is on a search for his true identity.Throughout Black Boy, one can see that Richard’s racial background assigns him with a certain identity or a certain way in which some people believe he should live his life. Growing up in the Jim Crow South, many young blacks, have their identities essentially already created for them based solely on the backgrounds and race. During this time period, white s expect blacks to behave a certain way, have certain traits, and treat them with absolute respect. Whites during Richard’s time still feel they are much superior to the blacks they interact with, and have many expectations that would be considered racist today.However, in his work, Richard Wright shows how one can break from this predetermined mold. In many instances during the work, Richard breaks from this identity to which he is assigned in order to create his unique identity and grow into the person he wants to become. Richard refuses to sit back and to be absorbed into the Jim Crow lifestyle of southern blacks. In Richard Wright’s Black Boy, Richard’s past experiences with both white and black individuals, family, and race issues shape his true identity and develop him into the man of his dreams living the life which he chooses instead of the one assigned to him.Richard Wright, a young black boy growing up in his family home in Mississippi, searches for hi s identity through many different experiences. A constant in his life which continues to shape his identity time and time again is his family. Throughout the work, Richard searches for a loving and caring family. Although his family may not fit the description at all times, they help him to form his independence, a big part of his true identity. As a young black male growing up in a house with his extended family, Richard did not have many freedoms. Throughout Black Boy, Richard’s family constantly shelters him from the outside world.The story begins in his grandmother’s home in Mississippi where his family constantly reprimands him. For example, in the beginning of this work, Richard Wright’s grandmother has fallen sick in the house. Therefore, Richard is expected to be quiet and not play with his brother. Richard, a young boy, just wants to have some fun, and proceeds to play with matches. He becomes more and more curious, and sets the curtains on fire, almost burning down the house. Because he was so sheltered, he became this curious little boy, causing trouble in his family home.Consequently, Richard is beaten for his actions, which becomes a common theme through the work. Richard explains: I was lashed so hard and long that I lost consciousness. I was beaten out of my senses and later I found myself in bed, screaming, determined to run away, tussling with my mother and father who were trying to keep me still (Wright 7) Time and time again, family members or outsiders attempt to beat Richard. He learns his first real lesson shaping his identity while trying to buy groceries for the house. After his father leaves, Richard’s mother tells Richard he is now in charge of buying groceries.Richard feels like the man of the house, and acts very confidently, until he needs to go buy the food. The first two times he attempts to buy food, a crowd of boys beats him and steals his money. However, his mother sends him out a third time equippe d with a stick. Richard easily defeats the boys and claims that night he â€Å"won the right to the streets of Memphis† (Wright 21). In this situation, it seems that Richard’s mom is not being fair by sending him out to get beat up time and time again. However, she is only doing this in order to help Richard survive in the future.By winning the right to the streets of Memphis, Richard is growing more independent. He no longer relies on his father to bring home food because he is not coming back, and he is able to stand up for himself when the time comes. Richard becomes more independent throughout different experiences in Black Boy. Richard’s grandmother, a devoutly religious person, has an underlying grievance with Richard because he is not religious. Richard’s grandmother begins to shelter him by not buying him books which he needs for school. Richard explains, â€Å"I needed textbooks and had to wait for months to obtain them.Granny said that she woul d not buy worldly books for me† (Wright 143). In addition, Richard claims that his Granny always burned the books he had brought into the house, â€Å"branding them as worldly† (Wright 151). Richard needed money to buy his books, some new clothes, and lunch during the week at school. However, his grandmother continues to shelter him by not allowing him to work. When Richard asked to work on the weekends, Richard explains that â€Å"she laid down the injunction that I could not work on Saturdays while I slept under her roof† (Wright 147).These two instances with his grandmother show Richard’s ambition. Richard wants to make something of himself, and does not want to sit back and live the usual life of a black individual. He wants to begin working in order to make money to buy his books so that he can study and live out his dream of becoming a writer. He begins to read articles in magazines from newspapers he sells, and learns of the vast world. He loves it, and he â€Å"hungered for a different life, for something new† (Wright 151). Richard wants to get out and experience the world, and break the mold of the assumed black identity.To begin this task, Richard begins writing his own stories. After Richard completes his first story, he brings it to his neighbor to read. Her reaction to his story was the common reaction: â€Å"What’s that for? † (Wright 141). Later, Richard shows his grandmother his second piece, The Voodoo of Hell’s Half-Acre. She has the same reaction as the neighbor, and begins to question him on what the story is about and why he is writing a story for the newspaper. According to her, he will not be able to get a job because people are going to think that he is weak minded (Wright 198).Richard exceeds expectations and completes tasks that black people aren’t supposed to do. Richard changes his identity from a subservient black boy into a sort of rebellious young man by beginning his writing career. Throughout the work, Richard introduces a countless number of jobs from working in homes of whites, to attempting to learn the trade of optometry. For one of his many jobs, Richard is working for a white family. While interviewing for this job, the mother of the family asks if he will steal from them, a common trait associated with black people.While working for this family, Richard is having a conversation with the mother. She asks him, â€Å"What grade are you in school? † (Wright 173). Richard responds, â€Å"Seventh, ma’am† (Wright 173). She then asks him, â€Å"Then why are you going to school? † (Wright 173). This conversation shows that whites think it is unnecessary for blacks to go to school past the sixth grade because they should be working. Whites think that they will never amount to anything, and therefore should not be wasting their time in school. However, Richard wants to break this predetermined mold of who he is supposed to be.He replies to his employer, â€Å"Well, I want to be a writer† (Wright 173). While working for this white family, Richard’s predetermined identity and his plans to break from this mold are both shown. Eventually, Richard hopes to be able to write for a living, and continues to attend school to study to become the best he can be. Both his employer and his family tell him that he has no chance of becoming a writer, but he continues to prove everyone wrong by not worrying about his race. He dismisses the fact that there are no famous black writers, and continues to achieve his goals and continues to form his true identity.Richard continues to press on and works hard each and every day in order to break the mold of his assigned identity due to his race. Richard eventually becomes the valedictorian of his ninth grade class, and has a huge disagreement with his principal. The principal summons Richard to his office and says to him, â€Å"Well, Richard Wright, here is your speech† (Wright 206). After Richard claims that he has already written his own speech, the principal tells him â€Å"Listen, boy, you’re going to speak to both white and colored people that night. What can you alone think of saying to them?You have no experience. . . † (Wright 206). Richard continues to fight this assumption made by his principal that he cannot deliver a speech which will be acceptable for white people to listen to. Even when his Uncle Tom claims, â€Å"the principal's speech is the better speech† (Wright 209) Richard agrees. However, Richard wants to give the speech he wrote because it says what he wants to say (Wright 209-10). Richard did not care if the principal’s speech was better than his; he wanted to deliver his speech the way he wanted to deliver it. Here, Richard continues to develop his true dentity as a fighter who will not stand for this assigned identity. He wants to make a difference in the world, and he is fed u p with everyone just taking the abuse they receive. He begins to build up a dream in himself which the educational system in the Jim Crow South had been rigged and designed to stifle (Wright 199). He was only fifteen years old, and already began realizing how the Jim Crow South worked. However, he did not like the system, and constantly fought against it. Growing up in Marlboro, New Jersey, race was not much of an issue for me.Throughout my K-8 public education, over ninety-five percent of the students in my school were white, just like me. I had no problem fitting in, and was able to have many of the privileges spoken about in Peggy McIntosh's â€Å"White Privilege. † I got along with almost all of my classmates growing up, and was even friends with the few black kids in my school. Ben, a black classmate of mine became a close friend when we played on the basketball team together. As I moved on from Middle School to a private, catholic high school, there were even less minor ities. In my senior graduating class I had three black classmates.These few individuals were sometimes segregated from the group, and might have felt uncomfortable during some circumstances. However, I did not realize at the time how sheltered I was from the world. I did not have many friends of different cultures and was not truly aware of the world outside of my high school and my hometown. I never truly viewed the other perspective; I took for granted my opportunity to go to school and get a good, public school education through middle school. I then again took for granted my ability to go to private high school to receive an even more personalized education in a smaller school.I did not think about the poor ethnic groups living in the slums of places such as Haiti, or even in places such as Newark, NJ. I had this sort of mindset going through school that if it didn’t involve me, it wasn’t my problem to fix. Students in these poor, urban areas such as Newark and Cam den in NJ tend to have a different lifestyle than students from Marlboro. In these poor communities, school is almost looked at as it is in black boy. Most kids from these areas will begin working when they graduate high school, and do not go onto college. Again, I took for granted my opportunity to go to a small, unique, private college.Most kids in these areas I described don’t even dream of going college because they believe it is just not a possibility for them. In my short time at Babson, I have met people from countries that I have never heard of before. I have acquainted myself with many different people of many different races, and I am beginning to learn a few facts about many different cultures. In this short period of time, my cultural horizon has broadened greatly. I cannot wait to see how much I will learn about so many different cultures and ethnic groups in my four years at Babson.In conclusion, Richard Wright searches for his identity throughout his life in th e Jim Crow South. Richard does not want to just be another drop in the bucket in this Jim Crow lifestyle, and does not want to fit the mold of a typical black male. He has dreams, aspirations, and goals which no other black youth has been able to accomplish. He continues to fight against the assumed black identity until he forms his own self-identity. Richard’s race definitely lead to assumptions being made by different individuals, but he was able to break free of these assumptions and create a life in which he was in control.Richard Wright broke free of the Jim Crow South and lived the life which he wanted to live while developing his own identity. Just as Wright did, every one of us struggles to define who we are, when in reality we are only who we are supposed to be. I pledge my honor that I have neither received nor provided unauthorized assistance during the completion of this work. Works Cited Wright, Richard. Black Boy (american Hunger): A Record of Childhood and Yout h. New York, NY: HarperPerennial, 1993. Print.

Leisure Industry Competition Essay

1. Discuss using examples from a leisure industry of your choice, the extent to which competition creates efficiency. There are many ways in which a firm or leisure industry can be considered to be efficient. First of all they may be productively efficient. This is where they would be operating at their lowest average cost, meaning they are benefiting from all economies of scales and experience no diseconomies of scale. They particularly must avoid any waste of factors of production. Allocative efficiency exists when the firm is operating where Price is equal to Marginal Cost. When a firm or industry is allocatively efficient this means they are producing what society wants and allocating resources to increase both output and quality. This may be in the form of specialisation. If dynamic efficiency exists this means that the firm or industry is experiencing abnormal profit. Their aim must always be to increase output in the future often by investing in research and development, such firms are often benefitting from monopoly power. Pareto efficiency is where production of one good can increase without the production of another decreasing. I believe that increased competition will create productive efficiency. This is because if there is increased competition through an increase in the supply of for example entertainment channels entering the TV broadcasting industry this will result in firms having the reduce their prices of advertising slots due to the potential fall in the number of viewers. This will mean that they are now price takers in the market and as a result their revenue will decrease. As the firms are profit maximisers they will be unsatisfied with their revenue falling and as a result they will need to reduce their average cost in an attempt to maintain their previous profit level. They will reduce their average cost by avoiding any waste of factors of production in the production of the good/service and in order to do so they will often reduce their output of any new television programmes as there is a potential that they may be unsuccessful and as a result viewers will often see an increase in the numbe r of repeats of television programmes. They will also decrease their output of new programmes in order to stop any potential diseconomies of scale and improve communication in the production of their good/service. Therefore at this point I believe that in  the leisure industry firms such as ITV have become more productively efficient as a result of increased competition. Some firms also have the ability to attain economies of scale. An example would be SKY who obtained technical economies of scale by the introduction of 3D and HD boxes, and purchasing economies of scale by the purchase of previously unavailable channels and programmes such as HBI and the FA cup. Attaining these economies of scale reduced SKYs average cost leading to them being more productively efficient. This further backs up my point that increased competition does result in greater efficiency. However, it could be argued that this is dependent upon the scale of competition. For example, when Channel 4 and Channel 5 first entered the market this was not the case, meaning efficiency did not increase. However, as these channels have become more well established this is now the case. One could also argue that this is also not the case for the BBC due to the fact that they are funded by the Government and do not compete on price. The BBC is a public monopoly but they are certainly not efficient. The BBC is not cutting costs in order to become more productively efficient; the Government is reducing their funding therefore this has created the need for the company to be more productively efficient. They are doing this in a number of ways such as moving production from London to Manchester as it is cheaper and therefore will reduce their costs. Therefore increased competition is not the factor that is causing the BBC to become more productively efficient – Government intervention is. This leads me to the conclusion that the greater the number of firms the more likely they are to increase productive efficiency. But increased competition is not the only factor; government intervention must also be considered. In the leisure industry there is always a need for Travel Agents to be allocatively efficient, this is because it is vital that they produce what society wants. If it was the case that certain Travel agents were not providing the holidays that consumers wanted this would simply result in holiday makers going elsewhere. This is especially the case at present because barriers to entry/exit have decreased meaning new firms are entering the market all of the time due to improved communication. This has increased competition mainly due to the internet as many travel agents and comparison websites have set up online to compare the best deals, which increases the  power to the consumer as they are no longer required to visit the main four travel agents. This has resulted in a greater need for travel agents to avoid mis-allocation of their resources by decreasing the number of planes and destinations. This is because if they do not allocate their holidays to societies needs their Marginal Cost will increase above their price. Therefore increased competition leads to an increase in the need for firms to allocate resources to what society needs and ensure that they are increasing their quality and output to become allocatively efficient. We have established that increased competition will inevitably result in increased output; however it will also increase external costs. For example in eco tourism, if output increases in visits to the rainforest this will cause a major increase in the number of negative externalities. Therefore in this case it would be beneficial to decrease the output of such visits in order to reduce negative externalities. In fact I would argue that a monopoly provider of eco tourism holidays would be the most beneficial for the environment as they might produce holidays at the social optimum level. Taking these factors into consideration I strongly believe that increased competition will force firms to think about how they can allocate resources efficiently but sometimes at a social cost. With SKY benefiting from technical economies of scale it could also be argued that by investing in HD and 3D boxes this has also allowed them to become dynamically efficient as their abnormal profits allow them to invest in research and development which allows them to increase output in the future with the same factors of production inevitably leading to monopoly power. This benefits consumers as they are able to consume greater output in the form of 3D and HD programmes or a wider range of channels in the future without the needed for greater factors of production. However, I could argue that this is not in fact them demonstrating greater efficiency as a result of increased competition but rather creating even more barriers to entry for other firms wishing to compete with them in the broadcasting market. It also could be questioned as to how much of their abnormal profits are actually being invested into research and development as I am aware that the majority of their profits goes to shareholders. Therefore I am led to believe that although theoretically SKYs monopoly power and the lack of competition they  face gives them the opportunity to be dynamically efficient; in reality it is questionable as to what will drive competition in the future. Although it could in fact be more competition that will drive future efficiency and not the abnormal profits of just a few firms. I strongly believe that increased competition is most likely to result in efficiency in the travel market as there are little barriers to entry that current travel agents are able to put up in order to stop competition affecting their profits. This is mostly due to the fact that the internet has allowed many new companies to set up online giving consumers the opportunity to compare prices directly; therefore increasing the need for travel agents to be allocatively efficient making the statement true. However I accept some may argue that if a firm is being allocatively efficient at a social cost they should not be considered to be allocatively efficient and therefore my judgment could be questioned. On the other hand when firms are not competing on price, like for example the BBC, an increase in competition is not likely to result in them becoming more efficient as decreasing their average cost is not likely to be a priority but instead they are more likely to need to increase the quality of their good or service. In theory I believe that the best way to ensure efficiency in the future is to invest in R+D (creating new barriers to entry like SKY) and the way to get firms to do this is increased competition. In reality this may result in negative externalities or potentially abuse of monopoly power and monopolies may often end up being inefficient in the long run.

History Of Education In America Essays - Educational Psychology

History Of Education In America Essays - Educational Psychology History of Education in America As far back as the beginning of our nation, early leaders emphasized the importance of education and provided funds to create education for children from every background in our country. Thomas Jefferson said, ? Above all things, I hope the education of the common people will be extended to; convinced that on this good sense we may rely with the most security for the preservation of a due degree of liberty.? He knew the importance of education (Jennings, 1996). In early America, there was concern for the common good and well being for all citizens in the known United States. John Dewey, the well known educator and philosopher, once said, ?What the best and wisest parent wants for his own child, that must the community want for the children. Any other ideal for our schools is narrow and unlovely; acted upon, it destroys our democracy.? John Dewey (1859-1952) was an American philosopher and educator whose writings and teachings have had profound influences on education in the United States. Dewey?s philosophy of education, instrumentalism (also called pragmatism), focused on learning-by-doing rather than rote learning and dogmatic instruction, the current practice of his day (Pergamon, 1994). What is public education in America? How does it fit in our history? The answers to these questions are many faceted. In 1624, Jamestown Colony founded a flax house (a place for making linen) and guaranteed the support of two poor children from each county to attend it long enough to master the skills of making linen. Earlier, the colony had tried unsuccessfully to establish a grammar school. Later, a law required parents and guardians to ensure that all children had instruction in morality and a vocation (Smith, 1994). In 1642, the Colony of Massachusetts passed a statute requiring that children be taught to read, a skill necessary for understanding the Bible. In 1647, a statute was passed requiring that every community establish a primary school and that larger communities maintain a secondary school (Smith, 1995). This 1647 law in Massachusetts became known as the ?Old Deluder-Satan Law?, because the settlers were convinced that, with education, people would not be ?deluded? by Satan (Smith, 1994). Early educational experiences were planned in the hope that school would prepare young people to become responsible citizens, improve social conditions, promote cultural diversity, help people become economically self-sufficient, enrich and enhance individual lives with happiness, make education equitable among everyone, and ensure a basic quality of education among schools. These goals were very similar to the goals of today?s public education (Jennings, 1996). As far back as the American Revolution, there was an emerging hope for common schools, though they would not become widely established for another seventy-five years. Public education seemed to be a hodgepodge made up of individual institutions and special arrangements. Schools could be home schools, church schools, boarding schools, or private tutoring. According to Jennings (1996), school was an unsystematic approach to schooling resulting in inequities. Those who did not belong to a church were excluded from schools. Native Americans and African Americans were not educated, in fact, it was against the law to teach a slave to read(Cremin, 1990). Horace Mann said , ?Beyond the power of diffusing old wealth, (education) has the prerogative of creating new. It is a thousand times more lucrative than fraud; and adds a thousand fold more to a nation?s resources than the most successful conquest.? The strength and convictions of our early leaders kept this ideal in our forefront, that American people had a responsibility to educate all children in order to achieve certain basic democratic goals (Jennings, 1996). The extensive expansion of public education through the establishment of a State Board of Education, began in Massachusetts in 1837, largely through the efforts of Horace Mann . During the 17th and 18th centuries, schools with a single teacher for students of all ages were common. It is only recent practice for schools to group students by age and give grade level specific instruction. Graded schools began to develop during the last half of the 19th Century, it did not become standard practice until well into this century. As late as 1928, sixty-three percent of this country?s 244,128 elementary schools were still