In high school I took an honors English course and the AP...

In high school I took an honors English course and the AP English and composition course, which were both run by teachers who were very able to teach me, as a student, very in depth ways of critically analyzing prompts and texts in order to write about them effectively and in an academic manner. They were very hard on students and although I resented them often during my time in their classes, I came out of each class very prepared for my first year of college, and to my surprise I was significantly more prepared than a lot of my peers. As I begin this course as a second semester sophomore, I have been able to recognize in my other courses that my writing and critical analysis needs to improve in order for me to continue to be successful†¦show more content†¦I find this approach works best in research and persuasive essays where you will often be drawing on many other ideas already published, and this allows you to include them but also gives more room in order for you to wo rk in your own ideas which is ultimately the point of the essay. Because I have a clear flow path that has become a habit for me to use within as much of my writing as I can apply it to, this is where I feel most successful. Although I am not sure if it qualifies as being necessarily successful, I do very much enjoy writing self-analysis essays such as this one in which I am forced to think about my abilities and critique them. This kind of essay comes easy to me as I tend to be very self-analytical and unafraid to make extensive notation about myself. Tying back into my goal of learning more methods of analyzing prompts, one of my weaknesses that I need a lot of improvement on is being concise. I think that in the fight to make sure all my essays have met the length requirements, I have lost my ability to put a quality thought together in a short space, and instead I find myself separating an idea into many little part so that it takes up more space on my paper instead of simply being a really effective thought. I believe that if I am able to ask more questions and better criticallyShow MoreRelated Roger and Me Essay1234 Words   |  5 PagesRoger And Me Roger And Me is a documentary that carries a considerable economic significance by presenting a modern version of capitalism, and by depicting an interesting example of Gunnar Myrdal’s theory of the circular and cumulative causation. 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No one out there wouldRead MoreBless Me Ultima Essay1362 Words   |  6 PagesBless Me Ultima LAP Topic 2 ​​​​ Brian Sandoval ​​​​Mr. Amoroso ​​​​AP Literature Period 1  Brian Sandoval​​​​​​​​9/20/17 Mr. Amoroso​​​​​​​​​AP Literature Bless Me Ultima Topic 2 ​The demons that haunt one by day do not go away by night; they merely lie in wait until one is sound asleep, ready to strike once more. Dreams are manifestations of one’s inner thoughts, both pleasurable and frightening. It is the brain’s way of working through the problems that plague the mind, serving as a warningRead MoreAnalysis : Bless And Me Ultima 1456 Words   |  6 PagesAnaya developed in Bless Me Ultima. Death something so simple yet painful.We question it as if it were unnatural, when in reality what we’re questioning is our own thoughts we question the higher power that we were taught to believe in the moment we’re born. We question whether that higher being truly cares for us or are we just a game for it to pass the time. Does it truly punish those who were good people for fun or is there good reasoning behind it. Like Antonio from Bless Me Ultima who questionedRead MoreExamples Of Bless Me Ultima1246 Words   |  5 Pages Bless Me Ultima Topic 1 Amari Spleen Mr.Amoroso Pd.3 Spleen Page Two We wake up to the chirping of the birds and the annoying sound of our alarm clocks reminding us of the responsibilities that come about as the sun rises.After all the morning’s withdrawalsRead MoreAnalysis : Bless Me, Ultima 1777 Words   |  8 Pagesquestions with no resolution. Our mind would wonder down bizarre paths but we go no further then what we know. Rudolfo Anaya’s Bless me Ultima proscribes that feeling when we are young our minds strive with curiosity to seek guidance to face the harsh reality of life in a manner we ourselves are prepared for when that time finally arrives. Rudolfo Anaya† Bless Me, Ultima’s† protagonist Antonio spiral down a treacherous path that he himself isn’t prepared at the slightest, but is carried under Ultima’sRead More`` Bless Me Ultima `` By Rudolfo Anaya1109 Words   |  5 Pagesare destined to be. You re mind creates illusions that either further enhance your knowledge on what your purpose in life is or could make you fear it. Dreams are essentially part of the foundation of a persons life. Rudolfo Anaya in the novel Bless me ultima uses the concept of dreams to demonstrate the growth and the loss of innocence Antonio faces from beginning to end. The dreams Antonio has throughout the novel symbolize parts of himself he has to let go of in order to understand his realityRead MoreBless Me, Ultima By Rudolfo Anaya1624 Words   |  7 Pagesa hot summer day on your blushed face, as you yelped to be pushed further into the clouds. We do not think of the anguish and questions that the sight of death brings. But that’s exactly what happens to six year old Antonio Marez in the novel Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya. When young Antonio witnesses the death of a local War Veteran, a family friend, and a classmate, it leaves him with transforming effects, prompting him to question death, sin, morality, and in the end leading him to be ambivalent

Peter Kolchin, American Slavery Free Essays

For the past quarter century Edmund S. Morgan has been one of the most prolific and respected authors of early American history. This is an excellent, in depth survey of Virginia?s colonial experience, with an emphasis on how the seemingly contradictory institutions of slavery and equalitarian republicanism developed simultaneously. We will write a custom essay sample on Peter Kolchin, American Slavery or any similar topic only for you Order Now Indeed, Morgan argues that Virginians? definition of freedom, and their very ability to establish a republican political system, rested upon the creation of African slavery. Morgan shows that institutionalized slavery did not necessarily have to become part of British colonization; the earliest Englishmen to dream of a colonial empire hoped for the establishment of a utopian community in which natives could benefit from enlightened English governance that recognized the inherent rights of all men. Early English explorers even helped to organize revolts against the Spanish by their slaves in Latin America, and while they were motivated by their own interests in doing so, they clearly were willing to treat their slave co-conspirators as equals. However, the utopian phase of colonization died with the failed settlement at Roanoke in the 1580s. The founders of Jamestown quickly learned racism towards the Indians, whom Morgan speculates they goaded into warfare out of frustration at their own inability to support themselves. The settlement eventually became prosperous as the colonists learned to produce tobacco for market, but it was hardly the ideal society envisioned by the founders. Labor shortages were endemic, as to make a profit planters needed to control a large number of indentured servants. Unfortunately (for the planters), laborers needed only to serve for a limited period before setting up business for themselves, and thus creating competition for the planters. To check this competition, planters made it difficult for freedmen to buy lands of their own (land was plentiful, but acreage with access to shipping had been almost totally monopolized by the large planters), which resulted in freedmen foregoing planting, and becoming lazy, shiftless, and at times rebellious. Moreover, planters treated their indentured servants so poorly that as news of their condition drifted back to England, fewer of the mother country?s poor were willing to indenture themselves, especially as the burdens of overpopulation were being reduced at home. How to cite Peter Kolchin, American Slavery, Papers

Cipla free essay sample

Over the past 77 years, Cipla has emerged as one of the most respected pharmaceutical names not just in India but worldwide. The company? s headquarter is in Mumbai, India. Cipla produces one of the widest range of products and dosage forms in the world today, everything from metered-dose inhalers, pre-filled syringes, trans-dermal spray patches, lyophilized injections, nasal sprays, medical devices, and thermo labile foams. The company Revenue is around 6977million and turnover is around 1 billion. Cipla? Business model is based on international strategic alliances and focus on pursuing organic growth while reducing capital commitment and regulatory/litigation risks. Cipla makes drugs to treat cardiovascular disease, arthritis, diabetes, weight control, depression and many other health conditions, and its products are distributed in virtually every country of the world. And probably best-known outside its home country for pioneering the manufacture of low-cost anti-AIDS drugs for HI V-positive patients in developing countries. It has played a similarly prominent role in expanding access to drugs to fight influenza, respiratory disease and cancer. Cipla has over 34 state-of-the-art manufacturing units which have been approved by various Ministries of Health and Regulatory Authorities like US FDA, WHO, MCC -South Africa, MHRAUK, TGA-Australia among others. In addition, Cipla? s manufacturing facilities are GCMP compliant in conformity with national and international standards. With over 2000 products in 65 therapeutic areas, Cipla? product portfolio comprises of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients(APIs), Formulations for Human and Animal Healthcare and OTC products. Cipla has the technological powers of manufacturing products in most dosage forms across therapeutic categories, which offers the company a unique competitive advantage. Cipla has earned a name for maintaining world-class quality across all its products and services. With the dedication of its 20,000 employees, Cipla continues to support, improve and save millions of lives with its high-quality drugs and innovative devices and is focused towards its commitment. Cipla won Chemexcil Award excellence for exports in 1980, wins National award for successful commercialization of publicity funded RD in 1988. Cipla received the Thomson Reuters India Innovation Award in 2012. VISION: Cipla started with a vision to build a healthy India MISSSION OF THE COMPANY: To make the life of the patients better. CIPLA RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT CIPLA? S research capabilities are extensive, from Chemical Synthesis, Delivery Systems and Medical Devices to Process Engineering, Animal Health Products, Neutraceuticals and Biotechnology. Today, across 170 countries, there are millions of patients who get to use a Cipla product to prevent, to cure, or for relief from suffering. In their cure and relief lies th e ultimate purpose of what they do. At Cipla, this has been the driving force behind continuous quest for quality. The company strive not just to meet international specifications, but to exceed, to excel, to meet what they call the Cipla benchmark. In fact, they have set standards for the world to follow and have contributed to more than 125 monographs in the last 15 years to British, European, US and international pharmacopoeia. Today companies from around the world seek strategic alliances with Cipla for product development, technical support and marketing. In a small way, the company even help countries set up their pharmaceutical infrastructure and train their professionals, contributing to their quest for self-reliance just the way they began healing India, seven decades ago. Equally inspiring has been Cipla? s fight against asthma. They partnered with the medical fraternity to shatter myths, spread awareness and empowered asthma patients to lead a fuller life. The company have the world’s largest range of asthma medication and delivery systems. This relentless commitment to asthma inspired to set up the Chest Research Foundation. It? s one of the few Institutes in the world that? s dedicated to clinical and allied research in the field of Chronic Respiratory Diseases. CHANGES In the past few years, Cipla has changed its strategy in a number of areas — from region, to product to human resources — to prevent a future meltdown from eroding margins. Till now, the names Cipla and Yusuf Hamied have been virtually interchangeable. After all, Hamied was the one who put the generic drug company onto the world map when he provided many health care systems in developing countries with cheaper versions of unaffordable AIDS drugs, making instant icons out of himself and his company . Today, however, Hamied is no longer steering the drug maker on a daily basis and Cipla, meanwhile, is engineering a quiet revolution on its own — attracting outside talent, which it has never done before — and venturing into new territory in order to avoid an existential crisis when the patent cliff expires in a few years. Simply put, the company has begun a quest for a growth trajectory that will generate sustainable profits in the future. â€Å"While we may call it a „transformation,? it is a reasonable and justifiable extension or next step to their current strengths†¦ The change is required to open new avenues of growth for the company, and not lose out on opportunities that come with a shelf life, particularly the patent cliff in 2012-17, for both small molecules and biologics,† says Aashish Mehra, managing director, Strategic Decision Group. Cipla? s recent reconceptualisation has boosted its stock price from Rs 317 in June to Rs 395 in September. Marketing itself Perhaps the biggest change in the company? s strategy is the jettisoning of its focus on volumeled growth and a shift to an inorganic, profitability-focused one. A key indication of this is the company? s willingness to move on to the front-end in developed markets like the US, where, so far, it has operated primarily through partners for sales and distribution of its products. Recently, Cipla started filing applications aggressively with the US Food and Drugs Administration (USFDA), seeking approval for its own generic products, which it plans to market on its own while assembling a separate sales team there. â€Å"The move is aimed at getting more value for products and technology,† says Cipla Director S Radhakrishnan in an interaction with Business Standard. This is a laudable move, say analysts, in a company that had the potential, but, it was so far unrealised. â€Å"Over the last few years, while all of Cipla? peers have grown primarily on the back of their success in the US market, Cipla had adopted a seemingly faulty strategic decision to limit its exposure to this market,† says a recent report on Cipla by IDFC Securities. â€Å"Given Cipla? s extensive product repertoire, proven RD capabilities and extensive manufacturing network, we believe it has all the ingredients to succeed in the US market despite its relatively late entry,â₠¬  it adds. (Ciplas changing landscape) The change in strategy is not limited to just the US and other developed markets. The company is also actively planning joint ventures and even acquisitions to strengthen its position in key markets like Turkey, Morocco, Brazil and Nigeria. However, company insiders suggest that transformation does not necessarily mean a complete departure from its present approach. â€Å"The spirit of the company cannot change, at least not entirely. We will continue with our basic mantra of low-cost drug making,† says the Cipla official. â€Å"We are also looking at consolidation with partners as one of the options in some key markets,† he adds. This can probably explain what Cipla has recently done in China. In order to streamline investments there, the company has rejigged its business in order to focus more on its core areas. While the drug maker has exited a significant part of its investment in Chinese partner Desano Holdings, it has ploughed part of the funds into specific units that manufacture biosimilars and niche active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). The quest for higher margins An imminent revolution can be seen in Cipla? s product portfolio. The company is gradually shifting focus to high-margin products, such as oncology drugs and inhalers from tender-based anti-retroviral medicines. No surprise as to why it is doing so — its margins are slated to halve themselves from 21. 3 per cent in FY10 to an estimated 11. 9 per cent in FY14. According to Mehra, Cipla may perhaps be best known outside India by its landmark low-priced, anti-HIV products, but, it also needs to address regulated markets with quality products, across segments. â€Å"Cipla should rightly be proud of its image of being a „low-cost drug maker? ut the anti-retrovirals had been quite low-margin for Cipla, and changing the product mix towards more high-value products, such as the inhalers for the regulated markets, would help shore up margins,† says Mehra. Praful Bohra, senior analyst at Nirmal Bang Securities, says two years ago, the contribution from anti-retroviral drugs was 20-25 per cent while today, it has fallen to 15 per cent. Acc ording to analysts, the falling margins in anti-retroviral drugs due to tough competition from multinational, as well as domestic companies has triggered the shift towards new avenues. Regional shift The rationalisation can also be viewed through the export contribution from different geographies. According to the IDFC report, contribution of Africa — which is primarily a tender business market — to total exports declined from 42 per cent in the financial year 2010-11 to 40 per cent in 2011-12, with absolute sales remaining flat, year-on-year. In contrast, the share of Europe and Australasia grew from 26 per cent in financial year 2010-11 to 30 per cent in 201112 with sales growing at 32 per cent and 18 per cent, respectively. Cipla also plans to increase its focus on domestic markets, with introduction of its offerings in new therapeutic segments, such as oncology and neuropsychiatry. â€Å"The company is the market leader in key therapeutic areas, such as respiratory care, anti-viral and urological Cipla plans to focus on growing its market share and sales by increasing penetration in the Indian market, especially in rural areas,† a recent report by Angel Broking said. The company? s distribution network in India consists of a field force of around 7,000 employees. The company? new offerings would also include biosimilars, especially those in the oncology, anti-asthmatic and anti-arthritis categories. â€Å"They already have the pipeline in place (Avastin, Herceptin, Enbrel, among others), and would benefit from having the commercial footprint in regulated markets at the earliest,† points Mehra. Cipla has already invested $165 million in India and China to acquire facilities and build new o nes for its foray. The company? s earnings in the first quarter of the financial year 2012-13 have begun to demonstrate the potential of these initiatives. During the financial quarter ended June 2011, the company? s gross margin expanded by 490 bps, year-on-year, to 61. 8 per cent, mainly on account of a better product mix, which had lower proportion of anti-retroviral in formulation exports and higher proportion of domestic formulation sales. â€Å"Strengthening of the balance sheet has been a key focus area for Cipla in the last few years and the benefits of concentrated efforts are clearly visible,† says Nitin Agarwal of IDFC. People Possibly the biggest catalyst of the change that Cipla is going through is because of a radical new strategy regarding management hires. Cipla has traditionally not been aggressive about hiring senior management personnel from outside the organisation. However, there seems to be a clear change in strategy on this front, reflective of the transformation underway into a more aggressive unit,† says Agarwal in the report. According to Bohra, this also reflects increasing professionalism in the company, which is also essential to surviving cut-throat competition in the industry. Over the past year, Cipla has hired people in the key functions of finance, international business and strategy, from competitors such as Lupin and Dr Reddy? . In July, Cipla announced the hiring of Frank Peters (ex-Teva and GSK) to head its respiratory business and the European Union region. Also, two Hamied scions — Kamil (31) and Samina (36), children of Yusuf Hamied? s brother M K Hamied — are on Cipla? s senior management team since 2010 and 2011, respectively. Analysts see this as an attempt to address key investor concerns on succession planning. These are key moves that were long overdue for a company that is yet to harness its full potential.

Weapons Training Essay Example For Students

Weapons Training Essay Weapons Training Bruce Dawe ‘Weapons Training’ was written by Bruce Dawe. Who became one of Australia’s most well known poets in the 1960’s. In 1959 he joined the RAAF, Royal Australian Air Force, and left to become a teacher in 1968. As his occupation in the RAAF, Bruce served as an air force officer, a person of high rankings. And from his years fighting in the Vietnam War, and serving our country, Dawe – along with many others, wrote a substantial amount of protest, or anti-war poems. Many of which became extremely well known. My personal interpretation of this poem is an instructor, or person of high authority, teaching new recruits about their weapons, and the true experience of war. This is done to ensure that the new soldiers are prepared and completely understand what is to be expected of the coming months. The poem is about an experience, rather than a person. This was most likely a personal experience of Dawe’s, as many people in his position wrote poetry about everyday experiences throughout the war. Bruce Dawe is an Australian that hated war; thus this poem represents the viciousness and brutality of war. We will write a custom essay on Weapons Training specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Therefore, since he hated war, he only represents the brutality of war; he makes use of a silence and simply doesn’t bring up the issue of the reasons for war. He simply thinks of was as an unnecessary for the war to take place, no ifs, buts or maybes. The reason behind soldiers writing poetry while at war, besides them removing their bottled up emotions in a healthy manner, was to bring truth to the public. The views that an average person, living in a standard society has on war, differ extremely to one that has fought the hardships of war themselves. The way in which people think of war is that it’s a heroic journey taken by strong people that want to defend their country, and will return home equally as strong. Now, to a certain extent this statement is true. However, these strong people do not always realise how horrifying the occurrence of war may be before leaving. Once it is realised, many soldiers brake down, and when they return it seems impossible for them to live life to the fullest, as they have seen many that no longer have the capabilities of doing so anymore. The main theme of ‘Weapons Training’ is simply, war. This is obvious as it is what the poem is based upon. It is a truthful poem written to ensure all know that war isn’t everything it seems to be. War is an extremely traumatic experience for those involved, and their families and surrounding friends need to realise this – and many do, through the poetry written during these times of heartache. One of the ideas portrayed in this poem is that of the male sexuality. During the years of war, the male soldiers would usually be in close proximity to one another. This then brings up the argument of homosexuality. As is brought up in the text, ‘you there what’s the matter, why are you looking at me, are you queer? ’ This poem is a cynical and harsh protest poem. The poet sounds aggressive and demanding, this is shown through the language used throughout the poem. ‘Open that drain you call a mind and listen. ’ Similar language is present throughout the entire text; the poet does not change the way in which the poem was written, as therefore the mood does not change. It is easy to imagine the sergeant speaking forcefully, telling the soldiers that they won’t return the same. .ue462c068f472774a61526bea13025ab4 , .ue462c068f472774a61526bea13025ab4 .postImageUrl , .ue462c068f472774a61526bea13025ab4 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ue462c068f472774a61526bea13025ab4 , .ue462c068f472774a61526bea13025ab4:hover , .ue462c068f472774a61526bea13025ab4:visited , .ue462c068f472774a61526bea13025ab4:active { border:0!important; } .ue462c068f472774a61526bea13025ab4 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ue462c068f472774a61526bea13025ab4 { 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; } .ue462c068f472774a61526bea13025ab4:active , .ue462c068f472774a61526bea13025ab4:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ue462c068f472774a61526bea13025ab4 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ue462c068f472774a61526bea13025ab4 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ue462c068f472774a61526bea13025ab4 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ue462c068f472774a61526bea13025ab4 .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; } .ue462c068f472774a61526bea13025ab4:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ue462c068f472774a61526bea13025ab4 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ue462c068f472774a61526bea13025ab4 .ue462c068f472774a61526bea13025ab4-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ue462c068f472774a61526bea13025ab4:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Social Work Interventions and Strategies to promot EssayHis tone is disciplined, yet harsh towards his students. The poem is created to be said in a negative tone, because the subject portrayed it that of a negative incidence. The poet isn’t holding anything back; he says exactly what he thinks, without the concern of how, neither the soldiers nor the reader will react. The reader’s response to the poem, filled with harsh sayings and aggressive language, is a realisation of the reality and brutality of war, thus, making the reader feel sympathy towards those that have spent part of their lives fighting for our country in the war. Their realisation of this has made a difference, and the poet is successful in bringing truth and emotion to the public. Dawe uses gaps in his text. He expects the readers to know to some extent the horrors of war and conflict. Although he provides graphic imagery, he expects the responders to be able to relate them to their own personal experiences, therefore enhancing the quality of this poem by creating a link between the readers and death due to war and conflict. Most importantly, he uses language to attract attention to his views on war and its horrors. He represents this conflict in the form of vivid imagery which adds to the motional aspect of the text; thus creating interest through tension and the readers’ past experience. Beginning with ‘and’ shows that the sergeant has been talking when the reader enters the picture, and his language is a continuous stream. Therefore, giving the impression to the reader as if they are inside a soldier and he had not bee n listening and only rejoined the conversation. The speech never does come to a full stop; there are rhetorical questions to raise the involvement of the reader â€Å"only to find back home because of your position; your chances of turning the key in the ignition; considerably reduced? Alright now suppose In this example, Bruce Dawe uses a rhetorical question to create an atmosphere that is strict and disciplined. The type of language used, is definitely a technique that attracts the audience. Different forms of poetry are used in the text. On the second line of the poem, an onomatopoeia is used ‘and when I say eyes right I want to hear those eyeballs click and the gentle pitter patter of falling dandruff’. Onomatopoeia is the formation or use of words that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer to. Pitter patter’ is an example of this. This poem includes a hyperbole, which is defined as a figure of speech in which exaggeration is used for emphasis or effect. The poem builds up to the end saying ‘you know what you are? You’re dead dead dead’ this is an exaggeration to emphasise the conflict of war. Bruce Dawe is saying that all that war turns out to be is men having to kill others, as a resoluti on – when nothing should come to this. My personal response in reading this protest poem is that war is an event that no person should ever be subject to. I’ve learnt through reading this poem and doing research on war that it affects the soldier in many ways. The biggest negative affect seen in military members is PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. ) Its said to have been caused by a traumatic experience (fellow soldier dies, shot a civilian by mistake) in which the human mind doesnt know how to recover from. The effects mimic depression: feeling separated from others, thoughts of suicide, and some are different, such as increased sensitivity to loud noises. This poem had a rather large impact on me; it brought reality to my previous thoughts of war. Thus, making me consider not only the soldiers themselves and the way they have had to live their lives and the tragedies they have faced, but their families as well. These families of the soldiers have had to spend each and every day wondering whether their child, father, mother or siblings were alive or lay dead on the floor in an unknown area. All aspects of this poem work together in order to create a desired impact on the reader, the language and use of structure has helped in to develop the mood intended.

Sequences on SAT Math Complete Strategy and Review

Sequences on SAT Math Complete Strategy and Review SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips A series of numbers that follows a particular pattern is called a sequence. Sometimes, each new term is found by adding or subtracting a certain constant, sometimes by multiplying or dividing. So long as the pattern is the same for every new term, the numbers are said to lie in a sequence. Sequence questions will have multiple moving parts and pieces, and you will always have several different options to choose from in order to solve the problem. We’ll walk through all the methods for solving sequence questions, as well as the pros and cons for each. You will likely see two sequence questions on any given SAT, so keep this in mind as you find your perfect balance between time strategies and memorization. This will be your complete guide to SAT sequence problemsthe types of sequences you’ll see, the typical sequence questions that appear on the SAT, and the best ways to solve these types of problems for your particular SAT test taking strategies. What Are Sequences? You will see two different types of sequences on the SATarithmetic and geometric. An arithmetic sequence is a sequence wherein each successive term is found by adding or subtracting a constant value. The difference between each termfound by subtracting any two pairs of neighboring termsis called $d$, the common difference. 14, 11, 8, 5†¦ is an arithmetic sequence with a common difference of -3. We can find the $d$ by subtracting any two pairs of numbers in the sequence, so long as the numbers are next to one another. $11 - 14 = -3$ $8 - 11 = -3$ $5 - 8 = -3$ 14, 17, 20, 23... is an arithmetic sequence in which the common difference is +3. We can find this $d$ by again subtracting pairs of numbers in the sequence. $17 - 14 = 3$ $20 - 17 = 3$ $23 - 20 = 3$ A geometric sequence is a sequence of numbers in which each new term is found by multiplying or dividing the previous term by a constant value. The difference between each termfound by dividing any neighboring pair of termsis called $r$, the common ratio. 64, 16, 4, 1, †¦ is a geometric sequence in which the common ratio is $1/4$. We can find the $r$ by dividing any pair of numbers in the sequence, so long as they are next to one another. $16/64 = 1/4$ $4/16 = 1/4$ $1/4 = 1/4$ Ready...set...let's talk sequence formulas! Sequence Formulas Luckily for us, sequences are entirely regular. This means that we can use formulas to find any piece of them we choose, such as the first term, the nth term, or the sum of all our terms. Do keep in mind, though, that there are pros and cons for memorizing formulas. Prosformulas provide you with a quick way to find your answers. You do not have to write out the full sequence by hand or spend your limited test-taking time tallying your numbers (and potentially entering them wrong into your calculator). Consit can be easy to remember a formula incorrectly, which would be worse than not having a formula at all. It also is an expense of brainpower to memorize formulas. If you are someone who prefers to work with formulas, definitely go ahead and learn them! But if you despise using formulas or worry that you will not remember them accurately, then you are still in luck. Most SAT sequence problems can be solved longhand if you have the time to spare, so you will not have to concern yourself with memorizing your formulas. That all being said, it’s important to understand why the formulas work, even if you do not plan to memorize them. So let’s take a look. Arithmetic Sequence Formulas $$a_n = a_1 + (n - 1)d$$ $$\Sum \terms = (n/2)(a_1 + a_n)$$ These are our two important arithmetic sequence formulas. We’ll look at them one at a time to see why they work and when to use them on the test. Terms Formula $a_n = a_1 + (n - 1)d$ This formula allows you to find any individual piece of your arithmetic sequencethe 1st term, the nth term, or the common difference. First, we’ll look at why it works and then look at some problems in action. $a_1$ is the first term in our sequence. Though the sequence can go on infinitely, we will always have a starting point at our first term. (Note: you can also assign any term to be your first term if you need to. We’ll look at how and why we can do this in one of our examples.) $a_n$ represents any missing term we want to isolate. For instance, this could be the 4th term, the 58th, or the 202nd. So why does this formula work? Imagine that we wanted to find the 2nd term in a sequence. Well each new term is found by adding the common difference, or $d$. This means that the second term would be: $a_2 = a_1 + d$ And we would then find the 3rd term in the sequence by adding another $d$ to our existing $a_2$. So our 3rd term would be: $a_3 = (a_1 + d) + d$ Or, in other words: $a_3 = a_1 + 2d$ If we keep going, the 4th term of the sequencefound by adding another $d$ to our existing third termwould continue this pattern: $a_4 = (a_1 + 2d) + d$ $a_4 = a_1 + 3d$ We can see that each term in the sequence is found by adding the first term, $a_1$, to a $d$ that is multiplied by $n - 1$. (The 3rd term is $2d$, the 4th term is $3d$, etc.) So now that we know why the formula works, let’s look at it in action. Now, there are two ways to solve this problemusing the formula, or simply counting. Let’s look at both methods. Method 1arithmetic sequence formula If we use our formula for arithmetic sequences, we can find our $a_n$ (in this case $a_12$). So let us simply plug in our numbers for $a_1$ and $d$. $a_n = a_1 + (n - 1)d$ $a_12 = 4 + (12 - 1)7$ $a_12 = 4 + (11)7$ $a_12 = 4 + 77$ $a_12 = 81$ Our final answer is B, 81. Method 2counting Because the difference between each term is regular, we can find that difference by simply adding our $d$ to each successive term until we reach our 12th term. Of course, this method will take a little more time than simply using the formula, and it is easy to lose track of your place. The test makers know this and will provide answers that are one or two places off, so make sure to keep your work organized so that you do not fall for bait answers. First, line up your twelve terms and then fill in the blanks by adding 7 to each new term. 4, 11, 18, ___, ___, ___, ___, ___, ___, ___, ___, ___ 4, 11, 18, 25, ___, ___, ___, ___, ___, ___, ___, ___ 4, 11, 18, 25, 32, ___, ___, ___, ___, ___, ___, ___ And so on, until you get: 4, 11, 18, 25, 32, 39, 46, 53, 60, 67, 74, 81 Again, the 12th term is B, 81. Sum Formula $\Sum \terms = (n/2)(a_1 + a_n)$ Our second arithmetic sequence formula tells us the sum of a set of our terms in a sequence, from the first term ($a_1$) to the nth term ($a_n$). Basically, we do this by multiplying the number of terms, $n$, by the average of the first term and the nth term. Why does this formula work? Well let’s look at an arithmetic sequence in action: 10, 16, 22, 28, 34, 40 This is an arithmetic sequence with a common difference, $d$, of 6. A neat trick you can do with any arithmetic sequence is to take the sum of the pairs of terms, starting from the outsides in. Each pair will have the same exact sum. So you can see that the sum of the sequence is $50 * 3 = 150$. In other words, we are taking the sum of our first term and our nth term (in this case, 40 is our 6th term) and multiplying it by half of $n$ (in this case $6/2 = 3$). Another way to think of it is to take the average of our first and nth terms${10 + 40}/2 = 25$ and then multiply that value by the number of terms in the sequence$25 * 6 = 150$. Either way, you are using the same basic formula. How you like to think of the equation and whether or not you prefer $(n/2)(a_1 + a_n)$ or $n({a_1 + a_n}/2)$, is completely up to you. Now let’s look at the formula in action. Kyle started a new job as a telemarketer and, every day, he is supposed to make 3 more phone calls than the day previous. If he made 10 phone calls his first day, and he meets his goal, how many total phone calls does he make in his first two weeks, if he works every single day? 413 416 426 429 489 As with almost all sequence questions on the SAT, we have the choice to use our formulas or do the problem longhand. Let’s try both ways. Method 1formulas We know that our formula for arithmetic sequence sums is: $\Sum = (n/2)(a_1 + a_n)$ But, we must first find the value of our $a_n$ in order to use this formula. Once again, we can do this via our first arithmetic sequence formula, or we can find it by hand. As we are already using formulas, let us use our first formula. $a_n = a_1 + (n - 1)d$ We are told that Kyle makes 10 phone calls on his first day, so our $a_1$ is 10. We also know that he makes 3 more calls every day, for a total of 2 full weeks (14 days), which means our $d$ is 3 and our $n$ is 14. We have all our pieces to complete this first formula. $a_n = a_1 + (n - 1)d$ $a_14 = 10 + (14 - 1)3$ $a_14 = 10 + (13)3$ $a_14 = 10 + 39$ $a_14 = 49$ And now that we have our value for $a_n$ (in this case $a_14$), we can complete our sum formula. $(n/2)(a_1 + a_n)$ $(14/2)(10 + 49)$ $7(59)$ $413$ Our final answer is A, 413. Method 2longhand Alternatively, we can solve this problem by doing it longhand. It will take a little longer, but this way also carries less risk of incorrectly remember our formulas. As always, how you choose to solve these problems is completely up to you. First, let us write out our sequence, beginning with 10 and adding 3 to each subsequence number, until we find our nth (14th) term. 10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 25, 28, 31, 34, 37, 40, 43, 46, 49 Now, we can either add them up all by hand$10 + 13 + 16 + 19 + 22 + 25 + 28 + 31 + 34 + 37 + 40 + 43 + 46 + 49 = 413$ Or we can use our arithmetic sequence sum trick and divide the sequence into pairs. We can see that there are 7 pairs of 59, so $7 * 59 = 413$. Again, our final answer is A, 413. Only one more formula to go. Almost there! Geometric Sequence Formulas $$a_n = a_1( r^{n - 1})$$ (Note: while there is a formula to find the sum of a geometric sequence, but you will never be asked to find this on the SAT, and so it is not included in this guide.) As with the first arithmetic sequence formula, this formula will allow you to find any number of missing pieces, including your 1st term, your nth term, or your $r$. And, as always with sequences, you have the choice of whether to solve your problem longhand or with a formula. Method 1formula If you’re one for memorizing formulas, we can simply plug in our values into our equation in place of $a_n$, $n$, and $r$ in order to solve for $a_1$. We are told that Mr. Smith has 1 dollar 5 days later, which would be the 6th day (meaning our $n$ is 6), and that the ratio between each term is $1/4$. $a_n = a_1( r^{n - 1})$ $1 = a_1({1/4}^{6 - 1})$ $1 = a_1({1/4}^5)$ $1 = a_1(0.00097656)$ $1/0.00097656 = a_1$ $1024 = a_1$ So the 1st term in the sequence is 1024, which means that Mr. Smith starts with $1024 on Monday morning. Our final answer is 1024. Method 2longhand Alternatively, we can, as always, solve them problem by hand. First, set out our number of terms in order to keep track of them, with our 7th term, $1, last. ___, ___, ___, ___, ___, 1 Now, because our ratio is $1/4$ and we are working backwards, we must multiply each term by 4. (Why? Because ${1/{(1/4)} = 1 * 4$, according to the rules of fractions). ___, ___, ___, ___, 4, 1 ___, ___, ___, 16, 4, 1 And, if we keep going, we will eventually get: 1024, 256, 64, 16, 4, 1 Which means that we can see that our 1st term is 1024. Again, our final answer is 1024. As with all sequence solving methods, there are benefits and drawbacks to solving the question in each way. If you choose to use formulas, make very sure you can remember them exactly. And if you solve the questions by hand, be very careful to find the exact number of terms in the sequence. It can be all too easy to accidentally find one term more or fewer if you’re not carefully labeling or otherwise keeping track of your terms. I'm preeeeetty sure it's not a proper math formula unless mystery variables and exploding test tubes are involved somehow. Typical SAT Sequences Questions Because all sequence questions on the SAT can be solved without the use or knowledge of sequence formulas, the test-makers will only ever ask you for a limited number of terms or the sum of a small number of terms (usually 12 or fewer). As we saw above, you may be asked to find the 1st term in a sequence, the nth term, the difference between your terms (whether a common difference, $d$, or a common ratio, $r$), or the sum of your terms (in arithmetic sequences only). You also may be asked to find an unusual twist on a sequence question that combines your knowledge of sequences or your knowledge of sequences and other SAT math topics. For example: Again, let us look at both formulaic and longhand methods for how to solve a problem like this. Method 1formulas We are told that the ratio between the terms in our sequence is 2:1, successive term to previous term. This means that our common ratio is 2, as each term is being multiplied by 2 in order to find the next term. (Note: if you are not familiar with ratios, check out our guide to SAT ratios.) Now, we can find the ratio between our 8th and 5th terms in a few different ways, but the simplest waywhile still using formulasis simply to reassign our 5th term as our 1st term instead. This would then make our 8th term become our 4th term. (Why the 4th term? The 5th and 8th terms are 3 spaces from each other5th to 6th, 6th to 7th, and 7th to 8thwhich means our 1st term must be 3 spaces from our new nth term1st to 2nd, 2nd to 3rd, 3rd to 4th). Once we’ve designated our 5th term as our 1st term, we can use the strategy of plugging in numbers and assign a random value for our $a_1$. Then we will plug in our known values of $r$ (2) and $n$ (3) so that we can find our $a_n$. Let us call $a_1$ 4. (Why 4? Why not!) $a_n = a_1( r^{n - 1})$ $a_4 = 4(2^{4 - 1})$ $a_4 = 4(2^3)$ $a_4 = 4(8)$ $a_4 = 32$ So the ratio between our 4th term and our 1st term (the equivalent of the ratio to our 8th term and our 5th term) is: $32:4$ Or, when we reduce: $8:1$ The ratio between our 8th term and our 5th term is $8:1$ Our final answer is C, $8:1$. As you can see, this problem was tricky because we had to reassign our terms and use our own numbers before we even considered having to use our formulas. Let us look at this problem were we to solve it longhand instead. Method 2longhand If we choose to solve this problem longhand, we will not have to concern ourselves with reassigning our terms, but we will still have to understand that there are 3 spaces between our 8th and our 5th terms (8th to 7th, 7th to 6th, and 6th to 5th). Since we used the technique of plugging in our own numbers last time, let us use algebra for our longhand method. We know that each term is found by doubling the previous term. So let us say that our 5th term is $x$. ___, ___, ___, ___, x, ___, ___, ___ This would make our 6th term $2x$. ___, ___, ___, ___, x, 2x, ___, ___ And we can continue down the line until we get: ___, ___, ___, ___, x, 2x, 4x, 8x This means that our ratio between our 8th term and our 5th term is: $8x:x$ Or, in other words: $8:1$ Our final answer is, again, C, $8:1$. Again, you always have the choice to use formulas or longhand to solve these questions and how you prioritize your time (and/or how careful you are with your calculations) will ultimately decide which method you use. Now let's take a look at our SAT sequence question strategies. Tips For Solving Sequence Questions Sequence questions can be somewhat tricky and arduous to work through, so keep in mind these SAT math tips on sequences as you go through your studies: 1) Decide before test day whether or not you will use the sequence formulas Before you go through the effort of committing your formulas to memory, think about the kind of test-taker you are. If you are someone who loves to use formulas, then go ahead and memorize them now. Most sequence questions will go much faster once you have gotten used to using your formula. However, if you would rather dedicate your time and brainpower to other math topics or if you would simply rather solve sequence questions longhand, then don’t worry about your formulas! Don’t even bother to try to remember themjust decide here and now not to use them and save your mental energy for other pursuits. Unless you can be sure to remember themcorrectly, formulas will hinder more than help you on test day. So make the decision now to either memorize your formulas or forget about them entirely. 2) Write your values down and keep your work organized Though many calculators can perform long strings of calculations, sequence questions by definition involve many different values and terms. Small errors in your work can cause a cascade effect and one mistyped digit in your calculator can throw off your work completely. Even worse, you won’t know where the error happened if you do not keep track of your values. Always write down your values and label your terms in order to prevent a misstep somewhere down the line. 3) Keep careful track of your timing No matter how you solve a sequence question, these types of problems will generally take you more time than other math questions on the SAT. For this reason, most sequence questions are located in the last third of any particular SAT math section, which means the test-makers think of sequences as a â€Å"high difficulty† level problem. Time is your most valuable asset on the SAT, so always make sure you are using yours wisely. If you feel you can (accurately) answer two other math questions in the time it takes you to answer one sequence question, then maximize your point gain by focusing on the other two questions. Always remember that each question on the SAT math section is worth the same amount of points and you will get dinged if you get a question wrong. Prioritize both your quantity of answered questions as well as your accuracy, and don’t let your time run out trying to solve one problem. If you feel that you can answer a sequence problem quickly, go ahead! But if you feel it will take up too much time, move on and come back to it later (or skip it entirely, if you need to). No matter which method you choose to use, trust that you'll find the one that best suits your needs and abilities. Test Your Knowledge Now let’s test your sequence knowledge with real SAT math problems. 1) 2) What is the sum of the first 10 terms in the arithmetic sequence that begins:13, 21, 29,... 450 458 474 482 490 3) Answers: 200, E, 2035 Answer Explanations: 1) The number of squirrels triples every three years, so this is a geometric sequence. As always, we can either count longhand or use our formulas. Let’s look at each way. We first need to count how many times three years has passed between 1990 and 1999. Including the year 1990 and the year 1999, there are 4 terms for every 3 years between 1990 and 1999. 1990, 1993, 1996, 1999 This means that 1999 is our 4th term and 1990 is our 1st term. Now let’s plug in our values into our formula. $a_n = a_1( r^{n - 1})$ $5400 = a_1(3^{4-1})$ $5400 = a_1(3^3)$ $5400 = a_1(27)$ $200 = a_1$ Our first term is 200. There were 200 squirrels in 1990. Alternatively, we can simply find the number of squirrels in 1990 by counting by hand. Again, we need to find the number of groups of 3 years between 1990 and 1999, inclusive. 1990, 1993, 1996, 1999 Now, let us plug in our known value for 1999 and find the rest of our terms by dividing each term by 3. ___, ___, ___, 5400 ___, ___, 1800, 5400 And so on, until you get: 200, 600, 1800, 5400 Again, our first term is 200. There were 200 squirrels in 1990. 2) We are asked to find the sum of this arithmetic sequence, which means we can either use our formula or count our sequence by hand. Method 1formulas First, we need to determine our common difference, $d$, in the sequence. To do so, let us subtract one of our neighboring pairs of numbers. $21 - 13 = 8$ Before we can find our sum, however, we must find our $a_10$. This means we need to use our first arithmetic sequence formula: $a_n = a_1 + (n - 1)d$ $a_10 = 13 + (10 - 1)8$ $a_10 = 13 + 72$ $a_10 = 85$ Now that we know our $d$ and our $a_10$, we can plug in our values to find our sum. $(n/2)(a_1 + a_n)$ $(10/5)(13 + 85)$ $(5)(98)$ $490$ Our final answer is E, 490. Method 2counting If you do not want to remember or use your formulas, you can always find your answer by counting. First, we must still determine our $d$ by subtracting our neighboring terms: $29 - 21 = 8$ Now, we can find the value of all our terms by continuing to add 8 to each new term until we reach our 10th term. 13, 21, 29, ___, ___, ___, ___, ___, ___, ___ 13, 21, 29, 37, ___, ___, ___, ___, ___, ___ 13, 21, 29, 37, 45, ___, ___, ___, ___, ___ And so on, until we finally get: 13, 21, 29, 37, 45, 53, 61, 69, 77, 85 Now, we can either add them up individually ($13 + 21 + 29 + 37 + 45 + 53 + 61 + 69 + 77 + 85 = 490$), or you can, find your pairs of numbers, beginning from the outside in. We can see that there are 5 pairs of 98, so $5 * 98 = 450$ Our final answer is E, 490. 3) Because the price of our mystery item raises by $2 every year, this is an arithmetic sequence. Again, we have multiple ways to solve this kind of problemusing formulas, or counting longhand. Method 1formulas $a_n = a_1 + (n - 1)d$ $100 = 10 + (n - 1)2$ $100 = 10 + 2n - 2$ $100 = 8 + 2n$ $92 = 2n$ $n = 46$ Now, we know that 100 is the price at our 46th term, but this is not the same thing as 46 years from 1990. Remember: the number of terms from the 1st is always 1 fewer space than the actual count of the term. For instance, the 1st term in a sequence is 4 spaces from the 5th term and 5 spaces from the 6th term. Why? 1st to 2nd, 2nd to 3rd, 3rd to 4th, 4th to 5th. We can see it takes 4 total spaces to go from the 1st term to the 5th. For our price problem, our $n$ is 46, which means that the year will be $46 - 1 = 45$ actual spaces away from our starting term. So: $1990 + (46 - 1)$ $1990 + 45$ $2035$ The price will be $100 in 2035. Method 2counting Because each new term is determined by adding 2, it will take us a long time to get from 10 to 100. We can speed up this process by first finding the difference between the 1st and last term: $100 - 10 = 90$ And then we can divide this difference by the common difference, $d$: $90/2 = 45$ It will take 45 years to get to the price to raise to $100. 45 years after 1990 is: $1990 + 45$ $2035$ Again, the price will be $100 in 2035. Yeah! You toppled those sequence questions! The Take Aways Though sequence questions can take some little time to work through, they are usually made complicated by their number of terms and values rather than being actually difficult to solve. So long as you remember to keep all your work organized and decide before test-day whether or not you want to spend your study efforts memorizing, and you’ll be able to tackle any number of sequence questions the SAT can throw your way. As long as you keep your values straight (and don’t get tricked by bait answers!), you will be able to grind through these problems without fail. What’s Next? Now that you've taken on sequences and dominated, it's time to make sure you have a solid handle on the rest of your SAT math topics. The SAT presents familiar concepts in unfamiliar ways, so check out our guides on all your individual SAT topic needs. We'll provide you with all the strategies and practice problems on any SAT math topic you could ask for. Running out of time on SAT math? Not to worry! Our guide will show you how to maximize both your time and your score so that you can make the most of your time on test day. Don't know what score to aim for? Follow our simple steps to figure out what score is best for you and your needs. Looking to get a perfect score? Check out our guide to getting a perfect 800 on SAT math, written by a perfect-scorer! Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this Math strategy guide, you'll love our program.Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands ofpractice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial:

Entelodon (Killer Pig) - Facts and Figures

Entelodon (Killer Pig) - Facts and Figures Name: Entelodon (Greek for perfect teeth); pronounced en-TELL-oh-don; also known as the Killer Pig Habitat: Plains of Eurasia Historical Epoch: Late Eocene-Middle Oligocene (37-27 million years ago) Size and Weight: About 10 feet long and 1,000 pounds Diet: Omnivorous Distinguishing Characteristics: Large head with prominent snout; warts on cheeks About Entelodon (Killer Pig) Plucked from prehistoric obscurity thanks to cameos on nature documentaries like Walking with Beasts and Prehistoric Predators, Entelodon has been immortalized as the Killer Pig, even though (like modern pigs) this megafauna mammal ate plants as well as meat. Entelodon was about the size of a cow, and it had a noticeably (and hugely) pig-like face, with wart-like, bone-supported wattles on its cheeks and an extended snout studded with dangerous-looking teeth. Like many mammals of the Eocene epochonly 30 million or so years after the dinosaurs went extinctEntelodon also had an unusually small brain for its size, and was probably not the brightest omnivore of its Eurasian habitat. Somewhat confusingly, Enteledon has lent its name to an entire family of megafauna mammals, the entelodonts, which also includes the slightly smaller Daeodon of North America. Entelodonts, in their turn, were preyed on by creodonts, a family of thickly built, vaguely wolf-like mammals (which have left no close living descendants) typified by Hyaenodon and Sarkastodon. To show how difficult it can be to classify Eocene mammals, its now believed that Entelodon may have been more closely related to modern hippopotamuses, or even whales, than to modern pigs!

Bp oil spill Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Bp oil spill - Essay Example As a result of the explosion, an oil gusher located on the sea bed flowed relentlessly for around three months before the wellhead was finally successfully capped after a number of failed attempts (Robertson & Krauss, 2010). The oil spill had serious repercussions on Bp and its investors as well as other stakeholders in a number of related industries as the company had to claim responsibility for all the damage that was done as a result (Robertson & Krauss, 2010). The level at which the company was affected can be measured via the use of key indicators of performance related to the marketing industry. After investigations were conducted it was determined that Bp was to blame for the accident. However it was determined that Deepwater Horizon operator Transocean and Halliburton which was the contractor of the oil rig was also to blame for their various roles (Robertson & Krauss, 2010). The results of the investigation led to a number of repercussions especially for Bp in particular. Using long term Key indicators of performance one can determine that BP paid a large price for their mistake. In economic terms, BP took a large dent in their financial status as they ended up paying over 4 billion dollars in fines and other expenses in particular. Such a large financial effect can indicate the downfall of a company if not properly managed and handled in an economic manner (Parmenter, 2007). The image of BP also took a serious hit as organizations such as the EPA developed doubts over its integrity and as a result it lost its ability to vie for government contracts after the accident. This displays the fact that the company’s public image took a negative turn which can be dangerous if not overturned as soon as possible (Parmenter, 2007). The news reports also painted the company in a bad light as environmental and other organizations blamed the company for

Housing Sector in UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Housing Sector in UK - Essay Example The housing location being discussed in this paper is located at Grovewood Hill along the Burnbrae Drive at Edinburgh. The view of the typical houses being discussed here is shown in the figure 1. Theses houses are mostly constructed of burned clay bricks, cement and mortar. This practice of housing was found to exist from atleast 100 years in this region and the sector also boasts of providing huge labour employment in the country. This is a scenario of affluent people who could afford independent dwelling units in the places or locations of their choice. But the huge number of migrant labours and working class who makes their living by working in the city find their shelter along the slums that have come up in the city outskirts. This volume of occupants tends to increase at an astonishing rate as the more of the "development" takes place. The housing sector too shows a skewed growth in the urban centres with the slum dwellers increasing in the city suburbs and the planned housing developments moving to the outskirts. ... The location of the study at Groovewood Hill was chosen based on the easy access and also being the location well known to the student. The primary data collection was based on the interview technique with the help of a prepared questionnaire. Also, the information already available with the student researcher have also been used in the interpretation of the data. Also, the discussions with the housing association members and the estate manager was carried out to explore the various operation constrains and main characteristics of the housing locality. The secondary information was collected from already published materials and other reports. Based of the data collected the analysis is carried out and required information is presented in the subsequent sections. 4. Findings and Discussion 4.1 Nature and type of construction Figure 2 : Perspective of the house The sample house chosen from the locality was constructed with strong reliance on the architectural masonry almost 5 years back. It was the time when sudden development initiatives have begun and the building industry was experiencing boom. This was also the time when new methods and materials were also tried. But the labour force as well as contractors were less reluctant to change and hence the advantage it promised in the initial stages was not attained. The construction process progressed more based on the skill set of the masons rather than the advances proposed by the technocrats .Most of the houses being discussed here are two storied residential unit built in country burned bricks, cement and concrete. The roof is made in reinforced cement concrete. The interiors have been designed incorporating the techniques of passive heating /cooling technologies. Thus optimizing

Chinese nurse-client relationship Essay Example for Free

Chinese nurse-client relationship Essay The Chinese perspective of nursing Nursing is to understand the health status and concerns of a person, to devise interventions with appropriate health knowledge and skills. There are four Chinese characteristics of epistemic concerns. Qing (? ) is emotion. Li (? ) and zhi (? ) means knowing what is good and right in practice through scientific or systematic studies respectively. Xing (? ) is action. The chinese perspective of nurse To nurse, Chinese people generally argree that the role of the nurses is to report their conditions rapidly to doctors. A Confucian principle of hierarchical relationship between doctor and nurses shows that nurses should know their place, defer to their superiors anf know when to call doctors. Solution to chinese implication Some Chinese cultures like belief, value, attitudes and taboos may act as barriers of clients and nurses. It can be tackled by reminding the nurse to be cultural sensitive in caring process. For instances, nurses may consider characteristics of Chinese people. Chinese always avoid the word dead which is a symbol of unauspicious. They can tacit communication approach like euphemism which is indirect words using the end of life. Nurses may apply therapeutic communication strategies: -To be client-focused, problem-oriented and situational based -Classified as supportive-expressive, analytic and consultative -Directive and educationally focused The Chinese culture is conflicts between Chinese culture and health belief of western medicine. To solve it, we nurses acknowledge of culturally specific nature of problem. Another Chinese culture is the tradition perceive problem as family affairs. To solve it, we nurse can build up nurse-client relationship with strong bond of trust by more communication.

I Wish to Pursue Structural Engineering :: Graduate Admissions Essays

I Wish to Pursue Structural Engineering A simple bridge truss was the first structure I ever analyzed. The simple combination of beams that could hold cars, trains, and trucks over long spans of water fascinated me. Having the tools to analyze the loads on the truss further increased my interest in structures. I encountered the bridge in a textbook for my first engineering class. Knowing that the professor, Mr. Paul Davids, was a tough teacher, I asked him for the textbook so I could study and get ready for the class over the summer. Just arrived from Belize, I was determined to succeed. In class we learned about forces on simple members and then we put the members together to form a simple truss. At this point I had almost decided that structural engineering was the career for me. From there the class just took off: We went on to frames, distributed loads, considered friction; basically we were incorporating real world considerations into structural members. I loved the practical, problem solving aspects of the field. At UC my classes were even more advanced. In my analysis and design classes, I especially enjoyed studying steel design because we not only learned the use of the load resistance factor design but also applied that knowledge -- I designed a four-story building. The professor was a practicing engineer, and he always related the subject to real life steel structures he had engineered, for example, the SB Medical Centre, an all steel building with a base isolated campus. This is the kind of project on which I would like to work, designing the structure and considering how the building will respond to ground motion. After two quarters of structural analysis, I had come as close as possible to analyzing real world structures. Looking back I realize, I had learned great tools for structural analysis, but my "tool box" was still inadequate. I lacked a very important tool: finite element analysis. According to my professor, finite element analysis has revolutionized structural an alysis. Although I liked my classes, my internship experiences really confirmed my interest in structural engineering. While working at Caltrans as a student volunteer, I reviewed computer grading output for streets under construction.

Island of the Sequined Love Nun Chapter 8~9

8 The Humiliation of the Pilot As a Passenger Once on the plane, Tucker unfolded the letter from the mysterious doctor and read it again. Dear Mr. Case: I have become aware of your recent difficulties and I believe I have a proposition that will be of great benefit to us both. My wife and I are missionaries on Alualu, a rather remote atoll at the north-western tip of the Micronesian crescent. Since we are out of the normal shipping lanes and we are the sole medical provider for the people of the island, we maintain our own aircraft for the transport of medical supplies. We have recently procured a Lear 45 for this purpose, but our former pilot has been called to the mainland on personal business for an indefinite time. In short, Mr. Case, given your experience flying small jets and our unique requirements, we feel that this would be a perfect opportunity for us both. We are not concerned with the status of your license, only that you can perform in the pilot's seat and fulfill a need that can only be described as dire. If you are willing to honor a long-term contract, we will provide you with room and board on the island, pay you $2,000 a week, as well as a generous bonus upon completion of the contract. As a gesture of our sincerity, I am enclosing an open airline ticket and a cashier's check for $3,000 for traveling expenses. Contact us by e-mail with your arrival time in Truk and my wife will meet you there to discuss the conditions of your employment and pro vide transportation to Alualu. You'll find a room reserved for you at the Paradise Inn. Sincerely, Sebastian Curtis, M.D. [email protected] Why me? Tuck wondered. He'd crashed a jet, lost his job and probably his sex life, was charged with multiple crimes, then a letter and a check arrived from nowhere to bail him out, but only if he was willing to abandon everything and move to a Pacific island. It could turn out to be a good job, but if it had been his decision, he'd still be lingering over it in a motel room with Dusty Lemon. It was as if some combination of ironic luck and Jake Skye had been sent along to make the decision for him. Not so strange, he thought. The same combination had put him in the pilot's seat in the first place. Tuck had grown up in Elsinore, California, northeast of San Diego, the only son of the owner of the Denmark Silverware Corporation. He had an unremarkable childhood, was a mediocre athlete, and spent most of his adolescence surfing in San Diego and chasing girls, one of whom he finally caught. Zoophilia Gold was the daughter of his father's lawyer, a lovely girl made shy by a cruel first name. Tuck and Zoo enjoyed a brief romance, which was put on hold when Tuck's father sent him off to college in Texas so he could learn to make decisions and someday take over the family business. His motivation excised by the job guarantee, Tuck made passing grades until his college career was cut short by an emergency call from his mother. â€Å"Come home. Your father's dead.† Tuck made the drive in two days, stopping only for gas, to use the bathroom, and to call Zoophilia, who informed him that his mother had married his father's brother and his uncle had taken over Denmark Silver-ware. Tuck screeched into Elsinore in a blind rage and ran over Zoophilia's father as he was leaving Tuck's mother's house. The death was declared an accident, but during the investigation a policeman informed Tuck that although he had no proof, he suspected that the riding accident that killed Tuck's father might not have been an accident, especially since Tuck's father had been allergic to horses. Tuck was sure that his uncle had set the whole thing up, but he couldn't bring himself to confront his mother or her new husband. In the meantime, Zoophilia, stricken with grief over her father's death, overdosed on Prozac and drowned in her hot tub, and her brother, who had been away at college also, returned promising to kill Tucker or at least sue him into oblivion for the deaths of his father and sister. While trying to come to a decision on a course of action, Tucker met a brace of Texas brunettes in a Pacific Beach bar who insisted he ride back with them to the Lone Star state. Disinherited, depressed, and clueless, Tucker took the ride as far as a small suburban airport outside of Houston, where the girls asked him if he'd ever been nude skydiving. At that point, not really caring if he lived or died, he crawled into the back of a Beechcraft with them. They left him scraped, bruised, and stranded on the tarmac in a jockstrap and a parachute harness, shivering with adrenaline. Jake Skye found him wandering around the hangars wearing the parachute canopy as a toga. It had been a tough year. â€Å"Let me guess,† Jake said. â€Å"Margie and Randy Sue?† â€Å"Yeah,† Tucker said. â€Å"How'd you know?† â€Å"They do it all the time. Daddies with money – Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Petroleum. Hope you didn't cut up that canopy. You can get a grand for it used.† â€Å"They're gone, then?† â€Å"An hour ago. Said something about going to London. Where are your clothes?† â€Å"In their car.† â€Å"Come with me.† Jake gave Tucker a job washing airplanes, then taught him to fly a Cessna 172 and enrolled him in flight school. Tucker got his twin-engine hours in six months, helping Jake ferry Texas businessmen around the state in a leased Beech Duke. Jake turned the flying over to Tuck as soon as he passed his 135 commercial certification. â€Å"I can fly anything,† Jake said, â€Å"but unless it's helicopters, I'd rather wrench. Only steady gig in choppers is flying oil rigs in the Gulf. Had too many friends tip off into the drink. You fly, I'll do the maintenance, we split the cash.† Another six months and Jake was offered a job by the Mary Jean Cosmetics Corporation. Jake took the job on the condition that Tucker could copilot until he had his Lear hours (he described Tuck as a â€Å"little lost lamb† and the makeup magnate relented). Mary Jean did her own flying, but once Tucker was qualified, she turned the controls over to him full-time. â€Å"Some members of the board have pointed out that my time would be better spent taking care of business instead of flying. Besides, it's not ladylike. How'd you like a job?† Luck. The training he'd received would have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and he'd gotten most of it for free. He had become a new person, and it had all started with a bizarre streak of bad luck followed by an op-portunity and Jake Skye's intervention. Maybe it would work out for the better this time too. At least this time no one had been killed. 9 Cult of the Autopilot: A History Lesson The pilot said, â€Å"The local time is 9:00 A.M. The temperature is 90 degrees. Thank you for flying Continental and enjoy your stay in Truk.† Then he laughed menacingly. Tuck stepped out of the plane and felt the palpable weight of the air in his lungs. It smelled green, fecund, as if vegetation was growing, dying, rotting, and giving off a gas too thick to breathe. He followed a line of passengers to the terminal, a long, low, cinderblock building – nothing more really than a tin roof on pillars – teeming with brown people; short, stoutly built people, men in jeans or old dress slacks and T-shirts, women in long floral cotton dresses with puff shoulders, their hair held in buns atop their heads by tortoiseshell combs. Tuck waited, sweating, at one end of the terminal while young men shoved the baggage through a curtain onto a plywood ramp. Natives re-trieved their baggage, mainly coolers wrapped with packing tape, and walked by the customs officer's counter without pausing. He looked for a tourist, to see how they were treated, but there were none. The customs officer glared at him. Tucker hoped there was nothing illegal in his pack. The airport here looked like a weigh station for a death camp; he didn't want to see the jail. He fingered the roll of bills in his pocket, thinking, Bribe. The pack came sliding through the curtain. Tucker moved through the pall of islanders and pulled the pack onto his shoulders, then walked to the customs counter and plopped it down in front of the officer. â€Å"Passport,† the officer said. He was fat and wore a brass button uniform with dime store flip-flops on his feet. Tuck handed him his passport. â€Å"How long will you be staying?† â€Å"Not long. I'm not sure. A day maybe.† â€Å"No flights for three days.† The officer stamped the passport and handed it back to Tucker. â€Å"There's a ten-dollar departure fee.† â€Å"That's it?† Tucker was amazed. No inspection, no bribe. Luck again. â€Å"Take your bag.† â€Å"Right.† Tucker scooped up the pack and headed for an exit sign, hand-painted on plywood. He walked out of the airport and was blinded by the sun. â€Å"Hey, you dive?† A man's voice. Tuck squinted and a thin, leathery islander in a Bruins hockey jersey stood in front of him. He had six teeth, two of them gold. â€Å"No,† Tucker said. â€Å"Why you come if you no dive?† â€Å"I'm here on business.† Tucker dropped his pack and tried to breathe. He was soaked with sweat. Ten seconds in this sun and he wanted to dive into the shade like a roach under a stove. â€Å"Where you stay?† This guy looked criminal, just an eye patch short of a pirate. Tucker didn't want to tell him anything. â€Å"How do I get to the Paradise Inn?† The pirate called to a teenager who was sitting in the shade watching a score of beat-up Japanese cars with blackened windows jockeying for position in the dirt street. â€Å"Rindi! Paradise.† The younger man, dressed like a Compton rapper – oversized shorts, football jersey, baseball cap reversed over a blue bandanna – came over and grabbed Tucker's pack. Tuck kept one hand on an arm strap and fought the kid for control. â€Å"You go with him,† the pirate said. â€Å"He take you Paradise.† â€Å"Come on, Holmes,† the kid said. â€Å"My car air-conditioned. Tucker let go of the pack and the kid whisked it away through the jostle of cars to an old Honda Civic with a cellophane back window and bailing wire holding the passenger door shut. Tuck follow him, stepping quickly between the cars, each one lurching forward as if to hit him as he passed. He looked for the driver's expressions, but the windshields were all blacked out with plastic film. The kid threw Tuck's pack in the hatchback, then unwired the door and held it open. Tucker climbed in, feeling, once again, com pletely at the mercy of Lady Luck. Now I get to see the place where they rob and kill the white guys, he thought. As they drove, Tuck looked out on the lagoon. Even through the tinted window the blue of the lagoon shone as if illuminated from below. Island women in scuba masks waded shoulder deep; their floral dresses flowing around them made them look like multicolored jellyfish. Each carried a short steel spear slung from a piece of surgical tubing. Large plastic buckets floated on the surface in which the women were depositing their catch. â€Å"What are they hunting?† Tuck asked the driver. â€Å"Octopus, urchin, small fish. Mostly octopus. Hey, where you from in United States?† â€Å"I grew up in California.† The kid lit up. â€Å"California! You have Crips there, right?† â€Å"Yeah, there's gangs.† â€Å"I'm a Crip,† the kid said, pointing to his blue bandanna with pride. â€Å"Me and my homies find any Bloods here, we gonna pop a nine on 'em.† Tucker was amazed. On the side of the road a beautiful little girl in a flowered dress was drinking from a green coconut. Here in the car there was a gang war going on. He said, â€Å"Where are the Bloods?† Rindi shook his head sadly. â€Å"Nobody want to be Bloods. Only Crips on Truk. But if we see one, we gonna bust a cap on 'em.† He pulled back a towel on the seat to reveal a beat-up Daisy air pistol. Tuck made a mental note not to wear a red bandanna and accidentally fill the Blood shortage. He had no desire to be killed or wounded over a glorified game of cowboys and Indians. â€Å"How far to the hotel?† â€Å"This it,† Rindi said, wrenching the Honda across the road into a dusty parking lot. The Paradise Inn was a two-story, crumbling stucco building with a crown of rusting rebar beckoning skyward for a third floor that would never be built. Tuck let the boy, Rindi, carry his pack to an upstairs room: mint green cinder block over brown linoleum, a beat-up metal desk, smoke-stained floral curtains, a twin bed with a torn 1950s bedspread, the smell of mildew and insecticide. Rindi put the pack in the doorless closet and cranked the little window air conditioner to high. â€Å"Too late for shower. Water come on again four to six.† Tuck glanced into the bathroom. Mistake. An exotic-looking or ange thing was growing on the shower curtain. He said, â€Å"Where can I get a beer?† Rindi grinned. â€Å"We have lounge. Budweiser, ‘king of beers.' MTV on satellite.† He cocked his wrists and performed a gangsta rap move that looked as if he'd contracted a rhythmic cerebral palsy. â€Å"Yo, G, we chill with the phattest jams? Snoop, Ice, Public Enemy.† â€Å"Oh, good,† Tuck said. â€Å"We can do a drive-by later. How do I get to the lounge?† â€Å"Down steps, outside, go right.† He paused, looking concerned. â€Å"We have to shoot out driver's side. Other window not go down.† â€Å"We'll manage.† Tuck flipped the kid a dollar and left the room, proud to be an American. An unconscious island man marked the entrance to the lounge. Tuck stepped over him and pushed his way through the black glass door into a cool, dark, smoke-hazed room lit by a silent television tuned to nothing and a flickering neon BUDWEISER sign. A shadow stood behind the bar; two more sat in front of it. Tuck could see eyes in the dark – maybe people sitting at tables, maybe nocturnal vermin. A voice: â€Å"A fellow American here to buy a beer for his countryman.† The voice had come from one of the shadows at the bar. Tuck squinted into the dark and saw a large white man, about fifty, in a sweat-stained dress shirt. He was smiling, a jowly yellow smile under drink-dulled eyes. Tuck smiled back. Anyone that didn't speak broken English was, at this point, his friend. â€Å"What are you drinkin', pardner?† Tuck always went Texan when he was being friendly. â€Å"What you drink here.† He held up two fingers to the bartender, then held his hand out to shake. â€Å"Jefferson Pardee, editor in chief of the Truk Star.† â€Å"Tucker Case.† Tuck sat down on the stool next to the big man. The bartender placed two sweating Budweiser cans in front of them and waited. â€Å"Run a tab,† Pardee said. Then to Tuck: â€Å"I assume you're a diver?† â€Å"Why would you assume that?† â€Å"It's the only reason Americans come here, other than Peace Corps or Navy CAT team members. And if you don't mind my saying, you don't look idealistic enough to be Peace Corps or stupid enough to be Navy.† â€Å"I'm a pilot.† It felt good saying it. He'd always liked saying it. He didn't realize how terrified he'd been that he'd never be able to say it again. â€Å"I'm supposed to meet someone from another island about a job.† â€Å"Not a missionary air outfit, I hope.† â€Å"It's for a missionary doctor. Why?† â€Å"Son, those people do a great job, but you can only get so much out of those old planes they fly. Fifty-year-old Beech 18s and DC3s. Sooner or later you're going into the drink. But I suppose if you're flying for God†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I'll be flying a new Learjet.† Pardee almost dropped his beer. â€Å"Bullshit.† Tuck was tempted to pull out the letter and slam it on the bar, but thought better of it. â€Å"That's what they said.† Pardee put a big hairy forearm on the bar and leaned into Tuck. He smelled like a hangover. â€Å"What island and what church?† â€Å"Alualu,† Tuck said. â€Å"A Dr. Curtis.† Pardee nodded and sat back on his stool. â€Å"No-man's Island.† â€Å"What's that mean?† â€Å"It doesn't belong to anyone. Do you know anything about Micronesia?† â€Å"Just that you have gangs but no regular indoor plumbing.† â€Å"Well, depending on how you look at it, Truk can be a hellhole. That's what happens when you give Coke cans to a coconut culture. But it's not all that way. There are two thousand islands in the Micronesian crescent, running almost all the way from Hawaii to New Guinea. Magellan landed here first, on his first voyage around the world. The Spanish claimed them, then the Germans, then the Japanese. We took them from the Japanese during the war. There are seventy sunken Japanese ships in Truk's lagoon alone. That's why the divers come.† â€Å"So what's this have to do with where I'm going?† â€Å"I'm getting to that. Until fifteen years ago, Micronesia was a U.S. protectorate, except for Alualu. Because it's at the westernmost tip of the crescent, we left it out of the surrender agreement with the Japanese. It kind of got lost in the shuffle. So Alualu was never an American territory, and when the Federated States of Micronesia declared independence, they didn't include Alualu.† â€Å"So what's that mean?† Tuck was getting impatient. This was the longest lecture he'd endured since flight school. â€Å"In short, no mother government, no foreign aid, no nothing. Alualu belongs to whoever lives on it. It's off the shipping lanes, and it's a raised atoll, only one small island, not a group of islands around a lagoon, so there's not enough copra to make it worth the trip for the collector boats. Since the war, when there was an airstrip there, no one goes there.† â€Å"Maybe that's why they need the jet?† â€Å"Son, I came here in '66 with the Peace Corps and I've never left. I've seen a lot of missionaries throw a lot of money at a lot of problems, but I've never seen a church that was willing to spring for a Learjet.† Tuck wanted to beat his head on the bar just to feel his tiny brain rattle. Of course it was too good to be true. He'd known that instinctively. He should have known that as soon as he'd seen the money they were offering him – him, Tucker Case, the biggest fuckup in the world. Tuck drained his beer and signaled for two more. â€Å"So what do you know about this Curtis?† â€Å"I've heard of him. There's not much news out here and he made some about twenty years back. He went batshit at the airport in Yap after he couldn't get anyone to evacuate a sick kid off the island. Frankly, I'm sur-prised he's still out there. I heard the church pulled out on him. Cargo cults give Christians the willies.† Tuck knew he was being lured in. He'd met guys like Pardee in airport hotel bars all over the U.S.: lonely businessmen, usually salesmen, who would talk to anyone about anything just for the company. They learned how to make you ask questions that required long windy answers. He'd felt sympathetic toward them ever since he'd played Willie Loman in Miss Patterson's third-grade class production of Death of a Salesman. Pardee just needed to talk. â€Å"What's a cargo cult?† Tuck asked. Pardee smiled. â€Å"They've been in the islands since the Spanish landed in the 1500s and traded steel tools and beads to the natives for food and water. They're still around.† Pardee took a long pull on his beer, set it down, and resumed. â€Å"These islands were all populated by people from somewhere else. The stories of the heroic ancestors coming across the sea in canoes are part of their reli-gions. The ancestors brought everything they need from across the sea. All of a sudden, guys show up with new cool stuff. Instant ancestors, instant gods from across the sea, bearing gifts. They incorporated the newcomers into their religions. Sometimes it might be fifty years before another ship showed up, but every time they used a machete, they thought about the return of the gods bearing cargo.† â€Å"So there are still people waiting for the Spanish to return with steel tools.† Pardee laughed. â€Å"No. Except for missionaries, these islands didn't get much attention from the modern world until World War II. All of a sudden, Allied forces are coming in and building airstrips and bribing the islanders with things so they would resist the Japanese. Manna from the heavens. American flyers brought in all sorts of good stuff. Then the war ended and the good stuff stopped coming. â€Å"Years later anthropologists and missionaries are finding little altars built to airplanes. The islanders are still waiting for the ships from the sky to return and save them. Myths get built around single pilots who are supposed to bring great armies to the islands to chase out the French, or the British, or whatever imperial government holds the island. The British outlawed the cargo cults on some Melanesian islands and jailed the leaders. Bad idea, of course. They were instant martyrs. The missionaries railed against the new religions, trying to use reason to kill faith, so some islanders started claiming their pilots were Jesus. Drove the missionaries nuts. Natives putting little propellers on their crucifixes, drawing pictures of Christ in a flight helmet. Bottom line is the cargo cults are still around, and I hear that one of the strongest is on Alualu.† â€Å"Are the natives dangerous?† Tuck asked. â€Å"Not because of their religion, no.† â€Å"What's that mean?† â€Å"These people are warriors, Mr. Case. They forget that most of the time, but sometimes when they're drinking, a thousand years of warrior tradition can rear its head, even on the more modernized islands like Truk. And there are people in these islands who still remember the taste of human flesh – if you get my meaning. Tastes like Spam, I hear. The natives love Spam.† â€Å"Spam? You're kidding.† â€Å"Nope. That's what Spam stands for: Shaped Protein Approximating Man.† Tucker smiled, realizing he'd been had. Pardee let loose an explosive laugh and slapped Tuck on the shoulder. â€Å"Look, my friend, I've got to get to the office. A paper to put out, you know. But watch yourself. And don't be surprised if your Learjet is actually a beat-up Cessna.† â€Å"Thanks,† Tucker said, shaking the big man's hand. â€Å"You going to be around for few days?† Pardee asked. â€Å"I'm not sure.† â€Å"Well, just a word of advice† – Pardee lowered his voice and leaned into Tucker conspiratorially – â€Å"don't go out at night by yourself. Nothing you're going to see is worth your life.† â€Å"I can take care of myself, but thanks.† â€Å"Just so,† Pardee said. He turned and lumbered out of the bar. Tuck paid the bartender and headed out into the heat and to his room, where he stripped naked and lay on the tattered bedspread, letting the air conditioner blow over him with a welcome chill. Maybe this won't be so bad, he thought. He was going to end up on an island where God was a pilot. What a great way to get babes! Then he looked down at his withered member, stitched and scarred as if it had been patched from the Frankenstein monster. A wave of anxiety passed through him, bringing sweat to his skin even in the electric chill. He realized that he had really never done anything in his adult life that had not – even at some subconscious level – been part of a strategy to im-press women. He would have never worked so hard to become a pilot if it hadn't been for Jake's insistence that â€Å"Chicks dig pilots.† Why fly? Why get out of bed in the morning? Why do anything? He rolled over to bury his face in the pillow and pinned a live cockroach to the spread with his cheek.

Life Changing Decisions Essay

Many women in modern society make life altering decisions on a daily basis. Women today have prestigious and powerful careers unlike in earlier eras. It is more common for women to be full time employees than homemakers. In 1879, when Henrik Ibsen wrote â€Å"A Doll’s House†, there was great controversy over the outcome of the play. Nora’s walking out on her husband and children was appalling to many audiences centuries ago. Divorce was unspoken, and a very uncommon occurrence. As years go by, society’s opinions on family situations change. No longer do women have a â€Å"housewife† reputation to live by and there are all types of family situations. After many years of emotional neglect, and overwhelming control, Nora finds herself leaving her family. Today, it could be said that Nora’s decision to leave her husband is very rational and well overdue. In Ibsen’s â€Å"A Doll’s House†, there are many clues that hint at the kind of marriage Nora and Torvald have. It seems that Nora is a type of doll that is controlled by Torvald, and Nora is completely dependent on him. His thoughts and movements are her thoughts and movements. Nora is a puppet who is dependent on its puppet master for all of its actions. The most obvious example of Torvald’s physical control over Nora can be seen in his teaching of the tarantella. Nora pretends that she needs Torvald to teach her every move in order to relearn the dance. The reader knows that this is an act, but it still shows her complete submissiveness to Torvald. After he teaches her the dance, he says, â€Å"When you were dancing the tarantella, chasing inviting—my blood was on fire† (Ibsen II. 445), but she quickly shows that it is not her own choice by pleading â€Å"Please! I don’t want all this† (II. 447). This shows that Torvald is more interested in Nora physically than emotionally. He feels that it is one of Nora’s main duties as his wife to physically pleasure him at his command. Torvald is not only demanding mentally and physically, but also financially. He does not trust Nora with money. He feels that she is incapable and too immature to handle a matter  of such importance. Torvald sees Nora as a child. She is forever referred to as his little â€Å"sparrow† or â€Å"squirrel†. On the rare occasion that Torvald does give Nora some money, he worries that she will waste it on candy, pastry or something else of Childish and useless value. He shows his concern for his money when he ask Nora if is his â€Å"little spendthrift [has] been wasting money again† (I. 11). Nora’s duties, in general, are restricted to caring for the children, doing housework, and working on her needlepoint. But overall, Nora’s most important responsibility is to ple ase he husband Torvald. This makes her role similar to that of a slave. The problem in â€Å"A Doll’s House† does not lie with Torvald alone. Though he does not help the situation, he is a product of his society. In his society, females were confined in every way imaginable. Everything that women did had to have their husband’s approval, whether it delt with money, business, or anything else of significance. At times, they could not even speak their true thoughts or feelings without a harsh reprimanding. In this society, wives were to be seen and not heard. Throughout the drama, Nora keeps referring to â€Å"the wonderful.† This â€Å"wonderful† is what Nora expects to happen after Krogstad reveals the truth of her forgery of her father’s signature. She expects Torvald to stick up for her and offer to take the blame for the crime upon himself. She feels that this will be the true test of his love and devotion. However, Torvald does not offer to help Nora, in fact, he belittles her by saying â€Å"you may have ruined all my happiness. My whole future—that’s what you have destroyedà ¢â‚¬  (III. 451). This is where Torvald makes his grave mistake. Nora realizes that Torvald places both his social and physical appearance ahead of the wife whom he says he loves. This heartbreaking revelation is what finally prompts Nora to walk out on Torvald. He tries to reconcile with Nora, but she explains to him that she has â€Å"waited patiently for eight years,† (III. 456) for things to get better for her. Nora has been treated like a child all her life, by both Torvald and her father. Both male superiority figures not only denied her the right to think and act the way she wished, but they also placed a limit on her own happiness. Nora describes her feelings as â€Å"always merry, never happy† (III). When Nora finally slams the door and leaves, she is not only slamming it on Torvald, but also on everything else that has happened in her past which curtailed her growth into a mature woman. In today’s society,  many women are in a situation similar to Nora’s. Although many people have accepted women as being equal, there are still those in modern America who are doing their best to suppress the feminist revolution. Torvald is an example of men who are only interested in their appearance and the amount of control they have over a person. These are the men that are holding society down by not caring about the feelings of others. But Torvald is not the only guilty party. Nora, although very submissive, is also very manipulative. She makes Torvald think he is much smarter and stronger, but in reality, she thinks herself to be quite crafty as far as getting what she wants. However, when the door is slammed, Torvald is no longer exposed to Nora’s manipulative nature. He then comes to the realization of what true love and equality are, and that they cannot be achieved with people like Nora and himself together. When everyone finally views males and females as equals, and when neither men nor women overuse their power of gender that society gives them, is when true equality will exist in the world. Work Cited Ibsen, Henrik. â€Å"A Doll’s House†. The Bedford Introduction to Literature: Fifth Edition.Ed. Michael Meyer. Pg. 1483-1542. Print.