Billy Holiday essays

Billy Holiday essays In the early twentieth century, even though slavery had been abolished years before, racism was rampant in America. There were few brave enough to speak out about what was happening. Black artists could perform in clubs, but were not able to patron those same establishments because they were designated white only. One of those black artists decided to take a stand. Billie Holiday, known as Lady Day, recorded Strange Fruit on April 20, 1939 at Brunswicks World Broadcasting Studios with Frankie Newtons Caf Society Band. Much later, in 1995, Cassandra Wilson recorded a cover of this harrowing song. Billie Holidays ability to propel a listener into a time and place overshadows Cassandra Wilsons weaker version of Strange Fruit. Billie Holiday, upon being approached with Strange Fruit, at first was uneasy about the song. The message was so controversial it could have easily ruined her career. Inspite of the risk Billie performed it anyway. The message was too important. To reinforce the inherent drama of the song the waiters, immediately before her performing, would instruct the patrons to remain absolutely silent during the performance. The house lights were turned down with only a pin-spot lighting her face. When she finished, all the lights were turned out. When the house lights came back up Billie was gone. There were no encores so the stark imagery would be seared into the white audiences mind. Billie Holidays version opens with a very solemn melody from the trumpet, followed by a somber piano solo setting the mood of the piece. She ignores the melody outlined by the introduction. She knows the impact comes from the words rather than any specific feature of the songs melodic or harmonic construction (Nicholson113). She also uses the grit in her voice and fluctuating tones to portray the message of the piece. ` Cassandra Wilsons version lacks the power of...

What Makes a Good Villain Heres Your 15-Item Checklist

What Makes a Good Villain Heres Your 15-Item Checklist What Makes a Great Villain? Your Checklist for Writing a Good Bad Guy Nothing makes your hero more heroic than a worthy opponent. So don’t shortchange your villain. Spend every bit as much time crafting him as you do your lead character, if you want your story to work. (Though I will use male pronouns throughout, this applies equally if your main character is a heroine or your villain is female.) Too many novelists give plenty of care to every other element of their story, then create what they consider a deliciously evil villain and wonder why the package seems to fall flat. Often it’s because the bad guy is only that: bad. He’s from Central Casting and might as well be starring in a melodrama, complete with black top hat, cape, and handlebar moustache so we readers can boo and hiss his every entrance. Every other character is real and nuanced and believable, but the second-most important lead spoils the reader’s whole experience. Need help writing your novel?Click here to download my ultimate 12-step guide. Motivation: The Secret Sauce for Creating a Great Villain Don’t let the word scare you. Motivation doesn’t have to be some nebulous theatrical concept tossed about by method actors trying to get into character. It simply means your bad guy needs a reason for being the person he has become. If he isn’t working, it’s because you’ve made him the villain only because he’s a bad person. He does evil things because he’s evil. That’s too easy. Change your thinking. Try something revolutionary. If you just can’t understand truly villainous people, try this: Put yourself in their place. â€Å"Wait!† you say. â€Å"I’d rather see myself as the hero, doing the right thing because it’s the right thing, rising to the challenge, saving the day.† Wouldn’t we all? Well, don’t knock this till you’ve tried it. You’re writing along, and you’ve come to the place where your villain needs to act in some evil way. Your virtual online writing coach has urged you to be sure he has proper motivation. What does this mean? He can’t be bad, do bad, cause trouble just because he’s the bad guy, so what’s made him this way? What’s behind it? You have to know before you have him do whatever it is he’s about to do. Take His Place â€Å"But I’m not a villain!† you say. â€Å"I’m no Dr. Moriarty or Dracula or Simon Legree.† Yes, you are. You have your days. You’ve learned to control yourself, or maybe you’re a person of faith and have found control outside yourself. But you know your true nature, your old nature. We novelists need to become our characters, from young to old, male to female, blue-collar worker to executive, and illiterate to educated. That’s part of the fun of it. Now take that further. When a friend takes credit for something you accomplished, what’s your first private thought? You get over it, I know. You probably say nothing and let it pass for the sake of the relationship, and that’s great. But dwell on that initial visceral reaction a moment. Someone you know well and love and trust lies to you, and there’s no question about it. You’re offended, hurt- crushed really. In fact, you’re infuriated. You bite your tongue because you’re a mature adult. Maybe when you cool down you’ll rationally confront the lie and get to the bottom of it. But for now, entertain that immediate first reaction. Where was your heart and mind then? I’m not telling you to become mean, rotten, and nasty when we’re all supposed to have grown out of that kind of thing by now. But I am telling you to tap into your dark side long enough to know what makes a good villain tick. What Makes a Good Villain? Villains are real people to whom terrible things have happened. Maybe in childhood, maybe in adolescence, maybe later. At some point, rather than learning and growing, their maturation process stunted and stalled. Roots of bitterness and anger sprang up in them. On the surface they may have many, if not most, of the same attractive qualities of your hero. But just beneath the surface fester the qualities you can access in yourself if you allow yourself to. While this may explain the reasons for your villain’s actions, it doesn’t excuse or forgive them. He’s still evil, and he must still be brought to justice. But giving him motivation will make him more than a cardboard cutout. So conjure a backstory for your villain. Make him real and believable and credible- even attractive in many ways. And while you’re writing your story, see how many boxes you can check off on this list of characteristics that pertain to your villain. The more that apply, the more successful your novel is likely to be. Because the more worthy his opponent, the more heroic your hero will appear. Villain Characteristics Checklist: He’s convinced he’s the good guy He has many likeable qualities He’s a worthy enough opponent to make your hero look good You (and your reader) like when he’s on stage He’s clever and accomplished enough that people must lend him begrudging respect He can’t be a fool or a bumbler He has many of the same characteristics of the hero, but they’re misdirected He should occasionally be kind, and not just for show He can be merciless, even to the innocent He’s persuasive He’ll stop at nothing to get what he wants He’s proud He’s deceitful He’s jealous, especially of the hero He’s vengeful Need help writing your novel?Click here to download my ultimate 12-step guide. What would you add to this list of what makes a good villain? Tell me in Comments below.

Poetry Interpretation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Poetry Interpretation - Essay Example By outward appearances, the man looks like he has it all. He is in a relationship, and probably seems well off within the trappings of a successful life. His lover is very committed to him. Yet something eats away at him and he is neither satisfied nor happy. Quite to the contrary, he feels out of control - like he is going "down the drain;" and he cannot control it because his life has assumed its own trajectory. His "body spins and sinks" like a rock tossed into deep murky water. His only escape is to fall asleep, but sleep merely throws him "into a black hole." From a black hole to sinking and being sucked down a drain, all of the imagery of this poem suggests someone unable to resist the overwhelming pull of gravity sucking him toward an undesirable existence. The things that should be pleasant for the man - sex and love - are more like drudgery and chores. Sex makes him "feel like a servant." Love makes him "feel like a slave." These things are serving someone else, his master, rather than himself. The imagery of a servant and a slave implies a sense of subordination and a life spent at someone else's pleasure. While his lover thinks the relationship is wonderful, that lover fails to see the one-sidedness of it all. The old notion of a committed lover being shackled with a ball-and-chain comes to mind.

The Psychological considerations and social effect of In-vitro Research Paper

The Psychological considerations and social effect of In-vitro fertilization - Research Paper Example Infertility for both men and women maintains a wide variety of psychological implications that differ in relation to gender. For men, infertility creates psychological problems associated with social stigmas and norms related to acceptable masculinity traits. For instance, male infertility creates inherent insecurity and self-esteem erosion that leads to stress, secrecy and self-protectionism in an effort to insulate the male from potential, negative social judgments that the infertile man is unable to perform sexually (Peronace, Boivin & Schmidt, 2007). For women, infertility creates psychological repercussions which include stress, anger, depression and even denial (McQuillian, Greil, White & Jacob, 2003; Matthews & Matthews, 1986). This essay attempts to detail the psychological considerations of in-vitro fertilization on men and women; the potential emotional and psychosomatic implications of undergoing this emotionally-charged medical process. The project further examines a variety of potential social effects that are created by the IVF procedures. Patterns of psychological maladjustment created by being infertile appear to be compounded by the anxiety related to hopefulness for success in the procedure and the anxieties of probable IVF failures. Infertile women who pursue and engage in assisted reproductive technology, IVF, experience significant psychological distress as a result of waiting for results and the high level of anticipation that the procedure will be successful. Once the egg has been fertilized outside of the body, the resulting zygote is cultured for a period ranging between two to six days before being transplanted into the uterus. Once inserted, patient must wait, while also being monitored periodically, for a period of approximately three weeks (Boston IVF, 2014). Hence, IVF is an extensive and arduous process of waiting and attempting to draw on optimism as a psychological form of self-protectionism. As a result of this

Malnutrition in Darfur Essay Example for Free

Malnutrition in Darfur Essay Darfur is located in the Western part of Sudan and covers one fifth of the country being home to six million people. Darfur means house of fur and it is a historical region of Bilad al Sudan which is the Western part of Sudan. The northern part of Darfur is occupied by the Arabs while the main occupants of southern part are the white Arabs and Fur who are also regarded as the people of Darfur. Christianity period in Darfur lasted from around 900 to 1200. In the late 1980’s, ethnic tensions between the people of Darfur and nomadic Arabs and other agriculturalists began erupting into armed conflicts. These conflicts were very bloody and they continued up to 2003 after which the rebels from among the agriculturalists started attacking installations of the government. A peace treaty was signed in the year 2003 but this was not effective. The government of Sudan is seen to support these killings which become worse day after day. Janjaweed is the group that is terrorizing the people of Sudan and is said to be like a features of the mafia and the KKK in U. S. Janjaweed are racists and want to see the subjugation of the non Arabs in Sudan (Ubiera, 2010). Malnutrition refers to a condition which occurs when a person’s body is deprived of enough nutrients. It is brought about by an unbalanced diet, difficulties in digestion, problems of absorbing food or other medical conditions. Hunger, protein deficiency and overconsumption are the main causes of malnutrition. Malnourishment makes the body struggle to operate normally as such the ability to learn and physical work becomes difficult to undertake. In women and especially breastfeeding mothers, the prospect of producing breast milk that is nourished is very low (WFP, 2010). At present there are about 5 million people who are experiencing food insecurity in northern parts of Sudan, Darfur being among them. This is due to the conflicts going on in Darfur, poor 2009/2010 harvests, sky rocketing food prices and reduction in supply of grains. Levels of food insecurity are due to civil insecurities, limited access to cultivable land by the IDPs and poor rainfall, destruction of crops by animals, and pest infestation. Populations that are experiencing food insecurity are relying on aids from World Food Program (WFP) while others have developed coping strategies like sale of livestock, firewood and even grass so as to buy food in addition to income received from daily wage (USAID, 2010). By January 2010, research collected by UNICEF showed that there was an increase in all the three regions of Darfur with Northern Darfur being the worst hit into Outpatient Treatment Programme and Supplementary Feeding Centers. Global Outcome Malnutrition showed that it stood at over 15% in Darfur. It is estimated that there were about 3. 6 million beneficiaries of food with 30, 000MT. Consequence of the food insecurity; most of the individuals rely on donations from donors. If this help is not received, most of them end up starving. However, when it finally arrives it is limited in quantity and also quality hence its recipients cannot get all the required nutrients. Due to this there is malnutrition and more so in the camps where water is a problem too. Studies have shown that by January 2010, 80% of the total deaths since the fighting began are due to diseases and not violence. The findings showed that among the millions of people affected by the on going conflicts, most of them were still at risk of succumbing to malnutrition, waterborne diseases and diarrhea which has been rampant in the camps as the fighting continues. Displaced individuals are the most susceptible to this (AP, 2010). International interventions have been put in place so as to reduce the levels of inhumane actions in Darfur. Thousands of peacekeepers are in the region where there is collaboration of African Union-UN peace keeping and UNAMID. However, the intervention is said to have failed due to a number of factors. First, the government of Sudan is the main player of genocide. United Nations and as well as the International community has the commitment to respect the sovereignty of the national governments and so with this commitment and their need to maintain peace cannot afford them to enter into war with the government of Sudan. This means that attempts to stop war can only be successful if the government of Sudan is willing to cooperate but if it continues to keep conflicts alive and use racial hatred as a means to attack the marginalized communities, the interventions will be of little impact. Another reason is the lack of international community to make full commitments to bringing the war to a stop. The people around the world are unwilling to incur the costs of peace keeping unless there are some international strategic interests or economic benefits. The cost to human lives is not acceptable by most individuals for international conflicts which have no direct consequences to their own lives. Another reason is attributed to overall reluctance of countries, agencies or forces to do something which is related to war on terror being undertaken by US or any country. The last reason is the complexity of the problem itself. The Darfur war has significant social and political aspects. Hence the flaring up of the crisis in Darfur can only end when there is a long lasting balance of power between the two warring groups (Kumar, 2010). Even with the said failure by the humanitarian group to bring sanity into the region, their presence is still felt in Darfur. They nonetheless face many challenges but are daring enough to continue with their stay. Some of the problems are related to the government which makes it difficult for them to obtain travel visas and work permit. Bandits too attack them making it impossible for them to access the troubled areas but this has not deterred them. They try as much as possible to access the areas so as to help victims of crime and mostly the displaced people but mostly the vulnerable groups which comprise of children, women, the sick and the elderly. This shows the level of their commitment despite the reality of the failure of their efforts to bring peace in Darfur (USAID, 2010). The Sudan government and conflicts Sudan’s Liberation Army and Justice and Equality movement began attacking the government in the year 2003 by oppressing them for favoring Arabs over black Africans. Initially the conflicts were generally due to neglect by the government and lack of development in the black inhabited regions. Other supporting factors of the conflicts in Darfur are deemed to be complex and interwoven. Factors like, environmental degradation due to conflict over the access to the resources; famines in the past, neglect by the government hence lack of development characterized by poor health facilities, breakdown of the education sector and poorly developed economy; and constant interference by outsiders like British colonialists, Southern conflicts and expansion of Islamic religion. The Sudanese government responded by deploying troops to back the militias or the Janjaweed. This made the government to be accused of supporting crimes against humanity and hence perpetrating genocide. Entire communities lost their livelihood as most of their villages were burnt to the ground which forced individuals to flee from their homes. The most vulnerable groups in the underlying conditions are women and children. This is attributed to the violence in the camps for the internally displaced, and attacks on the civilians including sexual violence that is gender based and reduction in the level of water supplies (AMNESTY International, 2008). Humanitarian crisis resulted due to this mass displacement of the citizens. They included direct attacks to poor living conditions which were deteriorating day in day out. 300,000 people have lost their lives from the year 2003 to 2005 and it is during this period that George W. Bush declared the Darfur crisis as genocide. Despite the world’s outcry, the genocide continued as the number of those displaced and killed continued to increase. In 2006, the Sudanese government signed a peace treaty with one of the rebel movements but it continued to fight the other two groups which did not consent to signing the treaty. The rebel movements too started experiencing internal divisions orchestrated by political differences which led to fights leading to further complexity of the war and endangering lives of more civilians. Up to date fighting between the governments and rebel movements continues. Opportunistic bandits and militias have also taken advantage of this and it has affected the humanitarian aid and contributed to most the of gender based crimes. Despite this entire crisis, the Sudan government is seen to be on centre stage as President Bashir and his entire government is the one who created conducive environment for the fights due to their counterinsurgency campaigns through use of violence that target innocent civilians. Furthermore it has rendered peace keeping missions by the international community futile. All this makes the government to be accused of being the main player in the on going Darfur conflicts. The poor living conditions with no food or little food has led to malnutrition cases among those displaced. Further attacks made against the rescue teams have made it difficult for food to be availed to the needy persons in the camps hence cases of starvation due to limited or no food provision among the people together with lack of water are rampant (SaveDarfur, 2010). Geographic factor Darfur means the land of fur people. It was an independent sultanate from fourteenth century to 1917. It was absorbed into the British Empire after the World War 1. Under the rule of colonialists, development in the region was neglected. Before then, Darfur was provided with nothing apart from cattle and gum export support. Important facilities like maternity clinics were not available and at time of independence, Darfur had the lowest number of hospital beds (De Waal Flint, 2005). Deliberate negligence of Darfur especially after falling in the hands of colonialists is the major reason behind the hostility. Another reason is that Darfur is somehow separated from Sudan by mountains and has therefore been regarded by some people as part of Chad. In the last three centuries, neighboring countries have been struggling to rile Darfur (Collins, 2006. In the pre-colonial era there was more development than there is today due to cooler climates and the geographical condition as it was the pathway for the traders since it was between the desert and the mountains. Most of the important trade items such as feathers of ostrich, ivory and tusks of the time were transported through Darfur but in today’s economy they are no longer necessary hence decline in the economic growth of Darfur. With the imposition of the colonialists, Darfur’s importance ceased and from then their attention from the central government was lost (Prunier 2007). People of Western Sudan were disappointed by the central government for its neglect on the region. Drought experienced in 1983 and 1984 and its mismanagement by the government added to the fury. This is because the then president ignored warnings by experts on the effects of the drought on the people. Although the international community provided food it was hardly enough and this led to conflicts among the Darfurians as they tried to survive (Collins Burr, 1995). The autonym also concurs that these disagreements between Khartoum and Southerners are major factors that brought about the conflicts. Lack of security is also a concern for the government. Darfur is in the east of the Chad and is not part of Nile Valley. Geographically, Darfur is in Chad and in the past the inhabitants were linked to west more than to the Arabs on the east of Nile. This has made Darfur to be seen to be open to influence from the neighboring countries. In the past, Sudan has had issues with Chad which made the government of Sudan to allow the Libyan troops to train there and this led to increased cases of banditry and small scale violence (Collins, 2006). Conflicts in Darfur have been said to spill over to the western border into Chad and Central Africa Republic (CAR) with several armed forces being involved hence forcing the people to flee their homes across the three countries. Chad and Sudan have been accusing each other of lending a helping hand to the rebel movements in one another’s country. A quarter of Darfur citizens have fled to UN ran camps in Chad while a few of Chad citizens have taken refuge in Darfur. CAR’s government blames Sudan for supporting coalition of rebels which is Union of Democratic Forces for Unity which opposes President Francoise B. of CAR. Darfur expelled a number of humanitarian agencies after International Criminal Court issued a warrant on arrest of Bashir. As a result, thirteen international agencies and some three local groups were told to cease working in Darfur and in other parts of northern and southern Sudan. Since then little humanitarian action is said to take place (Hicks, 2010). UN Panel of Experts that is given the mandate to monitor the situation on the ground has been denied access to some areas. Other monitoring mechanisms that are independent have been reorganized as joint mechanisms with the government of Sudan. This has in turn led to increased levels of malnutrition and more so in rural areas where aid is stretched beyond capacity. Camps where they have fled due to the fights are raided by armed groups and collection of basic needs materials like firewood is proving to be dangerous as women are raped and men killed. Malnutrition rates are increasing as levels of hygiene in camps is poor and sporadic fights continue displacing more people. As people migrate from one country to the other, due to the fights, they increase chances of spreading infections. Cholera which is related to poor conditions spreads fast and other air borne diseases. Furthermore, the immigrants might not be covered by health services of the receiving country be it Sudan or the neighbors as they are not documented as required therefore being more vulnerable to diseases and this could serve as a source of spread of diseases. Public health interventions in Darfur and in the nearby border camps might not have the required health personnel who are useful in controlling or treatment of some minor infections which makes it worse and also facilitates fast spread of infections. These factors will make easy for diseases or infections to spread fast causing more trouble to the already malnourished people as the conditions are favoring too (Hicks, 2010). Doha Darfur Agreement This is a declaration of goodwill and confidence building signed by the government of Sudan and Darfur justice and Equality Movement (JEM) which is to pave way for full blown negotiations. It aims at resolving the conflicts in Darfur. Qatar is playing the role of a mediator with the help of African union-United Nations through the use of intensive talks. These talks have been seen to restore sanity if not the required level of complete peace to the troubled region. One of the reasons why it is seen to be a success is because of Qatar’s active role in the last two years in collaboration with African Union- United Nations mediation team which is led by Djibril Bassole. Qatar has been successful in bringing the two parties together and getting them to ink a deal that is deemed to have the potential for paving way to settlement of the disputes. Secondly, the current political climate and pressure on al Bashir to strike a deal as early as possible is also seen to be a reason. Al Bashir is getting pressure from Western countries in addition to the human rights organization for his bad record on rights of humanity besides ICC threats to arrest him. Upcoming referendums for independence in southern parts have put pressure on Bashir to call for peace (Pandey, 2010). Third reason that is seen to make the peace deal a success under Qatar leadership is the difficulties that are being faced by the JWEM movement to keep its movement intact. With no support from N’Dajema, the group can only opt for a peace deal as this is the only option since it has also lost the support it had before. The peace deal promises all the parties a chance to share power with the government. The fourth reason is the change of heart of the neighboring government of Chad. They have made amendments with the Khartoum government to end their long term feud. The signing of the peace accord by Chadian government in Doha shows its willingness to end the long term disputes and its support of Darfur. Another reason is the approach by International community which has also seen some changes. There is a positive attitude as the agreement led by Qatar has the full backing of organizations and world powers that have major influence. Finally disarray in rebel movements in Darfur is another reason. Leader of SLA which sparked off the fights has lost major influence on the ground due to certain splits. Many of the splitters have joined hand to form Liberation Movement for justice which has agreed to talk with the Sudanese government. With the support of most countries and with the dedication of the government of Sudan this can be seen as a step forward for the on going peace talks. Dedication too by JEM which is playing a major role is a good sign that the deal will be a success. Mass participation by people of Sudan in the concluded elections shows that there is a positive trend (Pandey, 2010). However, these peace deals have been marked by a number of difficulties which include: lack of confidence among the parties to the conflict, disputes among the movements and their unwillingness to unite in the critical process of restoring peace. These challenges are being overcome through the use of workshops which comprises of international leadership and experts drawn from the civil society organizations which are supposed to submit a recommendation on Darfur’s crisis so as to restore peace. Other challenges facing the peace talks are issues related to pockets of instability and lack of access to unstable and other areas by UNAMID. Some of the measures taken to counter the challenges are deployment of security to the humanitarian persons and the targeted population, and provision of pro active support for the peace keeping process and facilitation of the ongoing normalization of relations between Chad and Sudan and support of recovery process (UN Security Council, 2010). Conclusion The crises in Darfur do not reflect local conflicts but rather government crisis in the whole nation. The major reason why the conflicts erupted in Darfur is because of negligence by central government to issues related to development. Due to this many of people have been deprived of their human rights and there have been several humanitarian crises which have led to many deaths. Most of the deaths were due to poor health conditions especially in the camps and also due to lack of water. The only way to ensure that the conflicts come to an end or some level of sanity is restored is through the government’s dedication to peace talks with the other rebel groups. Equal development should be advocated for the whole country. Even with the deployment of troops by AU and extensive talks being held, emphasis should be on factors that led to the conflicts or else the interventions might turn out to be total failure. With the on going peace talks led by Qatar, some hope is raising though there are some difficulties involved. The strategies that are being used to correct the challenges show the extent of commitment and this makes the world and Darfur people to raise their hopes even more. Some strategic consultations too are on going between UNAMID and United Nations, African union, Arabs, the newly elected officials, displaced persons, women, the youths and representatives of civil organizations and involvement in peace process. Chad and Sudan’s reconciliation is strengthening too and there are no further reported cases of cross border attacks (UN Security Council, 2010). Efforts made by the international community in response to the crisis facing Darfur are being closely monitored by international organizations, governments, and worldwide scholars. If the international community continues to show its support, Sudan will finally enjoy peace which has been absent for so many years. References AMNESTY International, (2008). Sudan: the crisis in Darfur. Retrieved on June 7, 2010 from http://www. amnesty. ca/themes/sudan_darfur_conflict. php AP, (2010). Review of data from Darfur conflicts shows that 80% of deaths caused by diseases and not violence. Retrieved on June 7, 2010 from http://blog. taragana. com/health/2010/01/23/review-of-data-from-darfur-conflict-shows-80-percent-of-deaths-caused-by-disease-not-violence-186 Burr, J. Milliard and Robert O. Collins (1995) Requiem for the Sudan: War, Drought, and Disaster Relief on the Nile. Boudler: Westview Press Inc. Collins, Robert O. (2006) The Disaster in Darfur in Historical Perspective, The Journal of Conflict Studies, Winter 2006, pp. 25-43 Flint, J. De Waal, A. (2005) Darfur: A Short History of A Long War. London: Zed Books Kumar, V. (2010). Why international interventions to stop fighting in Darfur failed and alternative policies. Retrieved on June 7, 2010 from http://www. helium. com/items/954423-international-intervention-stop-fighting-darfur-failed-policy-alternatives? page=2 Hicks, C. (2010). Chad: views from Darfur refugees and UN protection force for Central Africa. Retrieved on June 8, 2010 from http://www. helomagazine. org/chad/2010/3/4/chad-views-from-darfur-refugees-and-the-un-protection-force. html Pandey, R. (2010). Why Darfur accord will hold. Qatar Tribune. Prunier, G. (2007) Darfur: The Ambiguous Genocide. New York: Cornell University Press. SaveDarfur, (2010). What has happened in Darfur? Retrieved on June 7, 2010 from http://www. savedarfur. org/pages/primer Ubiera, S. N. (2010). Darfur. Retrieved on June 7, 2010 from http://achumbalacafe. tripod. com/id1.html United Nations Children’s Fund, (2010). Sudan: Nutrition summary, issue 23. United Nations Security Council, (2010). AU-UN Hybrid operation in Darfur focused on protection mandate despite challenges. Retrieved on June 8, 2010 from http://www. reliefweb. int/rw/rwb. nsf/db900SID/EGUA-85MR67 USAID, (2010). Sudan food security outlook. Retrieved on June 7, 2010 from http://www. fews. net/docs/Publications/Sudan_Outlook_April_2010_final. pdf World Food Programme, (2010). What is malnutrition? Retrieved on June 7, 2010 from http://www. wfp. org/hunger/stats? gclid=CNG94pXAjaICFU6Z2AodHD9_Uw

Integrating Technology into County High School Essay -- Technology, Ed

Integrating Technology into County High School Over the past few years' schools have been integrating technology into the classroom through new methods, ideas, grants, and personal experience. Not only has it enriched the learning experience as a whole but also it has proven to be effective in motivating and influencing students desires to learn not only in the classroom but outside as well. Through things such as state and federal funding it is possible to make some of these seemingly impossible technological advances come to a small town such as ours. Students from around the country who have already been awarded the privileges of being awarded technology grants said it helped them in five ways. These five ways were that the devices encouraged students to explore topics further, helped to manage time, provided new learning tools, made courses more interesting, and increased their learning. (Woke 1) with out expanding our educational technologies through out the district to include things such as iPads, laptops for every stude nt, and social networking to be used in the classroom will not be preparing its student body for the 21st century. With out a doubt County High School needs to move to more 21st century, hands on, and learning styles in the classroom. The question is what is the means of doing this and how do we integrate it into what we do now. It is a step by step process but one of the first things we need to do is make sure every kid has a laptop. This is extremely possible because Granville County School in North Carolina passed out 900 lap tops to ever student. (Granville 2) this is a great way to start putting technology into schools while making the parents and students aware. Also to insure quality and respons... ...he social networking cites and access you are able to make a broader spectrum of student to teach communication and student to student communication to discuss ideas. As far as bringing in your own devices it is a great idea because it saves the school money and we can still monitor your Internet access. Also for disciplinary purposes if you fail to meet the updated version of the AEP you will lose the privileges to take your laptop home with you and the time period will depend on the extent of the violation. The AEP will have to include things such as at home use and broken, stolen, or lost devices that were administered to the student. if County High School bands together to create a unified responsible student body that is willing to be educated and treat the technology seriously we have a very high success rate as to making 21st century learning work for us.

Deception Point Page 109

A few of the reporters laughed. With his daughter bearing down fast from his right, Sexton had no doubt this father-daughter reunion would best be held in private. Unfortunately, privacy was scarce at the moment. Sexton's eyes darted to the large partition on his right. Still smiling calmly, Sexton waved to his daughter and stepped away from the microphone. Moving toward her at an angle, he maneuvered such that Rachel had to pass behind the partition to get to him. Sexton met her halfway, hidden from the eyes and ears of the press. â€Å"Honey?† he said, smiling and opening his arms as Rachel came toward him. â€Å"What a surprise!† Rachel walked up and slapped his face. Alone with her father now, ensconced behind the partition, Rachel glared with loathing. She had slapped him hard, but he barely flinched. With chilling control, his phony smile melted away, mutating into an admonishing glower. His voice turned to a demonic whisper. â€Å"You should not be here.† Rachel saw wrath in his eyes and for the first time in her life felt unafraid. â€Å"I turned to you for help, and you sold me out! I was almost killed!† â€Å"You're obviously fine.† His tone was almost disappointed. â€Å"NASA is innocent!† she said. â€Å"The President told you that! What are you doing here?† Rachel's short flight to Washington aboard the Coast Guard Osprey had been punctuated by a flurry of phone calls between herself, the White House, her father, and even a distraught Gabrielle Ashe. â€Å"You promised Zach Herney you were going to the White House!† â€Å"I am.† He smirked. â€Å"On election day.† Rachel felt sickened to think this man was her father. â€Å"What you're about to do is madness.† â€Å"Oh?† Sexton chuckled. He turned and motioned behind him to the podium, which was visible at the end of the partition. On the podium, a stack of white envelopes sat waiting. â€Å"Those envelopes contain information you sent me, Rachel. You. The President's blood is on your hands.† â€Å"I faxed you that information when I needed your help! When I thought the President and NASA were guilty!† â€Å"Considering the evidence, NASA certainly appears guilty.† â€Å"But they are not! They deserve a chance to admit their own mistakes. You've already won this election. Zach Herney is finished! You know that. Let the man retain some dignity.† Sexton groaned. â€Å"So naive. It's not about winning the election, Rachel, it's about power. It's about decisive victory, acts of greatness, crushing opposition, and controlling the forces in Washington so you can get something done.† â€Å"At what cost?† â€Å"Don't be so self-righteous. I'm simply presenting the evidence. The people can draw their own conclusions as to who is guilty.† â€Å"You know how this will look.† He shrugged. â€Å"Maybe NASA's time has come.† Senator Sexton sensed the press was getting restless beyond the partition, and he had no intention of standing here all morning and being lectured by his daughter. His moment of glory was waiting. â€Å"We're through here,† he said. â€Å"I have a press conference to give.† â€Å"I'm asking you as your daughter,† Rachel pleaded. â€Å"Don't do this. Think about what you're about to do. There's a better way.† â€Å"Not for me.† A howl of feedback echoed out of the PA system behind him, and Sexton wheeled to see a late-arriving female reporter, huddled over his podium, attempting to attach a network microphone to one of the goose-neck clips. Why can't these idiots arrive on time? Sexton fumed. In her haste, the reporter knocked Sexton's stack of envelopes to the ground. Goddamn it! Sexton marched over, cursing his daughter for distracting him. When he arrived, the woman was on her hands and knees, collecting the envelopes off the ground. Sexton couldn't see her face, but she was obviously â€Å"network†-wearing a full-length cashmere coat, matching scarf, and low-slung mohair beret with an ABC press pass clipped to it. Stupid bitch, Sexton thought. â€Å"I'll take those,† he snapped, holding out his hand for the envelopes. The woman scraped up the last of the envelopes and handed them up to Sexton without looking up. â€Å"Sorry†¦,† she muttered, obviously embarrassed. Hunkering low in shame, she scurried off into the crowd. Sexton quickly counted the envelopes. Ten. Good. Nobody was going to steal his thunder today. Regrouping, he adjusted the microphones and gave a joking smile to the crowd. â€Å"I guess I'd better hand these out before someone gets hurt!† The crowd laughed, looking eager. Sexton sensed his daughter nearby, standing just off-stage behind the partition. â€Å"Don't do this,† Rachel said to him. â€Å"You'll regret it.† Sexton ignored her. â€Å"I'm asking you to trust me,† Rachel said, her voice growing louder. â€Å"It's a mistake.† Sexton picked up his envelopes, straightening the edges. â€Å"Dad,† Rachel said, intense and pleading now. â€Å"This is your last chance to do what's right.† Do what's right? Sexton covered the microphone and turned as if clearing his throat. He glanced discreetly over at his daughter. â€Å"You're just like your mother-idealistic and small. Women simply do not understand the true nature of power.† Sedgewick Sexton had already forgotten his daughter by the time he turned back toward the jostling media. Head held high, he walked around the podium and handed the stack of envelopes into the hands of the waiting press. He watched the envelopes disseminate rapidly through the crowd. He could hear the seals being broken, the envelopes being torn apart like Christmas presents. A sudden hush came over the crowd. In the silence, Sexton could hear the defining moment of his career. The meteorite is a fraud. And I am the man who revealed it. Sexton knew it would take the press a moment to understand the true implications of what they were looking at: GPR images of an insertion shaft in the ice; a living ocean species almost identical to the NASA fossils; evidence of chondrules that formed on earth. It all led to one shocking conclusion. â€Å"Sir?† one reporter stammered, sounding stunned as he looked in his envelope. â€Å"Is this for real?† Sexton gave a somber sigh. â€Å"Yes, I'm afraid it's very real indeed.† Murmurs of confusion now spread through the crowd. â€Å"I'll give everyone a moment to look through these pages,† Sexton said, â€Å"and then I'll take questions and attempt to shed some light on what you're looking at.† â€Å"Senator?† another reporter asked, sounding utterly bewildered. â€Å"Are these images authentic?†¦ Unretouched?† â€Å"One hundred percent,† Sexton said, speaking more firmly now. â€Å"I would not present the evidence to you otherwise.† The confusion in the crowd seemed to deepen, and Sexton thought he even heard some laughter-not at all the reaction he had expected. He was starting to fear he had overestimated the media's ability to connect the obvious dots. â€Å"Um, senator?† someone said, sounding oddly amused. â€Å"For the record, you stand behind the authenticity of these images?† Sexton was getting frustrated. â€Å"My friends, I will say this one last time, the evidence in your hands is one-hundred-percent accurate. And if anyone can prove otherwise, I'll eat my hat!† Sexton waited for the laugh, but it never came. Dead silence. Blank stares. The reporter who had just spoken walked toward Sexton, shuffling through his photocopies as he came forward. â€Å"You're right, senator. This is scandalous data.† The reporter paused, scratching his head. â€Å"So I guess we're puzzled as to why you've decided to share it with us like this, especially after denying it so vehemently earlier.†

Entertainment Is Something Which Distracts Our Daily Life Routine Essay

What is entertainment? There are many definitions of entertainment but I look at it as something which diverts or may distract us from our daily life routine. It helps us relax for periods of time thus forget our worries and cares; our habits and thoughts are interrupted, it rests our minds and nerves, though it can also drain our energies thus exhaust our bodies (Herbert, 2012). There are multiple forms of entertainment that are in play nowadays that people find a good way to release themselves from the daily life routines. Entertainment has many forms that are endless but the main agenda is to divulge us from the daily patterns of life .In the resent generation people have been looking for better and easier ways to forge a living in a simpler manner, therefore making recreation or entertainment the most available solution to releasing them from never-ending stress and responsibilities in their daily lives (Herbert, 1946). Entertainment diverts our thoughts to moments of laxity and less care to our worries and anxieties. Our worries can either bring our heart and mind to a low or bring us to a high, in a sense that it brings an immeasurable amount of adrenaline or a low to mean laxity of mind and less activity of body. And this immense adrenaline definitely is brought about by sporting activities. Sporting activities make most of the body parts to actively participate therefore making us have the feeling of our existence within. Again in the present times technology has greatly evolved forcing humans to evolve with it. With this aspect involved, we are now encircled by smart phones, internet and all kinds of similar gadgets like television sets and iPods which have a considerable amount of our daily working life and entertainment of which we can’t imagine our entertainment or leisure time without. Everything that we are involved with at this age in time is all about entertainment as Tony Robbins puts it (Herbert, 2012) . Reading and writing has been a form of entertainment for many people. This is by books, magazines, blogs reading and writing in internet or paper. To the children reading of comics of heroes like Bat man, Super man and many others makes the happy and entertained. Also children as opposed to the adults who write; they find it entertaining to draw patterns and characters on paper. All this is educative and entertaining at the same time because it moves us from daily patterns of life while we are adding knowledge. Marshall McLuhan say that anyone who tries to make a distinction between education and entertainment doesn’t know a thing about either dance; music and films have found their way into people’s definition of entertainment and recreation (Herbert, 1946). A huge number of entertainment gadgets presently have to have music or visual images to be considered as items of entertainment. This is the other good way that recreation time can be well utilized. This is found in social joint like pubs, bars, disco etc. From my perception, our personalities can be defined by how we choose our entertainment activities e.g. If you are into parachuting you might be quite crazy, courageous and also an energetic person. But one who spends hours drawing, he or she might be a shy person, maybe calm and may also you be a patient person. Some entertainment forms may prove illogical e.g. ten people chasing after one ball but all in all each of us is unique in his or her own way thus we have what we like more us compared to other things. In conclusion entertainment does distract us from daily life routine because it soothes our feelings thus making us happy for we create our own worlds and forget about the rest of the world. Different entertainment activities create a longer period of happiness in turn causing continuous distraction.

We Should Stop Wars Essays

We Should Stop Wars Essays We Should Stop Wars Essay We Should Stop Wars Essay We Should Stop Wars Jonathan Granoff – â€Å"Nuclear Weapons, Ethics, Morals and Law† Ron Paul – â€Å"Conscription: The Terrible Price of War† Jonathan Granoff – â€Å"Peaace and Security† War and Terrorism is perhaps one of the hottest topics in the U. S. The debate on whether a mosque should be built two blocks away from ground zero has refreshed people’s memory of the terrorist attack nine years ago. Many people in the U. S. believe that we are in a just war with the terrorists who threat the peace of the world. However, how many classifications can wars be categorized? What kind of war should be permissible? In my opinion, the existence of war is evil and should be limited to the minimum possible level. First, I want to argue about the justice of a â€Å"just war†. A just war means it fits both jus ad bellum (the right to go to war) and jus in bello (the just conduct of war) (Boss, 575). Let me start analyzing from the jus ad bellum. As we know, war involves the use of armed violence between nations or between competing political factions to achieve a political purpose (Boss, 571). A war usually starts when two parties believe different thing. Namely, under many circumstances, both sides in a war believe themselves are just and the other side is evil. Even some countries try to start a war that is â€Å"unjust†, they will create a â€Å"just cause†. The Iraq War is an example. I remember in the movie â€Å"Jarhead† about 1990 Gulf War, there is a scene that the military leaders were showing the troops how just this war is by protecting Kuwait from Iraq’s invade, then a soldier whispered to another saying that this war is just for the oil. After failing to prove that Saddam Hussein possessed weapon, the Iraq War is widely considered as an unjust war based on economic purpose. However, how many times can we prove the just cause of a war? How can we prevent any organization from starting another â€Å"Iraq War† if we allow them to use just war as an excuse? The second ingredient of a just war, jus in bello, is also questionable. One frequently used example of just war is when U. S entering World War II. However, the nuclear bombs dropped on Japan definitely violated the principle of jus in bello that â€Å"noncombatants should not be intentionally targeted (Boss, 576). † Nuclear weapon is viewed as â€Å"the ultimate evil† because it could permanently destroy the ecosystem in a large area. â€Å"Not only are they destructive in magnitude but in horror as well (Granoff, 601). Thus, many people are working at stop using any nuclear weapon. Those efforts currently met two problems. The first problem is the potential threat from the countries that already developed nuclear weapons. As long as a group of people have nuclear weapons, the attempt of some others to develop nuclear weapons will still go o n. The second problem is what kind of weapon is considered â€Å"not a proportional response to the injury being redressed†? Should we allow the predator drone to vaporize people or the biological weapon that could spread diseases? Where is the limitation of the â€Å"humanity† for a war? Is killing one person to protect ten other persons a just behavior? What about killing one person to protect a thousand persons? Loss of lives in wars could hardly be just for any reason. In addition, whether a war in the history is a just war is decided by the winner most of the time. The U. S. Independence War is widely viewed as a Just War. The author Boss said that the behavior of France helping the U. S. is just. I cannot agree with him. At that time, the independence of the 13 colonies was viewed as a violation of fidelity. The assistant from France is just based on its economic consideration. What if a Native American reservation claims for independence now? The winner of a War is usually the â€Å"just† side. And when a group lacks the power to engage in conventional warfare, this group might use politically motivated violence to target noncombatants and create intimidation, which is terrorism (Boss, 572). At this point of view, if an organization to not want to be terrorism, this organization needs to have the military power to directly confront enemy. We always condemn terrorist because of the method they use. What about ourselves? According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute Yearbook 2010, the U. S. military spend of the U. S. consists 46. 5% of the whole world’s military spend. Does the U. S. need to maintain the largest military spend in order to secure the â€Å"strongest country† in the world? This is questionable. War has never stopped after World War II. There are still about 1. 6 million people killed every year now (Boss, 572). If we allow one type of war to exist, we will give war makers excuse to create other types of wars. As long as human nature does not change, people will seek for more resources and conflict will exist. We must make every effort to stop war.

One Size Does Not Fit All

One Size Does Not Fit All One Size Does Not Fit All One Size Does Not Fit All By Maeve Maddox Creating a piece of writing can be compared to building a house. Both activities involve practical and aesthetic considerations. A builder needs to know what is to be built and who will be using it. A writer must have a clear purpose and an intended audience. A builder who specializes in building houses probably would not have the tools or experience necessary to build a cathedral, and might even consider some of the tools or materials required to build such an edifice unnecessary, time-wasting, or elitist. A writer must first consider what is to be written. Is it an advertising flyer or a paper for a scientific journal? Is it a reference book for astronomers, or a popular guide to the stars? Is it Wind in the Willows, or Gone With the Wind? Whatever the writers purpose, the basic tool kit is the same: a reasonable grasp of English grammar, vocabulary, orthography, and idiomatic expression. Writers acquire this basic writing kit from elementary and secondary education and from general reading. As adults they refresh their memories by consulting dictionaries and style guides like Elements of Style and Zinssers On Writing Well. This basic tool kit serves well for most kinds of no frills writing. Non-fiction writers add to the basic equipment by reading widely in their areas of specialization. They may study the style of scientists who write well, such as Peter Farb (Face of North America: The Natural History of A Continent). Fiction writers increase the furnishings of their minds and find their own voices by reading fiction and nonfiction in many genres and from various historical periods. All writers operate from the basic tool kit, and, like builders, have the option of using the tools that suit the project in hand. They may not need every gadget in the box, and they may use some of the tools in unorthodox ways. Screw drivers and putty knives can be used for tasks other than the ones theyre designed for. And while older tools like magnetic stud finders may be superseded by electronic ones, they can still do the job. The writer, like any other craftsman, will think carefully about which tool is needed for a particular job. Once upon a time there was a dear little girl who was loved by every one who looked at her, but most of all by her grandmother, and there was nothing that she would not have given to the child. We could edit this first sentence of Grimms tale of Little Red-Cap according to what we learn from White and Zinsser: Everybody loved a little girl, especially her grandmother. The result is shorter and gets to the point faster. Perhaps a modern story teller would begin that way, but the revision destroys the fairy tale magic. While crisp, no-nonsense prose may be exactly what we want most of the time, sometimes we may wish to slow our writing for effect. Once upon a time there was is a way of saying to the reader Dont worry about going anywhere. Settle back and give yourself up to this fictional world for awhile. 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 Fiction Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:7 English Grammar Rules You Should KnowHow to Play HQ Words: Cheats, Tips and TricksPeople vs. Persons

A report on the accountability in Shell company in 4 areas of Research Paper

A report on the accountability in Shell company in 4 areas of accountability; describe and explain each of these selected issues and secondly describe how each issue is implemented Shell - Research Paper Example Shareholders are interested in knowing a firm’s financial position and whether it is able to earn adequate revenue so that their returns are maximized. Shareholders provide a business with capital, which is invested in valuable assets and are utilized in different ways. If a company does not utilise the capital effectively, it would fail in generating profits as well as in providing returns to shareholders. Similarly, suppliers are also interested in knowing whether a company is able to utilize the materials supplied by them and whether they are financially sound to make payments on time. Employees do not receive their salaries and wages on time if a company fails in generating adequate revenue. Also, they are affected if the firm pursues acquisition and merger related activities as this may lead to their shifting or loss of job. A firm also remains accountable to the society and the government in respect of its environmental policies and payment of taxes (Royal Dutch Shell Pl c, 2013). Globalization has induced complexity into the world of commerce. Companies are indulging in bureaucratic and unethical activities in order to sustain global completion and make profits. Corporate Social Responsibilities or CSR activities help in maintaining fair business practices and makes a company accountable in respect of its activities. Hence, firms are required to prepare CSR reports at definite periodic intervals. Such CSR reports are considered to be important in promoting business integrity, establishing proper regulatory framework and mapping efficiency of business authorities and senior management. For lawyers and accountants, CSR is largely a technical term involving only the accountability of a firm in respect of financial statements. CSR, however, is a broad term comprising several aspects such as, firm’s responsibility towards the society, environment, government and the common mass (Frynas, 2005). It is important

Case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 17

Case study - Essay Example The major problem that arises from implementing rulings that enforce business ethics is that laws are always retrospective in nature. This means that no law will solve a problem that is not someway provided for in that law, and correspondingly, most business problems are not crimes till they have been recognized and a rule has been applied against them (Collins 2010, p. 15). Another problem seen in laws applying to business scenarios is that such laws tend to create a negative portrayal of the relationship between ethics and law. Common law can decree some key precedents at the time when dealing with business problems that are ethical, but then again if business ethics depend only in the compliance of legal statutes that is combined with common law, then ethics will be weakened in force (Collins 2010, p. 18). Due to the fact that the rulings in common laws are centered in precedent, It is quite possible that a certain company can figure out how to execute an unprincipled action that is flawlessly legal within the defined scopes of the law up to that particular point. Additionally, if it appears that there is no law which bans that act, then it is still legal (Collins 2010, p. 23). When the corporate laws focus on ethics as identical with conforming to the law, then the companies will not be barred from executing any act until the act is forbidden in either common law or official statute. An example that entails the relationship between law and business problems is the Ford Pinto case. The case involved a Ford pinto car model. The chief designer, Ford, in making the car, created a model that would statistically cause 180 fewer accidents per year (Collins 2010, p. 25). However, this alternative model would cost an extra $11 per model. Ford then used a cost benefit analysis in compliance with the common law and previous business ethics cases to decide whether or not to implement the