Benfits of a universal bar exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Hero’s Heart Essay

â€Å"Not the sparkling weapon battles the battle, but instead the hero’s heart. † (Proverbs Quotes) I concur with Proverbs, that the hero’s heart battles the battle since I accept that a legend can be a saint without utilizing a weapon. I accept that a legend is somebody that is intellectually solid and can lead, that it is demonstrating devotion to a mission, and that isn't surrendering in any event, when your general surroundings appears as though it has abandoned you. Bravery is being fit for being intellectually solid and can be a pioneer. In the sonnet A Man by Nina Cassian a man has lost an arm in while battling for his nation. The man realizes that he â€Å"shall just have the option to get things done by equal parts. † (Line 3) Even however â€Å"the man† has lost an arm he understood that he needed to â€Å"set himself to do everything with twice as much excitement. † The man perceives his impediments yet at the same time has the will in his psyche to push forward and live constantly life due to one minimal set back. Additionally, a little girl expounds on her mom, Ana, who is battling through malignant growth. Ana’s little girl says that despite the fact that she is experiencing malignant growth again â€Å"she gets up with a grin and still has the solidarity to be a mother to me. † This shows Ana is intellectually solid since she can think about her friends and family concerning another person they would probably surrender and not have any desire to manage the agony any more, particularly in the event that they have just experienced malignancy and it has returned. Furthermore, in the film Mulan, the principle character must be solid and assume her father’s position in the military to spare his life. She must be intellectually solid to manage everything that she may confront when she does battle. Instances of chivalry are when individuals, regardless of whether they are genuine individuals in motion pictures or characters out of books commit their lives to a mission. In the Odyssey, Odysseus goes on the mission of executing the Cyclops. He needs to go on this journey with the goal that he can secure the individuals in his town. He is a saint since he gave the Cyclops wine â€Å"so that he could taste the kind of drink he carried on his boat. † This shows he is a saint that goes on a journey since he needed to give the Cyclops wine so as to murder him once he got alcoholic. Another case of gallantry is Mulan the film. In the film Mulan, Mulan goes on a journey with the Chinese armed force to replace her dad since he was too wiped out to even think about fighting; therefor Mulan decided to take on the appearance of man to spare her father’s life. In the sections composed by Ana’s relatives, they all vibe that she is â€Å"strong† and that she has the â€Å"strength to continue each a regular. † Ana’s mission makes her a saint on the grounds that despite the fact that she experiencing a difficult time she never surrenders. Courage isn't surrendering when your general surroundings appears as though they have abandoned you. For in the sonnet A Man, he doesn't quit any pretense of carrying on with his life despite the fact that he has lost an arm. He has transformed this mishap into a positive. He accepts that â€Å"where the arm had been torn away a wing developed. † (Lines 17-18) I accept that this shows the man not surrendering in light of the fact that he could have effectively let his arm that was lost be what he centers around practically consistently yet rather makes it something worth being thankful for. The man â€Å"set himself to do everything with twice as much eagerness. † Also, Ana, a disease quiet needs to remain solid for her family. The main thing shielding Ana from surrendering is her caring family. Ana’s girl expresses that her mom says â€Å"keep going; continue onward, similar to a monster watchman heavenly attendant over the thundering group. † (Piece 3-lines 5-6) Lastly in Moco Limping, a pooch named Moco had a dead leg. Moco needs his proprietor to adore him as much as he cherishes him. â€Å"I feel his warm hide and his defect is overlooked. † In present day life the mainstream society causes everything to appear as on the off chance that you don’t get notoriety for it, at that point it isn't significant. Courage isn’t about the popularity and fortune, it’s about accomplishing something for another person or only for yourself; implying that a saint is somebody that is fearless and has honorable characteristics. Being a legend can be as basic as sparing one’s feline from a tree, hauling a pooch out of an entire, or in any event, battling a ghastly illness like disease. At the point when you have the determination and the mental fortitude to plan something for help another person or ensure them you could be viewed as that person’s saint. You can't be sure whether you are a saint until you accomplish something chivalrous. All through the way toward dissecting these gallant characteristics I have understood that a saint can be an ordinary individual in regular day to day existence. In the event that I am ever given the assignment to ascend and turn into a saint like the individuals and things I examined I trust I will have the fearlessness like my characters did.

First Page Perfection

First Page Perfection This is a guest post from James Crossley.  He  has been a bookseller on the corporate internet and in real-life independent stores. He prefers the latter and also likes writing for the Message in a Bottle blog and the Northwest Book Lovers website. He is not on Twitter, but could be convinced to join. Hes easy that way. _________________________ Are you the type to fall in love at first sight? Im not, but I do it sometimes anyway. Mostly with books. What makes it happen? Well, shapely plots and well-fleshed characters can draw me in slowly, but its playful, expressive language that forges an instant connection. Like when I picked up a copy of Brian Doyles The Plover in a store the other day. I started leafing through it to see what it was about, read the first two paragraphs, and then stopped. Not to put it back, but to go find anything else I could that he had written. That brief exposure alone was enough to tell me that he and I were going to be spending an awful lot of time together. I brought home my pile of books, ran through the rest of The Plover, and kept going with the rest of his work. The spark we had most definitely turned into a flame. Not to say that everythings perfect between us. As charming as he is, as ingratiating and observant and celebratory of the vast diversity of life in all its wonderful and terrible aspects, he can be a little too relentless about it. The wit, the cute remarks, the sheer depth of feelingnow and again you want to ask him (politely) to just shut up. Not forever, but for a little while. Time apart is good in a relationship, I think, and only makes it stronger. Doyle and I arent done yet. Of course, not every book that hits my heart hard and fast becomes a longtime companion. Im thinking now of a whirlwind romance I had recently with Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell. We met in the YA section, of all places, and I dont mind admitting that the cover, darker and moodier than most of the candy-colored stuff around it, was what first attracted me. I was truly smitten by the opening line, though: On the morning of its first birthday, a baby was found floating in a cello case in the middle of the English Channel. How do we know that its a special occasion for this anonymous orphaned infant with hair the color of lightning? Well, because of the red rosette pinned to her front, which read, 1! She is soon rescued by a scholar, and since it is a scholars job to notice things, he correctly points out that the child is either one year old or she has come first in a competition. I believe babies are rarely keen participants in competitive sport. Shall we therefore assume it is the former? Reader, I swooned and took Rooftoppers back to my place immediately. It didnt last, Im sorry to say. Rundells sparkling prose doesnt flag, but the plot peters out partway through and the whole thing comes to an abrupt and unsatisfying end. Ill always have fond feelings for it, though, and if Rundell and I run into each other again in the stacks Ill be happy to see her there and hear what she has to say. You never know, we may both have grown a little and pick up right where we left off. And even if we dont, I wont chalk up what went on between us as a failure. If nothing else, it served as a reminder that you never know where, when, or how a real literary relationship will start. As such, Im keeping my eyes open. Just now I spotted an elegant spine on the science shelf. It turned out to belong to a gorgeous little number called Things That Are, a collection of essays about the natural world by a debut author named Amy Leach. I opened it randomly, and the first thing I read was this: In the seventeenth century, his holiness the Pope adjudged beavers to be fish. I ask you, how can you not fall in love with that? Sign up to Unusual Suspects to receive news and recommendations for mystery/thriller readers. Thank you for signing up! Keep an eye on your inbox.

Nudism as a Deviant Subculture Essay - 756 Words

Nudism as a Deviant Subculture Katie Heindel SOC 429 October 19, 2010 Nudism as a Deviant Subculture Introduction Nudism is a social and sexual phenomenon in America that has been gaining a significant following since the early 1930’s. This phenomenon was first introduced to American culture by a German immigrant named Kurt Barthel. (Hartman, Fithian and Johnson 1991) Since then, nudism has expanded to all parts of the country. From nude beaches and resorts to nudist camps, many are starting to partake in this liberating way of life. Despite the many followers of the nudist movement, many would classify nudists as a deviant subculture. Fischer (1995) defines a subculture as, ...a large set of people who share a defining trait,†¦show more content†¦In the early 1900s several papers were published that advocated the idea that the human body was not sinful or obscene. The first nudist colonies were opened in Germany around 1903, and grew into popularity during the 1920s. The Germans seemed to be the pioneers of the Naturism movement. In the 1960s Germans vacationing along the Mediterranean coast in France began nudist colonies, and nudist beaches and nudist resorts grew in popularity there. The movement came to North America in 1929 when a German immigrant named Kurt Barthel opened a colony in the United States. In the early days of the movement in America, nudism became associated with family values and alcohol was prohibited from all activities. (Hartman et al. 1991) Despite the attempt to associate high moral standards with the nudism movement it was subjected to harassment and misunderstanding due to the fact that America saw nudism as a sexual and even pornographic activity. Over the past three decades this largely changed. Nudist vacations became more common, and nudism lost some of its social stigma. Nudism became less restrictive as well and clothing optional gatherings became more common. Topless beaches also became popular, and the organized nudist movement made strides in erasing the negative perception of nudism. (Bell and Holliday 2000) References

Essay on Living Together Before Marriage - 961 Words

Living Together Before Marriage As the rate of divorce soars and as increasing numbers of marriages disintegrate, living together has become the popular alternative to many people in north America. Expersts estimate that roughly 2.2 million people are currently sharing bed and board in a live-in arrangement, this is approximately 1% of the total population.(Family. Comptoms Encyclopedia. 1992 ed.) Living together, more formally known as non marital cohabitation, is an emerging lifestyle. In fact, More than one fourth of all unmarried couples living together in the early 1980s were between 25 and 34 years old, and an additional 19 percent were 45 and over.(Todays Families.Detroit Free Press 18 October 1995: B17.)†¦show more content†¦In many cases, living together can have many legal and economic benefits. Living together is conducted with minimal legal interference, therefore if the relationship fails, separating is quick, unhampered by legal details. It would be wrong to think that all people living are free from legal interference. In most provinces only short term relationships are unaffected by existing legislation. Couples who have cohabited for several years have significally more legal rights and responsibilities, depending on their place of residence. Several provinces have recently introduced laws that give non-marital cohabitors certain legal rights (Carter, Sharon. Trial Marriage. Ladies Home Journal 14 (May 1993): 12-13.) It is important that couples understand the legal ramifications of living together. Those who wish to avoid the legal liabilities of living together or wish to establish property rights or other responsibilities should enter a cohabitation agreement with their lover. Furthermore, a couples finical situation may discourage thoughts of marriage. Some people may be trapped on a minimal income and may be forced to choose between marriage and income due to benefits or pensions from former or deceased spouses that may be discontinued if that individual gets remarried. Rather than marry and impoverish their incomes, a number of couples choose to cohabit and pool their financial resources.(Pearce, Jack M.Show MoreRelatedLiving Together Before Marriage1475 Words   |  6 Pagesgetter- Your daughter of 26 is fast approaching the average age for marriage in the United States. One day she tells you that she and her boyfriend are thinking about living together, and she wants to know if you think this is a good idea. What do you say? What is the informed response? Background- About a quarter of women move in with a romantic partner before the age of 20, and more women than ever live with a partner before they get married, according to a new report by the National Center forRead MoreLiving Together Before Marriage1011 Words   |  5 PagesLiving Together Before Marriage As the rate of divorce soars and as increasing numbers of marriages disintegrate, living together has become the popular alternative to many people in north America. Expersts estimate that roughly 2.2 million people are currently sharing bed and board in a live-in arrangement, this is approximately 1% of the total population.(Family. Comptoms Encyclopedia. 1992 ed.) Living together, more formally known as non marital cohabitation, is an emerging lifestyleRead MoreLiving Together Before Marriage997 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿SPEECH #2: Deciding Whether or not to Live Together before Marriage Specific Purpose: To inform the audience about making decisions on whether or not to live together before marriage. Thesis: Deciding whether or not to live together before marriage is an important decision to make that has both negative and positive consequences depending on which side you choose. I. Introduction: A. Marriage is like fine win, if tended to properly, it gets better with age. According to Neil Shah, â€Å"In theRead MoreLiving Together Before Marriage901 Words   |  4 PagesLiving together before making our vows would have reassured us about a lifelong commitment. From my own experience, I believe that couples should live together before getting married, so they can start to know each other on a closer, more personal level; moreover, they can start thinking about the compatibility of their future spouse. Couples start knowing each other on a closer, more personal level when they live together, which prepares them for a married lifestyle. For startersRead MoreLiving Together Before Marriage And Marriage2618 Words   |  11 PagesLiving Together Before Marriage Should we consider moving in before getting married? In the New York Times Magazine, the article The Downside of Cohabiting before Marriage states that â€Å"In 1960, about 450,000 unmarried couples lived together. Now the number is more than 7.5 million. The majority of young adults in their 20s will live with a romantic partner at least once, and more than half of all marriages will be preceded by cohabitation†. (1) Considering moving in with your partner before marriageRead MoreEssay on Living Together Before Marriage629 Words   |  3 PagesLiving together is certainly a learning experience. I am the example of a combined household, prior to a legal union. A couple who chooses to live together without getting married can have an advantage going into a future marriage. I met my husband while on a previous job. I lived in Fort Oglethorpe, and he lived in Red Bank. After a long day at work, the challenge of spending time together became difficult because we each had a residence to maintain. We soon realized that living together,Read MoreEssay on Problems With Living Together Before Marriage1129 Words   |  5 Pagesdivorce papers and cannot hide the sadness and confusion she feels. Two years ago everyone told her living with her boyfriend was a great idea. They said she would be able to get to know him better and see if marriage would work. She trusted her friends and thought that since everyone else was doing it that it must be the wisest choice. What went wrong? Why was she unhappy with her marriage even after getting to know her husband through cohabitation? Would things have been different if sheRead Moreterm paper about living together before marriage1464 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿LIVING TOGETHER BEFORE MARRIAGE The human being and their society are always constant motion. In modern life, there are new tendencies which a lot of different than traditional countries appear. One of aspects changed quickly all over the world is love, marriage and family. A flower cannot without sunshine and man cannot live without love. (Max Muller) Love is a sacred and wonderful sentiment. In generation past, marriage and living together forever are a last destination of loveRead MoreNot So Happily Ever After968 Words   |  4 Pagesof living together either early in a dating relationship, a more serious commitment with one another before the ring happens, or if couples may not believe in the institution of marriage to make the commitment real. All these arguments have been seen in the way that society has progressed into this way of thinking. However, living together before marriage does not appear to be the way to have a safe and stable relationship that builds into a marriage or a lasting relationship. Living together beforeRead MoreCohabitation Is Defined As A Man And Woman Living1713 Words   |  7 PagesAbstract Cohabitation is defined as a man and woman living in the same household and having sexual relations while not being married. There is relatively little data on health outcomes for people who have cohabitated, although there is some evidence that cohabitating couples have lower incomes (15% of cohabitating men are jobless while 8% of married men are jobless) and there may be negative academic effects for children of cohabitating mothers (Jay, 2012). Cohabitation rates are highest among those

Subject = European History Essay Example For Students

Subject = European History Essay title = Caesar and Naopoleonpapers = NapoleonBonapartes success as a military leader and conqueror can also be seen inanothergreat leader, Julius Caesar. Both Napoleon and Caesar achieved great glorybybringing their countries out of turmoil. It was Caesar, that Napoleonmodeled himselfafter, he wanted to be as great, if not greater than Caesar. Looking to the past, Napoleonknew what steps to take in order to achievesuccessNapoleon devoured books on the art of war. Volume after volume ofmilitarytheory was read, analyzed and criticized. He studied the campaignsof historys mostfamous commanders; Alexander the Great, Hannibal, Frederickthe Great and his favoriteand most influential, Julius Caesar (Marrin 17). JuliusCaesar was the strong leader for the Romans who changed the course ofhistoryof the Greco Roman world decisively and irreversibly. Caesar was able tocreatethe Roman Empire because of his strength and his strong war strategies(Duggan 117). Julius Caesar was to become one of the greatest generals,conquering the whole of Gaul. In 58 BC, Caesar became governor and militarycommander of Gaul, which includedmodern France, Belgium, and portions ofSwitzerland, Holland, and Germany west of theRhine. For the next eight years,Caesar led military campaigns involving both the Romanlegions and tribesin Gaul who were often competing among themselves. Julius Caesarwas a Romangeneral and statesman whose dictatorship was pivotal in Romes transitionfromrepublic to empire (Duggan 84). Caesars principles were to keep his forcesunited; to be vulnerable at no point, tostrike speedily at critical points;to rely on moral factors, such as his reputation and thefear he inspired,as well as political means in order to insure the loyalty of his allies andthesubmissiveness of the conquered nations. He made use of every possibleopportunity toincrease his chances of victory on the battlefield and, inorder to accomplish this, heneeded unity of all his troops (Duggan 117). From the time that he had first faced battle in Gaul and discovered hisown militarygenius, Caesar was evidently fascinated and obsessed by militaryand imperial problems. He gave them an absolute priority over the more delicateby no less fundamental task ofrevising the Roman constitution. The needin the latter sphere was a solution which wouldintroduce such elements ofauthoritarianism, which were necessary to check corruptionand administrativeweakness (Grant, Caesar 61). The story of all his battles and wars has beenpreserved in Caesars writtenaccount, Commentaries on the Gallic Wars, originallypublished in 50 B.C. For thisperiod, Caesar is the only existent sourceproviding first-hand descriptions of Britain. While no doubt self-servingin a political sense when written, Caesars account isnevertheless regardedas basically accurate and historically reliable (Frere 68). Caesar wasappointed dictator for a year starting in 49 B.C., for two years in 48B.C.,for ten years in 46 B.C. and finally dictator for life in 44 B.C. Taking overasDictator for life, enabled Caesar to gain unrestricted power. He wasable to run a strongmilitary and even though he was considered only a dictatorhe wrote laws that actuallymade him have the same powers as a king. Theconspirators saw the problem that hadarised and so they planned the murderof Caesar on the Ides of March. Caesar was killedand there was another triumvirate(government ruled by three) formed. Caesar was astrong military leader thathad showed strength and courage to take over the town and hewas able to forma civilization that was strong militarily and politically (Grant, Caesar187). Savion Glover Essay Paper Research PaperNapoleon and Caesar took their struggling nations out of turmoil andgavethem order, and for that the people loved them. Caesar put an end tothe Gallic and Civilwars that Rome was involved in, with that, he enteredinto power . Napoleon took Franceout of the French Revolution by overthrowingthe then government, the Directory. Napoleon instated a new government theConsulate and crowned himself first Consul andthree years later, Consul forlife, Caesar became all powerful when named dictator for life. Both men knewin order to be a successful leader, they had to have the full support of themilitary. Power and territory were increased, because there armies were always thebiggestand responsible for putting down any revolts that might occur. Caesar introducedpropagandaand Napoleon followed his lead. Favorable accounts were written whichprovedto give them a political edge, and the support of the people. Caesar was afriendof his people and gave many lands to his soldiers and to the poor,he built bridges, roadsand waterworks. Napoleon was also civil in the beginningof his reign, abolishingserfdom, passing laws and granting universal malesuffrage. Both men were well likeduntil they abused there powers and privileges. They fell for the same reason, too muchpower. Caesar was murdered becausehis role as dictator came to close to being a kingand Napoleon did not knowwhere to draw the line and his army eventually turned againsthim. NapoleonBonaparte was able to rise to power because of another great generalthatcame before him, Julius Caesar. Napoleon was a success because he looked tothepast, and emulated Caesar; he built up his army, conquered most of Europe,became adictator for life and eventually fell from power, because like Caesar,he did not knowwhere to draw the line. BIBLIOGRAPHYCarlyle,Thomas. The French Revolution Complete and Unabridged. New York:RandomHouse, Inc., 1837. Castelot, Andre. Napoleon. New York: Harper ; RowPublishers Inc., 1971. Duggan, Alfred. Julius Caesar A Great Life in Brief. New York: Borzoi Books,1996. Ellis, Peter Berrsford. Caesars Invasionof Britian. New York: New YorkUniversity Press, 1978. Frere, Sheppard. Britannia: A History of Roman Britain (3rd edition). London:Routledge Kegan Paul, 1987. Grab, Walter. The French Revolution The Beginning ofModern Democracy. London: Bracken Books, 1989. Grant, Michael. JuliusCaesar. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1969. Grant, Michael. Caesar. Chicago: Follett Publishing Company, 1975. Herold, J. Christopher. TheAge of Napoleon. New York: American HeritagePublishing Co., Inc., 1963. Herold,J. Christopher and Marshall B. Davidson. The Horizon Book of The AgeofNapoleon. New York: American Heritage Publishing Co., Inc., 1963. Lawford,James. Napoleon The Last Campaigns 1813-1815. New York: CrownPublishersInc., 1977. Marrin, Albert. Napoleon and The Napoleonic Wars. New York:PenguinBooks, 1991. Weidhorn, Manfred. Napoleon. New York: MacmillianPublishing Company,1986.

The Effects of Three American Presidents Administrations on Immigrants Families

The particular features of the people’s life within the definite country depend on the effective and ineffective policies implemented by the Presidents’ administrations. Thus, everyday life of millions of people depends on the focus chosen by this or that President who is inclined to support the domestic economy or international image of the country.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Effects of Three American Presidents’ Administrations on Immigrants’ Families specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Furthermore, the effects of the Presidents’ courses can be different in relation to the life of Americans and immigrants. The members of my family immigrated to the USA from China sixteen years ago. During this period, three American Presidents influenced the life of my family significantly. Thus, a lot of changes in the everyday social life of my family are caused by the definite changes in the courses and policies of Bill Clinton, George Bush, and Barack Obama. The members of my family decided to migrate into the USA in 1997. This period was advantageous for coming to such an important decision because Bill Clinton supported the positive relations with China and revised the immigration laws. As a result, the period of Clinton’s Presidency is closely connected with the realization of Clinton’s policy goal to improve the partnership and foreign relations with China. The supported partnership was beneficial for the country, and the positive tendencies in the development of cooperation helped my uncle’s family to immigrate to the USA without significant difficulties. Being the representative of Democrats, Clinton concentrated not only on the economic and political issues but also on the realization of the social policies advantageous for the majority of population. The focus on the deficit reduction contributed to the decrease of the unemployment level that is why the adult members of my uncle’s family could find jobs easily. The associated positive feature was the ability to receive the unpaid leave up to 12 weeks regarding the family concerns according to the Family and Medical Leave Act (Benson). The first years in the USA were rather difficult for the family, and the opportunity to participate in different social programs supported the family significantly. In 2001, the family of my uncle felt comfortable living in the country and hoped for the further stabilization of the economy. The situation is changed with the beginning of George Bush’s Presidency. The terroristic attack of the September 11 influenced all the aspects of the American life. It is a rather controversial point, but the development of the war on terror influenced the development of the social life extremely.Advertising Looking for essay on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More T he attitude to immigrants in spite of their status or skin color changed significantly. Discrimination became the result of hidden pursuing immigrants. In spite of the fact my family belongs to the Chinese minority in the USA, the negative effects of discrimination were observed vividly. The process of recession characterized the economy of the country during the period of Bush’s Presidency. The economic state of the uncle’s family became worse, and unemployment was the social problem which affected the life of my family as a lot of other families in the country. Some positive tendencies were observed when Bush focused on changing the tax policy (Rountree). The first results of the reforms affected the economic state of my family rather positively. However, the real positive changes in the social and economic status of my family are associated with the Presidency of Barack Obama. The year of 2009 became the successful year for my family, and we focused on all the refor ms and improvements connected with the Americans’ social life. Much attention was paid to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act known as the Stimulus which was developed to respond to the economic recession in the USA and to overcome the increase in unemployment rates (Klein). The members of our family participated in the housing program, and the results of the project can be discussed as positive. Moreover, the fact that Obama concentrated on ecological projects also affected my family directly because several members of the family work in this sphere. Nevertheless, the ineffective health care reform did not provide my family with the expected advantages as well as the other population of the country. It is still a problem for my family to cover the health insurance costs. The effects of policies implemented by three American presidents on the family of Chinese immigrants are significant because any reforms associated with the economic or social life influenced the pers onal life of the family members significantly. It is important to note that the most positive conditions for the development and progress are typical for the Presidency of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama when the Presidency of George Bush is closely associated with the period of recession in the economy and social life. The life of each family is based on the political changes in the country because political leaders are inclined to follow different courses and change the aspects of the social and economic life of millions of people. Works Cited Benson, Michael. Bill Clinton. USA: Twenty-First Century Books, 2003. Print.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Effects of Three American Presidents’ Administrations on Immigrants’ Families specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Klein, Edward. The Amateur: Barack Obama in the White House. USA: Regnery Publishing, 2012. Print. Rountree, Clarke. George W. Bush: A Bi ography. USA: ABC-CLIO, 2010. Print. This essay on The Effects of Three American Presidents’ Administrations on Immigrants’ Families was written and submitted by user Aleigha Nunez to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Free Essays on Hegels State

There is no doubt an urge for criticism of Hegel’s state, which rises up from within a member of present day western civilization which demands an explanation for such an object within society. The dominant argument focuses on what appears to be a lack of justification for Hegel’s necessary movement from morality to ethical life as one’s individuality is lost in a group mentality. An underlying to force may exist in this argument with relation to Hegel’s abstinence from the explicit use of God as the universal will. Would one be less compelled to draws arms if Hegel had associated God with the State? I also lay in disagreement with Hegel, but for more basic reasons; the state is neither the universal nor infinite concrete freedom. However, Hegel does offer anyone the allowance for the understanding of man’s dialectical movement towards a state, the universal, and an ethical life while still leaving room for individual freedom within ethical l ife. From a western perspective, the movement from morality to ethical life is in actuality a self-delusional movement away from oneself. Within morality, one is entirely focused inward towards themselves but far enough along the movement to have experiences with other people. Here the subjective will takes control and develops its inner life, on the lines with a modern day conception of what it means to be a free individual. But for Hegel morality, or subjectivity, is not enough as a higher form lies further, within ethical life, the Idea of freedom (p105 Â §142). The subjective will for the good, conscience, self-consciousness, while the will remains the master of itself, lays a firm foundation for opposition, but they also are catalysts which force one through the dialectical movement. In morality, the individual will reflects inward towards itself in order that it may become aware of itself (p75 Â §105). It is only after the will’s reflection, that it becomes the subje... Free Essays on Hegel's State Free Essays on Hegel's State There is no doubt an urge for criticism of Hegel’s state, which rises up from within a member of present day western civilization which demands an explanation for such an object within society. The dominant argument focuses on what appears to be a lack of justification for Hegel’s necessary movement from morality to ethical life as one’s individuality is lost in a group mentality. An underlying to force may exist in this argument with relation to Hegel’s abstinence from the explicit use of God as the universal will. Would one be less compelled to draws arms if Hegel had associated God with the State? I also lay in disagreement with Hegel, but for more basic reasons; the state is neither the universal nor infinite concrete freedom. However, Hegel does offer anyone the allowance for the understanding of man’s dialectical movement towards a state, the universal, and an ethical life while still leaving room for individual freedom within ethical l ife. From a western perspective, the movement from morality to ethical life is in actuality a self-delusional movement away from oneself. Within morality, one is entirely focused inward towards themselves but far enough along the movement to have experiences with other people. Here the subjective will takes control and develops its inner life, on the lines with a modern day conception of what it means to be a free individual. But for Hegel morality, or subjectivity, is not enough as a higher form lies further, within ethical life, the Idea of freedom (p105 Â §142). The subjective will for the good, conscience, self-consciousness, while the will remains the master of itself, lays a firm foundation for opposition, but they also are catalysts which force one through the dialectical movement. In morality, the individual will reflects inward towards itself in order that it may become aware of itself (p75 Â §105). It is only after the will’s reflection, that it becomes the subje...

How to Conjugate the Verb Vedere in Italian

How to Conjugate the Verb Vedere in Italian Vedere Can Be Defined As To seeTo look atTo meetTo visitTo consultTo go overTo checkTo find outTo grasp What to Know About â€Å" Vedere† It’s an irregular verb, so it doesn’t follow the typical -ere verb ending pattern.It’s a transitive verb, so it takes a direct object.The infinito is â€Å"vedere.†The participio passato is â€Å"visto.†The gerund form is â€Å"vedendo.†The past gerund form is â€Å"avendo visto.† Indicativo/Indicative Il presente io vedo noi vediamo tu vedi voi vedete lui, lei, Lei vede essi, Loro vedono Ad esempio: Ti vedo bene. - You look good.Dalla sua finestra si vede il mare. - From her window you can see the sea. Il passato prossimo io ho visto noi abbiamo visto tu hai visto voi avete visto lui, lei, Lei, ha visto essi, Loro hanno visto Ad esempio: Ho visto Giulia al bar. - I saw Giulia at the cafe.Questo film l’abbiamo gi visto. - We have already seen this movie. L’imperfetto io vedevo noi vedevamo tu vedevi voi vedevate lui, lei, Lei vedeva essi, Loro vedevano Ad esempio: Lui vedeva il mondo come un posto magico. - He saw the world as a magical place.Col sole in faccia non vedevo niente. - With the sun in my face I couldn’t see anything. Il trapassato prossimo io avevo visto noi avevamo visto tu avevi visto voi avevate visto lui, lei, Lei aveva visto essi, Loro avevano visto Ad esempio: Non avevo mai visto uno struzzo prima d’ora. - I had never seen an ostrich before now.Vi avevo visti insieme in piazza. - I had seen you together in the middle of the square. Il passato remoto io vidi noi vedemmo tu vedesti voi vedeste lui, lei, Lei vide essi, Loro videro Ad esempio: La vide e si innamorà ² subito, era un colpo di fulmine! - He saw her and fell in love right away, it was love at first sight!Quel Natale i bambini videro per la prima volta Babbo Natale! - On that Christmas, the children saw Santa Claus for the first time! Il trapassato remoto io ebbi visto noi avemmo visto tu avesti visto voi aveste visto lui, lei, Lei ebbe visto essi, Loro ebbero visto TIP: This tense is rarely used, so don’t worry too much about mastering it. You’ll find it in very sophisticated writing. Il futuro semplice io vedr noi vedremo tu vedrai voi vedrete lui, lei, Lei vedr essi, Loro vedranno Ad esempio: Chi vivr, vedr. - Who will live, will see. (Figuratively: time will tell) Il futuro anteriore io avr visto noi avremo visto tu avrai visto voi avrete visto lui, lei, Lei avr visto essi, Loro avranno visto Ad esempio: Mi avrai visto nella zona. - You must have seen me around the neighborhood. Congiuntivo/Subjunctive Il presente che io veda che noi vediamo che tu veda che voi vediate che lui, lei, Lei veda che essi, Loro vedano Ad esempio: È importante che non ci veda insieme. - It’s important that she doesn’t see us together.Assicurati che vedano bene! - Make sure they can see clearly! Il passato io abbia visto noi abbiamo visto tu abbia visto voi abbiate visto lui, lei, egli abbia visto essi, Loro abbiano visto Ad esempio: Sembra che tu abbia visto una fantasma. - It seems like you saw a ghost. L’imperfetto io vedessi noi vedessimo tu vedessi voi vedeste lui, lei, egli vedesse essi, Loro vedessero Ad esempio: Vorrei che tu vedessi questo panorama. - I wish that you could see this view.Se i nonni vedessero come sei cresciuto! - If grandpas could see how grown up you are! Il trapassato prossimo io avessi visto noi avessimo visto tu avessi visto voi aveste visto lui, lei, Lei avesse visto essi, Loro avessero visto Ad esempio: Se ti avessi visto, sarei rimasto. - If I had seen you, I would have stayed.Se avessi visto il cartello non mi saresti venuto addosso! - If you had seen the sign you wouldn’t have crushed into me! Condizionale/Conditional Il presente io vedrei noi vedremmo tu vedresti voi vedreste lui, lei, Lei vedrebbe essi, Loro vedrebbero Ad esempio: Se ti desseha dato una possibilit, vedrebbe che sei un uomo fantastico. - If she gave you a chance, she would see that you’re a fantastic guy. Il passato io avrei visto noi avremmo visto tu avresti visto voi avreste visto lui, lei, egli avrebbe visto essi, Loro avrebbero visto Ad esempio: Ti ho detto che l’avrei visto. - I told you that I would see him.Se foste venuti avreste visto uno spettacolo indimenticabile! - If you came you would have seen an unforgettable show!

Strategic and Financial Decision-making Assignment 2 - 2010 Coursework

Strategic and Financial Decision-making Assignment 2 - 2010 - Coursework Example The ‘beta’ is the most important statistics tool to measure the volatility and the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) is a popular model to calculate the return on stock. In this report the beta values of two companies will be calculated using the share prices of the last 24 months. These two companies are British American Tobacco (BATS) and the Petrofac (PFC.L) and both of them are listed in the London Stock Exchange (LSE). British American Tobacco is one of the leading tobacco companies in UK. British American Tobacco produces cigarettes under different brands and has different price range. â€Å"Petrofac is an international provider of facilities solutions to the oil & gas production and processing industries† (Petrofac, 2010). The beta values of both the companies will be calculated using different methodologies that include covariance of the stock return with market returns and the variance of the market returns and the linear regression analysis. For calculating the betas, the monthly stock prices of both the companies were obtained and for market return the index FTSE 100 has been used. All these are the secondary source of data obtained through online sources. The historical stock prices of the both the companies are obtained through ‘Yahoo Finance’ and the historical data of FTSE 100 is also taken from the same online source (Yahoo Finance. 2010). The calculated beta values have been compared with the beta values from the published source. The published source for betas has been taken from the online source, MSN-Money (MSN-Money, U.K. 2010.). The published betas of British American Tobacco and Petrofac are 0.47 and 1.06 respectively. The two methodologies for beta calculation have been used. The first methodology will use the covariance of stock return with market return and the variance of the market return. The following model explains the beta (ÃŽ ²) under the same method. The calculation has

The Gay and Lesbian Movement Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Gay and Lesbian Movement - Research Paper Example According to the research findings, it can, therefore, be said that politically, the gays and lesbians have been given a chance to lead other groups of people as they have been elected in some of the elections were carried out in the United States. These people have been elected as state legislators and as congressmen, and thus they have been able to get into high positions in the country. There are also communities which help in ensuring that the gays and lesbians needs are met. There has also been an establishment of businesses that helps in the making sure that the needs of these people are met and they live well and satisfied. The gays and lesbians have made a mainstream on the media such as television, in the music industry, and have also appeared in films which every other member of the society watches (Rimmerman 2). However, society does not consider gays and lesbians to be vital, and some of the public issues which the society may need to address are not addressed by the peop le who are in this movement. For example, the gays and lesbians are not allowed to carry out some activities such as adopting children, teaching in the public schools, and also taking care of foster children and serving in the public arena such as in the armed forces and as guards. During the early times, the gays and lesbians believed that they would progress if only they involved themselves in the media and had a connection with the public. Therefore, they would protest and fight for their rights and involved in political activities in order to ensure that they get attention from the other members of the public, and thus they believed they would get to progress in all their undertakings as the movement was being established. They did all that they did in order to ensure that they no longer hid from the public, and nether would they be afraid of getting to the public with their status. They would not live in silence any longer and thus would ensure that they have become visible and everyone else knows of their existence (Rimmerman 84). The issue of gay and lesbian movement has been controversial to the social life of the community. This means that there are factors which have to be considered in ensuring that the message of the existence of the movement is received well by the social community. Conflicts exist between the rights of the Christians and the rights of the gays and lesbians (Rimmerman 122). The Christian community in the United States is said to be composed of people who are anti-gay, and thus the two movements cannot come together either socially nor politically to bring out a notion of power. Differences between gay and lesbian, on one hand, and queer, on the other Gays and Lesbians are those people who are sexually attracted to people of the same sex. This means that a man may be sexually attracted to another man or a woman may be sexually attracted to another woman. On the other hand, the word queer explains an individual who is attracted to a nother individual of the same sex, but it does not have to be sexual attraction. Queers can be bisexual meaning that they are not content with the type of relationship that they involve themselves in.  

Montana Plants & Native Americans Essay -- essays research papers

Montnana Plants & Native Americans   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Since the beginning of the human race mankind has depended on the natural resources in their environment for survival. They utilized the available flora to nourish their body, heal their wounds, comfort their ailments and to create products to ease their daily lives. Many of the same plants utilized thousands of years ago by the indigenous people have been integrated into modern day medicines. The scientific interest and knowledge of plants for nourishment, healing, and practical uses is called ethnobotany.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The multiple use of plants used for nourishment, medicinal purposes and practical use were ignored by Lewis and Clark during their monumental trek across the United States. Rather than consider the Native Indian’s use of native plants they persisted on using Dr. Rush’s Thunderbolt pills that probably caused more problems than the condition that inflicted them. Many modern day cultures continue to ignore native remedies and have come to depend on synthetic pharmaceutical drug production. In recent years the wealth of indigenous knowledge has been acknowledged revealing the use of native plants and the importance it had in the survival of indigenous people.. Pharmaceutical companies have utilized the immense knowledge of the indigenous people and their use of natural plants. The application of natural plant species have revealed the main reasons mankind has survived into present day. Following is a few of the plants, their application and their specifi c purposes. Kinnikinnick Arctroaphylos uva-ursi (L.) Spreng. Common Name: Bearberry This plant has a variety of names through out Montana. This plant grows in poor soil composing mostly of sand or gravel and is commonly found near Ponderosa Pine trees. Kinnikinnick and Bearberry are the most commonly used names in western society. The word kinnikinnick meaning that which is mixed, is derived from the Algonkian Indian’s language. Other versions came from western hunters who called it larb, Canadian traders called it sacacommis or sagack-homi, and the Europeans called it bearberry.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The American Indians mixed Kinninninnick leaves with tobacco to lessen the strength and add flavor to their strong tasting tobacco. Flathead Indian, John Pelkoe, explained ... ...ong, and shorter stalks are 20-100mm long. The flower length from the axils are one to three centimeters long. The optimum flowering time is from May through August. The fruit are pod shaped with seedlings coiled into two to three spirals with a strong net vein three to four millimeters long (montanaplant-life.org).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Where noted information was derived from, http://www.montanaplant-life.org Retrieved 3-19-2004.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   All other information was derived from: Hart, J. Montana Native Plants and Early Peoples. Helena. Montana Historical Society Press. 1992.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

The Hunters: Phantom Chapter 31

Knowing he couldn't perform the ritual on an empty stomach, Stefan hunted down several squirrels in Mrs. Flowers's backyard, then returned to the boardinghouse's garage. Meredith had parked Mrs. Flowers's antique Ford out in the drive, and there was more than enough room to set up everything they needed for the banishment ritual. Stefan cocked his head at a skittering noise in the shadows and identified the fast-beating heart of a little mouse. The atmosphere might not be a comfortable one, but the spaciousness of the room and its cement floor meant it would be an excel ent place to work the spel . â€Å"Hand me the tape measure, please,† Alaric said from his sprawled position in the middle of the garage floor. â€Å"I need to get this line just the right length.† Mrs. Flowers had dug up a box of multicolored chalk from somewhere in the boardinghouse, and Alaric had the book propped open and was careful y copying the circles, arcane symbols, parabolas, and el ipses from its pages onto the smooth cement. Stefan gave him the tool and watched as he measured careful y from the innermost circle to a row of strange runes near the outermost edge of his drawing. â€Å"It's important that everything be precise,† Alaric said, frowning and doublechecking the ends of the measuring tape. â€Å"The smal est error could lead to us accidental y setting this thing loose in Fel ‘s Church.† â€Å"But isn't it loose already?† asked Stefan. â€Å"No,† Alaric explained. â€Å"This ritual wil al ow the phantom to appear in its corporeal form, which is far more dangerous than the insubstantial thing it is now.† â€Å"Then you'd better get this right,† Stefan agreed grimly. â€Å"If this al goes as planned, the phantom wil be trapped in the innermost circle,† Alaric said, pointing. â€Å"We'l be at the outermost edge, over there past the runes. We ought to be safe out there.† He looked up and gave Stefan a rueful grin. â€Å"I hope. I'm afraid I've never done any kind of summoning in real life before, although I've read a lot about it.† Terrific, Stefan thought, but he returned Alaric's smile without comment. The man was doing the best he could. Al they could do was hope it would be enough to save Elena and the others. Meredith and Mrs. Flowers entered the garage, each carrying a plastic shopping bag. Celia trailed behind them. â€Å"Holy water,† Meredith said, lifting a plant mister out of her bag to show him. â€Å"It doesn't work on vampires,† Stefan reminded her. â€Å"We're not summoning a vampire,† she replied, and went off to mist the outer spaces in the diagram, careful not to disturb the chalk lines. Alaric stood and started very cautiously hopping out of the huge multicolored diagram, clutching the book in one hand. â€Å"I think we're about ready,† he said. Mrs. Flowers looked at Stefan. â€Å"We need the others,† she said. â€Å"Everyone affected by the phantom's powers has to be here.† â€Å"I'l help you carry them down,† Alaric offered. â€Å"Not necessary,† Stefan told him, and headed upstairs alone. Standing by the side of the bed in the little rose-andcream bedroom, he looked down at Elena, Matt, and Bonnie. None of them had moved since he had placed Matt there. He sighed and gathered Elena in his arms first. After a moment, he also picked up her pil ow and a blanket. At least he could try to make her comfortable. A few minutes later al three of the sleepers were lying in the front of the garage, wel outside the diagram, their heads supported by pil ows. â€Å"Now what?† Stefan asked. â€Å"Now we each choose a candle,† Mrs. Flowers said, opening her plastic bag. â€Å"One that you feel represents you in color. According to the book, they real y should be handdipped and special y scented, but this wil just have to do. I won't pick one myself,† Mrs. Flowers said, handing the bag to Stefan. â€Å"The phantom hasn't focused its powers on me, and I don't remember being jealous of anyone since 1943.† â€Å"What happened in 1943?† asked Meredith curiously. â€Å"I lost the Little Miss Fel ‘s Church crown to Nancy Sue Baker,† Mrs. Flowers answered. When Meredith gaped at her, she threw her hands up in the air. â€Å"Even I was a child once, you know. I was strikingly adorable, with Shirley Temple curls, and my mother liked to dress me in fril s and show me off.† Putting the astounding image of Mrs. Flowers in Shirley Temple curls out of his mind, Stefan poked through the assortment of candles and chose a dark blue one. It seemed right to him somehow. â€Å"We need candles for the others, too,† he said. Careful y, he chose a golden one for Elena and a pink one for Bonnie. â€Å"Are you just going by their hair colors?† asked Meredith. â€Å"You're such a guy.† â€Å"You know these are the right colors for them, though,† Stefan argued. â€Å"Besides, Bonnie's hair is red, not pink.† Meredith nodded grudgingly. â€Å"I guess you're right. White for Matt, though.† â€Å"Real y?† Stefan asked. He didn't know what he would have chosen for Matt. American-flag patterned, maybe, if they had had it. â€Å"He's the purest person I know,† Meredith said softly. Alaric raised an eyebrow at her and she elbowed him. â€Å"Pure in spirit, I mean. What you see is what you get with Matt, and he's good and truehearted al the way through.† â€Å"I suppose so,† said Stefan, and he watched without comment as Meredith chose a dark brown candle for herself. Alaric shuffled through the bag and picked a dark green candle, and Celia selected one of pale lavender. Mrs. Flowers took the bag with the remaining candles and stashed it on a high shelf near the garage doors, between a bag of potting soil and what looked like an old-fashioned kerosene lantern. They al sat down on the garage floor in a semicircle, outside the diagram, facing toward the empty inner circle, holding their unlit candles. The sleepers lay behind them, and Meredith held Bonnie's candle in her lap as wel as her own; Stefan took Elena's, and Alaric Matt's. â€Å"Now we anoint them with our blood,† Alaric said. They al looked at him, and he shrugged defensively. â€Å"It's what the book says.† Meredith removed a smal pocketknife from her bag, cut her finger, and quickly, matter-of-factly, smeared a stripe of blood from the top to the bottom of her brown candle, then passed the knife to Alaric along with a little bottle of disinfectant. One by one, the others fol owed her lead. â€Å"This is real y unsanitary,† Celia said, wincing, but she fol owed through. Stefan was very aware of the smel of human blood in such an enclosed space. Even though he'd just fed, his canines prickled in an automatic response. Meredith picked up the candles and walked to their sleeping friends, crossing from one to the next and raising their hands to make a swift cut and wipe their blood against their candles. Not one of them even flinched. When she had finished, Meredith redistributed the sleepers' candles and returned to her spot. Alaric began to read, in Latin, the first words of the spel . After a few sentences, he hesitated at a word and Stefan silently took the grimoire. Smoothly he picked up where Alaric had left off. The words flowed off his tongue, the feel of the Latin on his lips reminding him of hours spent with his childhood tutor hundreds of years ago, and of a period when he lived in a monastery in England during the early days of his struggle with vampirism. When the time came, he snapped his fingers and, with a touch of Power, his candle lit itself. He handed it to Meredith, who dripped a little of the melted wax onto the garage floor at the edge of the diagram and stuck the candle there. One by one, at the appropriate points in the ritual, he lit a candle and she placed it, until there was a little row of multicolored candles bravely burning between them and the chalk outlines of the diagram. Stefan read on. Suddenly the pages of the book began to flutter. A cold, unnatural wind rose inside the closed garage, and the flames of the candles flickered wildly and then blew out. Two candles fel over. Meredith's long hair whipped around her face. â€Å"This isn't supposed to happen,† Alaric shouted. But Stefan just squinted his eyes against the gale and read on. The pitch-blackness and the unpleasant sensation of fal ing lasted for only a moment, and then Elena landed jarringly on both feet and staggered forward, clutching Matt's and Bonnie's hands. They were in a dim octagonal room lined with doors. A single piece of furniture sat in the center. Behind the lone desk lounged a tanned, beautiful, amazingly muscular, bare-chested vampire with a long, spiraling mane of bronze hair fal ing past his shoulders. Instantly Elena knew where she was. â€Å"We're here.† She gasped. â€Å"The Gatehouse!† Sage leaped to his feet on the other side of the desk, his face almost comical y surprised. â€Å"Elena?† he exclaimed. â€Å"Bonnie? Matt? What's going on? Qu'est-ce qui arrive?† Usual y, Elena would have been relieved to see Sage, who had always been kind and helpful to her, but she had to get to Damon. She knew where he must be. She could almost hear him cal ing to her. She strode across the empty room with barely a glance at the startled gatekeeper, pul ing Matt and Bonnie along with her. â€Å"Sorry, Sage,† she said as she reached the door she wanted. â€Å"We've got to find Damon.† â€Å"Damon?† he said. â€Å"He's back again?† and then they passed through, ignoring Sage's shouts of â€Å"Stop! Arretezvous!† The door closed behind them, and they found themselves in a landscape of ash. Nothing grew here, and there were no landmarks. Harsh winds had blown the fine black ash into shifting hil s and val eys. As they watched, a strong gust caught at the light top layer of ash and sent it flying in a cloud that soon settled into new shapes. Below the lighter ash, they could see swamps of wet, muddy ash. Nearby was an ash-choked pool of stil water. Nothing but ash and mud, except for an occasional scorched and blackened bit of wood. Above them was a twilit sky in which hung a huge planet and two great moons, one a swirling bluish white, the other silvery. â€Å"Where are we?† said Matt, gaping up at the sky. â€Å"Once this was a world – a moon, technical y – that was shaded by a huge tree,† Elena told him, walking steadily forward. â€Å"Until I destroyed it. This is where Damon died.† She felt rather than saw Matt and Bonnie exchange a glance. â€Å"But, uh, then he came back, right? You saw him in Fel ‘s Church the other night, didn't you?† Matt said hesitantly. â€Å"Why are we here now?† â€Å"I know that Damon's close,† Elena said impatiently. â€Å"I can feel him. He's come back here. Maybe this is where he began his search for the phantom.† They kept walking. Soon they were not so much walking as wading through black ash that stuck to their legs in nasty thick clumps. The mud underneath the ash clung to their shoes, releasing them at each step with a wet sucking sound. They were almost there. She could feel it. Elena picked up the pace, and the others, stil linked to her, hurried to keep up. The ash was thicker and deeper here because they were approaching where the trunk had been, the very center of this world. Elena remembered it exploding, shooting up into the sky like a rocket, disintegrating as it went. Damon's body had lain underneath and had been completely buried in the fal ing ash. Elena stopped. There was a thick, drifting pile of ash that looked like it would be at least as high as her waist in places. She thought she could see where Damon had awoken – the ash was disturbed and caved in, as if someone had tunneled out of one of the deeper drifts. But there was no one around except themselves. A cold wind blew up a spray of ash, and Bonnie coughed. Elena, kneedeep in cold, sticky ash, dropped Bonnie's hand and wrapped her arms around herself. â€Å"He's not here,† she said blankly. â€Å"I was so sure he would be here.† â€Å"He must be somewhere else, then,† said Matt logical y. â€Å"I'm sure he's fighting the phantom, like you said he was going to. The Dark Dimension's a big place.† Bonnie shivered and huddled closer to Matt, her brown eyes huge and ful of pathos, like a hungry puppy's. â€Å"Can we go home now? Please? Sage can send us back again, can't he?† â€Å"I just don't understand,† Elena said, staring at the empty space where the great trunk of the tree had once been. â€Å"I just knew he would be here. I could practical y hear him cal ing me.† Just then a low, musical laugh cut through the silence. It was a beautiful sound, but there was something chil y and alien about it, something that made Elena shudder. â€Å"Elena,† Bonnie whispered, her eyes wide. â€Å"That's the thing I heard before the fog took me.† They turned. Behind them stood a woman. A woman-shaped being, anyway, Elena amended quickly. This was no woman. And, like its laugh, this woman-shaped being was beautiful, but frightening. She – it – was huge, more than one and a half times the size of a human, but perfectly proportioned, and it looked like it was made of ice and mist in blues and greens like the purest glacier, its eyes were clear with just a touch of pale green. As they watched, its solid, icytranslucent hips and legs shifted and blurred, changing to a swirl of mist. A long wave of blue-green hair drifted behind it, its shape like a gradual y roiling cloud. It smiled at Elena, and its sharp teeth shone like silvery icicles. There was something in its chest, though, that wasn't ice, something solid and roundish and dark, dark red. Elena saw al of this in an instant before her attention was ful y riveted on what hung from the ice-woman-thing's outstretched hand. â€Å"Damon.† She gasped. The ice-woman was holding him casual y around the neck, ignoring his struggles as he dangled in the air. It held him so easily that he looked like a toy. The black-clad vampire swung out with his leg, kicking at the ice-woman's side, but his foot simply passed through mist. â€Å"Elena,† Damon said in a choked, thin voice. The ice-woman – the phantom – cocked its head to one side and looked at Damon, then squeezed his neck a little tighter. â€Å"I don't need to breathe, you†¦ idiot phantom,† he gasped defiantly. The phantom's smile widened and it said in a sweet, cold voice, like crystals chiming together, â€Å"But your head can pop off, can't it? That'l do just as wel .† It shook him a little, and then transferred its smile to Elena, Bonnie, and Matt. Elena instinctively stepped back as the glacier-cold eyes found her. â€Å"Welcome,† the phantom said to her in a tone of pleasure, as though they were old friends. â€Å"I've found you and your friends so refreshing, al your little jealousies. Each of you with your own special flavor of envy. You've got an awful lot of problems, don't you? I haven't felt so strong or so wel -nourished for mil ennia.† Its face became thoughtful, and it began to shake Damon gently up and down. He was making a guttural choking noise now, and tears of pain ran down his face. â€Å"But you real y should have stayed where I put you,† the phantom continued, its voice a little colder, and it swung Damon casual y in a great arc through the air. He wheezed and pul ed at its huge hand. Was it even true that he didn't need to breathe? Elena didn't know. Damon wasn't above lying about it if he had a reason, or even for no reason except to annoy his opponent. â€Å"Stop it!† Elena shouted. The phantom laughed again, genuinely amused. â€Å"Go ahead and make me, little one.† Its grip tightened around Damon's throat and he shuddered. Then his eyes rol ed back until Elena could see only the ghastly, red-veined whites of his eyes, and he went limp.

Loving relationships and structure in Young Shen Nong Essay

Mid-term Essay Q2 Cheung Chung Yan Loving relationships and structure in Young Shen Nong In Mr. DungKai-Cheung’s story â€Å"The Young Shen Nong†, not only do the two characters Shen Nong and Lei portray us a fantastic story with a whole series of adventures, but also a romantic and exotic love story that may confuse the readers whether what real love is. In this essay, I attempt to discuss the loving relationships and how they are portrayed in the story by the structure of the text. First, the loving relationship in â€Å"Young Shen Nong† seems to be doubtful and unsure. In Part I of the story, Shen Nong mentioned that Lei carried him after he tried some herbs and fell on the grass, â€Å"Without another†¦show more content†¦The commitment between Shen Nong and Lei is strong. However, with double narrative again, the equilibrium of their lifelong loving relationship is completely destroyed. In Part II, Lei tested Shen Nong but asking him â€Å"If I said I was HIV positive, would you regret sleeping with me?† and Shen Nong responded â€Å"No.† certainly. This made Lei guilty and touched at the same time. However, the test by Lei is actually a sign of insecurity and unstableness.If Lei already felt safe and could depend on Shen Nong, the test is totally unnecessary. It seemed that Shen Nong was the more devoted one and loved unrequitedly compared to Lei. However, the test by Lei is actually a sign of insecurity and unstableness. Ther efore, the equilibrium in Part I is to be broken in Part II to show the disequilibrium of their relationship. Even Shen Nong sounded so confident and devoted to that relationship, it may not be what he expected. Again, Mr. Dung may try to show that in love relationships there will be different tests and difficulties that may break the original harmonies into fragments. Besides from the contrasts in Part I and Part II, there are in fact many similarities in two parts of the story. Towards the ends of both parts of the story, the narrator lost his/ her loved one. In Part I, â€Å"Early next morning I buried Lei at the foot of Mount Guiji. I sat before