My Antonia Essays - My Ntonia, Antonii, Willa Cather, My Antonia

My Antonia "My Antonia," by Willa Cather has many symbols through out the novel. Symbolism reflects her own views as a child through her life. Some of these symbols are Jim's grandomother's garden and snake-killing incident. Jim's grandomother's garden made him fell as a part of nature, as human beings originally were in the Garden of Eden. When he came to the garden he would also wonder if people felt like this when they died and became a part of knowledge, goodness, sun and air. His maturity makes him feel how he really feels about Antonia. Jim was always afraid to tell Antonia how he felt about her. Ever since Jim laid eyes on her, he knew that she was the love of his life, but didn't want to tell her because of the big difference of the social classes. Jim often wondered if Antonia could serve as a motherm friend, lover or sweetheart. In the garden Jim and Antonia would play around, work in the garden and picked potatos. The garden symbolizes the freedom that children enjoyed during the youth years. When the sanke-incident happens Antonia brags about how brave Jim was. Antonia exclaimed to Jim's family, "He fight something awful! He is all over Jimmy's boots. I scream for him to run, but he jsut hit an hit that snake like he was crazy. (Page 33). At this point Jim realizes that Antonia was more that a friend but Antonia sees him more like a little brother especially since he is four years younger than him. Work can also be another symbol in the term that Antonia worked hard in the farm. "Her neck came up strongly out of her shoulders, like the hole of a tree out of the turf" Cather emphasizes. Antonia goal was to prove her mother that she can work as well as Ambrosch leads her to compete with the men plowing and to pick up masculine traits that overshadow her feminity. Antonia would always work hard in the fields and people knew she was a hard worker. This symbol of work showes how she does not give up even though she is a girl. Through out the novel symbolism is often used in every chapter. Willa Cather often used symbolism portaining to Jim and Antonia. Willa Cather thought that using symbolism would bring more meaning to the novel.

The Confessional Poetry by Robert Lowell

The Confessional Poetry by Robert Lowell Free Online Research Papers M. L. Rosenthal ‘first applied the term confession to Robert Lowell’s work’ (1). One definition of what makes a poem ‘confessional’ is offered by Irving Howe, who argues that a ‘confessional poem would seem to be one in which the writer speaks to the reader, telling him, without the mediating presence of imagined event or persona, something about his life’. (2) The first poem that was called ‘confessional’ was Snodgrass’ ‘Heart’s Needle’, which ‘provided a model of truthfulness’. (3) Before then, the subject matter of poetry implicitly included little of the poet’s private life, instead focusing upon public issues using a detached persona. The new ‘confessional’ poems removed the mask that poets had been hiding behind and provided an insight into the private lives of the poets. However, upon close study it is clear to recognize the differences as well as similarities between the ‘confessional poets’ and their poems. The label ‘confessional poetry’ over-simplifies and undervalues the nature of the poetry of Lowell, Sexton and Plath. While these poems frequently engage in what is repressed, hidden and falsified, defining them as ‘confessional’ undermines the creative ability of the writer to construct a persona or imaginary scenario that is separate from their lives. Critics have argued whether or not the poems of Lowell, Sexton and Plath are ‘confessional’. M. L. Rosenthal argued that Plath was a ‘confessional’ poet because she ‘followed Lowell’s autobiographical method in Life Studies.’ (4) Likewise, Edward Butscher argues that ‘Plath’s confessionalism was the ultimate goal of her poetic career.’ (5) Howe also describes Plath’s ‘Lady Lazarus’ as a ‘confessional’ poem because it discusses her recurrent suicide attempts. Nevertheless, Howe criticizes much of Plath’s poetry for being self-indulgent, describing ‘Daddy’ as a ‘revenge fantasy’ rather than ‘confessional’. (6) Howe separates Plath from the ‘confessional’ category because he claims that she has ‘abandoned the sense of audience’ in favor of self-indulgence. (7) In stark contrast to this, Rosenblatt argues that while Pla th’s later poems were influenced by life experiences, her poetry does not depend on its confessional nature. Rosenblatt states that while these poems ‘begin with an autobiographical situation’ they ‘exist by themselves and can be read and understood in most cases without biographical information.’ Rather than directly using her experience in the poems, Plath frequently uses ‘elements from her experience as the starting point for imagistic and thematic elaborations.’ (8) In her earlier poems, Plath appeared to repress certain themes that were influential on the imagery of her poems. Later, however, Sylvia ‘begins to tell the truth.’ (9) For instance, in ‘The Colossus’ Plath presents the image of her father, but not the full extent of her feelings toward him, which are revealed in ‘Daddy’. While she both loves and hates her father in ‘The Colossus’, it is in ‘Daddy’ that Plath unleashes her hatred upon him. Expanding on the reality of her experience, Plath’s persona is at conflict with her father because he is German, and she is a Jew. Robert Phillips’ argument that ‘Daddy’ is ‘a poem of total rejection’ (10) is reinforced by Plath’s lines ‘Daddy, I have had to kill you.’ (11) However, more controversially, it has been argued that Plath is sexually obsessed with her father. Some critics have suggested that the ‘black shoeà ¢â‚¬â„¢ in which she has ‘lived like a foot’ (12) is a phallic symbol that proves her incestuous desires. In the poem, Plath moves from desiring her father, fearing him, to hating him. The suggestion of incest is embellished in Plath’s implication that she married a man just like her father: I made a model of you, A man in black with a Meinkampf look and a love of the rack and the screw. And I said I do, I do. (13) This reference appears to apply to Plath in her statement that she was married to this man for seven years. However, just as her relationship with Ted is over, Plath tells her father: ‘Daddy, daddy, you bastard, I’m through.’ (14) Like in ‘Daddy’, Plath addresses a German ‘Herr’ in ‘Lady Lazarus’, where she addresses the hidden theme of suicide. Plath’s use of first person narration implies that it is her who has ‘done it again’. (15) Like Sexton, Plath frankly admits that this is not her first suicide attempt – ‘This is Number Three’. (16) However, at the end of the poem the speaker undergoes a rebirth that enables her to ‘eat men like air.’ (17) In comparison, Plath explains the oppressive treatment that women receive in society in her poem, ‘The Applicant’. Like Sexton, Plath is tired of domestic servitude and the emphasis that is placed upon women’s appearance. Plath emphasizes that a person will not be accepted by society unless they are ‘our sort of person’. (18) The purpose of a woman is to ‘do whatever you tell it’ or to ‘marry it’. (19) Plath points out the patronizing treatment of women with her line ‘Come here, sweetie’, showing that a woman is treated like a dog, or a ‘living doll’ rather than an independent human being. (20) The qualities that are valued in women are sewing, cooking and talking, as well as the obvious requirement of looking attractive. Critics often make the mistake of claiming that the voice of Anne Sexton’s poems is hers, rather than an invented persona. As Sexton said, in a radio interview with Macbeth, facts ‘â€Å"are very unimportant things, there to make you believe in the emotional content in a poem†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. (21) In order to be effective, the voice of Sexton’s poems ‘must likewise be both a selection (an aspect of the whole person who is writing) and an artifice, shaped and ordered to suit the needs of the poem.’ (22) Anne Sexton provides proof of her use of personas, stating that she ‘would alter any word, attitude, image or persona for the sake of a poem.’ (23) Sexton claims that distorting the truth ‘made a better poem’. (24) What is typically ‘confessional’ about Sexton’s work is its handling of taboo or shocking subjects that were not traditionally discussed in poetry before the so-called ‘confessional poets’. These taboo subjects such as mental breakdowns, suicide, marital problems and incest were themselves hidden from poetry in the past. Sexton’s poems engaged in what was ‘repressed, hidden, or falsified’ from an early stage in poems such as ‘In the Beach House’, which associated her parents’ lovemaking, ‘the royal strapping’, with a beating she had received from her father. (25) However, Anne Sexton’s recurring themes were further expanded upon throughout her poetry so that any repressed feelings were finally revealed. Repression was a key theme for Sexton, which is reinforced by the comments of Robin Becker a former student of Sexton’s, who explained how Sexton used to ‘â€Å"unrepressed†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ the class. (26) What remained repressed for Sexton was her memories of sexual abuse, whether real or imagined. While her friends believe that Sexton was sexually abused, her therapist, Dr. Orne, believed that it was a false memory. However, Sexton’s preoccupation with incest is clear in many of her poems including ‘The Truth the Dead know’, ‘Flee on Your Donkey’ and ‘In the Beach House’. In ‘The Death of the Fathers’, Sexton suggests incest in her description of dancing with her father. The innocent dance is perverted with the image of ‘The serpent, that mocker, woke up and pressed against me’. (27) As well as repressed images of sexual feelings toward her father, Sexton’s poems imply an unnatural relationship with her mother. Sexton reported to her psychiatrist, repressed memories of her mother’s genital inspections, which left her feeling ashamed and humiliated. While this theme is not overtly explored in her poems, Sexton implies hostility toward her mother in many of her poems. If the themes of insanity, suicide, marital discord and incest had been hidden from society, Sexton tackled these themes vigorously and forced people to acknowledge them. In an interview with Barbara Kevles, Sexton admitted: ‘ Recently I noticed in â€Å"Flee on Your Donkey† that I had used some of the same facts in To Bedlam and Part Way Back, but I hadn’t realized them in their total ugliness. I’d hidden from them.’ (28) In Sexton’s poem ‘Live’, she mentions her time in a mental hospital by referring to ‘my hospital shift’. (29) Sexton offers the reasons for her mental breakdown, blaming her suicidal tendencies and the pressures of her family: a husband straight as a redwood, two daughters, two sea urchins, picking roses off my hackles. If I’m on fire they dance around it and cook marshmallows (30) Domesticity depresses the character most likely to be Sexton herself because she feels used by her husband and children. Sexton admits what the critics always highlight ‘People don’t like to be told / that you’re sick’. (31) However, Sexton is more upbeat in this poem when she mocks ‘Even crazy, I’m as nice/ as a chocolate bar.’ (32) More overtly suicidal is Sexton’s ‘Wanting to Die’ in which she claims that ‘suicides have a special language.’ (33) In this poem, the character states that ‘Twice I have so simply declared myself, / have possessed the enemy, eaten the enemy’. (34) While she realizes that ‘Death’s a sad Bone’, she is drawn to it ‘year after year’. (35) Like Robert Lowell’s poems about marital breakdown, which arguably influenced Sexton, Sexton also wrote a poem called ‘Man and Wife’. Aside from the pressures that Sexton feels from her children, the character of ‘Man and Wife’ feels isolated from her husband. Although they are married, they ‘do not even know each other’. (36) There is a sense that they are forced to stay together, out of obligation, like ‘A soldier is forced to stay with a soldier / because they share the same dirt’. (37) However, a sense of love is expressed in the lines ‘Oh darling, / we gasp in unison beside our window pane’. (38) This poem emphasizes the complex nature of human relationships. Previously, before the confessional poets, marital discord would have found little, if any, expression in poetry. What had been absent from poetry as well as society was an insight into the lives of women. Sexton took this hidden aspect of life and presented it in her poems. When All My Pretty Ones was published, it was Sexton’s ‘direct treatment of the female body in such poems as â€Å"The Operation† that attracted the interest of reviewers.’ (39) However, certain male reviewers could not cope with these frank ‘confessions that involved the emotional and bodily functions of women. For example, James Dickey criticised Anne Sexton for dwelling on ‘the pathetic and disgusting aspects of bodily experience’. (40) An engagement with what has been ‘falsified’ for Sexton is explicit in her confession that untruthfulness was a ‘legitimate characteristic of her self-representation’. (41) Sexton admits that she falsified the experiences in her poems, for example, mentioning only one daughter, changing the number of visits to metal institutions, and referring to her brother that she did not have. In an interview with William Heyen and Al Poulin in September 1973, Sexton said: I remember Ralph Mills talking about my dead brother whom I’ve written about. And I met Ralph and I said, â€Å"Ralph,† â€Å"Ralph, I had no brother, but then didn’t we all have brothers who died in that war?†But I write my brother, and of course he believes it I should say â€Å"Excuse me, folks, but no brother,† but that would kind of ruin the poem (42) Even what seems like a personal experience that Sexton is confessing can be an imagined scenario, used for dramatic effect. As Dr. Orne suggested, Sexton’s memories of child abuse may have been invented ‘when she was reading and writing about incest’. (43) Indeed, Sexton has admitted to committing â€Å"truth crimes† during her therapy sessions. (44) However, whether true or not, the stories of incest allowed Sexton to explore a taboo subject. Howe argues that the poetry of Lowell is confessional because the â€Å"I† ‘really did mean his private self, not a persona created for the poem’s occasion.’ (45) Patrick Cosgrove argues that Lowell is not a confessional poet but the label ‘confessional’ ‘revealed an essential part of the way in which Lowell, and the critics and commentators who admire him, thought about their –and man’s – place in the world of affairs.’ (46) That is, Lowell’s poems were viewed as confessional because his personal thoughts reflected what was occurring in society. In the same way, people assumed that Lowell was telling the truth, which was inevitably his truth, not the views of a persona. As Williams stated, ‘â€Å"There is no lying permitted to a man who writes that way.†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (47) Lowell himself encouraged the ‘confessional’ label when he asserted that Life Studies was ‘â€Å"about direct experience, and not symbols†; it tells his â€Å"personal story and memories.†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (48) While his old poems hid what they were about, his new ‘confessional’ poems expressed private, hidden thoughts. However, this new personal style was criticized by critics such as Desales Standerwick, who found the subject matter ‘â€Å"embarrassing.†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (49) Despite his criticism of Sexton, Rosenthal praised Lowell for removing the mask and emerging as ‘â€Å"the damned speaking-sensibility of the world.†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (50) What is unique about Lowell is that he grounds his personal poetry in the hidden past of the Lowell family he focuses on ‘the family disgraces, tensions, neuroses, and failures.’ (51) The hidden past is valuable to Lowell for what it has to teach us about the present. In particular, his nervous breakdowns are caused by memories from his past that haunt him. However, unlike other ‘confessional’ poets, Lowell also explores the consequences of the past in modern society. In many of his poems Lowell criticizes the behavior of his ancestors and blames them for the decay of society. In ‘Skunk Hour’, Lowell criticizes the corrupt society, ‘the season’s ill’, which is responsible for his ‘ill-spirit’, when he confesses ‘My mind’s not right.’ (52)He points out the negative effects of the American Dream by criticizing the materialistic urge that has replaced love: There is no money in his work, he’d rather marry. (53) Without the presence of love, greedy lust is expressed in Lowell’s description of ‘love-cars’ that ‘lay together, hull to hull’. (54) Even lust is represented in terms of the acquisition of wealth with the image of two cars being intimate. The worthlessness of this lust is resonated through the car radio that ‘bleats / â€Å"Love, O careless Love.†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (55) As Axelrod argues, in the modern world ‘all is abnormality, self-assertion, ugliness, violence, madness, and monstrosity.’ (56) The only positive image is that of the skunks who are repulsive, but strong enough to survive because they ‘will not scare’. (57) As well as attacking materialism, Lowell controversially opposed the war and was jailed consequently. His poem ‘Memories of West Street and Lepke’ describes his experiences in prison and defines Lowell as ‘a fire-breathing Catholic C.O.’ (58) What is ‘repressed’ in Lowell’s poetry is memories of his family, such as in ‘My Last Afternoon with Uncle Devereux Winslow’, where Lowell reveals ‘the family conflicts and failures normally kept politely hidden.’ (59) In this poem, he remembers the repressed memory of his Grandfather as ‘manly, comfortable, / overbearing, disproportioned’ (60) and his reluctance to be with his parents. As Axelrod emphasizes, the effect of Lowell’s terror at family disputes culminates in his ‘mental collapse as an adult.’ (61) While he portrays his family as intimidating here, he condemns his ancestors more freely in ‘For the Union Dead’. Another theme that is usually hidden from society is that of marital breakdowns. In several poems, Lowell discusses the failure of relationships. In ‘Man and Wife’, Lowell contrasts the romantic early phases of a relationship, characterized by the statement ‘All night I’ve held your hand’ (62), with the stale relationship of the present. Twelve years later, the loveless marriage is characterized by his wife’s ‘old-fashioned tirade’ that ‘breaks like the Atlantic Ocean’ (63) on the head of her husband. This theme is followed up in ‘â€Å"To Speak of Woe That Is in Marriage†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢, which is narrated by the wife. In it, there is the threat that ‘This screwball might kill his wife.’ (64) Like Sexton and Plath, Lowell also falsified his experience, what he called ‘â€Å"tinkering with the fact,†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (65) in order to make dramatic effect. What was important to Lowell was that the reader ‘â€Å"was to believe he was getting the real Robert Lowell.†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (66) For example, In ‘My Last Afternoon’ Lowell only presents the details that he would like the reader to know. He feels free to embellish the truth about setting and personality to make the description sound convincing. The ‘confessional’ poets engage in what is ‘repressed, hidden or falsified’ in response to a literary tradition that excludes personal experience. Whether or not the voice of the poem belongs to the poet, the poems express universal themes that until recently were absent from poetry. Research Papers on The Confessional Poetry by Robert LowellMind TravelComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoHonest Iagos Truth through DeceptionArguments for Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS)Bringing Democracy to AfricaIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenThe Masque of the Red Death Room meaningsCapital Punishment

Battle of Amiens in World War I

Battle of Amiens in World War I The Battle of Amiens occurred during World War I (1914-1918). The British offensive began on August 8, 1918, and the first phase effectively ended on August 11. Allies Marshal Ferdinand FochField Marshal Douglas HaigLieutenant General Sir Henry RawlinsonLieutenant General Sir John MonashLieutenant General Richard Butler25 divisions1,900 aircraft532 tanks Germans Generalquartiermeister Erich LudendorffGeneral Georg von der Marwitz29 divisions365 aircraft Background With the defeat of the 1918 German Spring Offensives, the Allies swiftly moved to counterattack. The first of these was launched in late July when French Marshal Ferdinand Foch opened the Second Battle of the Marne. A decisive victory, Allied troops succeeded in forcing the Germans back to their original lines. As the fighting at the Marne waned around August 6, British troops were preparing for a second assault near Amiens. Originally conceived by the commander of the British Expeditionary Force, Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig, the attack was intended to open rail lines near the city. Seeing an opportunity to continue the success achieved at the Marne, Foch insisted that the French First Army, just to the south of the BEF, be included in the plan. This was initially resisted by Haig as the British Fourth Army had already developed its assault plans. Led by Lieutenant General Sir Henry Rawlinson, the Fourth Army intended to skip the typical preliminary artillery bombardment in favor of a surprise attack led by the large-scale use of tanks. As the French lacked large numbers of tanks, a bombardment would be necessary to soften the German defenses on their front. The Allied Plans Meeting to discuss the attack, British and French commanders were able to strike a compromise. The First Army would take part in the assault, however, its advance would commence forty-five minutes after the British. This would allow the Fourth Army to achieve surprise but still permit the French to shell German positions before attacking. Prior to the attack, the Fourth Armys front consisted of the British III Corps (Lt. Gen. Richard Butler) north of the Somme, with the Australian (Lt. Gen. Sir John Monash) and Canadian Corps (Lt. Gen. Sir Arthur Currie) to the south of the river. In the days prior the attack, extreme efforts were made to ensure secrecy. These included dispatching two battalions and a radio unit from the Canadian Corps to Ypres in an effort to convince the Germans that the entire corps was being shifted to that area. In addition, British confidence in the tactics to be used was high as they had been successfully tested in several localized assaults. At 4:20 AM on August 8, British artillery opened fire on specific German targets and also provided a creeping barrage in front of the advance. Moving Forward As the British began moving forward, the French commenced their preliminary bombardment. Striking General Georg von der Marwitzs Second Army, the British achieved complete surprise. South of the Somme, the Australians and Canadians were supported by eight battalions of the Royal Tank Corps and captured their first objectives by 7:10 AM. To the north, the III Corps occupied their first objective at 7:30 AM after advancing 4,000 yards. Opening a gaping fifteen-mile long hole in the German lines, British forces were able to keep the enemy from rallying and pressed the advance. By 11:00 AM, the Australians and Canadians had moved forward three miles. With the enemy falling back, British cavalry moved forward to exploit the breach. The advance north of the river was slower as the III Corps was supported by fewer tanks and encountered heavy resistance along a wooded ridge near Chipilly. The French also had success and moved forward approximately five miles before nightfall. On average, the Allied advance on August 8 was seven miles, with the Canadians penetrating eight. Over the next two days, the Allied advance continued, though at a slower rate. Aftermath By August 11, the Germans had returned to their original, pre-Spring Offensives lines. Dubbed the Blackest Day of the German Army by Generalquartiermeister Erich Ludendorff, August 8 saw a return to mobile warfare as well as the first large surrenders of German troops. By the conclusion of the first phase on August 11, Allied losses numbered 22,200 killed wounded and missing. German losses were an astounding 74,000 killed, wounded, and captured. Seeking to continue the advance, Haig launched a second assault on August 21, with the goal of taking Bapaume. Pressing the enemy, the British broke through southeast of Arras on September 2, forcing the Germans to retreat to the Hindenburg Line. The British success at Amiens and Bapaume led Foch to plan the Meuse-Argonne Offensive which ended the war later that fall. Selected Sources History of War: Battle of AmiensFirst World War: Battle of AmiensBritish Army in World War I: Battle of Amiens

Prices and Prizes

Prices and Prizes Prices and Prizes Prices and Prizes By Mark Nichol It may not surprise you that price and prize are cognates, but two other common words pertaining to value, and additional words derived from them, share their common ancestor. Price and prize stem from the Latin noun pretium, meaning â€Å"prize† or â€Å"reward,† or â€Å"value† or â€Å"worth.† Price is both a verb meaning â€Å"set value† and a noun meaning â€Å"value† (including a reference to something challenging or unpleasant that is nevertheless necessary as a condition of achieving a desired result). The adjective pricey means â€Å"expensive,† while priceless means not â€Å"without a price† but â€Å"valued beyond price† and refers to an object or an experience worth so much to a person or people in general because of aesthetic considerations or an emotional attachment that no monetary value can be assigned to it. To overprice is to place excessive value on something for sale, while to be priced out of a commodity is to be unable to afford it. A price tag is a piece of paper or other material attached to a product that indicates its monetary value. Something offered for half-price will be sold for half of its marked value. â€Å"Prix fixe,† adopted directly from French and meaning â€Å"fixed price,† describes a set meal offered by a restaurant at a specific cost, as opposed to multiple dishes available, according to a displayed menu, for various prices. To prize is to ascribe value, and a prize is something given in recognition of an achievement. As an adjective, prize means â€Å"worthy of a prize,† and prizeworthy itself is also an adjective. A prizefight is a professional boxing match, and a participant of such an event is a prizefighter, though these terms have largely been superseded by â€Å"boxing match† and boxer. The Latin forebear pretium was altered to precium, and being aware of this form makes it easier to connect precious, meaning â€Å"of great worth† (and often pertaining to aesthetic or emotional worth, as in ascribing value to time, rather than monetary value), to price and prize. Precious also has the sense of â€Å"esteemed,† in describing a cherished friend, though it also has a pejorative sense of â€Å"affected,† or â€Å"overly refined in manner.† The adjectival form is preciously, and the quality of being precious is preciousness. Praise, too, is derived from pretium by way of precium. That word, meaning â€Å"celebrate† or â€Å"commend,† or as a noun â€Å"commendation† or â€Å"worship† (or, less often, â€Å"merit† or â€Å"value†), is also the root of appraise, meaning â€Å"set a value on,† and the noun form appraisal. A praiseworthy act is one that merits commendation. To appreciate is to esteem or value, or to be conscious of, and an act of doing so is one of appreciation; the adjective appreciable means â€Å"able to be measured or perceived.† Depreciate, by contrast, means â€Å"lower in esteem or value†; in a taxation context, it refers to deducting a portion of the original cost of something as its value decreases with age and use. The verb deprecate, meaning â€Å"belittle,† â€Å"play down,† or â€Å"disapprove of,† is unrelated. (Its root word pertains to prayer; originally, to deprecate was to avert something undesired by praying.) 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 Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Addressing A Letter to Two People34 Writing Tips That Will Make You a Better WriterWhen Is a Question Not a Question?

Tenet Healthcare cooperation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Tenet Healthcare cooperation - Assignment Example Community Health Care, another for-profit healthcare giant, made the bid in an attempt to capitalize on what has been termed as â€Å"Obama’s overhaul† of hospitals and doctors, consolidating with Tenet HealthCare and becoming the largest for-profit health care association in America. Tenet, however, was not ready to give up so easily. They have instead inked a deal with Aetna, another health care giant, to continue to provide services to both Aetna commercial and Medicare Advantage customers. They have also rejected the bid made by Community Health Care, and taken the hard step of literally swallowing a ‘poison pill’, according to the Dallas Business Journal – filing paperwork to cover their incurred $2.0 million losses, and protect the rights of their stockholders, as well as trying to make sure those looking to take over do not succeed. Amid the overhaul of the nation’s health care system, and the eventual consolidation of health care companies, Tenet’s future looks uncertain. If it can continue to hold off bidding rivals, and turn some of its losses into profits, then it may yet succeed. But based on the research that I have uncovered, its future does not look strong. De La Merced, Michael J. (2010, December 29). Community Health Unveils $3.3 Billion Bid for Tenet. New York Times. Retrieved from http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2010/12/09/community-health-unveils-3-3-billion-bid-for-tenet/?ref=tenethealthcarecorporation. Panchuk, Kerry. (2011, January 10). Tenet: Latest to Swallow Poison Pill? Dallas Business Journal, Retrieved from

Ethnocentric and Eurocentric Translations Research Paper

Ethnocentric and Eurocentric Translations - Research Paper Example The cultural identities have the tendency to strongly influence the behaviors, acts, and attitudes of the people in each and every facet of their lives. The cultural competencies take the shape of very complex phenomenon when a translator came across this issue. The translator can best perform its responsibilities when he is well aware of the complexities that exist between different cultures and he knows how to justifiably deal with the cultural issues while translating the material from one language to another. (Lefevere and Andrà ©, 1992) A good translator is supposed to be well aware of the importance and role of the differences between different cultures (Brislin and Richard, 1976). However, there is also a possibility that the translator acts as an ambassador of a particular culture and neglects the depth of the other cultural contribution by translating it into less effective words, phrases or language. Earlier the translator was not exposed to the concept of cultural differences and he was not supposed to follow the importance of cultural differences while doing the translations. The early definitions of translation also focus upon replacing a word with equivalent text regardless of its cultural expression (Catford, 1965). However, gradually there was awareness about the importance of keeping in view the cultural difference while translating material from one language to other. (Hatim et al, 2006) The awareness about studying the cultural differences during the translations was felt during the time of ancient Rome.

Metamorphosis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Metamorphosis - Essay Example The value of family, money and changes are included in the important lessons presented in Kafka’s story. The metamorphosis experienced by the man character can be considered as a representation of the challenges present in life that people have no control of. In terms of the financial aspect of the story, despite the dependence of a family to the breadwinner, things may change as the former harmonious relationship may become conflicting as represented by the primary character. The author also showed how people usually look at the appearance instead the attitude and inner character of a person before judging him or her. Also the limits of human beings for understanding were shown in the novel as the reader can feel how sympathy may be lost. Even though a family is expected to be close enough, it may occur and ruin the relationship. In terms of the mood of the story, it does not tackle the usual flow of the story as it distorted the common view or expected flow. The readers may have the expectation that it would be a light novel, but it was filled with problems and negativities. The novel is really good in capturing the attention and curiosity of the readers as it twisted the story into something that is not expected while sharing insights and lessons in life that may seem valuable and

Strategic Choices for Coca Cola Company Research Paper

Strategic Choices for Coca Cola Company - Research Paper Example On the other hand, weaknesses of the company are negative publicity; health issues attached with the brand, some brands of the company are less popular, poor performance in North America and decline in cash from operating activities. Examination of the external environment demonstrates opportunities and treats of the company. Uncovered market, growing bottled water market, buy out competition and acquisition of the intense competition can be proves opportunities for the company. On the contrary, increasing health consciousness, increased competition from local and international players, legal issues, health ministries of various developing countries are imposing threats on the company (The Coca-Cola Company, 2011). In order to avail the maximum benefits of the strengths and opportunities, the company is advice to handle the threats and weaknesses very carefully. In this context, creation of competitive advantage is recommendable. When a firm has an edge over its competitors then it is said to have a competitive advantage. According Michael Porter, there are two types of competitive advantage viz cost advantage and differentiation strategy. Coca-cola achieved its competitive advantage by delivering same benefits as competitors but on lower cost i.e. cost leadership. However, both local and international competitors pull down its rates to the level of Coca-cola which ended its cost leadership. Then it came up with benefits that exceed those of competitors which are called differentiation strategy. This strategy worked in favor of the company as it positioned the company with distinctive taste in the market. It also added some snacks to its product line which again made its look different (Thinki ng made easy, 2009). The strategic choice of the company is based on the resource based view concept. This concept focuses on creation of competitive advantage by utilizing firm’s resources

Internet Literacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Internet Literacy - Essay Example This may be a challenging task especially to those who are not so open-minded about technology and changes however it becomes a liberating experience also to those who come to a learning experience that fulfill one’s dreams. A friend has always been afraid to try the internet nevertheless needed to learn how to use it due to the demands from his work. Being in his forties, his fear was usually fed with the words like ‘you cannot teach an old dog new tricks’ and was challenged considering he is not a dog, he learned and discovered the internet. The process was not easy for both the learner and teacher but it was a fulfilling job they both went through. The student struggled on remembering things about the computer and how to work on it while the teacher made every effort to make instructions simple and clear. Frustrations may have occurred as the learning went but they were turned to joy for every discovery the learner made. Reading vast information from the intern et changed my friend’s perception not only on technology but almost about a lot of things. He says he had come to a deeper understanding of many things as he used the internet as a means for educating himself, reading not only the words but the lives of other people. Writing may not be the job he is paid to do yet he considers he uses a lot from his internet literacy to enhance his information literacy to write the remaining chapters of his life. In considering the elements that this individual and other individuals have learned from their experience with internet literacy, it’s clear there are a great many elements. One of the major elements is the influence that understanding social media has on individual’s lives. While it is not difficult to join a social network, such as Facebook, there is a slight process in learning how to implement it for the greatest gains. As I became more involved with Facebook I recognized that it offered me the opportunity to remain in contact with old friends and people that I otherwise would have lost touch with. This has the effect of enriching my life and giving me a greater perspective on the world. In other contexts, social media has allowed me to join communities of people with similar or specific interests. For instance, individuals interested in literature, cooking, or sports are able to join communities where they are able to discuss their interests. Such aspects of internet literacy are not merely significant in that they allow individuals new forms of communication, but indeed, they also change the very nature of social relations. In understanding social media, rather than having to venture for hours to visit conventions or lectures, one now has direct access to experts in many fields through Twitter. In learning how to implement these elements of internet literacy one can truly make profound life changes. Another highly important element relating to internet literacy are the benefits it holds for education. I recognize that learning how to use the internet is a form of education itself. Still, within this journey one also recognizes that the internet holds the key to a world of skills and opportunities. One of the first instances I remember is spending time in Wikipedia researching history and a variety of topics, the breadth of information and insight I gained from this experience was truly paradigm shattering. As I became more experienced with internet literacy I recognized that in addition to Wikipedia one could read full-texts of books and find more substantial internet sources. In addition to improving my knowledge, it gave me a greater appreciation for the nature of academic research. As I further expanded my understanding of internet liter

Trumpet Voluntary Essay Example for Free

Trumpet Voluntary Essay The novel, Trumpet Voluntary, was written by Jeremy Harmer. This story is about unhappy love. One day when Derek came home he discovered that his wife had disappeared. He offended the members of his music quartet by leaving them to follow his wife to Rio de Janeiro. It was especially difficult for a cellist Rachael, who had fallen in love with Derek when they were students. Having arrived in Rio de Janeiro he met a Cuban detective Oswaldo, who helped him find his wife Malgosia. When Oswaldo found some information about his wife’s location they immediately went there. It was a big white bungalow, where she was with her first boyfriend Tibor. Tibor was a gangster and on that day he waited for his gang members. Oswaldo and Derek were observing them at a distance. Suddenly Derek ran to Malgosia when she left the house but one of gang members fired a gun at him. Luckily Derek survived because Oswaldo took him to the hospital. In the hospital he learned from Oswaldo that his wife had been flown back to her family in Warsaw. In Warsaw he learned from Malgosia’s parents that she had died. She had been poisoned by some form of nerve gas or some kind of chemical agent. When he came back home he had problems with the police. Rachael’s mother was a lawyer and she helped him avoid troubles. At the end Rachael and Derek married. Derek’s life gradually became better. The issue of this book is love. Tibor was a gangster and he involved Malgosia in his criminal deals. He caused a lot of trouble for her. Tibor used her to transport nerve gas from Scotland to Brazil. Malgosia was a musician and no one was going to search a trumpet case. After learning that he had used her only for fun Malgosia killed herself, having opened the case of nerve gas. What dramatic consequences! In my opinion, she shouldn’t have started relationships with Tibor again because she had known what kind of person he was. Malgosia’s story shows that people can do anything for love. What about Derek? He was a good and kind man. He didn’t understand how much Rachael loved him. Rachael was a woman with good manners. Dereks’s father told him that Malgosia wasn’t his type of women. If he had listened his father’s advice, then he wouldn’t be in troubles. I think sometimes people find love but they don’t realize that love can be nearby.

Marxist Theory of Crime: An Overview and Analysis

Marxist Theory of Crime: An Overview and Analysis What can a Marxist understanding of society contribute to criminological theory? Marxist understanding of the society sets the tone by giving an economic analysis of the society that sees a class struggle between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie. This struggle contains the attempts by the proletariat to free themselves from the domination of the bourgeoisie as they seek to take over the means of production. As Chablis states, the capitalist society is where the means of production are in private hands and where the inevitably develops a division between the class that rules and the class that is ruled, it creates a substantial amount of crime (Chablis, 2016). Marxism is a conflict theory established to create a belief that the capitalist system is just a way in which the bourgeoisie control and exploit the proletariat. It underlines the unequal conflict between these two social classes in the society. Marxist understanding of the society provides an explanation or gives us the opportunity to understand the criminological theory from a different perspective. It perpetuates an understanding of how the significant gaps between the social classes are the prime reason for criminal acts, it explains this through the income gaps, the exploitation of profit through labour, using consumers as an instrument to the end profit. Chablis Crime diverts the lower classes attention from the exploitation they experience and directs it towards other members of their own class rather than towards the capitalist class or the economic system. (Chablis, 2016) this reinforces the whole idea of capitalism structured only to favour the bourgeoisie as the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. It also underlines how weve accepted being exploited as something natural and making ourselves wage slaves (i.e. slave to the market, low pay and precarious employment, to the petty tyranny of managers, to the crises of capitalism). This essay would address how the Marxist perspective comes into play in contributing to the criminological theory. The mode of production consists of both the means of production (the technological process) and the relationship of different classes to the means of production. The distinction between those who own and those who work for others is crucial. Often of the most violent sort, as a result,it emanate from the capitalist system. Chablis in his writing reinforces upon the prime Marxist factor in understanding the criminological theory Due to the division of class, conflicts awake and this manifests in rebellions and riots among the proletariats, the state, acting in interests of the owners of the means of production will pass laws designed to control, through the application of state-sanctioned force, those acts of the proletariat which threaten the interests of the bourgeoisie. This act is defined as criminal. (Chablis, 2016) The capitalist system is one which is subject to the crisis, due to its structure and how it functions, Marx and Engel argue that capitalism brutalises the poor, it f osters immorality and creates a higher likelihood for people to want to commit a crime. This can be supported from Mertons idea of the strain theory; he explains this theory using the idea of the American Dream. In this, he illustrates how the end goal, is to achieve the American dream, however, those who cant achieve this dream through legal means become delinquent in an attempt to achieve their goal in one way or the other. The structure of capitalism creates both the desire to consume and for a large mass of people. For those with the inability to earn the money necessary to purchase the items, they have been taught to want means they become delinquent. On this note, Marx would say, capitalism functions on this factors, without people being delinquent, capitalism cannot function as it thrives on poverty, unemployment and crime. Marx would also further on say, the bourgeoisies power to create and make law is what provides power, work and ability to control and bend the rules in th eir favour. As also argued by Chablis, The criminal law is not a reflection of custom but is a set of rules laid down by the state in the interests of the ruling class. Due to class structure, criminal behaviour is now inevitable. Criminal behaviour is a product of the economic and political system in a capitalist society. (Chablis, 2016) Criminality is simply not something that people have or dont have, crime is not something some people do and some dont. Crime is a matter of who can pin the label on whom and underlie this socio-political process is the structure of social relations determined by the political economy.so therefore, Marxist understanding of society contributes in making us understanding the criminological theory but illustrating how the apparent significant social gap amongst class contributes to the criminological theory. The starting point for the understanding of society is the realisation that the most fundamental feature of peoples lives is their relationship to the mode of production. Willem Bonger view on the criminological theory underlines that capitalism is a culture of egoism, greed, the rich legitimately but also criminally greedy, the poor illegitimately greedy. He illustrated how the criminal justice system permits the selfish greed of the rich but criminalises that of the poor. This shows that the system significantly favours one social class and on the other hand significantly criminalises the other. The war or fight against crime is one which cant be won. The criminal justice system doesnt help but rather create a system of policing and punishment which reproduces the problem of crime which causes re-offenders to re-offend. Marxist understanding of the society creates a premise that there is a causal system in play. The proletariat is constantly in the struggle of overthrowing the bour geoisie to create a utopian society ruled by all people. The constant attempt of the proletariat in overthrowing the bourgeoisie means it gets defined as a crime and therefore the proletariats are classed as criminals. This is as a result of the bourgeoisie actively working to set laws in place that oppress the proletariat by creating crimes that target the proletariat or put in place systems such as unemployment equals prison. As once the consumer cant consume at will, they become delinquent. So, therefore, Marxist understanding of society contributes to criminological theory in illustrating how the social gaps cause a causal effect where the bourgeoisie uses their power in making the proletariat delinquent. Marxist understanding of the society on criminological theory poses the notion that crime is an ideological construct as they do not refer to those behaviours which objectively cause harm, injury and suffering. Marxist understanding denotes that the capitalist structure creates a state of illusion. In this, he explains how the bourgeoisie uses their control to keep the masses ignorant of their exploitation. These results in the isolation of the worker from the process of production, the lack of control over work mean that the person identifies themselves as a machine and therefore work appears alien. The difference class system gap leaves the proletariat oppressed, with no power whatsoever to alleviate their situation. This then brings into light the whole idea of ideological control through the use of media in portraying an image of something which isnt necessarily the case. This, of course, depicts a false illusion and creates a society where people are unsure of their identity or in fact living a fake identity in and within their societies. This essentially means the proletariat are being set up to fail by the bourgeoisie and punished by the legal system when they do fail. As Greenberg states there must be something rotten in the very core of a social system which increases its wealth without diminishing its misery, (Greenberg, 1993; 54) Marxists understanding also believe that when it comes to crime, governments fabricate information to suit their purposes and to get public backing for any action taken by that government that might be construed as trespassing on freedoms. Marx himself also recognises that we can observe in recent times that the continuous repetition of mass incarceration has turned into an economic attempt. It creates jobs (in the legal profession and in law enforcement) and it creates new technologies (e.g., electronic tags). Furthermore, the existence of criminals might foster the feeling of societal cohesion among the law-abiding and amo ng those who appear to be law-abiding. Law enforcement agency discretion in making arrests, prosecuting attorney discretion in refusing to take legal action; dropping or reducing charges or going ahead with the prosecution, judges discretion in setting sentences and discretion in releasing criminals from custody, all operates to the advantage of the bourgeoisie. The right to a lawyer benefited those who could afford such superior legal representation more than it benefited others. Significantly, Marxian criminologists began to see these discriminations not as an unfortunate product of prejudice on the part of isolated individuals, but rather as a reproduction of the inequalities in power that follow from the inequalities of the bourgeoisie. On the other hand, Marxist understanding also gave room for some questioning. The major problem with Marxist understanding makes an attempt to apply actions to people which are only applicable to a small minority. In addition to, the assumption or the conclusion that every form of crime that happens or occurs is due to the economic class struggle is tough to sustain. We must not dismiss the fact that Marxist understanding of the society doesnt contribute to the criminological theory today but it is plausible to say such views are invalid in todays society as Marxist understanding of the society was an explanation for the situations paying at hand in the 19th century but we are in a different era now. So, therefore, his understanding of the society is slowly becoming irrelevant. This is plausible and fair to say because we now live in a society where most people have undergone considerable improvements in their standard of living and we live in a society, where people are not trying t o overthrow the bourgeoisie and the bourgeoisie arent in control of manipulating the criminal justice system as unlike before, most politicians, corporate companies, the rich, the enforcer of the law are being held accountable for any deviant actions and not rather just the proletariat being criminalised. So, therefore, it is fair to say the system now holds everyone accountable. In addition to, functionalist criminology would attribute more to flawed socialisation and see crime as a necessary element of the society to help bring about a collective change but also to support the combined conscience of the people. Marxism ignores the process involved with the criminal system. For example, Becker and Edwin Lemert focus on labelling theory to identify how and why people are identified, labelled delinquent and criminalised. Many fundamentalists such as Oakley argues more in common with a Marxist understanding of the society but with an emphasis on patriarchy rather than capitalism. This , therefore, shows that there are some loopholes for criticism in Marxist understanding of the society in contributing to criminological theory. However, one notion still stands firm and plausible, the gap between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat is one which is still apparent as the rich gets richer and the poor get poorer. To conclude, Marxist understanding of the society supporting contribution to criminological theory outlines the facts that crime occurs due to the class gaps amongst the proletariat and bourgeoisie, Marx also further goes to elaborate that the class gaps creates an effect where the bourgeoisie are in charge of the criminal justice system and therefore are capable of bending and making the law. This in facts put power only in the hands of the bourgeoisie and therefore makes the whole process undemocratic. Due to this, this creates and an economic gap where the poor are exploited of their services as the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. This understanding illustrates that capitalism only thrive and survive on this factor, Marx explain this through the whole concept of the proletariat being sold a reality that they cant afford and therefore are paid lower wages and in order to reach this goal, they either become delinquent or work harder and get exploited. The crimes of the rich are unaccounted for as they are in control of the law and the bourgeoisie ability to define law means they decide who a criminal is and what makes a criminal. Marx also touches upon the idea that crime is an ideological construct created by the capitalist system to create a state of illusion and as a result, he endorsed or highlights a revolution and such notion against the bourgeoisie would be considered an act of crime. Although briefly highlighted,, there are some loopholes in Marxist understanding of the society, it is plausible to conclude that Marxist understanding has helped put things into perspective in understanding the criminological theory as the social class and economic class gap amongst the rich and the poor, the bourgeoisie and the proletariat is still an issue that needs addressing in todays society. Bibliography Chambliss, W. (1975) Towards a Political Economy of Crime, Extract reprinted in J. Muncie et al (eds.)(1996) Criminological Perspectives: A Reader, London: Sage pg. 249-255 Bonger, W. (1916) Criminality and Economic Conditions (excerpt), in J. Muncie et al (eds.) (1996) Criminological Perspectives: A Reader, London: Sage. Scraton, P. (1987)(ed.) Law, Order and the Authoritarian State: Readings in Critical Criminology, Buckingham: Open University Pres. GREENBERG, D. (Ed.). (1993). Crime and Capitalism: Readings in Marxist Criminology. Temple University Press. Pg.54 Howard Becker (1973). Outsiders: studies in the sociology of crime and deviance. New York: New York free press. 1-18. Lemert, E. (1951) Social Pathology. New York: McGraw-Hill Lynch, M. J., Groves, W. B. (1986). A primer in radical criminology. Harrow and Heston. Sims, B. A. (1997). Crime, punishment and the American dream: Toward a Marxist integration. Journal of research in crime and delinquency, 34(1), 5-24. doi:10.1177/0022427897034001002 Sparks, R. F. (1980). A critique of Marxist criminology. Crime and justice, 2, 159-210. Margaret E. Reid. (2008). A feminist sociological imagination. Reading Ann Oakley. 5 (1), 84-91. Akers, R. L., Sellers, C. S. (2009). Criminological theories: Introduction, evaluation, and Application. (5th Ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Interview with the Luddite :: Lunsford Interveiw Luditte Essays

Interview with the Luddite In Andrea Lunsford's introduction she gives a brief background on both Kelly and his interviewee, Kirkpatrick Sale. From her descriptions it is very clear on how different the beliefs of these two men are from each other. Lunsford seems to be fascinated by how the interviews in Wired magazine, which she sort of reluctantly subscribes to, have all ended up in a debate or argument. And the one "which you are about to read,["Interview with the Luddite"] is no exception," she says(243). In this paper I will discuss the different claims of each of the two men and weigh them against each other for validity and persuasiveness. While reading "Interview with the Luddite" by Kevin Kelly I immediately sensed a feeling of sarcasm on Kelly's part. From the title alone I could tell that Kelly was either not looking forward to the interview, or he just could not wait until he could sit down with this guy and pick him apart. He uses the term "the Luddite" in such a generalized sense that it almost makes the interviewee sound so unimportant as a person. Since there is more than one Luddite on the planet he could have used the word "a" instead of "the" when referring to this person he was about to interview. The very first question Kelly asks Sale is an accusation and comes across very harshly to the reader. He asks, "Other than arson and a lot of vandalism, what did the Luddites accomplish in the long run?"(243). After reading this first question, I felt a little sorry for Sale, and I was mad at Kelly for asking such an abrupt question. But my sympathy soon ended when Kelly continued on in the interview. Sale proudly explains and defends the beliefs of his group, the Luddites. But it is clear that Kelly has a strong opposing opinion. He immediately wants to weaken the character of Sale so that the reader is liable to side more with Kelly, himself. This is a very effective strategy on Kelly's part because I found myself agreeing with him more than I did with Sale. When Kelly asked if Sale considered himself a modern-day Luddite, Sale said yes. Sale argues that this is so in the sense that the Luddites of today had not resorted to destroying property, but used books and voices to help raise the consciousness that technology is bad.

Chronic Bladder Disorder :: Journalism Medical Medicine Papers

Chronic Bladder Disorder There are few telltale signs of what Shelly Gregory copes with on a daily basis. On closer observation, one may notice the odd way she holds the right side of her abdomen when she walks or the way she tilts her body to the side when she sits on a chair for too long. To people around her, Gregory, a 35-year-old mother of two daughters, may pass as healthy. But only those in her inner circle, including her husband and children, truly understand the pain she has to endure. â€Å"When I’m having a really bad day, it feels like there is glass in my bladder and it’s bleeding and there’s nothing I can do to stop it,† Gregory said. â€Å"It hurts so much that it makes me think that my heart is going to explode.† Gregory is one of the more than 700,000 people in the U.S. – 90 percent of them women –who is battling interstitial cystitis, a chronic disorder characterized by inflammation of the bladder that causes urinary frequency and urgency and pelvic pain. There has been relatively little advancement made on this condition since the first written reference to interstitial cystitis was made in 1836. More than a century later, there are still few clear answers to what causes this multifaceted disease or how to treat it effectively. According to epidemiological studies conducted in 1997, the disease typically afflicts white, educated women in their early to mid-40s. The spectrum of symptom severity, however, can vary from person to person. Some people experience the urge to urinate (up to 70 times per day), while others endure bladder pressure or, in severe cases, unremitting bladder pain. When doctors perform a cystoscopy – a procedure that involves inserting a thin scope inside the bladder – on certain interstitial cystitis patients they can see evidence of the disease: mucosal hemorrhaging or Hunner’s ulcers that bleed when the bladder is filled beyond capacity. People with IC have small capacity bladders that hold less than 300 ml, or approximately 1 cup. Gregory said her bladder pain started in 1992 when she developed a blood clot after giving birth to her daughter. Five years later she found out that interstitial cystitis, not the blood clot, was the culprit. Dr. Robert Moldwin, a national expert on interstitial cystitis and director of the Interstitial Cystitis Center at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in Hyde Park, N.Y., said despite its prevalence, doctors often misdiagnose interstitial cystitis because patients can perceive pain in one or more areas of the pelvis.

Civil Disobedience and Thoreau

Are Thoreau’s Ideas About â€Å"Civil Disobedience† Outdated Today? â€Å"Civil disobedience† is an intentional and non-violent disobedience of law by an individual who believes that a certain law is unjust and who is willing to accept the penalty for breaking that law to bring about change and public awareness. When Henry David Thoreau wrote â€Å"On The Duty of Civil Disobedience† in 1849, he advocated that democracy in America could only be improved by individual activism and civil disobedience to unjust laws.Thoreau’s ideas in â€Å"Civil Disobedience† are outdated for contemporary American Society because the more effective solution for unjust laws today is active participation within the political system and not individual civil disobedience. The American political system allows the minority perspective to prevail, and any citizen can change the law through the courts, through Congress, and through the election of new government leaders . Thoreau’s ideas that American democracy is run by an unresponsive and tyrannical majority and that â€Å"A minority is powerless while it conforms to the majority† (Thoreau 231) are wrong or outdated in today’s society.In the American concept of democracy, individuals can, and do, challenge unjust laws through the court system and through the election process. While civil disobedience by individuals has historically been credited for civil rights reform in America, the government institutions were ultimately responsible for the reform of unjust laws and unjust practices. Civil rights reform began in the court system. Ultimately, unjust laws were overturned by the new laws. The Fourteenth Amendment gave all citizens the right to due process and equal protection under the law. Women have the right to vote because of the Nineteenth Amendment.Thus, Thoreau is incorrect when he states â€Å"Even voting for the right is doing nothing for it† and minimizes the effect that a citizen can have in the election process (Thoreau 226). American’s participation in the Iraq war will end as a result of President Obama’s election. One of President Obama’s significant campaign promises was that he would end the Iraq war begun by President Bush. The demonstrations across from the White House and the marches did not change President Bush’s conviction that military resources should be used in Iraq. Kathy Kelly’s Voices in America which defied economic sanctions against Iraq by taking edicine to Iraq and by being fined $20,000 did not cause any change in policy. Ethan and Vima Vesely-Flad’s purposeful payment of 51% their tax monies to the Quakers rather than the federal government to protest the military involvement in Iraq only resulted in the garnishment of Ethan’s wages. All of these civil disobedience efforts failed, and the change that all these protesters wanted occurred because people participated within the political system by voting for President Obama. The Court system legalized abortion rights and protected the rights of women. In contrast, the anti-abortion movement has marched on Washington, D.C. and engaged in civil disobedience for decades without changing those rights. These protestors of the right created by Roe v. Wade who have illegally blocked patients and health care providers from access to the abortion clinics have only helped those who favor abortion. The pharmacists who refused to provide birth control because they consider it a form of abortion have only lost their jobs and been subject to public disdain. Supporters of the right to choose and of abortion rights for women have devoted their energies to working within the political process with the results being that abortion remains legal.The Tea Party also demonstrates how an organized grassroots minority can influence government by organizing and by working within the political system to bring about chang e. The Tea Party organization began with a handful of citizens who were concerned about government spending and excessive taxation and regulation. The Tea Party created a platform called â€Å"The Contract For America† which caused Republicans to create their own â€Å"Commitment to America† and their â€Å"A Pledge to America. † The Tea Party has been able to influence several elections and is given the credit of having helped Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown be elected.The Tea Party has been predicted to have a significant impact on the coming November elections. If the Tea Party succeeds in electing state and federal legislators, it will affect government spending. The existence of the Tea Party has already influenced the Republican party, which shows that working within the system is more effective than the civil disobedience urged by Thoreau. Modern day civil disobedience is ineffective and will not result in change as Thoreau suggests. The reasons that ci vil disobedience is no longer the most effective mechanism for change is because of its nature.Civil disobedience involves a protest by an individual who breaks a law to change it. Most of those protests are uncoordinated. Individual disobedience without widespread participation or publicity does not create greater awareness of a moral issue. Civil disobedience has worked in the past when the unjust law affects a majority of the citizens and has widespread, albeit silent, support. Certain acts of disobedience like the pharmacist refusing to feel a prescription needed by a women for whatever reason or like blocking access to a medical clinic do not work and alienate the society.Thus, Thoreau’s ideas of â€Å"Civil Disobedience† about civil disobedience have less value today in American Society because the individual is far more likely to bring about change by working within the system as the modern Iraqi war protests, anti-abortion protests, and the Tea Party have shown . Civil disobedience is no longer the most effective agent for an individual to reform the law, and the more effective solution for unjust laws requires active participation in the political process to make the government more responsive to its citizens.

Inanna vs. Oedipus Rex Essay

She wondered: ‘How long will it be until I have a shinning throne to sit upon? ‘How long will it be until I have a shinning bed to lie upon? † The huluppu-tree is a metaphor of Inanna herself. The tree’s growth symbolizes Inanna’s growth in her own life. When she mentions that she wants to make a thrown and bed for herself, she is foreshadowing her destiny of becoming a queen. This was her first test in becoming a leader. A leader needs to know how to be responsible for something or someone. They need to show that they care and can put forth tremendous effort toward what is important. In many instances through out the story, Inanna showed responsibility and maturity, but this was her first sight of it. After a couple years of waiting for the bark to split so that she can build her thrown and bed, â€Å"A serpent who could not be charmed made its nest in the roots of the huluppu-tree. The Anzu-bird set his young in the branches of the tree. And the dark maid Lilith built her home in the trunk. â€Å"(Pg. 6;Lines 1-4) The three things that built their home in the tree was the next test that he needed to overcome so that she can start her life in becoming a woman. When these struggles started in her life, she knew that she couldn’t do it alone, so she asked for help. She first asked her brother Utu, The Sun God. He would not help her. So she then asked her other brother, Gilgamesh who agreed to help. He put on his armor and grabbed his bronze ax and entered Inanna’s holy garden. He struck the serpent and then the Anzubirds flew away. Finally the Lilth smashed her home and fled. Gilgamash then carved a throne and bed for Inanna using the tree trunk. This portrays a strong leadership quality in Inanna, which is openness. A leader needs to be able to listen to new ideas, even if they do not conform to the usual way of thinking. They need to be able to know that sometimes they might not be right, and have to listen to someone else. Inanna knew she couldn’t do it on her own, and she needed help. Asking for help was a learning step for her in maturing her leadership qualities. Oedipus showed different leadership qualities as Inanna, which were determination and integrity. When the plague hit the town the second time, Oedipus as determined to end it. Just as he did when he first entered the town and solved the riddle. He sent many men out to find who killed the king and promised the town that he would find this man and end the plague. Ironically, who he was looking for was himself. He was the murderer of the king and the husband of his mother. When his guilt, no longer see those they should never seen, nor see, unseeing, those he had longed to see, henceforth seeing nothing but night To this wild tune he pierced his eyeballs time and tie again, till bloody tears ran down his beard. † – (Pg. 1 ;Lines 7-12) Oedipus was a very strong leader. He put an exceptional amount of effort and responsibility towards the people of the city. He was determined to end the plague for his people of Thebes. When he found out that he was the man he was looking for, he punished himself. Instead of killing himself, he pierced his eyes out so he has to live the rest of his life knowing that all of his answers were right in front of him, but he couldn’t see it. This is why he was a great leader. He had the most power in the whole city and could have easily accused someone else. Yet he punishes himself Just as would if it was another man. This shows a great amount of integrity. He never veered from his inner values, even when it was expeditious to do so. I think that Inanna has better leadership skills than Oedipus because she is more experienced. Oedipus has natural leadership qualities. Inanna was tested throughout her life, which made her a stronger leader. The one part of her life that made her a better leader than Oedipus was when she decented herself to the underworld. â€Å"My Lady abandoned heaven and earth to decened to the underworld. Inanna abandoned heaven and earth to decened to the underworld. She abandoned her office of holy priestess to decened to the underworld. † – (pg. 52;Lines 4-6) This shows great leadership qualities. She was striving so much to be great, she never experienced the difficulties of life. So she descended herself so that she can experience the other side of life. This was the biggest step into making her the leader that she was. Oedipus is nothing like Inanna in the sense of leadership. Through out the story of Inanna, she works to achieve royality, experience both sides of life and doesn’t help nyone but herself on the way..

Bullying

We’ve all experienced bullying at some point in our lives. But bullying is more than just a part of growing up. It is a form of aggressiveness or violent behavior shown to children who are quiet, shy or unsociable. Bullying can often be started with rumors and can result in very serious and unimaginable consequences such as suicide. Since bullying is such a prevalent problem in todays world, a solution is necessary to stop this atrocious act from being committed. Bullying occurs when kids aren't tolerant of each other, therefore they will start picking on one another.There are different types of bullying. The most common form is cyber bullying. This one and verbal bullying are one of the most hurtful types someone could ever experience. I’ve experienced both, at the age of twelve. I was new to the school, just like twenty other students; but for some reasons, they had decided to pick on me. It was a typical Tuesday, when I entered the classroom, everyone was surrounding one of my classmates laptop. Like any other curious student would, I went to see what was going on.On this boy’s screen was a picture of me he had gotten from Facebook, with the head of a horse replacing mine. Everyone was laughing. My response to this was violence, which actually motivated them even more since I was responding to their provocation. If bullying goes on for a long while, there can be negative effects. 86 percent of students said that bullying causes students or teens to turn violent. I can totally relate to this statistic. At first, I tried ignoring name calling and hurtful comments about my looks.But as it grew bigger, I had become aggressive as a way of dealing with frustration. Researchers from Finland discovered that victims suffer from anxiety disorders, such as depression, panic disorder, etc. Sometimes the disorders can also cause difficulties with the victims' family and friends. I had become very distant and arrogant with my family, especially with m y mother. I would release all the tension I had gotten from school onto her. I also felt lonely and sad. My self-esteem had decreased and so did my social life.In some cases, the bullying may be so severe and may go on for so long that the victim may actually commit suicide, which is called bullycide when related to bullying. There are many strategies you can use to stop bullies and to help others. As a victim, you need to stand up for yourself. The best way to deal with bullies and bullying is to ask other people for help. Victims may go to friends, teachers, parents, or other adults for help. After my mother found out about what was happening she talked to the bullies’ parents and everything had ceased the next day.Another important part of dealing with a bully is remaining calm and not letting the bully get a reaction out of you. Bullies want to feel a sense of power over their victims. However, bullies only have this sense of power if you give it to them. Don't! Make sure that you stay calm. Bullying is a universal problem faced by kids of every age. It happens in schools, neighborhoods, and homes every single day. It can end into very serious circumstances and can ruin someone’s life. Bullying is not worth suffering for so don’t wait for it to get worse, don’t be scared to ask for help or help others.

Lieutenant General John Burgoyne in the American Revolution

Lieutenant General John Burgoyne in the American Revolution General John Burgoyne was a noted 18th century British Army officer who is best remembered for his defeat at the Battle of Saratoga in 1777. First seeing service during the War of the Austrian Succession, he later earned fame as a cavalry officer and leader during the Seven Years War. In this period, he formed his own cavalry unit and commanded troops in Portugal. With the beginning of the American Revolution in 1775, Burgoyne was one of several officers dispatched to Boston. Seeing little opportunity in the post, Burgoyne departed and returned to North America the following year with reinforcements for Canada. While there, he conceived of the idea for what would become the Saratoga Campaign. Given permission to move forward in 1777, his army was ultimately blocked, defeated, and captured by American forces. Paroled, Burgoyne returned to Britain in disgrace. General John Burgoyne Rank: GeneralService: British ArmyNickname(s): Gentleman JohnnyBorn: February 24, 1722 in Sutton, EnglandDied: August 4, 1792 in London, EnglandParents: Captain John Burgoyne and Anna Maria BurgoyneSpouse: Charlotte StanleyChildren: Charlotte Elizabeth BurgoyneConflicts: Seven Years War, American RevolutionKnown For: Battle of Saratoga (1777) Early Life Born February 24, 1722 at Sutton, England, John Burgoyne was the son of Captain John Burgoyne and his wife Anna. There is some thought that the young Burgoyne may have been the illegitimate son of Lord Bingley. Burgoynes godfather, Bingley specified in his will that the young man should receive his estate if his daughters failed to produce any male heirs. Beginning in 1733, Burgoyne began attending the Westminster School in London. While there, he befriended Thomas Gage and James Smith-Stanley, Lord Strange. In August 1737, Burgoyne entered the British Army by purchasing a commission in the Horse Guards. Early Career Based in London, Burgoyne became known for his fashionable uniforms and earned the nickname Gentleman Johnny. A known gambler, Burgoyne sold his commission in 1741. Four years later, with Britain involved in the War of the Austrian Succession, Burgoyne returned to the army by obtaining cornets commission in the 1st Royal Dragoons. As the commission was newly created, he was not required to pay for it. Promoted to lieutenant later that year, he took part in the Battle of Fontenoy that May and made repeated charges with his regiment. In 1747, Burgoyne pulled together sufficient funds to purchase a captaincy. Elopement With the wars end in 1748, Burgoyne began courting Stranges sister, Charlotte Stanley. After his proposal of marriage was blocked by Charlottes father, Lord Derby, the couple elected to elope in April 1751. This action infuriated Derby who was a prominent politician and he cut off his daughters financial support. Lacking active service, Burgoyne sold his commission for  £2,600 and the couple began traveling around Europe. Spending extensive time in France and Italy, he became friends with the Duc de Choiseul who would later oversee French policy during the Seven Years War. Additionally, while in Rome, Burgoyne has his portrait painted by famed Scottish artist Allan Ramsay.   Following the birth of their only child, Charlotte Elizabeth, the couple elected to return to Britain. Arriving in 1755, Strange interceded on their behalf and the couple reconciled with Lord Derby. Using his influence, Derby aided Burgoyne in obtaining a captaincy in the 11th Dragoons in June 1756. Two years later he moved to the Coldstream Guards and ultimately achieved the rank of lieutenant colonel. With the Seven Years War raging, Burgoyne took part in the June 1758 raid on St. Malo. Landing in France, his men remained for several days while British forces burned French shipping. 16th Dragoons Later that year, Burgoyne went ashore during Captain Richard Howes raid on Cherbourg. This saw British forces land and successfully storm the town. A proponent of light cavalry, Burgoyne was appointed to command the 16th Dragoons, one of two new light regiments, in 1759. Rather than delegate recruiting duties, he directly oversaw the construction of his unit and personally courted the landed gentry in Northamptonshire to become officers or encourage others to enlist. To entice potential recruits, Burgoyne advertised that his men would have the finest horses, uniforms, and equipment. A popular commander, Burgoyne encouraged his officers to mix with their troops and desired his enlisted men to be free thinking in battle. This approach was enshrined in a revolutionary code of conduct he wrote for the regiment. Additionally, Burgoyne encouraged his officers to take time each day to read and encouraged them to learn French as the best military texts were in that language. Portugal In 1761, Burgoyne was elected to Parliament representing Midhurst. A year later, he was dispatched to Portugal with the rank of brigadier general. Following the loss of Almeida to the Spanish, Burgoyne boosted Allied moral and earned fame for his capture of Valencia de Alcntara. That October, he again triumphed when he defeated the Spanish at the Battle of Vila Velha. In the course of the fighting, Burgoyne directed Lieutenant Colonel Charles Lee to attack a Spanish artillery position which was successfully captured. In recognition of his service, Burgoyne received a diamond ring from the King of Portugal and later had his portrait painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds. With the end of the war, Burgoyne returned to Britain and in 1768 was again elected to Parliament. An effective politician, he was named the governor of Fort William, Scotland in 1769. Outspoken in Parliament, he became concerned about Indian affairs and regularly attacked Robert Clive as well as corruption in the East India Company. His efforts ultimately led to the passage of the Regulating Act of 1773 which worked to reform the companys management. Promoted to major general, Burgoyne wrote plays and verse in his spare time. In 1774, his play The Maid of the Oaks was staged at the Drury Lane Theater. American Revolution With the beginning of the American Revolution in April 1775, Burgoyne was dispatched to Boston along with Major Generals William Howe and Henry Clinton. Though he did not take part in the Battle of Bunker Hill, he was present at the Siege of Boston. Feeling the assignment lacked opportunity, he elected to return home in November 1775. The following spring, Burgoyne led the British reinforcements which arrived in Quebec. Serving under Governor Sir Guy Carleton, Burgoyne aided in driving American forces from Canada. Critical of Carletons cautiousness after the Battle of Valcour Island, Burgoyne sailed for Britain. Arriving, he began lobbying Lord George Germain, Secretary of State for the Colonies, to approve his campaign plans for 1777. These called for a large British army to advance south from Lake Champlain to capture Albany. This would be supported by a smaller force approaching from the west via the Mohawk Valley. The final element would see Howe advance north up the Hudson River from New York. Planning for 1777 The cumulative effect of the campaign would be to sever New England from the rest of the American Colonies. This plan was approved by Germain in early 1777 despite word from Howe that he intended to march against Philadelphia that year. Confusion exists as to when Germain informed Burgoyne that participation by British forces in New York City would be limited at best. As Clinton had been defeated at Charleston, SC in June 1776, Burgoyne was able to secure command of the northern invasion force. Arriving in Canada on May 6, 1777, he assembled an army of over 7,000 men. The Saratoga Campaign Initially delayed by transport issues, Burgoynes army did not begin moving up Lake Champlain until late June. As his forces advanced on the lake, Colonel Barry St. Legers command moved west to execute the thrust through the Mohawk Valley. Believing the campaign would be simple, Burgoyne was soon dismayed when few Native Americans and Loyalists joined his forces. Arriving at Fort Ticonderoga in early July, he quickly compelled Major General Arthur St. Clair to abandon the post. Sending troops in pursuit of the Americans, they defeated part of St. Clairs forces at Hubbardton on July 7. Regrouping, Burgoyne pushed south towards Forts Anne and Edward. His advance was slowed by American forces which felled trees and burned bridges along the route. In mid-July, Burgoyne received word from Howe that he intended to sail for Philadelphia and would not be coming north. This bad news was compounded by a rapidly worsening supply situation as the army lacked sufficient transport that could traverse the regions rough roads. In mid-August, Burgoyne dispatched a force of Hessians on a foraging mission. Meeting American troops, they were badly defeated at Bennington on August 16. The defeat bolstered American morale and caused many of Burgoynes Native Americans to leave. The British situation further deteriorated when St. Leger was defeated at Fort Stanwix and forced to retreat. Surrender of Burgoyne by John Trumbull. Photograph Courtesy of the Architect of the Capitol Defeat at Saratoga Learning of St. Legers defeat on August 28, Burgoyne elected to cut his supply lines and quickly drive on Albany with the goal of making winter quarters there. On September 13, his army began crossing the Hudson just north of Saratoga. Pushing south, it soon encountered American forces led by Major General Horatio Gates which had entrenched on Bemis Heights. On September 19, American forces led by Major General Benedict Arnold and Colonel Daniel Morgan defeated Burgoynes men at Freemans Farm. With their supply situation critical, many of the British commanders recommended a retreat. Unwilling to fall back, Burgoyne again attacked on October 7. Defeated at Bemis Heights, the British withdrew to their camp. In the wake of the action, American forces surrounded Burgoynes position. Unable to break out, he surrendered on October 17. Later Career Paroled, Burgoyne returned to Britain in disgrace. Attacked by the government for his failures, he attempted to reverse the accusations by blaming Germain for failing to order Howe to support his campaign. Unable to obtain a court martial to clear his name, Burgoyne changed political allegiances from the Tories to the Whigs. With the Whig ascent to power in 1782, he returned to favor and served as commander in chief in Ireland and a privy councillor. Leaving government a year later, he effectively retired and focused on literary pursuits. Burgoyne died suddenly at his Mayfair home on June 3, 1792. He was buried at Westminster Abbey.

Muscle Fiber Essay

Muscle Fiber Essay Muscle Fiber Essay MUSCULAR SYSTEM Types of Muscle Tissue: Skeletal, Smooth, and Cardiac * Skeletal, aka â€Å"striated†, aka â€Å"voluntary† – attached to bones and under conscious, willful control. Has the ability to contract (shorten) and thereby bring about movement I. Muscle and Muscle Fiber Structure: A muscle is composed of many muscle fibers (muscle fiber = muscle cell). The individual muscles are separated from each other and held in place by a covering called the FASCIA. This fascia also forms TENDONS and APONEUROSES connecting muscles to bones and muscles to muscles. A muscle also contains 3 different layers of connective tissue: Epimysium – outermost layer, surrounds entire muscle Perimysium – separated and surrounds the FASCICLES (bundles) of muscle fibers Endomysium – surrounds each individual muscle fiber Skeletal muscle fibers contain numerous nuclei and mitochondria The muscle fiber membrane is called the SARCOLEMMA and the cytoplasm is called the SARCOPLASM. Within the sarcoplasm are many parallel fibers known as MYOFIBRILS [pic] Each myofibril is made of many protein filaments called MYOFILAMENTS. There are two types: MYOSIN – thick filaments ACTIN – thin filaments Actin and Myosin filaments are arranged in an overlapping pattern of light (â€Å"I† bands) and dark (â€Å"A† bands). In the middle of each â€Å"I† band is a line called a â€Å"Z† line. The section of a myofibril from one Z-line to the next Z-line is called a SARCOMERE. The arrangement of these sarcomeres next to each other produces the STRIATIONS of the skeletal muscle fibers. Each Myofibirl is surrounded by a network of membranous channels called SARCOPLASMIC RETICULUM. Other â€Å"tubes† [pic] between the actin and myosin filaments ( the filaments slide between

More Than and Less Than in Spanish

More Than and Less Than in Spanish Spanish has two common ways of saying more than and two corresponding ways of saying less than - but they dont mean the same thing to a native Spanish speaker and arent interchangeable. Tip for Remembering the Rule on More Than and Less Than Both ms que and ms de are usually translated as more than, while menos que and menos de typically are translated as less than. Menos de is also frequently translated as fewer than. Fortunately, the basic rule for remembering which to use is simple: Ms de and menos de normally are used before numbers. (If you like mnemonic devices, think D for digit.) Ms que and menos que are used in making comparisons. (Think K for comparison.) Some examples of ms de and menos de: Pronto vamos a ver el aceite a ms de cinco euros por litro. (Soon were going to see oilat more than 5 euros per liter.)El estudio dice que las mujeres necesitan ms de un hombre para ser felices. (The study says women need more than one man in order to be happy.) ¿Es posible sentir amor por ms de una persona? (Is it possible to feel love toward more than one person? Note that while una can mean a, it also is the feminine form of the number one.)Las temperaturas mà ­nimas descendieron a menos de cero grados. (The low temperatures fell to less than zero degrees.)Hay muchos alimentos con menos de 100 calorà ­as. (There are many foods with fewer than 100 calories.)Adquirir una vivienda de menos de un millà ³n de pesos en la Ciudad de Mà ©xico es complicado, pero no imposible. (Purchasing a home for less on than a million pesos in Mexico City is complicated but not impossible.) Here are some examples of comparisons using que: Nadie te ama ms que yo. (Nobody loves you more than I do.)Eres mucho ms que tus sentimientos. (You are much more than your feelings.)Gano menos que ella. (I earn less than she does.)Yo estaba ms feliz que un nià ±o con juguete nuevo. (I was happier than a boy with a new toy.)Me duele ms que antes. (This hurts me more than before.)Soy blogger y sà ©Ã‚  mucho ms que si fuera polà ­tica. (Im a blogger and I know much more  than if I were a politician.)Se necesitan ms manos que trabajen y menos gente que critique. (Needed are more hands that work and fewer people who criticize.) Note that a comparison takes the following form: Subject verb more/less than subject verbSujeto verbo ms/menos que sujeto verbo More Examples of More Than and Less Than However, in both Spanish and English, the noun and/or verb in the second part of the sentence can be implied rather than stated explicitly. In the final sentences given, for example, both the noun and verb are omitted in the second half. This hurts me more than before (Me duele ms que antes) has the same meaning as This hurts me more than it hurt me before (Me duele ms que me dolà ­a antes). If you cant readily expand a sentence to such a form, then there is no comparison being made. Here are some more examples using ms de and menos de. Note how these sentences cant be restructured the same way a comparison can: La Wikipedia tiene ms de 100.000 artà ­culos. (The Wikipedia has more than 100,000 articles.)El estudiante promedio necesita ms de cuatro aà ±os para obtener su tà ­tulo. (The average student needs more than four years to earn his or her degree.)Son menos de las cinco de la tarde. (It is not yet 5 p.m.)Menos de uno de cada tres espaà ±oles con derecho a voto apoya el tratado. (Fewer than one out of three Spaniards with the right to vote support the treaty.) In those rare cases where ms de or menos de isnt followed by a number, de usually can be translated as of or about, never than. Le deseo muchos aà ±os ms de felicidad. (I wish you many more years of happiness.)Quiero saber ms de los dinosaurios. (I want to know more about dinosaurs.)Nike Air: un poco menos de dolor. (eslogan publicitario) (Nike Air: A little less hurt. (advertising slogan) An Exception to the Number Rule Where a comparison is being made, ms que can be followed by a number. Example: Tiene ms dinero que diez reyes, he has more money than 10 kings. To use de in the just-given example would be nonsensical (unless rey were a unit of money). There are a very few cases, however, where the distinction between ms de and ms que can eliminate an ambiguity thats present in the English more than. Take, for example, a sentence such as he can eat more than a horse. The sentence could be translated to Spanish in two ways, depending on what is meant in English: Puede comer ms que un caballo. (He can eat more than a horse can eat.)Puede comer ms de un caballo. (He can eat a greater amount of food than eating a horse.) The first example above is a comparison, while the second is not.

Obama Term - Barack Obamas Last Day as President

Obama Term - Barack Obamas Last Day as President President Barack Obamas last day as president was January 20, 2017, and he spent it doing what most American presidents did on their last few hours in the White House. He greeted the incoming president, Republican Donald Trump, and Trumps family. He wrote a note to his successor that read, in part:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"We’ve both been blessed, in different ways, with great good fortune.† And then Obama attended Trumps swearing-in ceremony. Obama, like every other president serving his final term, became a lame duck president the day he was sworn into office for a second time following his Election Day rout  of Mitt Romney in 2012. Trump was chosen  in the 2016 election and sworn into office at noon on Jan. 20, 2017. Trumps first term ends on Jan. 20, 2021, when the next president is sworn into office. That day is called Inauguration Day. Obama Keeps a Low Profile After Term Ends Obama spoke very little in the first months after he left the White House. He held a conversation on community organizing and civic engagement in Chicago as he approached his 100th day out of office. Obamas first substantial criticism of his successor came in early September of 2017, nearly eight months after Trump took office; the former president, a Democrat, was critical of Trumps plan to kill the  Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA. The program allows children of immigrants living in the United States illegally to stay in the country without fear of immediate prosecution. Said Obama in response to Trumps plan: â€Å"To target these young people is wrong ― because they have done nothing wrong. It is self-defeating ― because they want to start new businesses, staff our labs, serve in our military, and otherwise contribute to the country we love. And it is cruel. This is about whether we are a people who kick hopeful young strivers out of America, or whether we treat them the way we’d want our own kids to be treated. It’s about who we are as a people ― and who we want to be.† When Obamas Term Ended The date of the presidential swearing-in and conclusion of a presidents term is set by the 20th Amendment to the Constitution. Under the terms of the 20th Amendment, a presidents term  ends at noon on Jan. 20.   The 20th Amendment reads, in part: The terms of the President and Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January, and the terms of Senators and Representatives at noon on the 3d day of January, of the years in which such terms would have ended if this article had not been ratified; and the terms of their successors shall then begin. Awaiting Obamas Last Day Its become a sort of modern-day political tradition for a presidents staunchest critics to begin counting down his last days in office. Obama endured such treatment from conservative Republicans. There were even commercial endeavors to celebrate Obamas last day in office: bumper stickers, buttons, and T-shirts announcing Jan. 20, 2017, as the End of an error and Americans happiest day. Obamas predecessor, Republican President George W. Bush, was the target of similar campaigns, including an  Out of Office Countdown Wall Calendar that included some of the most well known Bushisms.   The Republican National Committee celebrated Obamas last day as president by posting the date on its website even before he was elected to a second term in 2012. The GOP designed the ad to raise money from conservatives worried about him being re-elected. The party said: The RNC is clearly not giving President Obama a free pass in 2012 - quite the opposite actually, we are aggressively showing voters what our country would look like after another four years of President Obama and his tax and spend policies that have done nothing to create jobs and leave us vulnerable to governments like China. When Obama Was Sworn In to His Final Term Alex Wong / Getty Images Obama was sworn in to a second term on Jan. 20, 2013, after easily defeating Republican Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election. Why Presidents Can Serve Only Two Terms Obama, like all U.S. presidents, cannot serve a third term in the White House because of the Constitutions 22nd Amendment, even though many conspiracy theorists believe Obama would try to remain president beyond his eight years in office.