Martin Luther King Jr Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Martin Luther King Jr - Essay Example Martin is the kind of man who was admired by many people for the help he offered to humanity. He made several travels around the world to meet various political and religious leaders for advice. In his travels also, he preached to the people against violent practices and educated them on their civil rights so that the freedom for humanity could be reborn. In this essay therefore we shall focus on everything that pertains to Martin Luther King Jnr in line with leadership, as he made use of all the possible means to ensure that humanity got saved from all kinds of mistreatment as well as poverty. Martin Luther Jnr was born in Georgia in 1929, in a religious family; being that the father was a pastor. Due to the racism that had taken root in Montgomery and the inspiration drawn from a theologian, who all his time was dedicated towards defending racial equality, Martin Luther Jnr decided to join him so he could fight against such ills of the society. He always was a person who could not simply relax in the face of ill practices, he always assumed an obligation of ensuring change got effected soon. Just after being elected president of the Montgomery Improvement Association, he realized it was time he swung into action against racism, by taking advantage of the position he had acquired. It was, therefore, in 1995 when in a Montgomery bus witnessed a situation where Rosa Parks was asked to surrender her seat for a white passenger, whom they regarded special as compared to Rosa. She refused to honor their orders, and this had her arrested. A bus boycott was then organized by Mart in Luther Jnr together with other activists, which went on for a year and some days; threatening the downtown business owned by people as well as the straining of the economy of the public transit system. At this time, the qualities of great leadership in Martin Luther had begun to show. He is not afraid of what

The Stroop Effect Essay Example for Free

The Stroop Effect Essay The aim of the study was to investigate the extent that automatic tasks have an effect on the speed of saying the words. It was assumed that participants will take significantly longer to say colour words in a different colour to what the word is on a word list then when the colour word is in the same colour because reading a word has become an automatic process. The method of this study used a repeated measures and matched pairs design and involved giving participants a selection of six lists; three inconsistent with colour and the word and three consistently worded. The sampling method was opportunity sampling taken from a sampling body of 16-19 year old students at Richmond Upon Thames College. Results were tested using the Wilcoxon matched pairs signed ranks test; this showed that there is a significant difference in the mean time taken to say the inconsistent list in comparison to the consistent list. However, environmental factors such as the noise of the surroundings have not been taken into account adding a major limitation to this study. Introduction The topic area I am going to study is attention, looking more specifically into automatic processing. Automatic processing is a concept in the area of attention that states that some tasks can be processed without the awareness of the person and dont interfere with the ability to process other tasks, for example someone who can type and talk to someone at the same time. This person can type without thinking about it; it has become an automatic process. Schiffrin and Schneider (1977) pioneered research in this area. They found that automatic processes are inflexible and hard to change i. e. once they are learnt it is difficult to alter them. Norman and Schallice (1986) argue that automatic tasks are preformed through schemas (a way of organising and storing knowledge, creates a framework for future understanding) and that when an action is preformed the relevant schema has to be used and the other, similar schema controlled using contention scheduling to stop similar schemas being activated. An example of this is if someone goes into a kitchen to make tea then the other schemas relevant to the kitchen, for example a toast making schema must be controlled using contention scheduling. Norman and Schallice also identified a supervisory attentional system which is when someone is controlling themselves consciously to override an automatic process. An example of this is when someone usually leaves their house and turns left to go to college but due to an appointment they have to turn right. Stroop (1935) also conducted research into automatic processes. He gave participants two lists and asked them to say the name of the colour the words were printed in one list was colour words in the same colour and the second was colour words in a different colour. Stroop found that when the colour words were in different colours the participant would take longer to read the colour of the word this is because the automatic process of reading is completed faster then the controlled process of identifying the colour. This research is being conducted to identify if it applied to students as because they are studying they may be more aware of the colour or the tasks at hand they in a performance mode. Aim: To investigate the effects of two similar tasks i. e. reading different coloured words on the speed of saying the words. Hypothesis-directional: Participants will take significantly longer to say colour words in a different colour to what the word is on a word list then when the colour word is in the same colour. Hypothesis-null: There will be no difference in the time taken for participants to say colour words in a different colour to what the word is on a word list then when the colour word is in the same colour. Methods Design The research will be carried out in a repeated measures design; participants will be exposed to both the conditions, each variable will be tested on the participant three times. This design however, suffers from order effects; once a participant has finished one list they will be ready or rehearsed for the next ergo be better at the next list. With this in mind, this research will be counter balanced, for example if participant A reads list 1 first then participant B will read list 2 first and so on. To ensure more valid results the participant will receive three lists from the inconsistent condition and three lists from the consistent condition. Investigator effects will be avoided by creating a set of standardised instructions; this will ensure that the researchers do not treat each participant differently creating less demand characteristics. This research could be considered unethical as the participant doesnt know what they are doing but this will be dealt with by a debriefing; after the experiment the participant will be told what the experiment is for the lack of informed consent will only cause minimal psychological harm. The hypothesis will only be accepted if the results show a level of significance over 5%; this has been chosen to make the results more generalisable and to avoid anomalies.

Shakespeare - Authorship Essay -- essays research papers

In 1564, a man was born by the name of William Shakespeare. He was born to a poor family, was given little education, and had no interaction with sophisticated society. Thirty-eight plays and over 150 sonnets are not attributed to this ignorant man. Those who believe that Shakespeare was the author have no definitive proof but instead point to Hamlet’s declaration: "The play’s the thing(Satchell 71)." The true author, however, lies hidden behind he name of Shakespeare. Edward de Vere the premier Earl of Oxford is not only considered a great poet in history, but he may also be the great playwright who concocted the sonnets and plays which are now attributed to William Shakespeare of Stratford, England. Edward de Vere was the Lord Great Chamberlain and the seventeenth Earl of Oxford. He was raised as a Royal Ward and from a very young age was educated in the sports and arts of nobility. Although disgraceful for a nobleman to waste time writing frivolous plays, Oxford as a young man wrote and staged the entertainment for the court. As an adult, he became engrossed in theatrical performances and frittered away his fortunes in support of several writers and actors (Friedman 13). During this time, De Vere also began writing several poems and plays. Much like Samuel Clemens, who wrote under the name of Mark Twain, Oxford adopted the pseudonym Shakespeare. Soon after plays appeared under the name of "Shakespeare," poems by de Vere ceased (Russell 5). Coincidently, the coat of arms of Lord Bulbeck, a third title of Edward de Vere, is a lion shaking a spear (Ogburn 10). De Vere was also known by the people as the "spear-shaker" because of excellence at the tilts and at j ousting (Russell 5). Many believe this pen name was for protection. Many of the plays said to have been written by Shakespeare explicitly describe the corruption in court politics and contain "thinly veiled satires and parodies of politicians and courtiers." In addition, public theatres such as the Globe were laced with prostitutes, drunkards and criminals and because of the scoundrel audiences, playwrights were held in low esteem. Moreover, many scholars believe de Vere’s reasons for his pseudonym may be linked to the homoerotic threads in many of the Shakespearean sonnets and de Vere’s possible homosexual affair with his son-... ...o one (Huston 162). In Sonnets 25 through 46, de Vere also spelled out in 22 letter patterns W SHAKESPEARE-OXFORD-VERE (Huston 170). The odds of this happening are even greater than that of the aforementioned probability. Using poetic license, de Vere of Oxford utilized codes and ciphers to spell out his name and other such messages. Edward de Vere of Oxford lived from 1550 to 1604. In the duration of that time, he was a young nobleman, a poet, and a lover of the theatre, but was also probably a great playwright who has yet to receive full credit for the plays he composed. De Vere witnessed first hand the inner workings of nobility. He traveled throughout Europe, completed his education at Cambridge University, studied the law at Gray’s Inn, and had abundant knowledge of historical occurrences and literary works (Russell 4). These are not only elements in the works attributed to William Shakespeare, but also are things which William Shakespeare of Stratford England knew nothing of. Who wrote the Shakespearean sonnets and plays? There is only one answer to this pivotal question – Edward de Vere of Oxford England.

How Can We Control Corruption?

CAN WE EVER REMOVE CORRUPTION? Corruption: This word corruption is something disreputable which we always come across in our day to day life whether it reveals in politics or is seen in our regular jobs. Corruption exists in almost all the countries of the world. The rich and  powerful people  are the real beneficiaries of corruption and they are never part of movement to eradicate the corruption. All of them need to be made center of attraction before the society and media for their act of corruption.The question is that, we always  come across  this word, but is there any way out we can  get rid of  these termites which are eating up a country’s future and making it unhealthy ?. We need to be helpful to the weaker section of the society who are the real victims of corruption. Do we really think that only going against the politicians and  passing bills  by the parliamentary committee of a democratic country or electing a correct ruler/ leader would lead its c ountry and remove corruption from its root permanently?.As per my view, only electing a good leader/ruler would not remove corruption as a whole from its root because they can show us the  right path  and in a big country which have its own huge and special problems, we cannot expect from the leaders heading the Govt. to reach every individual and keep a watch on the measures taken to remove the termite called‘ Corruption' from its Country, City, State or the World. But it is agreed by all that politicians and greedy business tycoons are the backbone of corruption world over. A country and its responsibilities do not only fall on the shoulders of the political leaders of that country because the country not only belongs to them but it is also a responsibility of all of us. We should not only blame one person or a body of people but  should understand  that if the corruption has become a part of higher level and a country is getting effected – its present future, everything is in danger, then they are not solely responsible for all these things.If we want to remove the corruption from its root, we will have to  work hard  together towards this and first of all remove corruption from its root which is lying in our day to day life and within us. It is not possible for a single person to remove corruption Removing corruption has become so difficult because we all have adopted this as a habit in our daily life. For  some reasons  or the other, we adopt this method to achieve our desires, dream and also to get id of problems in a shortcut way. I can just make my friends count  few examples  at a go : – O When caught in a traffic jam and and we are asked to show our driving license, we prefer most of the time to bribe the traffic officer or  get rid of  spending more time in arguing or settling up with him. O When we  require to get some work done  from a person and we know that there is a difficulty in it, we prefer br ibing such person(s)to get our  work done  very easily.O We even in the name of donation do not stop bribing schools and some of them also entertain this practice in the name of donation when its time for admissions of our children. In a short, we bribe or follow corruption every where in our day to day life, so how can we say that the leaders or the  political bodies  are only responsible for corruption in a country ? Giving chance to  eligible people  at  work place  and only following people whom we like is also a part of corruption.Wherever we go, every second of our life we practice corruption, so going against only a particular group of people, doing hunger strikes won’t help us until we become real enemies of corruption and each and every one of us starts thinking that we are the leaders of the country and our aim is to set an examples for  every other person. Being a part of corruption or not raising voice against it, is equal in every sense. As it i s always said that â€Å" Charity begins at home†, we should always  understandthat the fight against corruption can only be fought with vigor and vitality to kill it from its root which is possible only when we all start a revolution and stop evensupporting  this kind of practice and activities at a very lower to higher level. Rules and Regulations – disciplines and laws should be equal for all,  supporting terror  in any ways,selfish thinking should be stopped and voice against wrong issues are the few initial steps which can be taken up by any of us, every individual,  peopleand all of our country men towards a  healthy future.At the end, the way to eradicate corruption is possible only when the society andyoung youths  of today promise to themselves to contain it and bring a clean environment for the growth of country and its people. If we all are united and theyoung generation  is determined to prioritize the eradication of corruption from the coun try, it will benefit a  common man  and would lead the country to a new height as well.

The Return: Midnight Chapter 34

â€Å"You've been fed and taken care of as best as we can manage,†Meredith said, looking at allthe taut, frightened young faces turned toward her in the basement. â€Å"And now there's just one thing I want to ask of you in return.†She made an effort and steadied her voice. â€Å"I want to know if anybody knows of a mobile phone that connects to the Internet, or a computer that is Stillworking. Please, please – if you even think you know where one might be, tel me.† The tension was like a thick rubber cord, dragging Meredith toward each of the pale, strained faces, dragging them to her. It was just as well that Meredith was essential y well – balanced. About twelve hands went up immediately, and their lone five-year-old whispered, â€Å"My mommy has one. And my daddy.† There was a pause before Meredith could say, â€Å"Does anybody know this kid?†and an older girl spoke up before she could. â€Å"She just means they had them before the Burning Man.† â€Å"Is the Burning Man cal ed Shinichi?†Meredith asked. â€Å"‘Course. Sometimes he would make the red parts of his hair burn up way over his head.† Meredith filed that little fact away under Things I do not want to see, honest, cross my heart, ever. Then she shook herself free from the image. â€Å"You guys and girls, please, please think. I only need one, one mobile phone with Internet access that Stillhas power right now. One laptop or computer that is Stillworking now, maybe because of a generator Stillmaking electricity. Just one family with a home generator Stillworking. Anybody?† The hands were down now. A boy she thought she recognized as being one of the Loring siblings, maybe age ten or eleven, said, â€Å"The Burning Man told us that mobile phones and computers were bad. That was why my brother got in a fistfight with my dad. He threw al the mobiles at home in the toilet.† â€Å"Okay. Okay, thanks. But anybody who's seen a working mobile or computer? Or a home generator – â€Å" â€Å"Why, yes, my dear, I've got one.†The voice came from the top of the stairs. Mrs. Flowers was standing there, dressed in a fresh sweat suit. Strangely, she had her voluminous purse in her hand. â€Å"You had – have a generator?†Meredith asked, her heart sinking. What a waste! And if disaster came al because she, Meredith, hadn't finished reading over her own research! The minutes were ticking away, and if everyone in Fel ‘s Church died, it would be her fault. Her fault. She didn't think she could live with that. Meredith had tried, al her life, to reach the state of calm, concentration, and balance that was the other side of the coin from the fighting skil s her various disciplines had taught her. And she had become good at it, a good observer, a good daughter, even a good student for al that she was in Elena's fast-paced, high-flying clique. The four of them: Elena, Meredith, Caroline, and Bonnie had fit together like four pieces of a puzzle, and Meredith Stillsometimes missed the old days and their daring, dominating pseudo-sophisticated capers that never real y hurt anyone – except the sil y boys who had mil ed around them like ants at a picnic. But now, looking at herself, she was puzzled. Who was she? A Hispanic girl named for her mother's Welsh best friend in col ege. A hunter-slayer of vampires who had kitten canines, a vampire twin, and whose group of friends included Stefan, a vampire; Elena, an ex-vampire – and possibly another vampire, although she was extremely hesitant to cal Damon a â€Å"friend.† What did that alladd up to? A girl trying to do her best to keep her balance and concentration, in a world that had gone insane. A girl Stillreeling from what she'd learned about her own family, and now tottering from the need to confirm a dreadful suspicion. Stop thinking. Stop! You have to tel Mrs. Flowers that her boardinghouse has been destroyed. â€Å"Mrs. Flowers – about the boardinghouse – I have to talk to you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Why don't you use my BlackBerry first?†Mrs. Flowers came down the basement stairs careful y, watching her feet, and then the children parted before her like waves on the Red Sea. â€Å"Your†¦?†Meredith stared, choked up. Mrs. Flowers had opened her enormous purse and was now proffering a rather thick al -black object to her. â€Å"It Stillhas power,†the old lady explained as Meredith took the thing in two shaking hands, as if receiving a holy object. â€Å"I just turned it on and it was working. And now I'm on the Internet!† – proudly. Meredith's world had been swal owed up by the smal , grayish, antiquated screen. She was so amazed and excited at seeing this that she almost forgot why she needed it. But her body knew. Her fingers clutched; her thumbs danced over the mini-keyboard. She went to her favorite search page and entered the word â€Å"Orime.†She got pages of hits – most in Japanese. Then feeling a trembling in her knees, she typed in â€Å"Inari.† 6,530,298 results. She went to the very first hit and saw a web page with a definition. Key words seemed to rush out at her like vultures. Inari is the Japanese Shinto deity of rice†¦and†¦foxes. At the entrance to an Inari shrine are†¦statues of two kitsune†¦one male and one female†¦each with a key or jewel carried in mouth or paw†¦These fox-spirits are the servants and messengers of Inari. They carry out Inari's orders†¦. There was also a picture of a pair of kitsune statues, in their fox forms. Each had a front paw resting on a star bal . Three years ago, Meredith had fractured her leg when she was on a skiing trip with her cousins in the Blue Ridge Mountains. She had run straight into a smal tree. No martial arts skil s could save her at the last minute; she knew she was skiing off the groomed areas, where she could run into anything: powder, crud, or iced-over ruts. And, of course, trees. Lots of trees. She was an advanced skier, but she had been going too fast, looking in the wrong direction, and the next thing she knew, she was skiing into the tree instead of around it. Now she had the same sensation of waking up after a head-on into wood. The shock, the dizziness and nausea that were, initial y, worse than the pain. Meredith could take pain. But the pounding in her head, the sickening awareness that she had made a big mistake and that she was going to have to pay for it were unbearable. Plus there was a curious horror about the knowledge that her own legs wouldn't hold her up. Even the same useless questions ran through her subconscious, like: How could I be so stupid? Is this possibly a dream? and, Please, God, can I hit the Undo button? Meredith suddenly realized that she was being supported on either side by Mrs. Flowers and their sixteen-year-old, Ava Wakefield. The mobile was on the cement floor of the basement. She must have actual y started to black out. Several of the younger kids were screaming Matt's name. â€Å"No – I – I can stand up alone†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Al she wanted in the world was to go into the darkness and get away from this horror. She wanted to let her legs go slack and her mind go blank, to flee†¦ But she couldn't run away. She had taken the stave; she had taken the Duty from her grandfather. Anything supernatural that was out to harm Fel ‘s Church on her watch was her problem. And the problem was that her watch never ended. Matt came clattering down the stairs, carrying their seven-year-old, Hailey, who continual y shook with petit mal seizures. â€Å"Meredith!†She could hear the incredulity in his voice. â€Å"What is it? What did you find, for God's sake?† â€Å"Come†¦look.†Meredith was remembering detail after detail that should have set off warning bel s in her mind. Matt was somehow already beside her, even as she remembered Bonnie's very first description of Isobel Saitou. â€Å"The quiet type. Hard to get to know. Shy. And†¦nice.† And that first visit to the Saitou house. The horror that quiet, shy, nice Isobel Saitou had become: the Goddess of Piercing, blood and pus oozing from every hole. And when they had tried to carry dinner to her old, old grandmother, Meredith had noticed absently that Isobel's room was right under the dol -like old lady's. After seeing Isobel pierced and clearly unbalanced, Meredith had assumed that any evil influence must be trying to travel up, and had worried in the back of her mind about the poor, old, dol -sized grandmother. But the evil could just as easily have traveled down. Maybe Jim Bryce hadn't given Isobel the malach madness after al . Maybe she had given it to him, and he had given it to Caroline and to his sister. And that children's game! The cruel, cruel song that Obaasan – that Inari-Obaasan had crooned. â€Å"Fox and turtle had a race†¦Ã¢â‚¬  And her words: â€Å"There's a kitsune involved in this somewhere.† She'd been laughing at them, amusing herself! Come to that, it was from Inari-Obaasan that Meredith had first heard the word â€Å"kitsune.† And one more additional cruelty, that Meredith had only been able to excuse before by assuming Obaasan had very poor sight. That night, Meredith had had her back to the door and so had Bonnie – they had both been concentrating on â€Å"poor decrepit old Grandma.†But Obaasan had been facing the door, and she was the only one who could have seen – must have seen – Isobel sneaking up behind Bonnie. And then, just as the cruel game song told Bonnie to look behind her†¦ Isobel had been crouching there, ready to lick Bonnie's forehead with a forked pink tongue†¦ â€Å"Why?†Meredith could hear her own voice saying. â€Å"Why was I so stupid? How could I not have seen from the beginning?† Matt had retrieved the BlackBerry and read the web page. Then he just stood, fixed, his blue eyes wide. â€Å"You were right,†he said, after a long moment. â€Å"I want so much to be wrong†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Meredith – Shinichi and Misao are Inari's servants†¦If that old lady is Inari we've been running around like crazy after the wrong people, the hired muscle†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"The damn note cards,†Meredith choked out. â€Å"The ones done by Obaasan. They're useless, flawed. Al those bul ets she blessed should have been no good – but maybe she did bless them – as a game. Isobel even came to me and changed al the characters the old lady had done for the jars to hold Shinichi and Misao. She said that Obaasan was almost blind. She left a tear on my car seat. I couldn't understand why she should be crying.† â€Å"I Stillcan't. She's the granddaughter – probably the third generation of a monster!†Matt exploded. â€Å"Why should she cry? And why do the Post-it Notes work?† â€Å"Because they're done by Isobel's mother,†Mrs. Flowers said quietly. â€Å"Dear Matt, I truly doubt that the old woman is related to the Saitous at all. As a deity – or even a powerful magic-user named after a deity – and undoubtedly a kitsune herself, she surely just moved in with them and used them. Isobel's mother and Isobel had no choice but to carry on the charade for fear of what she'd do to them if they didn't.† â€Å"But Mrs. Flowers, when Tyrone and I pul ed that leg bone out of the thicket, didn't you say that the Saitou women made such excel ent amulets? And didn't you say that we could get the Saitou women to help translate the words on the clay jars when Alaric sent the pictures of them from that Japanese Island?† As for my belief in the Saitou women, Well, I'l have to quibble a little here,†Mrs. Flowers said. â€Å"I couldn't know that this Obaasan was evil, and there are Stilltwo of them who are gentle and good, and who have helped us tremendously – and at great risk to themselves.† Meredith could taste the bitterness of bile in her mouth. â€Å"Isobel could have saved us. She could have said ‘My fake grandmother is real y a demon.'† â€Å"Oh, my dear Meredith, the young are so unforgiving. This Inari was probably instal ed in her house when she was a child. Al she knows at first is that the old woman is a tyrant, with a god's name. Then perhaps some demonstration of power – what happened to Orime's husband, I wonder, to make him go back to Japan – if indeed he went there? He may well be dead. And then Isobel is growing up: shy, quiet, introverted – frightened. This is not Japan; there are no other priestesses here to confide in. And you saw the consequences when Isobel reached out to someone outside of the family – to her boyfriend, Jim Bryce.† â€Å"And to us – Well, to you and Bonnie,†Matt said to Meredith. â€Å"She sicced Caroline on you.† Scarcely knowing what they were doing, they were talking faster and faster. â€Å"We have to go there right now,†said Meredith. â€Å"Shinichi and Misao may be the ones bringing on the Last Midnight, but it's Inari who gives the orders. And who knows? She may dole out the punishments as well. We don't know how big her star bal is.† â€Å"Or where,†said the old woman. â€Å"Mrs. Flowers,†Matt said hastily, â€Å"you'd better stay here with the kids. Ava, here, is reliable, and where's Jacob Lagherty?† â€Å"Here,†said a boy who looked older than fifteen. He was as tal as Matt was, but gangly. â€Å"Okay. Ava, Jake, you're in charge under Mrs. Flowers. We'l leave Saber with you too.†The dog was a big hit among the kids, on his best behavior, even when the younger ones chewed his tail. â€Å"You two just listen to Mrs. Flowers, and – â€Å" â€Å"Matt, dear, I won't be here. But the animals wil surely help to protect them.† Matt stared at her. Meredith knew what he was thinking. Was Mrs. Flowers, so reliable up until now, going somewhere to hide alone? Was she abandoning them? â€Å"And I'l need one of you to drive me to the Saitou house – quickly! – but the other can stay and protect the children as well.† Meredith was both relieved and worried, and clearly Matt was too. â€Å"Mrs. Flowers, this is going to be a battle. You could get hurt or be taken hostage so easily – â€Å" â€Å"Dear Matt, this is my battle. My family has lived in Fel ‘s Church for generations, al the way back to the pioneering times. I believe this is the battle for which I was born. Certainly the last of my old age.† Meredith stared. In the dim light of the basement, Mrs. Flowers seemed suddenly different somehow. Her voice was changing. Even her smal body seemed to be changing, steadying, standing tal . â€Å"But how wil you fight?†Matt asked, sounding dazed. â€Å"With this. That nice young man, Sage, left it for me with a note apologizing for using Misao's star bal . I used to be quite good with these when I was young.†From her capacious purse, Mrs. Flowers pul ed out something pale and long and thin as it unwound and Mrs. Flowers whirled it and snapped it with a loud crack at the empty half of the basement. It hit a Ping-Pong bal , curled around it, and brought it back to Mrs. Flowers's open hand. A bul whip. Made of some silvery material. Undoubtedly magical. Even Matt looked scared of it. â€Å"Why don't Ava and Jake teach the children to play Ping-Pong while we're gone – and we real y must go, my dears. There's not a minute to waste. A terrible tragedy is coming, Ma ma says.† Meredith had been watching – feeling as dazed as Matt looked. But now she said, â€Å"I have a weapon too.†She picked up the stave and said, â€Å"I'm fighting, Matt. Ava, the children are yours to care for.† â€Å"And mine,†Jacob said, and immediately proved his usefulness by adding, â€Å"Isn't that an axe hanging back there near the furnace?† Matt ran and snatched it up. Meredith could see from his expression what he was thinking: Yes! One heavy axe, a tiny bit rusty, but Stillplenty sharp enough. Now if the kitsune sent plants or wood against them, he was armed. Mrs. Flowers was already going up the basement stairs. Meredith and Matt exchanged one quick glance and then they were running to catch up with her. â€Å"You drive your mom's SUV. I'l sit in back. I'm Stilla little bit†¦Well, dizzy, I guess.†Meredith didn't like to admit to a personal weakness, but better that than crashing the vehicle. Matt nodded and was good enough not to comment on why she felt so dizzy. She Stillcouldn't believe her own stupidity. Mrs. Flowers said only one thing. â€Å"Matt, dear, break traffic laws.†

Do you agree with the view that Britains involvement in the Crimean War was a total waste of time and life Essays

Do you agree with the view that Britains involvement in the Crimean War was a total waste of time and life Essays Do you agree with the view that Britains involvement in the Crimean War was a total waste of time and life Essay Do you agree with the view that Britains involvement in the Crimean War was a total waste of time and life Essay Britains involvement in the Crimean War arose from the belief that British interests in India were directly threatened by the Russias army advance through Afghanistan and that their route to India would be threatened by the prospect of Russian control over the eastern Mediterranean, particularly the area around the Black Sea. Therefore, it can be argued that Britains involvement in the Crimean War was a worthwhile success, as the Peace of Paris stated that the Black Sea was to be neutralised. However, there are outcomes of the war that suggest the war was a total waste of time and life, such as the many deaths caused by poor health care.Source A supports this, as it argues through gangrene, fever, cholera, dysentery, rhmatism, the British army was reduced to 11,000 effectives with 23,000 sick. I can infer that this means the Crimean war was a waste of life, as not only did soldiers therefore die, but many were unable to fight, as they were ill. Furthermore, it could be argued that the war was a waste of time, because while men should have fought, as there were few battle casualities, they were in hospitals. However, Source A was written by a Lieutenant, which means he didnt have personal experience of being a soldier in the war and could also mean he was biased, as he may not have wanted to criticise other men in high positions in the army.For example, when he admits to the problems of food, he explains that there were many supplies that couldnt reach the soldiers due to no labourers, no tools to repair the track, instead of blaming aristocracy imcompetence. Also the exact date is unknown, so we cant be sure if this was a problem at the start of the war or towards the end. On the other hand, he is being honest when he explains the problems, which I know from my own knowledge. Also he has written it to go home and as it is going to be read by his family, he is unlikely to be biased.However, Source B suggests that Britains involvement in t he war was essential, as it explains that the war was due to the desire of seeing Europe saved from the arrogant and dangerous Russia. As Russia had been defeated at the end of the war, it can be argued that the war was worthwhile, especially as England had achieved what they wanted to at the start of the war through the Peace of Paris. However, Source B is biased, as it was written by Queen Victoria to the King of Belgium and therefore would potray Russia as being barbarous, while claiming England is unselfish. However, it is quite useful, as it is a primary source and has the exact date written, so therefore we know it was written at the end of the war. Also it demonstrates that Britains involvement was useful, as it mentions the peace negotiations, which demonstrate that the war wasnt a total waste of time and life. Source C also explains that there was a purpose for the war. The Crimean War did involve British interests. It also states that Russia threatens British trade routes. However, the Source then explains that despite the win, it did not go well.This is due to the consequences of the years of neglect suffered by the British army since 1915. From my own knowledge, I know that the British army suffered due to the incompotence of the aristocracy with supplies, such as Lord Raglan who had ordered only a small number of medical assistants (around four per hundred men), as he believed the space on ships should be given to troops. Also this was made worse by the captain of one of the two originally designated hospital ships off- loading all the medical supplies on board to make room for more troops. Therefore, I can infer that Britians involvement was a waste of time and life, because many soldiers lost their lives due to lack of medical provisions. Source C then explains that the Charge of the Light Brigade resulted from a woefully misinterpreted order. As the light brigade were sent up the wrong valley against the wrong guns, this is true as it was due t o confusion between the commanders.This source explains that it was richly ironic, that this wrong order was one of the most celebrated actions of the war. Due to the bravery of the light brigade, they advanced to the Russians, although 409 died. The source continues at the end to say that it was a total waste of time and life. However, this is a secondary source, so may be less useful, as it isnt a personal account at the time. Simultaneously though, as it was written by a historian, it is likely he would have collected information from a range of useful primary sources to write Source C. As it is from the book The Making of Modern Britain he will have written it for a purpose to entertain and may have tried to give a different opinion from most historians to sell more books. However, he is less likely to be biased as a historian.Although Source C agrees with the view that Britains involvement in the Crimean war was a total waste of time and life, it does include Tennysons poem abo ut the light brigade Theirs not to reason why, which conveys the idea of military inefficiency, as the commanders gave the soldiers the wrong path, but bravery from the light brigade. However, Tennyson had written the poem due to Williams Russells earlier report on the charge of the light brigade written in the Times.This changed public opinion, as it showed that many British soldiers died as a result. Russells reports showed contrasting ideas to the jingoistic heroic idea of conflict. This undermined the government and destroyed the reputation of the army commander in chief, Lord Raglan. This led to the Cardwell army reforms 1870-71, which improved military effeciency such as: various military departments being combined under one roof, the country dividing into local regimental districts with single battalion regiments being merged into two battalion regiments (one battalion would serve overseas while one at home for training,) the length of overseas service was reduced from 12 to 6 years, the purchase of commissions was abolished, the commander in chief was to answer to the Secretary for War and therefore Parliament, flogging of ordinary soldiers in peacetime was forbidden and soldiers could choose to spend time in the reserves rather than regular service.The abolishing of purchasing commissions was particularly useful, as it allowed more qualified men to have a high position, as it was replaced by a system of promotion through merit. Also civil service reform resulted, as in 1870 entry into the civil service came from undertaking examinations rather than traditional methods of patronage. This improved the efficiency and intelligance of he upper ranks. Despite this though, even by 1873, the Foreign office was excempt from this new method and the majority of high positions were held by Oxford and Cambridge graduates. Also the new army reserves were inadequate, as they were only a force of 35,000 compared to Prussias million.In conclusion, it can be argued tha t the view that Britains involvement in the Crimean War was a total waste of time, because it reduced the British army through death. This was mainly due to poor hygeine in hospitals, as only 1,761 of 18,058 were killed in battle rather than wounds or disease. For example, the main form of treatment was the amputation of shattered limbs, which carried a 25% chance of death from shock or infection. Lack of washing facilities caused lice infestation and increased the risk of typhus and typhoid. Also the lack of sanitation led to dysentery and cholera. Also as mid June 1854 the Russian forces were in retreat and by mid July they were safely back over the River Pruth, the war could have ended then, as Russia was no longer a threat to the Turkish Empire. However, the allied governments had convinced themselves that the Russian naval base of Sebastopol had to be taken.Therefore, the war does seem a total waste of time and life, because capturing Sebastopol was not a British aim at the sta rt of the war. However, sanitation and clean water problems reflected the state of hospitals in Britain. Also whether it arose from Florence Nightingale or not, sanitation did improve. Also the Crimean War caused the Nightingale fund which created the Nightingale Training school for nurses at St Thomas Hospital in London in 1860.This improved the standard of female nursing and caused more middle class women to see nursing as a respectable job. Also due to Russells war reporting, the Crimean War caused the British public to view soldiers as brave rather than as dangerous or as very low class. The Victoria Cross was a medal that awarded bravery and was made available to all ranks, showing that the war did cause better respect for ordinary soldiers. Furthermore, despite public outrage that Sebastopol was given back to the Russians, this hadnt been the reason for War. Therefore, as Britain had stopped Russia being a threat to them and due to the health and military reforms, Britains inv olvement in the Crimean War wasnt a total waste of time and life.

Blues essays

Blues essays Chicago is one of our nations greatest cities, from the Sears Tower to Lake Shore Drive, even Frank Sinatra showed enormous love for the city. It has produced some of the best art and music, and has made itself well known in our countrys short history. But how can you portray such a city onto the big screen? John Landis did a great comedy with Animal House, and he took a shot with filming a movie in Chicago and did it perfectly. The Blues Brothers(1980) shows Chicago as a magnificent city with all races and ethnics. Almost every aspect of the city is shown and you almost feel what it is like to live in Chicago. The Blues Brothers is easily one of the finest movies to ever be filmed in Chicago. The Blues Brothers is a flat out musical-comedy that is just brilliant. The film includes music legends like Aretha Franklin, James Brown, and Ray Charles. All three add a wonderful part into this movie. The Blues Brothers themselves are musicians and as for the comedy part, that comes from Jake and Elwood Blues, played by John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd. They are trying to save the orphanage(which is actually located in Calumet City) that they grew up in, and they try doing this by getting there old band back together. If the band gets back together they can pay Cook County the 5,000.00 dollars the orphanage owes. But in doing this the manage to tick everyone off they run into. Throughout the movie the Blues brothers travel all over the city and you get to see as much as you can of Chicago without going on a tour of the city. The movie starts off with Joliet Jake getting released from the Joliet Correctional Center, located in Joliet, IL. Joliet is one of Illinoiss largest cities, next to Chicago, and is home to numerous prisons. Now with the movie starting out the way it does you can obviously see that the main character is no stranger to prisons, hence the name Joliet Jake. If the viewer has no idea on where Jolie...