Political Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Political Science - Essay Example But this rise was not unending. After huge growth in the 1980s, Japan suffered a terrible â€Å"lost decade† during the 1990s, beginning with the world recession in 1990-92. Why was the recession so especially painful for Japan? Why did it extend for almost a full decade, causing so many lost economic opportunities? And perhaps more importantly, what can the United States and the global economy, currently mired in a serious recession, learn from this period of economic doldrums in Japan? This essay will try to get to the bottom of these important and timely questions. In the decade before the long drawn out recession of the 1990s, Japan experienced unprecedented growth. Its flagship industries—electronics and automobiles—were taking over the world. These companies had an impressive reputation of high quality and reliability and were dominating their markets. American automobile makers were taken aback; American electronic companies were being bought up. Because of savings programs implemented by the government and tariffs against investing in foreign companies, there was a lot of money in Japan available to invest in Japanese companies and other investments. The government was trying to depreciate the yen, which had soared in value in the previous years. In order to do this, they dramatically eased monetary policy and increased spending. This economic stimulus led to a lot more money in the marketplace. Many economists believe that this situation led to an asset bubble in the late 1980s—similar to what happened in the United States over the last few years. Real estate and art, for example, rapidly appreciated. As an example of how extreme this bubble became: in the late 1980s it is said that the land in downtown Tokyo occupied by the Imperial Palace (about 3.5 square kilometres) was valued at more than all of the real estate in

Juicy essay Essay Example for Free

Juicy essay Essay In the song â€Å"Juicy†, by Notorious BIG, also known as Biggie Smalls, there is a main theme of rising from poverty and entering into wealth. Wealth in this sense not only means material things, but it also makes reference to intangibles such as stability for himself and his mother. He begins by noting material things including: â€Å"condos in Queens,† â€Å"putting 5 Karats in my baby girls ear,† â€Å"lunches, brunches, interviews by the pool,† â€Å"50 inch screens, money green leather sofa, two cars a limousine with a chauffeur. † These material things highlight significance in his life because in comparison to his childhood, they are infinitely superior. His childhood consisted of â€Å"eatin sardines for dinner,† being â€Å"considered a common thief,† â€Å"dropping out of high school,† and living in public housing. Furthermore, Biggie’s life was immensely changed in a different aspect. Along with his economic wealth, he gained stability for himself and his mother and made her proud of him. He states, â€Å"My mother loves to show me off, of course, smiles every time my face is up in The Source.† Biggie also states that he celebrated every day because of his hard work and determination he was able to create a better opportunities for himself and his family. In the song â€Å"Juicy† there is a reoccurring theme of rising from the rags to the riches and never giving up on a dream that you set out to accomplish. Notorious BIG reflects on his life while growing up and always being told, â€Å"you’ll never make it.† In the song he says, â€Å"Considered a fool because I dropped out of high school, stereotypes of a black male misunderstood, and its all good.† He dropped out of school so that he could continue to make music and pursue a career. While growing up in poverty, Biggie was often faced with the option to sell drugs or stay in school. When he dropped out of school at the age of 17, he became a drug dealer so he could make some money with the ultimate goal of becoming a rapper. In the song he says, â€Å"to all the people that lived above the buildings that I was hustlin in front of that called the police on me when I was just tryin to make some money to feed my daughters, and all the niggaz in the struggle, you know what Im sayin?† When he was growing up there were things he had to do to get by, there were things that he had to do that weren’t always legal, but he did  what he needed to provide for his family. Another important part of the song was when said, â€Å"I let my tape rock ‘till my tape popped†. He didnt give up on his dream of becoming a rapper. No matter how many people told him he couldnt do it, or he wouldnt last, he never gave up and he continued to give out his tapes. Biggie’s â€Å"tape popped† when his song was number one on Billboard Magazine. This led him to being signed by Bad Boy Records, which was owned by fellow East Coast Rapper, Sean â€Å"Diddy† Combs. After becoming rich and making it in the rap game, Biggie became a different person. He didnt know what to do with the wealth he had and flaunted it in the wrong ways. In the song he says, â€Å"Girls used to diss me, now they writing letters because they miss me.† When he said that they used to diss him, he was referring to how people that were close to him changed because they wanted to take advantage of him, and people that weren’t close to him wanted to be friends and benefit from the wealth he had. In this part of the song he was referring to how wealth can corrupt people. He remained unfazed, kept his circle small, and still pursued his dream of becoming a famous rapper. An excerpt from the song, after Notorious became popular, â€Å"Living life without fear, putting 5 karats in my baby girl’s ear, lunches, brunches, interviews by the pool† This was an important transformation in his life because he went from a gangster on the streets and slinging drugs, to a rich rap star. Another quote from the song was, â€Å"Phone bill about 2 G’s flat, no need to worry my accountant handles that.† With all the wealth that he accumulated, he was carefree living. He went from struggling to put food on the table for his family to letting businessmen handle all his financial decisions. He had seen the way that wealth could change people. Also in the song he mentioned, â€Å"50 inch screen, money green leather sofa, got two rides, a limousine with a chauffer.† The way that Biggie spent his money was typical to any other person that made it from rags to riches. He went from wondering if he would have a meal to eat, to spending money on lavish things. The end of Biggie’s career came on March 3, 1997 when he was shot several times outside of an album release party in Los Angeles. He came out to a shoot music video for the song â€Å"Hypnotize† off his album â€Å"Ready To Die†. With the past beef that he had with west coast rappers, the trip out to California wasn’t encouraged. He died six days later in the hospital. Through out Biggie’s life, there were a couple strong  characteristics that he left behind. He left behind a strong work ethic with an attitude that nobody could out work him. When he died, it was a tough loss in the rap world because he had been very influential amongst rappers that had come from tough childhoods and lived in tough areas. He was a perfect example of emerging from a life of poverty and becoming successful and extremely wealthy. The Notorious B.I.G. à ¢Ã¯â€šâ‚¬ Juicy Lyrics. Rap Genius. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Sept. 2012. http://rapgenius.com/The-notorious-big-juicy-lyrics The Notorious B.I.G. Billboard. Rovi Corporation, 9 Mar. 2010. Web. 18 Sept. 2012. . Duke, Alan. FBI Reveals Documents in Biggie Smalls Death Probe. CNN. CNN, 08 Apr. 2011. Web. 18 Sept. 2012. .

The Future of American Technology Essay -- Exploratory Essays Research

The Future of American Technology The future of technology in America is going to change dramatically and frequently from here on out. It has already grown so much in the past thirty years; I think that it will continue expanding at faster and faster rates. I think that it will be both good and bad. There will be many positive advances in the medical field, and such, but I think that there will also be some negative consequences. With all of it though, I feel that the positive will outweigh the negative, and it will be worthwhile. I hope so anyway. I think that by the year 2025, we will be living on other planets, and have plenty of space travel. We will have found a cure for AIDS, and cancer, but there will be new deadly viruses that will threaten to wipe out the population. We...

Journal on John Steinbeck “Of mice and men”

After having read the description of the novel, my expectations were that this would have been a typical story of a good ending, no matter how thrilling the suspension dots In the end may make the plot seem to be. However, upon reading It, It was becoming clearer that Steinbeck use of certain details and foreshadowing In the text was already suggesting the outcome resulting otherwise. For example at the very beginning the name of the town Leonie and George were going through, Scolded, already makes the reader think that the place is connected with solitary, loneliness.These guys have a dream together, that Leonie likes to be repeated to him by George. They want to earn enough money to buy a farm, and â€Å"live off the fat the Ian with Leonie tending the rabbits. A common during their days, American Dream. It did seem that they could have achieved it, until the first foreshadowing came into place. When when was mentioned Lien's enjoyment of touching nice-looking, soft objects/ mater ial. That got him In trouble at a previous farm where George and Leonie were working on, when he Just wanted to feel a girl's dress, and he was too simple-minded o let go of It, when the girl began to protest.The novel started with George and Leonie running away from the previous farm to work In another one, In order to escape persecution and to start earning for their American dream. New individual characters then came into play – Candy, Crooks, Curler, and Curler's wife but it would be more appropriate to describe the main characters Leonie and George first. Leonie is a strong, tall, but a mentally handicapped man, who trusts and admires George completely. He was perhaps a rather simple character, but one that arises sympathy cause of his defensiveness against Curlers aggression, and taunts from Curlers wife.George can be described as exact opposite of Leonie, being short-tempered, quick-witted but nevertheless caring for Leonie. Even though he showed frustration numerous t imes because he couldn't fully enjoy life as he had to look after Leonie, he was devoted In protecting Leonie from trouble until the very end. Candy was an ageing worker that lost halls hand In an accident on that farm, and was expecting from day-to-day to be fired because of his disability. Just like his dog was shot by Carlson, after the dog was too old to be useful in his opinion.He also wanted to contribute in George and Leonie getting a farm, and seemed to believe that it was going to be possible even after Leonie unintentionally killed Curlers wife. Crooks was a black man with a crooked back, smart, but always left out of from the workers' company, and therefore, extremely lonely. He admitted that when Leonie came into his room and started talking to him. He was one of the vulnerable type of characters, but like Curlers wife, turns that vulnerability into a weapon and attacks characters who are even lower than himself, like Leonie.He suggested to Leonie that George wouldn't co me back and the dreadful possibilities and asked what would Leonie do then. Nevertheless It seemed that the discrimination Is what made him a little cruel and lonely In that sense. Curler represented an evil character In the novel, being arrogant and always trying to pick fights, especially with guys bigger than him. He was fight with Leonie for no particular reason, Leonie smashes every bone in his hand in self-defense. Curlers wife was described by other characters as a Sailboat or a tart.She was unhappily married and out of boredom and loneliness walked around the inch and flirted with the other workers. Her death from Lien's hands caused an end to George and Lien's American dream. Carlson was the type of character, who, after working for years in the farm and caring only about himself became selfish to the point where he couldn't understand what friendship simply meant. He shot Candy's old dog because he saw that it only as useless, and Ã'›stinking†, even though that was the only friend Candy had. There were many themes presented in the novel, some of which strongly describe the grim aspects of human nature.Nearly all the harasser Of Mice and Men including George, Leonie, Candy, Crooks, and Curlers wife, admit, at one time or another, to have a sense of loneliness and isolation. That is what sort of connects them all. Each of them desires the comfort of a friend, but will settle for the attentive ear of a stranger. Curlers wife admits to Candy, Crooks, and Leonie that she is unhappily married, and Crooks tells Leonie that life is no good without a companion to turn to in times of confusion and need. The characters are depressed by their isolation, and yet, even at their weakest, they seek to intimidate those who are even weaker than they.Another theme is the impossibility of the â€Å"American Dream†. Many characters – George, Leonie, Candy, Crooks and even Curlers wife had dreams that became unrealistic in the novel. George and Lien' s dream of owning a farm, which would enable them to sustain themselves, and, most important, offer them protection from the cruel world, represents a typical American ideal. Curlers wife's death, which awakens George to the impossibility of this dream, and sadly proves that the bitter Crooks is right, such paradises of freedom, contentment, and safety are something not to be found in this world.

Enhancers and inhibitors Essay

If you don’t know the topic that the service user wants to discuss then just for the sake of it you shouldn’t carry on the conversation as your lack of understanding may not be guiding them in the right direction, so you should then find someone who can help sort out their issue and leave them in someone else’s care. Therefore enhancing safety/security because if you are informing the service user how to go about sorting out a medical issue and you are not qualified to diagnose them but you still make them think they have some life threatening disease and they don’t by doing this you are putting their safety at risk. Effective communication can be enhanced if the service user knows that the professional does not know what he/she is talking about they may not want to talk about personal problems if they feel they are not being taken seriously. Timing is a key aspect of communication as if you don’t have enough you shouldn’t rush through a conversation either rearrange the timings so you have enough or sort out another date when you can meet properly and talk through the matter, as this is the more professional way of handling time problems. Healthcare professionals shouldn’t discuss personal matters in unprofessional settings. For example where there is a lot of background disturbance and this could affect the way in which the service user would talk to you and how much of their personal problems they would share down a busy corridor shouting over people. In order to enhance the service users’ care values/rights it is important that the care worker maintains the dignity, privacy, safety/security and effective communication of the service user in this situation. The care worker can maintain the service users’ dignity by not shouting medical complications that the service user might have across people as this may not make the service user feel very comfortable especially if they are with friends or family. By using a private consultation room to discuss any concerns the carer or service user may have is a better way to enhance the service users’ rights. Shouting personal problems across public places can put the service users’ safety/security at risk as this would decrease their trust in the carer. When you consider all these aspects discussed above you can gain the service users trust and respect and this is a good, open relationship to have between a service user and a care worker enabling the service user to be able to talk to the care worker about any problems they may have to share their concerns about. Having good relationships with your clients is very important because the service user won’t have to feel a barrier between them and can open up to the care worker more easily. Password protection is also crucial as no one should know your password other than you and it must be changed regularly as if certain information gets into the wrong hands then it can be used unprofessionally and this is breaking the Data Protection Act. This enhances confidentiality, privacy and safety/security. It enhances confidentiality because by using passwords and changing them regularly it makes it harder for personal information to get into the wrong hands. If certain personal documents/information does get into the wrong hands then this could put the service users’ safety/security at risk. Having different formats is also essential as there are people who have various impairments and they would need to access the same information as people who don’t have these impairments and they can be as leaflets in Braille or other languages. This enhances effective communication and choice as you are providing everyone who may need to use the same facilities as other people who don’t have impairments or communicating problems with the correct format that they would understand. If some hospitals/doctors surgeries don’t cater for the needs of these different needs and requirements it may be seen as an inhibitor to communication.

Craven Books Case Study Solutions Essay Example

Craven Books Case Study Solutions Essay Example Craven Books Case Study Solutions Paper Craven Books Case Study Solutions Paper One day, we were making money, the next, everything was falling apart But can the case be so easily closed ? A quick look on the history of the firm and its failure should help us define the culprit(s). In the asses, the company was at the peak to it success and was looking to expand , to do 50, it was decided the company should have an efficient distribution system, and thats why the management team opted to create an IT system. However, the system did not work as expected for Craven Books, and sales started dropping. One of the first reasons for the failure of the system is the fact that Craven Books management, unable to determine the best IT system to use, and to draw a strategic planning, rushed into choosing the first system that seemed fit to the company _ Rapid efficiency and competitiveness appear to have prevailed in their choice of the system. Moreover, nobody was really designated to handle the project, see to its success, and to be held accountable in case of failure. The fault can also lie with the IT consultants on whom management relied too much, and the supplied Who provided the IT system. Not only did they not assess the system and its education to Craven Books in terms of efficiency and effectiveness -? they also focused on charging the company rather than fixing the issues Craven Books was facing, and helping them improve the system. However, management should have known not too trust consultants too much, and to decide cautiously. Employees can finally also be partly blamed for the failure of the system. Though the system was new and somehow hard to handle, employees did not try to understand it and remained passive, complaining without pointing at real issues. . Describe the project decision making process. What are the events which led to the decision to go ahead with the implementation of the software? What was the final key event which made the system fail? Peter Cravens company enjoyed a rapid growth in the seventies, after its decision to enter the comic books business. Therefore, the number to customers increased, making the existing classification system less efficient as before. Peter Craven then decided to adopt a new strategy to face this issue: computerizing seemed to be the best solution, as avail companies had already adopted a similar IT system. The decision was taken very quickly, without asking either the management team or the employees how they were feeling about such a change, or setting clear goals. However, to help With the decision-making process, they referred to consultants Who strongly believed the change would benefit the company. Yet, shortly after the decision, the company encountered a few problems. They had forgotten to consider some important steps of the change, such as calculating the cost of computerizing, r strategically planning this change. In the decision-making process, decisions were made way too quickly, leading to unclear objectives. And employees being left out. Even after the system had been implemented, further decisions lacked direction or clarity, as leaders had lost common sense. The major final key event which led to the failure of the system was most probably the growing numbers of clients, ordering books. Indeed, with a much faster system, deliveries would also speed up. But with the reduction of the number of employees, and the major peepholes in the system, mistakes were made, books placed at some other place than it was supposed to be : stocks started increasing instead to decreasing, and wrong deliveries were often made. 3. Draw the storehouse management process before and after introducing the new software Bettor introducing the new software, the order process of the old system was individual. It means that after receiving the order of a customer, employees had to walk around the storehouse to gather the different items required by a customer, pack them and then proceed to the delivery. With the new software, the order process avgas in batches orders were systematically processed. This state of the art fully integrated system was supposed to be time and cost efficient, and save a lot of efforts. It was working as following Orders were Sent directly to a Computer that would provide a list of items needed for the given day to the employees. Employees would then collect the books and magazines listed, pack them up and distribute the order. The new system allowed for all activities to be organized together, via a computer.

Biography of Emmett Till, Victim of Lynching

Biography of Emmett Till, Victim of Lynching Emmett Till (July 25, 1941–August 21, 1955) was 14 years old when two white Mississippians killed him for allegedly whistling at a white woman. His death was brutal, and his killers acquittal shocked the world. His lynching galvanized the civil rights movement as activists dedicated themselves to ending the conditions that had led to Tills death. Fast Facts: Emmet Till Known For: 14-year-old victim of lynching whose death galvanized the civil rights movementAlso Known As:  Emmett Louis TillBorn:  July 25, 1941 in Argo, IllinoisParents: Mamie Till-Mobley and Louis TillDied:  August 21, 1955 in Money, MississippiNotable Quote about Emmet Till: I thought about Emmett Till, and I could not go back. My legs and feet were not hurting, that is a stereotype. I paid the same fare as others, and I felt violated. I was not going back. –Rosa Parks Early Childhood Emmett Louis Till was born on July 25, 1941, in Argo, Illinois., a town outside of Chicago. Emmetts mother Mamie left his father, Louis Till, while he was still a baby. In 1945, Mamie Till received word that Emmetts father had been killed in Italy. She did not learn of the exact circumstances until after Emmetts death, when Mississippi Senator James O. Eastland, in an effort to reduce sympathy for Emmets mother, revealed to the press that he had been executed for rape. In her book, Death of Innocence: The Story of the Hate Crime That Changed America, Tills mother Mamie Till-Mobley, recounts her sons childhood. He spent his early years surrounded by a large family. When he was 6 years old, he contracted polio. Though he recovered, it left him with a stutter that he struggled to overcome throughout his youth. Childhood Mamie and Emmett spent some time in Detroit but moved to Chicago when Emmett was around 10. She had remarried at this point but left her husband when she learned of his infidelity. Mamie Till describes Emmett as adventurous and independent-minded even when he was a young child. An incident when Emmett was 11 also reveals his courage.  Mamies estranged husband came by their home and threatened her. Emmett stood up to him, grabbing a butcher knife to defend his mother if necessary. Adolescence By his mothers account, Emmett was a responsible young man as a preteen and teenager. He often took care of the house while his mother was at work. Mamie Till called her son meticulous. He was proud of his appearance and figured out a way to steam his clothes on the radiator. But he also had time for fun. He loved music and enjoyed dancing. He had a strong group of friends back in Argo whom he would take the streetcar to see on the weekends. And, like all kids, he dreamed of his future. Emmett told his mother once that he wanted to be a motorcycle policeman when he grew up. He told another relative he wanted to be a baseball player. Trip to Mississippi Tills mothers family was originally from Mississippi and she still had family there, specifically an uncle, Mose Wright. When Till was 14, he went on a trip during his summer vacation to see his relatives there. Till had spent his entire life in or around Chicago and Detroit, cities that were segregated, but not by law. Northern cities like Chicago were segregated because of the social and economic consequences of discrimination. As such, they did not have the same sort of rigid customs relating to race that were found in the South. Emmetts mother warned him that the South was a different environment. She cautioned him to be careful and to humble himself to the whites in Mississippi if necessary. Accompanied by his 16-year-old cousin Wheeler Parker Jr., Till arrived in Money, Mississippi, on August 21, 1955. The Events Preceding Emmet Tills Brutal Murder On Wednesday, August 24, Till and seven or eight cousins went by Bryant Grocery and Meat Market, a white-owned store that mainly sold goods to the African-American sharecroppers in the area. Carolyn Bryant, a 21-year-old white woman, was working at the cash register while her husband, a trucker, was on the road. Emmett and his cousins were in the parking lot chatting, and Emmett, in a youthful boast, bragged to his cousins that he had a white girlfriend back in Chicago. What happened next is unclear. His cousins do not agree whether someone dared Emmett to go into the store and get a date with Carolyn. Emmett did, however, go into the store and purchased bubble gum. To what extent he attempted to flirt with Carolyn is also unclear. Carolyn changed her story on several occasions, suggesting at various times that he said, Bye, baby, made lewd comments, or whistled at her as he left the store. His cousins reported that he, in fact, whistled at Carolyn, and they left when she went to her car, apparently to get a gun. His mother suggests that he may have whistled in an attempt to overcome his stutter; he sometimes would whistle when he became stuck on a word. Whatever the context, Carolyn chose to keep the encounter from her husband, Roy Bryant. He learned of the incident from local gossip- a young African-American teenager apparently being so bold with a white woman was unheard of. Tills Murder At around 2 a.m. on August 28, Roy Bryant and his half-brother John W. Milam went to Wrights house and pulled Till out of bed. They kidnapped him, and local farmhand Willie Reed saw him in a truck with around six men (four whites and two African-Americans) at around 6 a.m. Willie was on his way to the store, but as he walked away he heard Tills screams. Three days later, a boy fishing in the Tallahatchie River 15 miles upstream from Money found Emmetts body. Emmett had been tied to a fan from a cotton gin that weighed around 75 pounds. He had been tortured before being shot. Till was so unrecognizable that his great-uncle Mose was only able to identify his body from the ring he was wearing (a ring that had belonged to his father). The Effect of Leaving the Casket Open Mamie was informed that her son had been found on September 1. She refused to go to Mississippi and insisted that her sons body be shipped to Chicago for burial. Emmetts mother made the decision to have an open-casket funeral so that everyone could see what they have done to my boy. Thousands came to see Emmetts badly beaten body, and his burial was delayed until September 6 to make room for the crowds. Jet  magazine, in its September 15 edition, published a photo of Emmetts battered body lying on a funeral slab.  The Chicago Defender  also ran the photo. Tills mothers decision to make public this photo galvanized African-Americans across the country, and his murder made the front page of newspapers all over the world. Scott Olson /  Getty Images The Trial Roy Bryants and J.W. Milams trial started on September 19 in Sumner, Mississippi. The two main witnesses for the prosecution, Mose Wright and Willie Reed, identified the two men as having been the ones to kidnap Till. The trial lasted five days, and the jury spent a little over an hour in deliberation, reporting that it took so long because they paused to have a soda. They acquitted Bryant and Milam. Immediate Protest Reaction Protest rallies took place in major cities across the country after the verdict. The Mississippi press reported that one even occurred in Paris, France. Bryant Grocery and Meat Market eventually went out of business. Ninety percent of its customers were African-American, and they boycotted the place. Confession On January 24, 1956, a magazine published the detailed confessions of Bryant and Milam, who reportedly received $4,000 for their stories. They admitted to killing Till, knowing that they could not be retried for his murder because of  double jeopardy. Bryant and Milam said they did it to make an example out of Till, to warn others of his kind to not come down to the South. Their stories solidified their guilt in the publics mind. In 2004, the U.S. Justice Department reopened the case of Tills murder, based on the idea that more men than just Bryant and Milam- who by that point had died- were involved in Tills murder. No further charges were filed, however. Legacy Rosa Parks  said of her refusal to move to the back of a bus (in the segregated South, the front of the bus was reserved for whites): I thought of Emmett Till, and I just couldnt go back. Parks was not alone in her sentiment. Many famous figures including Cassius Clay and Emmy Lou Harris describe this event as a turning point in their activism. The image of Tills battered body in his open casket served as a rallying cry for African-Americans who joined the  civil rights movement  to ensure there would be no more Emmett Tills. Sources Feldstein, Ruth.  Motherhood in Black and White: Race and Sex in American Liberalism, 1930-1965. Cornell University Press, 2000.Houck, Davis W. and Matthew A. Grindy.  Emmett Till and the Mississippi Press. University Press of Mississippi, 2008.Till-Mobley, Mamie and Christopher Benson.  Death of Innocence: The Story of the Hate Crime That Changed America. Random House, Inc., 2004.Waldrep, Christopher.  African Americans Confront Lynching: Strategies of Resistance from the Civil War to the Civil Rights Era. Rowman Littlefield, 2009.

Consistent Style Sheet Eliminates Value Judgments

Consistent Style Sheet Eliminates Value Judgments Consistent Style Sheet Eliminates Value Judgments Consistent Style Sheet Eliminates Value Judgments By Maeve Maddox One of our readers, Pankaj, has asked for clarification on the posting called The Gentleman Fled on Foot. Was I addressing a matter of diction, or was I advocating the denial of respect for persons in unfortunate circumstances? Some publications and newsrooms have a policy of referring to people by surname only, once the full name has been mentioned. Others have a policy of adding the honorific to the surname every timeor for a set number of timesafter the full name has been mentioned. In either case, I see no problem. When a policy is in place, the writer knows whether to use Mr/Ms/Rev/Dr with the surname, or to go with plain Jones. My post was concerned with a practice that Ive observed often enough to regard it as a trend. Apparently many news sources have no set policy because they sometimes refer to people by surname only, and sometimes with the honorific plus surname. I first became aware of this strange practice several years ago when my dissertation adviser was murdered in his campus office. Ill call the professor Jones, and the man who killed him Smith. One of the articles published in a local paper, having named both men in the lead, went on for several columns to refer to the professor, who had a Ph.D. and was usually called Dr. Jones, as Jones, but referred to the other man as Mr. Smith each time he was mentioned. It could be that the tendency to be super-polite when talking about criminals grows from the knowledge that anyone who has yet to be convicted must be referred to as an alleged whatever. Perhaps writers who call bank robbers gentlemen are just being cautious. I dont know. In any case, the question forced me to look at why this inconsistency of diction bothers me. Ive had to conclude that Mr. Pankaj is a more accepting person than I am. In the absence of a style sheet rule, Id be inclined to leave off the Mr. when it comes to perpetrators of the more horrid crimes. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the General category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:When to use "on" and when to use "in"Do you "orient" yourself, or "orientate" yourself?People vs. Persons

Earth and Space Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Earth and Space Science - Essay Example Instruments connected to aircrafts and space based platforms of satellite devises perform the function of remote sensing with the analysis of the electronic data recorded during the emission of such radiation for the establishment of forecast ideas. This is a process involving the transmission of radio waves of different frequency through different zones of the atmosphere, some of whom are absorbents of the radiation with the presence of atmospheric gases such as water vapor, carbon dioxide and ozone (Remote sensing, n.d.). Therefore the areas of electromagnetic spectrum where these gases are present are known as absorption bands. Absorption bands are represented by a low transmission value associated with specific ranges of wavelengths. On the other hand, the electromagnetic spectrum of the atmosphere with little or no absorption of the radiation due to the absence of atmospheric gases is called atmospheric windows. They are transparent to radiation and allow the transmission of spe cific wavelengths to the earth’s surface. The instrumentation of new devices is of great effect with the aviation and weather forecasting as they collect data from the reflections of sunlight from a line-of-sight with an object as well as record the frequency modulations on the basis of presence of carbon dioxide and other gases. ... The essential purpose of this classification is meant for the optimum use of all the brightness levels available in the data. The photo integrated wavelength data are classified into two categories; supervised classification and unsupervised classification. The former is used for extracting quantitative information from remotely sensed photo data in order to separately allocate the available data into different known pixels to produce agent parameters for separate classes of interest. Most scientists use the MLC (maximum likelihood classification) classification with advantage of the mean vectors and multivariate spreads of each class. The effectiveness of supervised classification under MLC depends largely on the reasonable levels of accurate estimation of the mean vector m and the covariance matrix for arriving at each spectral data. The problem posed by this classification tool is that the accuracy of the estimation depletes when the classes are of a multimodal distribution (Liu, n.d.). The other classification model is the unsupervised classification. The basic feature of this classification is its independence to human interface by using some clustering algorithm to classify the image data. This classification model is essential for the identification of the number and location of the unimodal spectral classes on the basis of the image data. MMC or migrated means clustering classifier is the tools used in this model for labeling each pixel to unknown cluster centers with intend to move the pixel form one cluster center to another for accurate analysis of the image (ibid). 3. The radiation used for image analysis of the remote sensing function falls subject to the interaction between electromagnetic radiation and the

How Architecture Transformed the Objectives of Edifices Essay

How Architecture Transformed the Objectives of Edifices - Essay Example The main idea of the essay is found in the third paragraph after a considerable discourse on the background of hospitals and medical treatments from the 1900s. To quote: â€Å"In a quirky continuation of past thinking about the need for a civic image for the hospital, designers and administrators began emulating community center, the shopping mall. As a result, hospitals entrances became more welcoming, waiting rooms more inviting, facilities reintegrated more fully into daily urban life, and patients (or even better clients) treated more as guests or consumers.† (p. 82) The argument is that by adopting an environment of domesticity and emulating community-center, hospitals were able to change the old negative perception into something pleasant even without any significant alteration to the patient-doctor relationship. From cold, clinical and drab institution into a welcoming public space, Sloane successfully depicted how hospitals were effective in taking control of their dev elopment and their future by using architectural design in their strategy to adopt. Meanwhile, Cultural Infrastructure investigated the influence of Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal on the modern design of American public space. It immediately opined that such â€Å"brief and rich period of commitment to public building produced many of the works that define the public space we now use†. (p. 226) It was cited that Roosevelt Administration resulted in the widest public building program ever that left a lasting mark on what Leighninger called as cultural infrastructure – roads, bridges, schools, courthouses and other public facilities such as parks, museums, gardens, civic centers and city halls, among others. The paper is well researched and has outlined impressive figures and data to support arguments made. For example, a list of new and modified infrastructures and edifices were provided, showing the number of constructed buildings ranging from schools to rodeo gr ounds. An important claim made by the author was the fact that the flurry of construction completed during the period was driven by the need to address the unemployment and economic stagnation of the Great Depression. The reference to this variable allowed Leighninger to explore the distinct contribution of the New Deal to the way public spaces were designed. A case in point was the suggestion that public spaces were designed in such a way that they might discourage dissent. This is supposedly demonstrated in the way the construction of large spaces was avoided and instead more neutral and distracting ones were erected such as zoos and gardens. While there are pieces of evidence of large public spaces constructed such as the Orange Bowl and Cow Palace, Leighninger maintained that there was, indeed, the presence of bias in favor of smaller spaces that constrained politically charged atmosphere. (p. 230) A more important claim, however, was made when the author discussed how public sp ace – as approached by the New Deal architects and urban designers – is not all about the economic consideration.

Sales and Marketing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Sales and Marketing - Assignment Example It operates in a rapidly growing industry which requires personalized services to meet client requirements. Event management is a huge business since it cuts across all sectors of the economy including: corporate, organizations, individual and family functions. The clients need a service provider that can offer the best publicity to an event and that which ensures time is effectively managed to avoid operational hiccups. I am expecting to cut into this already existing market by offering differentiated solutions for instance, comprehensive budgeting, to my clients which will ensure the events are a success. The business operates in a liberalized market which increases competition because of little monopolistic tendencies. The following guidelines should be followed when developing strategies for marketing an event. Make a plan of action: This will help by providing direction to the event management process in achieving set objectives. A written and timed action plan with defined targ ets ensures efficiency in handling event management.Study the target audience: Having comprehensive knowledge of your targeted audience gives the marketer ideas on their tastes and preferences and this helps the company tailor its products according to market demand. Highlight the product: this is done by ensuring the product stands out from the rest. PlanIt has a catch phrase (â€Å"conceive the event and we will PlanIt Extreme†) which says all about company capabilities.Highlight the product: this is done by ensuring the product stands out from the rest.

How Sergio Leone Influenced Filmmaking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

How Sergio Leone Influenced Filmmaking - Essay Example 9 V. Criticisms †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦11-12 A. Critics against Leone†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.11 B. Sergio’s films – the positive dimension†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.11 VI. Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 13 References†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 14 Abstract Using moving images to emote human emotions like love, fear, birth, death and other living sentiments on screen, to present before the audience the experiences they feel in their own lives is the essence cinema. There are other mediums to reach out to the audience like puppetry, theaters and drama but with time and techno logy the celluloid world of cinema is definitely on the lead. There were many phases in film making like the era of silent films, Eastman color films etc. One such significant phase was the American westerns that led to the beginning of the Spaghetti Western genre of films. Spaghetti Westerns were popular all over the globe like Europe, USA, parts of Asia and Africa (Jones, 43). Sergio Leone was a master of such film making. Leone was not the inventor of spaghetti films but he made classic movies using it. With this sub genre of film making Sergio Leone took the style of film making to new heights. However, Sergio’s style is often disputed by critics on its originality. Nevertheless, Sergio’s contribution to film making remains undisputed as his style is quoted by many modern day film makers like Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorsese. Introduction In the early forties, film making in Italy was in poor shape because of the ongoing world wars (Karg, Van Over and Sutherla nd, 14). The films made were basically made to spread anti war sentiments and for political propagation. Post war In Italy during the 40s and 50s, films were made to depict the change in human psyche. This was known as the period of neorealism. It dealt with everyday conditions of poverty, death and defeat (Italian neorealism, n.d). The Italian film industry began to show reforms with the beginning of American western genre films popularly known as the Spaghetti Westerns during 1970s mastered by Sergio Leone. It was a departure from the usual sword-and-sandal epic films (Heifetz Stricke, 1). Sergio’s spaghetti films were successful in Italy because of their differences from the classical westerns films (Bondanella, 255). There were distinct features like the identification of the central character was always kept hidden, women being used only as widows or were completely absent, equal level of violence enacted by all characters and a hint of dark humor. These films were made in Italian studios and had American and other actors (Traina, 1). Films made by Leone were narrative, artistic, and had other conventions. His films revived the career of many aging Hollywood actors and saved Cinecitta which was almost shut down because of the failure of Hollywood movies (Film Series/ Events). Sergio Leone made remarkable influence in modern European cinema by changing the pattern of traditional Hollywood motion pictures. Leone introduced many new concepts in film making through the Spaghetti Westerns. He was notable for many special cinematic features like taking close ups of the actors to make the emotion appear more realistic and convincing. Spaghetti Westerns films used the dry locales in Spain instead of presenting conventional themes. Sergio collaborated with Ennio Morricone while developing the film scores

Issues in Internet Sales Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Issues in Internet Sales Law - Essay Example ld there be a contract and the case goes before the courts, according to the freedom on contract set forth in article 6 will not only enforce it but also to specific trade terms commonly used in international commercial transactions, such as Incoterms. (Butler, 2007) However in the absence of an agreement the CSIG provides for the passing of risk from the seller to the buyer with reference to the price ask or payment of the goods, due to loss or damage, as set forth in Part III Chapter IV: Passing or Risk, Articles 66-70 (Butler, 2007). Should Pretel contemplated not going to court, her lawyer would advise her otherwise because according to Butler (2007), Article 66 states; â€Å"Loss of damage to the goods after the risk has passed to the buyer does not discharge him from his obligation to pay the price, unless the loss or damage is due to an act of omission of the seller.† For the most part according to Steingold (2005), the same legal rules apply when one does business online as when one sells brick and mortar to a customer or by mail (Steingold F.S., 2005). This is possible the attorney went on to say, as long as the federal and state statutes and regulations are not violated. However, a look at the condition of sale on Cheryl’s website as well as the condition British received the goods, will set the stage for the arguments and case studies to be mentioned. Cheryl’s website advertised to prospective sellers read, â€Å"all our toys are boxed in good condition for their age.† It went on further to inform that, â€Å"all goods are sold as seen and although we will wrap up goods, we cannot be held responsible for any loss in transit.† After winning the auction for Death Star and Tie Fighter, the toys arrived damaged and in badly battered packaging at Pritesh address, and promptly requested a refund. The case comes to life because the seller, Cheryl, refused to honor the request for a refund, saying that the risk had rest with the buyer. It seemed that Cheryl

How Sergio Leone Influenced Filmmaking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

How Sergio Leone Influenced Filmmaking - Essay Example 9 V. Criticisms †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦11-12 A. Critics against Leone†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.11 B. Sergio’s films – the positive dimension†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.11 VI. Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 13 References†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 14 Abstract Using moving images to emote human emotions like love, fear, birth, death and other living sentiments on screen, to present before the audience the experiences they feel in their own lives is the essence cinema. There are other mediums to reach out to the audience like puppetry, theaters and drama but with time and techno logy the celluloid world of cinema is definitely on the lead. There were many phases in film making like the era of silent films, Eastman color films etc. One such significant phase was the American westerns that led to the beginning of the Spaghetti Western genre of films. Spaghetti Westerns were popular all over the globe like Europe, USA, parts of Asia and Africa (Jones, 43). Sergio Leone was a master of such film making. Leone was not the inventor of spaghetti films but he made classic movies using it. With this sub genre of film making Sergio Leone took the style of film making to new heights. However, Sergio’s style is often disputed by critics on its originality. Nevertheless, Sergio’s contribution to film making remains undisputed as his style is quoted by many modern day film makers like Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorsese. Introduction In the early forties, film making in Italy was in poor shape because of the ongoing world wars (Karg, Van Over and Sutherla nd, 14). The films made were basically made to spread anti war sentiments and for political propagation. Post war In Italy during the 40s and 50s, films were made to depict the change in human psyche. This was known as the period of neorealism. It dealt with everyday conditions of poverty, death and defeat (Italian neorealism, n.d). The Italian film industry began to show reforms with the beginning of American western genre films popularly known as the Spaghetti Westerns during 1970s mastered by Sergio Leone. It was a departure from the usual sword-and-sandal epic films (Heifetz Stricke, 1). Sergio’s spaghetti films were successful in Italy because of their differences from the classical westerns films (Bondanella, 255). There were distinct features like the identification of the central character was always kept hidden, women being used only as widows or were completely absent, equal level of violence enacted by all characters and a hint of dark humor. These films were made in Italian studios and had American and other actors (Traina, 1). Films made by Leone were narrative, artistic, and had other conventions. His films revived the career of many aging Hollywood actors and saved Cinecitta which was almost shut down because of the failure of Hollywood movies (Film Series/ Events). Sergio Leone made remarkable influence in modern European cinema by changing the pattern of traditional Hollywood motion pictures. Leone introduced many new concepts in film making through the Spaghetti Westerns. He was notable for many special cinematic features like taking close ups of the actors to make the emotion appear more realistic and convincing. Spaghetti Westerns films used the dry locales in Spain instead of presenting conventional themes. Sergio collaborated with Ennio Morricone while developing the film scores

The Basketball Diaries Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Basketball Diaries - Movie Review Example Reggie Porter is a man whom Jim first meets on the basketball court, but will eventually play the part of Jim's savior rather than the man who might have been expected to play that part, Father McNulty. The characters who devolve into drug abuse are the three boys who form the nucleus of St. Vitus High School's basketball team and their too-short-to-play best friend: Jim, Mickey, Neutron and Pedro. Even while enjoying massive success on the court, they engage in low-rent drug highs involving inhalants. This addition fuels their kinetic energy rush to do things like cut school, jump off rocks into a river filled with toilet waste, and steal from and beat up rival teams. It may even play a part in their success on the court by giving them an inflated sense of confidence. It is only after a sexual encounter with two sisters and the first exposure of hard drugs that things being to spiral completely out of control. Although they could be described as mostly harmless little punks before the turn to hardcore drugs, afterwards they all clearly display severe antisocial behavior as their addictions lay hold to all forms of functioning. Stealing in secret from lockers transforms into wholesale mugging of defenseless old women. Basketball ceases to retain any meaningful place in their lives and in the process Jim at least seems ready to sacrifice what might have become a NBA career. Every choice presented in their lives is consumed with the need to fulfill the required high: sexual preference, the choice between food and drugs, and the choice between drugs and family. The presentation of drug use in the film is ambivalent at best. Although clearly intended as an anti-drug message, the first half hour shows drug abuse without any consequences. The boys begin with inhalants and then go off on a fun round of throwing up on profane jerks and getting up the nerve to jump from a tall height into the water. There seems to be no downside to using drugs when it comes to playing roundball, either. Only after Winkie and Blinkie have acted as the serpent in this garden by introducing the boys to cocaine do the consequences of drug use finally get revealed. This message is clearly undermined by the attractiveness of the two girls; what high school boys would turn down drugs if they had a shot at these blonde goddesses Nevertheless, eventually the effects of using drugs are presented with the intention of getting more viewers to just say no. The boys are kicked off the basketball team after taking downers just before a game. Jim in particular becomes the latest in a long line of movie characters to have his descent into total drug addiction portrayed in glorious shivering, drooling, frenetic wide-eyed Technicolor. The low point comes after Jim lies bloody and beaten and still in his urine-soaked pants. The film seems to be geared specifically, perhaps even exclusively, to adolescents and twenty-somethings, or at least those who have seen few similar movies. The casting of Leonard DiCaprio and Marky Mark Wahlberg attests to the filmmaker's interest in appealing to younger fans, but it is the fact that the movie essentially adds nothing to the drug-addict genre that has been seen before that makes it less likely to appeal to older viewers. Anyone who has watched The Man with the Golden Arm has already seen this movie minus its four-letter words and nudity and sexuality. In addition, since the film seems to exist only as an anti-drug public

Application Letter Essay Example for Free

Application Letter Essay I am writing to apply for the position of fireman in the Bureau of Fire and Protection. As requested, I am enclosing a completed job application, my certification, my resume and three references. The chance presented in this listing is very interesting, and I believe that my strong practical experience and education will make me a very competitive candidate for this position. The key strengths that I possess for success in this position include: I am magnificently physically fit and capable in order to sustain the jobs high level of emotionally, mentally and physically demanding activity. I am always ready to jump into action despite the down periods in my job. In addition to attempting to put out fires that might need to help treat victims and perform other vital life-saving or public functions, I provide exceptional contributions to safety of those involved in a fire and offering medical aid to the injured. With a BS degree in Computer Technology and a Civil Service Exam passer last  October 2013, I have a full understanding of the full life cycle of being a fireman. I also have experience in learning and excelling at new technologies as needed. Please see my resume for additional information on my experience.

Religious Information Seeking on Social Media in Saudi

Religious Information Seeking on Social Media in Saudi Abdullah Almobarraz Religious Information Seeking on Social Media in Saudi Society ABSTRACT Reading and learning about religious information is a habit that Saudis practice to increase their understanding of Islamic rules. It is common now for people to learn about religion from social media. Therefore, the study reports on a survey that was distributed to people in Saudi Arabia to investigate the use of social media technologies for religious information seeking. The objective is to determine if Saudis utilize social media to search for religious information and to understand their information-seeking behaviors when using such a resource. In addition, the study is an attempt to investigate how religious information on social media changes and influences people, and what obstacles and difficulties Saudis encounter when they use social media to obtain religious information. Keywords: Information behavior, Internet resources, Religious information, Saudi Society, Social network, Social media Introduction Social media has become a popular tool used to search for information during the past few years. Currently, a growing number of people use social media in all activities related to their lives. Social media tools can also be excellent for searching out, learning, and publishing religious information. As people become more adept in their use of social media in religious learning and practice, questions begin to emerge about the implications of new media platforms and practices for faith formation, leadership, and religious practice across traditions (Anderson, 2013). By answering these questions, we can come to understand why social media is commonly used to change religious views and deliver beliefs to different types of people. As social media increasingly becomes part of our daily lives, people will find new ways to interact with religion and spirituality. In the digital age, a group of virtual religionists will emerge, comprising individuals who do not affiliate with religious institutions, but are nevertheless engaged in many aspects of a faith community through social networking (Miller, 2011). Research Problem Reading and learning about religious information is a habit that Saudis practice to increase their understanding of Islamic rules. In the past, most people learned about religion from traditional resources, such as attending religious events, reading books and journals, and watching television programs. But with the advent of social media, religious information and resources have become accessible through this new channel. However, we do not know how religion and new forms of social media interact or what impact they have on each other. Indeed, no study has thus far investigated the use of social media or its content on the subject of religion. Therefore, this study explores the extent to which Saudis utilize social media to find religious information and examines how this affects their knowledge and learning style. Specifically, this exploratory study employs a quantitative approach through the distribution of a questionnaire to collect data related to the population. Literature Review Social media plays a clear role in changing the way people talk about faith and share religious information and perspectives, so religious leaders find it a great way to involve younger generations who may not be growing up with religion in their households (Cyprian, 2015). Recent years have seen a concern with the publishing of new information to help religious scholars understand digital media-especially social media. Religious leaders can now find texts to guide them through the construction of websites, blogs, and social media (Hutchings, 2012). However, the use of social media is not limited to religious leaders, but is also used by laypeople. It has increasingly become an important source of religious information for many people in the world (Harvey, 2014). In an average week, one in five Americans shares their religious faith online (Pew Research Center, 2014). In addition to sharing their religious faith, people use social media to share information about their favorite relig ious organizations, activities, preachers, religious resources, Web sites, educational materials, new issues, and much more (Groenpj, 2011). Preston (2011) reported that although it is too early to say that social media has transformed the way in which people practice religion, the number of people discussing faith on Facebook has significantly increased in the past year. This trend is supported by the findings of Tallant (2013), who declared that over 43 million Facebook users are fans of at least one religious page, and 31% of users in the United States list a religion in their profile. At this very basic level, it is possible to see that members of religious groups are using Facebook and are incorporating their religious beliefs into their online activities. As the use of social media evolves into an essential part of peoples daily lives, religious organizations are also using social media tools in increasingly inspired ways to spread their influence and build communities (Newberg, 2013). For example, a recent study in China showed that digital and social media have allowed one of the largest international religious an d benevolent organizations to keep in touch with its more than 10 million followers worldwide, helping it in its mission to provide humanitarian relief (Cheong, Hwang, Brummans, 2014). Religious information in the Islamic world is also in the category of favored information. Baddawy (2014) surveyed 250 Muslim Facebook users and found that the highest percent of them are attracted by religious information. Mustafa et al. (2013) states that the attraction of information may contribute to religious understanding; however, this is reliant on how people perceive the Islamic information shared on social media. Religious information may lead to improper behavior due to various reasons, such as ignorance of a religion, ease of online publishing, and spread of fringe groups (Hammad Faraj Allah, 2011). In Saudi Arabia, over the past few years, social media usage has been one of the most rapidly adopted activities, with more and more users accessing the Internet via their smartphones and tablets (AlJabre, 2013). Research conducted by Global Web Index suggested that almost 25% of the population in Saudi Arabia is active on social media (Zarovsky, 2013). Moreover, a social media agency report showed that there are 3 million Twitter users (around 12% of the population), growing by 3000%, with an average 50 million tweets per month, 840,000 LinkedIn users (4% of the population), and 6 million Facebook users (23% of the population) (Social Clinic, 2014). The adoption of social media has had a great effect on Saudis behaviors and beliefs (Alsharkh, 2012). Religion, for example, is an essential part of society, and so information related to religious issues has a crucial influence upon the cultures and thinking styles of individuals. Almaghthaway (2011) states that these issues used to be delivered by preachers and through traditional resources such as newspapers and audio materials, but in the 20th century, this all began to change. The advent of greater literacy, the deterioration of religious establishments, and new forms of communication such as radio and television all contributed to breaking down the pre-modern modes of religious authority (Almaghthaway, 2011). The late 20th century brought forth a new phenomenon: the creation of Google. It is now common for Muslims to search for answers to religious questions by accessing the Internet. Social media, especially mobile computing devices such as smartphones and tables, contributes to the importance of the Internet as a source of religious information, which fosters discussion of contemporary religious issues. Increasingly, Saudis are posing questions to people they identify as religious authorities through Facebook, Twitter, and other social media apparatuses (Hellyer, 2013). Purpose of the Study and Research Questions Although some research has been conducted on the effects of social media on peoples lives, previous studies have not focused on specific areas of Saudi society. More specifically, no studies have examined the effect of social media on religious information seeking. Therefore, the current study serves to examine this issue by using a descriptive method to investigate how religious information on social media changes and influences people. The study was designed to address four questions central to understanding Saudis information-seeking behavior on social media regarding religious information: To what extent do Saudis use social media for religious purposes? What are the purposes and strategies of searching for religious information via social media? To what extent do Saudis trust social media to obtain religious information? What obstacles and difficulties do Saudis encounter when they use social media to obtain religious information? Methodology This study applied a quantitative research design involving a questionnaire distributed by e-mail to a group of participants in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The participants represent various segments of society. The questionnaire contained 14 items in five categories in order to collect data related to participants use of searches via social media for religious information. The five question categories were (a) the demographics of participants; (b) usage level of social media; (c) purposes of and strategies for use; (d) behavioral trust in social media; and (e) obstacles to social media use. A total of 492 participants completed the questionnaire. Due to the nature of the research, descriptive statistical techniques were used to analyze and report the data. In the following sections, the findings are presented in relevant tables immediately after their corresponding interpretations. Data Analysis and Results Descriptive statistics on each variable of the study are used to investigate peoples use of social media related to religious information. The percentage for each survey item question is reported in the tables that follow. The results are divided into categories that address the previously mentioned five issues, namely the demographic characteristics of participants, social media use, purposes and strategies of use, trust in social media, and difficulties of use. Demographic Characteristics of the Sample As shown in Table 1, participants were relatively equally split by gender, with 54% men and 46% women. As for age groups, 40% were aged 20-30 years, 28% were 31-40 years, 17% were 41-50 years, 9% were less than 20 years, and 5% were in the 51-60 years age group. As for marital status, the majority of participants (62%) were married, 34% were single, 3% were divorced, and only 1% were widowed. As for level of education, half of the participants (50%) had a bachelors degree, 18% had completed high school, 13% held an associate degree, 10% had a masters degree, 6% had a doctorate, and the rest of participants (3%) had not completed high school. In terms of occupation, 45% reported being government employees, 23% were students, 15% were unemployed, 13% were private-sector employees, and 4% were self-employed. Table 1. Demographic characteristics Variable Item Percentage Gender Male Female 54% 46% Marital status Single Married Divorced Widowed 34% 62% 3% 1% Age (years old) 20-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 >60 9% 40% 28% 17% 5% 0 Level of education Less than high school High school Associate degree Bachelors Masters Doctorate 3% 18% 13% 50% 10% 6% Occupation Student Government employee Private-sector employee Self-employed Unemployed 23% 45% 13% 4% 15% Social Media Usage for Searching for Religious Information Table 2 shows the percentage of participants who strongly agree, agree, sometimes agree, disagree, and strongly disagree, respectively, with the use of social media to obtain religious information. Almost half of the participants (47%) agreed or strongly agreed that social media is their preferred source for obtaining religious information. This phenomenon could be a result of the widespread use of social media by Saudi religious scholars. Of the top 10 most-followed users of social media in Saudi Arabia, 5 are religious scholars (Tweepar, 2014). Therefore, a large amount of information related to religion will be available to those who look for it on social media. Table 2. Use of social media to obtain religious information Opinion Frequency Percentage Strongly agree 82 17% Agree 148 30% Sometimes agree 189 38% Disagree 48 10% Strongly disagree 25 5% Traditional Resources for Religious Information Participants were allowed to choose more than one option to specify the resources they used to search for religious information before the advent of social media. Table 3 shows that among the different pre-social media resources, Internet Websites were reported by 64% of participants as their primary resource, followed by books (55%). A much smaller percentage of participants (3%) indicated that they used newspapers to obtain religious information. Table 3. Resources used to search for religious information before the advent of social media Resources Frequency Percentage Books 271 55% Journals 19 4% Newspapers 16 3% Audiovisual materials 260 53% Websites 315 64% Other 29 6% Most-Consulted Social Media When seeking religious information, the majority of participants (71%) consulted Twitter, followed by Google+ (42%). Surprisingly, Facebook was consulted for religious information by only 11% of participants. This finding differs from the general state of social media in Saudi Arabia, as Facebook is favored in that country (Social Clinic, 2014). Table 4. Most-used social media for seeking religious information Media Frequency Percentage Twitter 348 71% Facebook 54 11% LinkedIn 10 2% Google+ 207 42% H5 2 1% Other 65 13% Purposes of Using Social Media Related to Religion Alzoman (2012) stated that Saudi youths mostly use social media to understand and learn about new events. This study is consistent with those previous results. As Table 5 shows, learning about religion was the biggest reason (43%) for using social media to obtain information about religion, followed closely by the desire to read posts written by religious scholars (40%) who have a good reputation and are highly popular and by the desire to find answers related to religious issues in society (34%), and by the wish to communicate with religious scholars (12%). Table 5. Purpose for using social media Purpose Frequency Percentage Finding answers to religious issues 166 34% Communicating with religious scholars 61 12% Learning about religion 213 43% Reading posts written by religious scholars 198 40% Other 63 13% Religious Information Sources Although most people use electronic databases and formal Websites rather than personal Websites to locate new information and keep pace with scientific developments in their fields of specialty (Alsharhan, 2002), the search for religious information seems to operate differently. Almost half of the participants (45%) reported that they turn to the personal accounts of religious specialists to find information about religion. This finding may be unsurprising for Saudi Arabia due to the good reputation religious scholars hold within that society. Institutional accounts, by contrast, did not have the same popularity with participants, only 21% of whom reported using institutional accounts (government and nongovernment) for this kind of search. Table 6. Sources for searching for religious information via social media Source Frequency Percentage Government agencies accounts 110 16% Nongovernment agencies accounts 46 7% Personal accounts of religious specialists 308 45% Subject headings and hashtags 201 29% Other 21 3% Handling Information Participants were asked what actions they usually take after finding the information for which they were searching. The majority (68%) declared that they search for other sources to verify the credibility of the information. Because any one can publish information on social media, participants might understandably not trust information the first time they see it. Social media is full of both no credible users and no credible information. Therefore, some users prefer to make some kind of evaluation before accepting information as credible. The behavior of the remaining 32% was as follows: 12% accept the information and use it for their original purpose, 12% discuss the information and comment on it, and 6% publish it in their social media accounts. Table 7. Action taken after obtaining information Action Frequency Percentage Accept it and use it for my original purpose 60 12% Search for other sources to verify the credibility 335 68% Publish it in my social media accounts 30 6% Discuss and comment on it 58 12% Other 9 2% Credibility Participants were asked to report their opinions regarding the credibility of religious information on social media and whether or not it can be trusted. A five-point Likert scale was given to measure this item, ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree. The highest percentage of participants (45%) indicated that they sometimes trusted religious information on social media, whereas 32% of participants either disagreed or strongly disagreed with the credibility of social media. This matches the previous result indicating that users will search for other resources to verify the credibility of information they find on social media. The rest of the participants (24%) indicated that they agreed or strongly agreed with the statement that social media is credible and trustworthy. Table 8. Religious information on social media is credible and can be trusted Opinion Frequency Percentage Strongly agree 20 4% Agree 96 20% Sometimes agree 220 45% Disagree 128 26% Strongly disagree 28 6% Social Media Sufficiency Table 9 shows the percentage of participants who strongly agree, agree, sometimes agree, disagree, or strongly disagree with the statement that religious information on social media is sufficient and meets their needs. A plurality of participants (38%) disagreed or strongly disagreed with this statement, whereas the next highest percentage (33%) thought that it is sometimes sufficient. This is not surprising, because many people feel strongly about their religion and therefore may care about the credibility of religious information more than some other types of information. The information found on social media may be posted by users who are nonspecialists in religion. This leads many people to search for more credible and trusted resources. The rest (29%) of participants agreed or strongly agreed that religious information on social media is sufficient and meets their needs. Table 9. Social media sufficiency Opinion Frequency Percentage Strongly agree 16 3% Agree 128 26% Sometimes agree 163 33% Disagree 148 30% Strongly disagree 37 8% Influence on Peoples Thoughts Table 10 reports participants opinions regarding the statement that social media affects religious thoughts on society. The majority of participants (82%) reported that they agreed or strongly agreed with this statement. This result is compatible with a referendum conducted by a local newspaper that indicated that social media sites influence the personality of users and change their intellectual and cultural attitudes (Okaz newspaper, 2013). Only a small percentage of participants (3%) disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement. This finding shows the strength of social media in Saudi society, further confirming its role in societal and cultural transformation. Table 10. Social media affects religious thoughts on society Opinion Frequency Percentage Strongly agree 148 30% Agree 258 52% Sometimes agree 71 14% Disagree 12 2% Strongly disagree 3 1% Presentation and Dissemination of Religious Issues A recent study revealed that social media is very effective at improving the dissemination of information (Allen, Stanton, Di Pietro, Moseley, 2013). The present study reached the same result. Table 11 shows that most participants (76%) agreed or strongly agreed with the statement that social media is useful in presenting and disseminating religious issues. By contrast, only a small number of participants (8%) reported that they disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement regarding the positive role of social media in publishing religious opinions and issues. Table 11. Social media is useful for presenting and disseminating religious issues Opinion Frequency Percentage Strongly agree 154 31% Agree 223 45% Sometimes agree 76 15% Disagree 31 6% Strongly disagree 8 2% Social Media Censorship Saudi Arabias Internet censorship is considered one of the most extensive in the world, and restricted and blocked Websites include those that are incompatible with Islam (Almobarraz, 2007). Therefore, participants were asked if they believed that the religious content of social media risked censorship. Table 12 shows that the highest percentage (44%) sometimes agreed that religious information on social media was blocked, whereas the next highest percentage (34%) agreed or strongly agreed with this statement. The rest of participants (22%) either disagreed or strongly disagreed. Table 12. Some accounts specializing in religious information are blocked Opinion Frequency Percentage Strongly agree 51 10% Agree 118 24% Sometimes agree 216 44% Disagree 84 17% Strongly disagree 23 5% Awareness of Religious Accounts Participants were asked if they were aware of specialized religious accounts. As shown in Table 13, combining the positive responses of agree and strongly agree indicates that a plurality of participants (45%) were aware of specialized religious accounts on social media. The combination of negative responses of disagree and strongly disagree indicates that 25% were unaware of such accounts. The rest of participants (30%) were neutral. Table 13. Knowledge and awareness of accounts specializing in religious information Opinion Frequency Percentage Strongly agree 39 8% Agree 182 37% Sometimes agree 147 30% Disagree 109 22% Strongly disagree 15 3% Presence of Religious Resources on Social Media Participants were asked about the resources they trust to find religious information presented on social

Allegory :: essays research papers, informative

Allegory ALLEGORY, pronounced AL uh gawr ee, is a story with more than one meaning. Most allegories have moral or religious meanings. Famous allegories include the fables attributed to Aesop, an ancient Greek writer. Aesop's fables seem to describe the adventures of animals and human beings. But the author actually wanted to teach his readers something about human nature. One of Aesop's best-known fables is "The Fox and the Grapes." On its surface, or its literal level of meaning, the story tells of a fox who wants a bunch of grapes hanging above his head. The fox tries desperately to reach the grapes but cannot. He finally gives up, saying that the grapes are probably sour anyway. The allegorical meaning of this story is that people may pretend the things they cannot have are not worth having. Allegories had their greatest popularity during medieval and Renaissance times in Europe. The Divine Comedy, written by the Italian author Dante Alighieri in the early 1300's, literally tells of a man's journey to heaven through hell and purgatory. Allegorically, the poem describes a Christian soul rising from a state of sin to a state of blessedness. Other allegories include the parables of Jesus, and The Faerie Queene, written by the English poet Edmund Spenser in the late 1500's. Allegories lost popularity in Europe after about 1600, but some, such as Pilgrim's Progress (1678, 1684) gained recognition in later times. Allegory also exists in other ways. Many novels include allegorical suggestions of an

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MEDALLION COUNCIL PROJECT REPORT FORM CATEGORY:Environmental Concerns PROJECT NAME:Green Holiday Party PROJECT DATE(S):December 20, 2012 FHSAA CLASSIFICATION: 8A_ MAIN GOAL(S) OF THIS PROJECT (give specific goals): * To celebrate the holidays in an environmentally sustainable way * To bring the school community together in order to create crafts from recycled materials * For budgeted alternatives on holiday celebration PROJECT DESCRIPTION (50-250 words):As an eco-friendly way to celebrate the winter holidays, Timber Creek Student Government decided to encourage their students to make the season â€Å"green†. To start this project, bins were placed in each classroom for a collection of recycled materials from students and teachers. SGA then gathered the collection of donated materials from Timber Creek and got crafty by turning them into differently designed recycled and biodegradable ornaments. This way, the students can learn more alternatives to decorate for the holidays by spending little to no money.The assorted ornaments were placed on all of the trees throughout the Timber Creek campus as display for everyone at the school. A separate set of ornaments, bracelets, bowls, and art were made by SGA and put on sale for one dollar in the courtyard for students to purchase during lunch and between classes. The students were amazed with all of the different things you could make with such cheap materials like newspapers, cardboard and plastic that the sales rate became surprisingly high.The ornaments on the trees spread holiday cheer throughout Timber Creek. Timber Creek SGA showed the students that there can be budget-friendly and eco-friendly ways to celebrate the holidays. EVALUATION (Were your goals met? What changes would you make? ) The Green Holiday Party was an environmental and educational success. Timber Creek Student Government was able to sell over 100 recycled and biodegradable ornaments. All of the profits went towards charity to St.Jude Chil dren’s Research Hospital because all material was donated. Timber Creek students were very involved in this project by purchasing ornaments and walking around the courtyard to notice all of the different-looking ornaments made out of recycled material. The ornaments on the trees spread holiday cheer on the Timber Creek campus. To improve the project next year, SGA could consider asking for donations earlier than just a week prior to the project.

Practical Demonkeeping Chapter 35

35 BAD GUYS, GOOD GUYS Rachel was drawing figures in the dirt of the cave floor with a dagger when she heard something flutter by her ear. â€Å"What was that?† â€Å"A bat,† Catch said. He was invisible. â€Å"We are out of here,† Rachel said. â€Å"Take them outside.† Effrom, Amanda, and Jenny were sitting with their backs against the cave wall, tied hand and foot, and gagged. â€Å"I don't know why we couldn't have waited at your cabin,† Catch said. â€Å"I have my reasons. Help me get them outside, now.† â€Å"You're afraid of bats?† Catch asked. â€Å"No, I just feel that this ritual should take place in the open,† Rachel insisted. â€Å"If you have a problem with bats, you're going to love it when you see me.† A quarter mile down the road from the cave, Augustus Brine, Travis, and Gian Hen Gian were waiting for Howard and Robert to arrive. â€Å"Do you think we can pull this off?† Travis asked Brine. â€Å"Why ask me? I know less about this than the two of you. Whether we pull it off depends mostly on your powers of persuasion.† â€Å"Can we go over it again?† Brine checked his watch. â€Å"Let's wait for Robert and Howard. We still have a few minutes. And I don't think that it will hurt to be a little late. As far as Catch and Rachel are concerned, you are the only game in town.† Just then they heard a car down-shifting and turned to see Howard's old black Jag turning onto the dirt road. Howard parked behind Brine's truck. He and Robert got out and Robert reached into the backseat and began handing things to Brine and Travis: a camera bag, a heavy-duty tripod, a long aluminum lens case, and finally, a hunting rifle with a scope. Brine did not take the rifle from Robert. â€Å"What's that for?† Robert stood up, rifle in hand. â€Å"If it looks like it isn't going to work, we use it to take out Rachel before she gets power over Catch.† â€Å"What will that accomplish?† Brine asked. â€Å"It will keep Travis in control of the demon.† â€Å"No,† Travis said. â€Å"One way or another it ends here, but we don't shoot anyone. We're here to end the killing, not add to it. Who's to say that Rachel won't have more control over Catch than I do?† â€Å"But she doesn't know what she is getting into. You said that yourself.† â€Å"If she gets power over Catch, he has to tell her, just like he told me. At least I will be free of him.† â€Å"And Jenny will be dead,† Robert spat. Augustus Brine said, â€Å"The rifle stays in the car. We are going to do this on the assumption that it will work, period. Normally I'd say that if anyone wants out, they can go now, but the fact is, we all have to be here for it to work.† Brine looked around the group. They were waiting. â€Å"Well, are we going to do this?† Robert threw the rifle into the backseat of the car. â€Å"Let's do it, then.† â€Å"Good,† Brine said. â€Å"Travis, you have to get them out of the cave and into the open. You have to hold the invocation up long enough for Robert to get a picture, and you have to get the candlesticks back to us, preferably by sending them down the hill with Jenny and the Elliotts.† â€Å"They'll never go for that. Without the hostages, why should I translate the invocation?† â€Å"Then hold it as a condition. Play it the best you can. Maybe you can get one of them down.† â€Å"If I make the candlesticks a condition, they'll be suspicious.† â€Å"Shit,† Robert said. â€Å"This isn't going to work. I don't know why I thought it would.† Through the whole discussion the Djinn had remained in the background. Now he stepped into the circle. â€Å"Give them what they want. Once the woman has control of Catch, they will have no need to be suspicious.† â€Å"But Catch will kill the hostages, and probably all of us,† Travis said. â€Å"Wait a minute,† Robert said. â€Å"Where is Rachel's van?† â€Å"What does that have to do with anything?† Brine said. â€Å"Well, they didn't walk here with hostages in tow. And the van isn't parked here. That means that her van must be up by the cave.† â€Å"So?† Travis said. â€Å"So, it means that if we have to storm them, we can go in Gus's truck. The road must come out of the woods and loop around the hill to the caves. We already have the recorder, so the invocation can be played back fast. Gus can drive up the hill, Travis can throw the candlesticks into the truck, and all Gus has to do is hit the play button.† They considered it for a moment, then Brine said, â€Å"Everyone in the bed of the truck. We park it in the woods as close to the caves as we can without it being seen. It's the closest thing to a plan that we have.† On the grassy hill outside the cave Rachel said, â€Å"He's late.† â€Å"Let's kill one of them,† the demon said. Jenny and her grandparents sat on the ground, back to back. â€Å"Once this ritual is over, I won't have you talking like that,† Rachel said. â€Å"Yes, mistress, I yearn for your guidance.† Rachel paced the hill, making an effort not to look at her hostages. â€Å"What if Travis doesn't come?† â€Å"He'll come,† Catch said. â€Å"I think I hear a car.† Rachel watched the point where the road emerged from the woods. When nothing came, she said, â€Å"What if you're wrong? What if he doesn't come?† â€Å"There he is,† Catch said. Rachel turned to see Travis walking out of the woods and up the gentle slope toward them. Robert screwed the tripod into the socket of the telephoto lens, tested its steadiness, then fitted the camera body on the back of the lens and turned it until it clicked into place. From the camera bag at his feet he took a pack of Polaroid film and snapped it into the bottom of the Nikon's back. â€Å"I've never seen a camera like that,† said Augustus Brine. Robert was focusing the long lens. â€Å"The camera's a regular thirty-five millimeter. I bought the Polaroid back for it to preview results in the studio. I never got around to using it.† Howard Phillips stood poised with notebook in hand and a fountain pen at ready. â€Å"Check the batteries in that recorder,† Robert said to Brine. â€Å"There are some fresh ones in my camera bag if you need them.† Gian Hen Gian was craning his neck to see over the undergrowth into the clearing where Travis stood. â€Å"What is happening? I cannot see what is happening.† â€Å"Nothing yet,† Brine said. â€Å"Are you set, Robert?† â€Å"I'm ready,† Robert said without looking up from the camera. â€Å"I'm filling the frame with Rachel's face. The parchment should be easily readable. Are you ready, Howard?† â€Å"Short of the unlikely possibility that I may be stricken with writer's cramp at the crucial moment, I am prepared.† Brine snapped four penlight batteries into the recorder and tested the mechanism. â€Å"It's up to Travis now,† he said. Travis topped halfway up the hill. â€Å"Okay, I'm here. Let them go and I'll translate the invocation for you.† â€Å"I don't think so,† Rachel said. â€Å"Once the ritual has been performed and I'm sure it has worked, then you can all go free.† â€Å"You don't have any idea what you're talking about. Catch will kill us all.† â€Å"I don't believe you. The Earth spirit will be in my control, and I won't allow it.† Travis laughed sarcastically. â€Å"You haven't even seen him, have you? What do you think you have there, the Easter Bunny? He kills people. That's the reason he's here.† â€Å"I still don't believe you.† Rachel was beginning to lose her resolve. Travis watched Catch move to where the hostages were tied. â€Å"Come, do it now, Travis, or the old woman dies.† He raised a clawed hand over Amanda's head. Travis trudged up the hill and stood in front of Rachel. Very quietly her said to her, â€Å"You know, you deserve what you are going to get. I never thought I could wish Catch on anyone, but you deserve it.† He looked at Jenny, and her eyes pleaded for an explanation. He looked away. â€Å"Give me the invocation,† he said to Rachel. â€Å"I hope you brought a pencil and paper. I can't do this from memory.† Rachel reached into an airline bag that she had brought and pulled out the candlesticks. One at a time she unscrewed them and removed the invocations, then replaced the pieces in the airline bag. She handed Travis the parchments. â€Å"Put the candlesticks over by Jenny,† he said. â€Å"Why?† Rachel asked. â€Å"Because the ritual won't work if they are too close to the parchments. In fact, you'd be better off if you untied them and sent them away with the candlesticks. Get them out of the area altogether.† The lie seemed so obvious that Travis feared he had ruined everything by putting too much importance on the candlesticks. Rachel stared at him, trying to make sense of it. â€Å"I don't understand,† she said. â€Å"Neither do I,† Travis said. â€Å"But this is mystical stuff. You can't tell me that taking hostages so you can call up a demon is consistent with the logical world.† â€Å"Earth spirit! Not demon. And I will use this power for good.† Travis considered trying to convince her of her folly, then decided against it. The lives of Jenny and the Elliotts depended on Catch maintaining his charade as a benevolent Earth spirit until it was too late. He glared at the demon, who grinned back. â€Å"Well?† Travis said. Rachel picked up the airline bag and took it to a spot a few feet down the hill from the hostages. â€Å"No. Farther away,† Travis said. She slung the bag over her shoulder and took it another twenty yards down the hill, then turned to Travis for approval. â€Å"What is this about?† Catch asked. Travis, afraid to push his luck, nodded to Rachel and she set the bag down. Now the candlesticks were twenty yards closer to the road that ran around the back of the hill – the road that Augustus Brine would drive when the shit hit the fan. Rachel returned to the hilltop. â€Å"I'll need that pencil and paper now,† he said. â€Å"It's in the bag.† Rachel went back toward the bag. While she was retrieving the pencil and paper from the airline bag, Travis held the parchments out before him, one at a time, counting to six before he put the first one down and picked up the next. He hoped he had the angle to Robert's camera right and that his body was not in the way of the lens. â€Å"Here.† Rachel handed him a pencil and a steno pad. Travis sat down cross-legged with the parchments out in front of him. â€Å"Sit down and relax, this is going to take some time.† He started on the parchment from the second candlestick, hoping to buy some time. He translated the Greek letter by letter, searching his memory first for each letter, then for the meaning of the words. By the time he finished the first line, he had fallen into a rhythm and had to make an effort to slow down. â€Å"Read what he has written,† Catch said. â€Å"But he's just done one line-† Rachel said. â€Å"Read it.† Rachel took the steno pad from Travis and read, â€Å"Being in possession of the Power of Solomon I call upon the race that walked before man†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She stopped. â€Å"That's all there is.† â€Å"It's the wrong paper,† Catch said. â€Å"Travis, translate the other one. If it's not right this time, the girl dies.† â€Å"That's the last time I buy you a Cookie Monster comic book, you scaly fucker.† Reluctantly Travis shuffled the parchments and began to translate the invocation he had spoken in Saint Anthony's chapel seventy years before. Howard Phillips had two Polaroid prints out on the ground before him. He was writing a translation out on a notepad while Augustus Brine and Gian Hen Gian looked over his shoulder. Robert was looking through the camera. â€Å"They've made him change parchments. He must have been translating the wrong one.† Brine said, â€Å"Howard, are you translating the one we need?† â€Å"I am not sure yet. I've only translated a few lines of the Greek. This Latin passage at the top appears to be a message rather than an invocation.† â€Å"Can't you just scan it? We don't have time for mistakes.† Howard read what he had written. â€Å"No, this is wrong.† He tore the sheet from the notepad and began again, concentrating on the other Polaroid. â€Å"This one seems to have two shorter invocations. The first one seems to be the one that empowers the Djinn. It talks about a race that walked before man.† â€Å"That is right. Translate the one with two invocations,† the Djinn said. â€Å"Hurry,† Robert said, â€Å"Travis has half a page. Gus, I'm going to ride up the hill in the bed of the truck when you go. I'll jump out and grab the bag with the candlesticks. They're still a good thirty yards from the road and I can move faster than you can.† â€Å"I'm finished,† Howard said. He handed his notebook to Brine. â€Å"Record it at normal speed,† Robert said. â€Å"Then play it back at high speed.† Brine held the recorder up to his face, his finger on the record button. â€Å"Gian Hen Gian, is this going to work? I mean is a voice on a tape going to have the same effect as speaking the words?† â€Å"It would be best to assume that it will.† â€Å"You mean you don't know?† â€Å"How would I know?† â€Å"Swell,† Brine said. He pushed the record button and read Howard's translation into the recorder. When he finished, he rewound the tape and said, â€Å"Okay, let's go.† â€Å"Police! Don't anyone move!† They turned to see Rivera standing in the road behind them, his.38 in hand, panning back and forth to cover them. â€Å"Everybody down on the ground, facedown.† They stood frozen in position. â€Å"On the ground, now!† Rivera cocked his revolver. â€Å"Officer, there must be a mistake,† Brine said, feeling stupid as he said it. â€Å"Down!† Reluctantly, Brine, Robert, and Howard lay facedown on the ground. Gian Hen Gian remained standing, cursing in Arabic. Rivera's eyes widened as blue swirls appeared in the air over the Djinn's head. â€Å"Stop that,† Rivera said. The Djinn ignored him and continued cursing. â€Å"On your belly, you little fucker.† Robert pushed himself up on his arms and looked around. â€Å"What's this about, Rivera? We were just out here taking some pictures.† â€Å"Yeah, and that's why you have a high-powered rifle in your car.† â€Å"That's nothing,† Robert said. â€Å"I don't know what it is, but it's more than nothing. And none of you are going anywhere until I get some answers.† â€Å"You're making a mistake, Officer,† Brine said. â€Å"If we don't continue with what we were doing, people are going to die.† â€Å"First, it's Sergeant. Second, I'm getting to be a master at making mistakes, so one more is no big deal. And third, the only person who is going to die is this little Arab if he doesn't get his ass on the ground.† What was taking them so long? Travis had dragged the translation out as long as he could, stalling on a word here and there, but he could tell that Catch was getting impatient and to delay any long would endanger Jenny. He tore two sheets from the steno pad and handed them to Rachel. â€Å"It's finished, now you can untie them.† He gestured to Jenny and the Elliotts. â€Å"No,† Catch said. â€Å"First we see if it works.† â€Å"Please, Rachel, you have what you want. There's no reason to keep these people here.† Rachel took the pages. â€Å"I'll make it up to them once I have the power. It won't hurt to keep them here a few more minutes.† Travis fought the urge to look back toward the woods. Instead he cradled his head in his hands and sighed deeply as Rachel began to read the invocation aloud. Augustus Brine finally convinced Gian Hen Gian to lie down on the ground. It was obvious that Rivera would not listen to anyone until the Djinn relented. â€Å"Now, Masterson, where in the hell did you get that metal suitcase?† â€Å"I told you, I stole it out of the Chevy.† â€Å"Who owns the Chevy?† â€Å"I can't tell you that.† â€Å"You can tell me or you can go up on murder charges.† â€Å"Murder? Who was murdered?† â€Å"About a thousand people, it looks like. Where is the owner of that suitcase? Is it one of these guys?† â€Å"Rivera, I will tell you everything I know about everything in about fifteen minutes, but now you've got to let us finish what we started.† â€Å"And what was that?† Brine spoke up, â€Å"Sergeant, my name is Augustus Brine. I'm a businessman here in town. I have done nothing wrong, so I have no reason to lie to you.† â€Å"So?† Rivera said. â€Å"So, you are right. There is a killer. We are here to stop him. If we don't act right now, he will get away, so please, please, let us go.† â€Å"I'm not buying it, Mr. Brine. Where is this killer and why didn't you call the police about him? Take it nice and slow, and don't leave anything out.† â€Å"We don't have time,† Brine insisted. Just then they heard a loud thump and the sound of a body slumping to the ground. Brine turned around to see Mavis Sand standing over the collapsed detective, her baseball bat in hand. â€Å"Hi, cutie,† she said to Brine. They all jumped to their feet. â€Å"Mavis, what are you doing here?† â€Å"He threatened to close me down if I didn't tell him where you went. After he left, I got to feeling like a shit about telling him, so here I am.† â€Å"Thanks, Mavis,† Brine said. â€Å"Let's go. Howard, you stay here. Robert, in the bed of the truck. Whenever you're ready, King,† he said to the Djinn. Brine jumped into the truck, fired it up, and engaged the four-wheel drive. Rachel read the last line of the invocation with a grandiose flourish of her arm. â€Å"In the name of Solomon the King, I command thee to appear!† Rachel said, â€Å"Nothing happened.† Catch said, â€Å"Nothing happened, Travis.† Travis said, â€Å"Give it a minute.† He had almost given up hope. Something had gone horribly wrong. Now he was faced with either telling them about the candlesticks or keeping his bond with the demon. Either way, the hostages were doomed. â€Å"Fine, Travis,† Catch said. â€Å"The old man is the first to go.† Catch wrapped one hand around Effrom's neck. As Travis and Rachel watched, the demon grew into his eating form and lifted Effrom off the ground. â€Å"Oh my God!† Rachel put her fist to her mouth and started backing away from the demon. â€Å"Oh no!† Travis tried to focus his will on the demon. â€Å"Put him down, Catch,† he commanded. From somewhere down the hill came the sound of a truck starting. Gian Hen Gian stepped out of the woods. â€Å"Catch,† he shouted, â€Å"will you never give up your toys?† The Djinn started up the hill. Catch threw Effrom to the side. He landed like a rag doll, ten yards away. Rachel was shaking her head violently, as if trying to shake away the demon's image. Tears streamed down her cheeks. â€Å"So someone let the little fart out of his jar,† Catch said. He stalked down the hill toward the Djinn. An engine roared and Augustus Brine's pickup broke out of the tree line and bounced up the dirt road, throwing up a cloud of dust in its wake. Robert stood in the bed, holding onto the roll bar for support. Travis darted past Catch to Amanda and Jenny. â€Å"Still a coward, King of the Djinn?† Catch said, pausing a second to look at the speeding truck. â€Å"I am still your superior,† the Djinn said. â€Å"Is that why you surrendered your people to the netherworld without a fight?† â€Å"This time you lose, Catch.† Catch spun to watch the truck slide around the last turn and off the road to bound across the open grass toward the candlesticks. â€Å"Later, Djinn,† Catch said. He began to run toward the truck. Taking five yards at a stride the demon was over the hill and past Travis and the women in seconds. Augustus Brine saw the demon coming at them. â€Å"Hold on, Robert.† He wrenched the wheel to the side to throw the truck into a slide. Catch lowered his shoulder and rammed into the right front fender of the truck. Robert saw the impact coming and tried to decide whether to brace himself or jump. In an instant the decision was made for him as the fender crumpled under the demon and the truck went up on two wheels, then over onto its roof. Robert lay on the ground trying to get his wind back. He tried to move, and a searing pain shot through his arm. Broken. A thick cloud of dust hung in the air, obscuring his vision. He could hear the demon roaring behind him and the screeching sound of tearing metal. As the dust settled, he could just make out the shape of the upside-down truck. The demon was pinned under the hood, ripping at the metal with his claws. Augustus Brine hung by his seat belt. Robert could see him moving. Robert climbed to his feet, using his good arm to push himself up. â€Å"Gus!† he shouted. â€Å"The candlesticks!† came back. Robert looked around on the ground. There was the bag. He had almost landed on it. He started to reach for it with both hands and nearly passed out when the pain from his broken arm hit him. From his knees he was able to scoop up the bag, heavy with the candlesticks, in his good arm. â€Å"Hurry,† Brine shouted. Catch had stopped clawing at the metal. With a great roar he shoved the truck up and off of him. Standing before the truck, he threw his head back and roared with such intensity that Robert nearly dropped the candlesticks. Every bone in Robert's body said flee, get the hell out of here. He stood frozen. â€Å"Robert, I'm stuck. Bring them to me.† Brine was struggling with the seat belt. At the sound of his voice the demon leapt to the driver's side of the truck and clawed at the door. Brine heard the skin of the door go with the first slash. He stared at the door in terror, expecting a claw to come through the window at any second. The demon's claws raked the support beam inside the door. â€Å"Gus, here. Ouch. Shit.† Robert was lying outside the passenger side window, pushing the bag with the candlesticks across the roof of the truck. â€Å"The play button, Gus. Push it.† Brine felt the pocket of his flannel shirt. Mavis's recorder was still clipped there. He fumbled for the play button, found it, and pushed, just as a daggerlike claw ripped into his shoulder. A hundred miles south, at Vandenberg Air Force Base, a radar technician reported a UFO entering restricted air space from over the Pacific. When the aircraft refused to respond to radio warning, four jet fighters were scrambled to intercept. Three of the fighter pilots would report no visual contact. The fourth, upon landing, would be given a urinalysis and confined to quarters until he could be debriefed by an officer from the Air Force Department of Stress Management. The bogey would be officially explained as radar interference caused by unusually high swell conditions offshore. Of the thirty-six reports, filed in triplicate with various departments of the military complex, not one would mention an enormous white owl with an eighty-foot wingspan. However, after some consideration, the Pentagon would award seventeen million dollars to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for a secret study on the feasibility of an owl-shaped aircraft. After two years of computer simulations and wind-tunnel prototype tests, the research team would conclude that an owl-shaped aircraft would, indeed, be an effective weapon, but only if the enemy should ever mobilize a corps of field-mouse-shaped tanks. Augustus Brine realized that he was going to die. In that same moment he realized that he was not afraid and that it did not matter. The monster clawing to get at him didn't matter. The chipmunk chatter of his voice playing back double-speed on the recorder didn't matter. The shouting of Robert, and now Travis, outside the truck didn't matter. He was acutely aware of it all, he was part of it all, but it did not matter. Even the gunfire didn't matter. He accepted it and let it go. Rivera came to when Brine had started the truck. Mavis Sand was standing over the policeman with his revolver, but she and Howard were watching what was going on up the hill. Rivera glanced up the hill to see Catch materializing in his eating form, holding Effrom by the throat. â€Å"Santa Maria! What the hell is that?† Mavis trained the gun on him. â€Å"Stay right there.† Ignoring her, Rivera stood and ran down the road toward his patrol car. At his car he popped the trunk lid and pulled the riot gun out of its bracket. As he ran back past Howard's Jag, he paused, then opened the back door and grabbed Robert's hunting rifle. By the time he was again in view of the hill, the truck was upside down and the monster was clawing at the door. He threw the riot gun to the ground and shouldered the rifle. He braced the barrel against a tree, threw the bolt to jack a shell into the chamber, sighted through the scope, and brought the cross-hairs down on the monster's face. Resisting the urge to scream, he squeezed the trigger. The round hit the demon in his open mouth and knocked him back a foot. Rivera quickly jacked another shell into the chamber and fired. Then another. When the firing pin clicked on an empty chamber, the monster had been knocked back from the truck a few feet but was still coming. â€Å"Santa fucking Maria,† Rivera said. Gian Hen Gian had reached the top of the hill where Travis knelt by Amanda and Jenny. â€Å"It is done,† the Djinn said. â€Å"Then do something!† Travis said. â€Å"Help Gus.† â€Å"Without his orders I may carry out only the command of my last master.† Gian Hen Gian pointed to the sky. Travis looked up to see something white coming out of the clouds, but it was too far away to make out what it was. Catch recovered from the rifle slugs and went forward. He hooked his huge hand behind the reinforcement beam of the truck's door, ripped it off, and threw it behind him. Inside the truck, still hanging from the seat belt, Augustus Brine turned calmly and looked at the demon. Catch drew back his hand to deliver a blow that would rip Brine's head from his shoulders. Brine smiled at him. The demon paused. â€Å"What are you, some kind of wacko?† Catch said. Brine didn't have time to answer. The reverberation of the owl's screech shattered the windshield of the truck. Catch looked up as the talons locked around his body, and he was swept into the air flailing at the owl's legs. The owl climbed into the sky so rapidly that in seconds it was nothing more than a tiny silhouette against the sun, which was making its way toward the horizon. Augustus Brine continued to smile as Travis released the seat belt. He hit the roof of the truck with his injured shoulder and passed out. When Brine regained consciousness, they were all standing over him. Jenny was holding Amanda's head to her shoulder. The old woman was sobbing. Brine looked from face to face. Someone was missing. Robert spoke first. â€Å"Tell Gian Hen Gian to heal your shoulder, Gus. He can't do it until you tell him. While you're at it, tell him to fix my arm.† â€Å"Do it,† Brine said. As he said it, the pain was gone from his shoulder. He sat up. â€Å"Where's Effrom?† â€Å"He didn't make it, Gus,† Robert said. â€Å"His heart gave out when the demon threw him.† Brine looked to the Djinn. â€Å"Bring him back.† The Djinn shook his head balefully. â€Å"This I cannot do.† Brine said, â€Å"I'm sorry, Amanda.† Then to Gian Hen Gian, â€Å"What happened to Catch?† â€Å"He is on his way to Jerusalem.† â€Å"I don't understand.† â€Å"I have lied to you, Augustus Brine. I am sorry. I was bound to the last command of my last master. Solomon bade me take the demon back to Jerusalem and chain him to a rock outside the great temple.† â€Å"Why didn't you tell me that?† â€Å"I thought you would never give me my power if you knew. I am a coward.† â€Å"Don't be ridiculous.† â€Å"It is as Catch said. When the angels came to drive my people into the netherworld, I would not let them fight. There was no battle as I told you. We went like sheep to the slaughter.† â€Å"Gian Hen Gian, you are not a coward. You are a creator – you told me that yourself. It's not in your nature to destroy, to make war.† â€Å"But I did. So I have tried to vindicate myself by stopping Catch. I wanted to do for the humans what I did not do for my own people.† â€Å"It doesn't matter,† Brine said. â€Å"It's finished.† â€Å"No, it's not,† Travis said. â€Å"You can't chain Catch to a rock in the middle of Jerusalem. You have to send him back. You have to read the last invocation. Howard translated it while we were waiting for you to wake up.† â€Å"But Travis, you don't know what will happen to you. You may die on the spot.† â€Å"I'm still bound to him, Gus. That isn't living anyway. I want to be free.† Travis handed him the invocation and the candlestick with the Seal of Solomon concealed in it. â€Å"If you don't, I will. It has to be done.† â€Å"All right, I'll do it,† Brine said. Travis looked up at Jenny. She looked away. â€Å"I'm sorry,† Travis said. Robert went to Jenny's side and held her. Travis walked down the hill, and when he was out of sight, Augustus Brine began reading the words that would send Catch back to hell. They found Travis slumped in the backseat of Howard's Jaguar. Augustus Brine was the first to reach the car. â€Å"I did it, Travis. Are you all right?† As Travis looked up, Brine had to fight the urge to recoil. The demonkeeper's face was deeply furrowed and shot with broken veins. His dark hair and brows had turned white. But for his eyes, which were still young with intensity, Brine would not have recognized him. Travis smiled. There were still a couple of teeth left in front. His voice was still young. â€Å"It didn't hurt. I expected one of those wrenching Lon Chaney transformations, but it didn't happen. Suddenly I was old. That was it.† â€Å"I'm glad it didn't hurt,† Brine said. â€Å"What am I going to do?† â€Å"I don't know, Travis. I need to think.†