Saturday, August 22, 2020

The Moths

Using Symbolism and Characterization In the short story â€Å"The Moths† by Helena Maria Viramontes, the creator utilizes imagery and portrayal to paint the area of a young lady in a scholarly fiction that has lost her direction and winds up ending up inside her Grandmother through the patterns of life.Through the eyes of an anonymous young lady we remember a past that has both a horrible closure and another rope on life; notwithstanding, we don't arrive without first being indicated the way, enter â€Å"The Moths†. The writer uses furthest edges of the light range to connote beginnings and endings by painting a striking picture for the peruser: â€Å"There comes when the sun is defiant.Just about when temperaments change, unavoidable periods of a day, advances starting with one shading then onto the next, that hour or moment or second when the sun is at last vanquished, at last sinks into the acknowledgment that it can't with all its capacity to recuperate or consume, exist always, there comes a brightening where the sun and earth meet, a last explosion of consuming red orange fierceness advising us that in spite of the fact that endings are inescapable, they are vital for resurrections, and when the opportunity arrived, exactly when I turned on the light in the kitchen to open Abuelita’s soup, it was presumably then that she died† (Viramontes 4).She discloses to the peruser why the sun causes various shades of red and orange for the duration of the day, the shades themselves speak to a life expectancy of various ages, which turn various hues with the coming seasons â€Å"of the day†, rather than the year, toward the finish of that day the sun passes on and another moon is conceived instead of that sun, and when a moon kicks the bucket the sun is reawakened the following day, thus goes the pattern of life. With this the storyteller additionally expresses that â€Å"endings are inevitable† thus when we take a gander at the Grandmother we definitely realize that she will kick the bucket since her end is, as the storyteller says â€Å"inevitable†.The last line in the selection is maybe the absolute most significant piece that ties the entirety of the use of imagery together. At the point when the storyteller turns the light on, another day has begun as a resurrection brought about by her Grandmothers passing the moon in the story isn't as present as the sun, in any case, we realize that the Grandmother’s name is â€Å"Luna†, which interpreted in the storytellers local tongue of Spanish is â€Å"moon†, we realize her language is Spanish due to the predictable utilization of Latin terms like; â€Å"Placa†, â€Å"Menudo†, or even â€Å"Heliotrope†, which is a local plant of Peru.Since the moon is the perfect inverse of the sun we can say that, in the human component of the story there is Grandma Luna which is right now at the consummation of her â€Å"m oon life† and toward the start of her resurrection towards another day as the â€Å"sun†, the light, as an image of resurrection speaking to the sun, seems once again in the story, where in the wake of her Grandmothers demise, the storyteller is viewing the moths â€Å"fluttering to light†, conveying her Grandmother’s soul to a spot were it can become reborn.I accept that the author’s deliberately picked name of â€Å"Luna† for the Grandmother was in certainty to show the peruser that our passing is unavoidable yet our resurrection as far as bliss is changeable.Equally significant in the story is the utilization of portrayal to show the peruser precisely who the hero in the story is and what sort of life she is living, we previously read of her sisters and how they act as opposed to the hero: â€Å"I [the narrator] wasn't even pretty or pleasant like my more established sisters and I just couldn't do the young lady things they could do†, the storyteller first obtusely tells the peruser that she is not the same as her sisters and afterward shows the peruser precisely how they are not the equivalent using portrayal, â€Å"My hands were too large to deal with the luxuries of stitching or weaving and I generally pricked my fingers or tied my shaded strings over and over while my sisters chuckled and called me bull hands with their adorable waterlike voices. †. With the entirety of this data we can tell that the storyteller is experiencing issues in her own way and doesn't feel good in her own body, it appears that she is even more a kid then a young lady as indicated by the principles set out by her mom and father. In any case, how can it be that the storyteller ought to adjust to these norms? Now we definitely realize that they are as opposed to one another yet the explanation regarding for what reason is profound established through one more mean, conformity.Her father is extremely committed to his strict co nvictions and needs his family to accommodate, â€Å"He would pound his hands on the table, shaking the sugar dish or spilling some espresso and shout that in the event that I didn't go to mass each Sunday to spare my goddamn erring soul, at that point I had no motivation to leave the house, time frame. Punto last. †, the storyteller has issues with this since she wouldn't like to adjust to something she doesn't herself have faith in. The peruser realizes she feels awkward in a congregation since she says â€Å"I was distant from everyone else. I know why I had never returned† when she went to the house of prayer, in this way we are left to the end that the storyteller has a free soul that longs to turn out to be liberated from the convictions that have been offered to her. At the end of the day she is totally different of her whole family, or so we see along these lines far.Grandma Luna is an intriguing character, she doesn't have numerous lines in the story however t he introduction of her character assumes a significant job with regards to who precisely she is, the place she originated from, where she is going, yet considerably increasingly significant, where she is driving the storyteller. The Grandmother’s life matches that of the storyteller in the regard that at some point during her life she was likewise rebellious, â€Å"The scars on her back which were as thick as the existence lines on the palms of her hands caused me to acknowledge how little I truly knew about Abuelita†. This line is instructive to the storyteller, just because she understands that she isn't the only one in her own beliefs.She additionally needs to turn out to be free similar to her Grandmother is, â€Å"I loved her patio since it was protected by the vines of the chayotes and I could get a decent gander at the individuals and vehicle traffic on Evergreen without them knowing†, she enjoys the yard on the grounds that the vines are developing in an d around her Grandmothers home, she likewise feels ensured by the vines. We likewise realize she thinks about her Grandmother, as a result of the manner in which she discusses her, â€Å"Really, I told my Ama it was just fair†. Indeed, even before her acknowledgment of Grandma Luna’s insubordination the storyteller felt a solid association with her, however observing the scars she has an extraordinary feeling of why it is that she gets along so well with her Grandmother. They are both particularly indistinguishable, and she feels â€Å"safe† around her, â€Å"I [the narrator] consistently felt her dark eye on me.It caused me to feel, in an unusual kind of way, sheltered and watched and not the only one. Like God should make you feel†, the creators decision of the word â€Å"was†, reveals to us that god doesn't cause her to feel safe, rather it is her Grandmother whom she trusts in. The storyteller herself is disobedient and even ill bred on occasio n, anyway her insubordination isn't managed without reason; it is done due to her own convictions. Her mom and father have solid strict convictions and attempt to compel those convictions upon her, when she wouldn't like to adjust she fakes going to chapel and rather, heads toward her Grandmother’s home where she discovers comfort in helping her Grandmother with her day by day chores.Viramontes decides to keep the storyteller anonymous so the peruser feels like they are assuming the job of the storyteller, on the off chance that she had named her â€Å"Alice† or â€Å"Lisa†, at that point the crowd probably won't have felt a solid association with the storyteller and the message of resurrection and changing your own psychological status to accomplish a type of illumination, might not have been practiced. At long last we understand the motivation behind the story, it tells about the resurrection any individual can make by changing the manner in which they see the world. The storyteller saw the world fresh out of the box new without precedent for an alternate light as a result of her Grandmother’s passing and ensuing resurrection through the moths, conveying her spirit to â€Å"new light†. It’s not from an exacting perspective that the storyteller is conceived once more; rather it’s to a greater extent a psychological status change that the storyteller has experienced, and due to that she finds a sense of contentment with herself. The Moths Using Symbolism and Characterization In the short story â€Å"The Moths† by Helena Maria Viramontes, the creator utilizes imagery and portrayal to paint the location of a young lady in an artistic fiction that has lost her direction and winds up ending up inside her Grandmother through the patterns of life.Through the eyes of an anonymous young lady we remember a past that has both an awful completion and another chain on life; nonetheless, we don't arrive without first being indicated the way, enter â€Å"The Moths†. The writer uses furthest edges of the light range to imply beginnings and endings by painting a distinctive picture for the peruser: â€Å"There comes when the sun is defiant.Just about when states of mind change, unavoidable periods of a day, advances starting with one shading then onto the next, that hour or moment or second when the sun is at last vanquished, at long last sinks into the acknowledgment that it can't with all its capacity to recuperate o r consume, exist perpetually, there comes an enlightenment where the sun and earth meet, a last explosion of consuming red orange fierceness advising us that despite the fact that endings are inescapable, they are important for resurrections, and when the opportunity arrived, exactly when I turned on the light in the kitchen to open Abuelita’s soup, it was most likely then that

Wednesday, July 15, 2020

The goldfish bowl cute!

The goldfish bowl â€" cute! Have you ever been saved from embarrassment by a kindly soul who absorbs the ridicule? These are the kind of people who are friends for life. Check this story out.There is a nine-year-old kid sitting at his desk and all of a sudden, there is a puddle between his feet and the front of his pants are wet. He thinks his heart is going to stop because he cannot possibly imagine how this has happened.Its never happened before, and he knows that when the boys find out he will never hear the end of it. When the girls find out, theyll never speak to him again as long as he lives. The boy believes his heart is going to stop, he puts his head down and prays Dear God, this is an emergency! I need help now! Five minutes from now Im dead meat.He looks up from his prayer and here comes the teacher with a look in her eyes that says he has been discovered.As the teacher is walking toward him, a classmate named Susie is carrying a goldfish bowl that is filled with water. Susie trips in front of the teacher and inexplicably dumps the bowl of water in the boys lap.The boy pretends to be angry, but all the while is saying to himself, Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord!Now all of a sudden, instead of being the object of ridicule, the boy is the object of sympathy. The teacher rushes him downstairs and gives him gym shorts to put on while his pants dry out. All the other children are on their hands and knees cleaning up around his desk. The sympathy is wonderful. But as life would have it, the ridicule that should have been his has been transferred to someone else Susie.She tries to help, but they tell her to get out. Youve done enough, you klutz! Finally, at the end of the day, as they are waiting for the bus, the boy walks over to Susie and whispers, You did that on purpose, didnt you?Susie whispers back, I wet my pants once too.May God help us see the opportunities that are always around us to do good.Author Unknown

Thursday, May 21, 2020

Auroch Prehistoric Mammal Facts and Figures

Name: Auroch (German for original ox); pronounced OR-ock Habitat: Plains of Eurasia and northern Africa Historical Epoch: Pleistocene-Modern (2 million-500 years ago) Size and Weight: About six feet high and one ton Diet: Grass Distinguishing Characteristics: Large size; prominent horns; larger males than females About the Auroch Sometimes it seems that every contemporary animal had a plus-sized megafauna ancestor during the Pleistocene epoch. A good example is the Auroch, which was pretty much identical to modern oxen with the exception of its size: this dino-cow weighed about a ton, and one imagines that the males of the species were significantly more aggressive than modern bulls. (Technically, the Auroch is classified as Bos primigenius, placing it under the same genus umbrella as modern cattle, to which its directly ancestral.) The Auroch is one of the few prehistoric animals to be commemorated in ancient cave paintings, including a famous drawing from Lascaux in France dating to about 17,000 years ago. As you might expect, this mighty beast figured on the dinner menu of early humans, who played a large part in driving the Auroch into extinction (when they werent domesticating it, thus creating the line that led to modern cows). However, small, dwindling populations of Aurochs survived well into modern times, the last known individual dying in 1627. One little-known fact about the Auroch is that it actually comprised three separate subspecies. The most famous, Bos primigenius primigenius, was native to Eurasia, and is the animal depicted in the Lascaux cave paintings. The Indian Auroch, Bos primigenius namadicus, was domesticated a few thousand years ago into what are now known as Zebu cattle, and the North African Auroch (Bos primigenius africanus) is the most obscure of the three, likely descended from a population native to the Middle East. One historical description of the Auroch was written by, of all people, Julius Caesar, in his History of the Gallic War: These are a little below the elephant in size, and of the appearance, color, and shape of a bull. Their strength and speed are extraordinary; they spare neither man nor wild beast which they have espied. These the Germans take with much pains in pits and kill them. The young men harden themselves with this exercise and practice themselves in this sort of hunting, and those who have slain the greatest number of them, having produced the horns in public, to serve as evidence, receive great praise. Back in the 1920s, a pair of German zoo directors hatched a scheme to resurrect the Auroch via the selective breeding of modern cattle (which share virtually the same genetic material as Bos primigenius, albeit with some important traits suppressed). The result was a breed of oversized oxen known as Heck cattle, which, if not technically Aurochs, at least provide a clue to what these ancient beasts must have looked like. Still, hopes for the resurrection of the Auroch persist, via a proposed process called de-extinction.

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Essay about Global Poverty - 1599 Words

In today’s world, poverty is an element of every nation’s economy. Whether on a large or small scale, some strand of poverty is visible in every community worldwide. Somewhere in the world, a young man is homeless, a single woman cannot adequately supply for her children, a sick, elderly woman cannot afford her medication, a young lady has to settle for drinking water from the puddles of the street, and people are on the verge of total financial collapse. No matter the reason or cause, some human being is counted in the 45.4% worldwide poverty rate as less-fortunate, underprivileged, etc (Hope International, 1). But what causes this startling fact? How is it that as the years progress, so does the rate of poverty worldwide? Some argue that†¦show more content†¦For example, Maureen Bodie in GOD’s Angry Babies couldn’t go to school when she was younger because her father prevented her from going, And Maureen was the smartest†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦And John Bodie, though proud of his daughter, would not send her to the Government New School†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦That privilege was reserved for his two living sons. His two sons, who would always carry his name. And not a daughter. Not Maureen. Maureen didn’t need high school. Maureen needed a husband (Strachan, 27). Prohibited the right to education, a basic necessity of life, Maureen’s knowledge was limited for quite some time, leaving her to learn how to cook, clean, and iron for those days of her life. Also, as Ms. Bodie sits her son Mark Bodie down to teach him things about life and how to be a man, she states: And never once did I see Mercer Stone put his hand in his pocket to buy so much as a candy for one of his sons. Mercer Stone would go to Kentucky Fried Chicken to buy food, and sit right in the living room and eat every last piece. Suck the bone dry, while his sons watch him wit’ dey mout’ white. And never offer dem so much as a French fry! (Strachan, 34) Even so much as the necessity of food and nutrition is limited by the hands of another human being, thus causing other human beings to suffer in some form of poverty. In such regard, according to literature, mankind is toShow MoreRelatedThe Problem Of Global Poverty1609 Words   |  7 PagesPoverty is one of the largest dilemmas plaguing the world today. Solutions to solving the global issue of poverty are constantly debated, as world leaders try to find the best possible approach. However, in order to work towards solving the problem of global poverty, we must first identify the key cause. The main source of global poverty is the inaccessibility to food as a necessary biological need, otherwise known as world hunger. Food is necessary in order to live. It provides fuel for basic biologicalRead MorePoverty Is A Global Issue2393 Words   |  10 PagesEvery city has poverty. Travel around the world, I bet it wouldn’t be difficult to find a city that doesn t have an impoverishe d community. Poverty is a global issue, but most importantly it’s a local issue to me in the city that I live in. Among the 10 largest cities in America, Chicago has the third highest poverty rate with 40-60% of our residents living under the poverty level. People who live in poverty are given less opportunities, resources and tools than people who live in the middle orRead MoreGlobal Poverty And Its Effects On Poverty Essay2151 Words   |  9 Pagesreduce and more effectively measure poverty has been Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Center for Economic Opportunity (CEO) in New York City. This paper will explain how CEO was and still is so successful in combatting poverty and will argue that its tactics should be implemented in cities across the nation. Poverty is one of the most important issues that the modern world has attempted to confront. For the most part it has been a huge success. Extreme global poverty has been cut in half in the past 20Read MoreGlobal Institutio ns are the Solution to Global Poverty Essay1639 Words   |  7 PagesGlobal institutions are seen to be the better solution to help prevent world poverty in developing nations. Indeed, two philosophers, Thomas Pogge and Andrew Kuper, agree with this view that global institutions are more suited to prevent world poverty than NGOs. The reason for this is that global institutions have better defined institutional structures. A global institution â€Å"is an organization with hierarchical structures, having departments and agencies assigned with specific tasks† (WTO). 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For this purpose, my undergraduate research topic f ocused on Global Poverty and the Dependency Model. During this research, I sourced documents relating to dependency theorist, Andre Gunder Frank whoRead MoreEffects Of Poverty On A Local And Global Perspective1953 Words   |  8 Pagesdoing something to help stop them. I chose to research poverty on a local and global perspective because I believe it is one of our biggest and most evolving issues today. According to the Economic and Social Inclusion corporation, â€Å"Poverty is about not having enough money to meet basic needs including food, clothing, and shelter† (New Brunswick, 2009). Although poverty has become a bigger deal today than ever. It is a very complex issue. Poverty is not only a U.S issue but a worldwide problem that

Vegetables Nutrition and Food Free Essays

Vegetables A vegetable is a part of a plant consumed by humans that is generally savory but is not sweet. A vegetable is not considered a grain, fruit, nut, spice, or herb. For example, the stem, root, flower, etc. We will write a custom essay sample on Vegetables: Nutrition and Food or any similar topic only for you Order Now , may be eaten as vegetables. Vegetables contain many vitamins and minerals; however, different vegetables contain different spreads, so it is important to eat a wide variety of types. For example, green vegetables typically contain vitamin A, dark orange and dark green vegetables contain vitamin C,and vegetables like broccoli and related plants contain iron and calcium. Vegetables are very low in fats and calories, but ingredients added in preparation can often add these. [edit]Fruits In terms of food (rather than botany), fruits are the sweet-tasting seed-bearing parts of plants, or occasionally sweet parts of plants which do not bear seeds. These include apples, oranges, plums, bananas, etc. Fruits are low in calories and fat and are a source of natural sugars, fiber and vitamins. Processing fruits when canning or making into juices may add sugars and remove nutrients. The fruit food group is sometimes combined with the vegetable food group. Note that many foods considered fruits in botany because they bear seeds are not considered fruits in cuisine because they lack the characteristic sweet taste, e. g. , tomatos or avocados. [edit]Oils The food pyramid advises that fats be consumed sparingly. Butter and oils are examples of fats. Healthy sources of fat can be found in fish, nuts, and certain fruits and vegetables, such as avocados. [edit]Dairy Dairy products are produced from the milk of mammals, most usually but not exclusively cattle. They include milk, yogurt and cheese. Milk and its derivative products are a rich source of dietary calcium, but also provide protein, phosphorus, vitamin A, and vitamin D. However, many dairy products are high in saturated fat and cholesterol compared to vegetables, fruits and whole grains, which is why skimmed products are available as an alternative. For adults, three cups of dairy products are recommended per day. [8][9] [edit]Meat and beans Meat is the tissue – usually muscle – of an animal consumed by humans. Since most parts of many animals are edible, there is a vast variety of meats. Meat is a major source of protein, as well as iron, zinc, and vitamin B12. Meats, poultry, and fish include beef, chicken, pork, salmon, tuna, shrimp, and eggs. The meat group is one of the major compacted food groups in the food guide pyramid. Many of the same nutrients found in meat can also be found in foods like eggs, dry beans, and nuts, such foods are typically placed in the same category as meats, as meat alternatives. These include tofu, products that resemble meat or fish but are made with soy, eggs, and cheeses. For those who do not consume meat or animal products (see Vegetarianism, veganism and Taboo food and drink), meat analogs, tofu, beans, lentils, chick peas, nuts and other high-protein vegetables are also included in this group. The food guide pyramid suggests that adults eat 2–3 servings per day. One serving of meat is 4 oz (110 g), about the size of a deck of cards. 1. Natural appetite suppressant In case you are wondering if this means you should replace your regular meals with gallons of water, no. When our bodies are dehydrated, it can sometimes misinterpret thirst for hunger. In the stressful office environment that we work in, we will usually reach out for a cup of coffee or grab anything sugary so it can both give us a quick boost in energy and at the same time curb what we believe is hunger. Since what our body is truly looking to be hydrated instead of being fed, this false signal of hunger will soon come back resulting in you indulging in a lot of unnecessary snacking. We all know what the outcome of that is going to be. When you have a bottle of water at your desk, you have a higher tendency to drink it than if you had to constantly get it from the pantry. So at the start of the work day, keep a one liter bottle of water at your desk and aim to finish everything by lunchtime. After lunch, replenish that bottle and aim to finish it before you finish for the day. For all you coffee drinkers, don’t think for a second that all those coffee you drink is enough to hydrate your body. Caffeine is a diuretic that actually dehydrate you. So coffee drinkers should actually drink more water instead. . Improves Fat Metabolism Our liver is an amazing organ that is responsible for metabolizing fat amongst many other important functions such as cleansing your body of toxins, breaking down alcohol, etc. Metabolizing fat basically means converting fat to be used as energy. Drinking water helps weight loss by ensuring your liver is metabolizing fat properly. When your body is dehydrated, your kidney functions a re affected. If your kidneys cannot perform properly, the liver steps up to take on its duties and hence becomes overloaded. When that happens the liver won’t be able to help you burn fat effectively. If you exercise and don’t drink enough water, this will negate the fat burning benefits of your workouts altogether. Never wait till you are thirsty to drink water. When your body has to signal thirst to you, that means you are already on the verge of dehydration and your liver is about to work overtime and in the process affecting your fat burning effectiveness. 3. Improve exercise performance Everyone knows that maintaining proper hydration is crucial before, during and after exercise. If you do not drink sufficient water, your blood thickens and it becomes harder for your body to transport oxygen and nutrients to your muscles to effectively perform your workouts. If you can’t get the most out of your workouts, how are you going to burn fat efficiently? Furthermore, as your exercise, your body heats up. Without proper hydration, your body clings on to whatever little water it has. This means you will not be able to perspire and cool your body down during exercise resulting in your body overheating and in severe cases, leading to heat stroke. Before your exercise, aim to drink at least a tall glass of water. Keep a large bottle of water handy and drink it constantly during your exercise to keep yourself hydrated throughout the workout session. 4. Burn extra calories Drinking water helps weight loss by helping your burn extra calories as well. Scientists in Germany discovered that drinking at least 500 ml of water in one sitting increased our metabolic rate by 30% in 10 minutes. This increased metabolism will sustain for up to 40 minutes and during this time, 100 extra calories are burned. Aim to drink at least 2 liters of water when you are in the office to burn up to 400 extra calories a day. At the beginning, don’t worry if you are suddenly visiting the washroom more often due to your increased water intake. This just means that your body is now able to release water that it has been keeping in your body. As you continue to drink more water, your body will recognize that it doesn’t have store water anymore and will now allowing for a better regulation of fluid within your body. We all know that water is life. It’s no coincidence that drinking more water is always the advice we get whenever we are not feeling well. So before you reach out for the next â€Å"state-of-the-art† fat loss pill for the quickest way to lose weight, give drinking more water a try. And the answer to the commonly asked question, â€Å"Can  drinking water help weight loss? † will be very pleasingly evident to you. If you work in an office and can’t seem to find time to lose weight, there are more great weight loss tips to show you how to get slim and the  quickest way to lose weight. Also, you can get your hands on the free fat loss starter kit that has helped many others lose up to 5 lbs in the first week. Visit corporatefatlossplan. com now! What is a healthy diet? | Hunter-gatherers living on their traditional diets are virtually free of heart, cancer and other degenerative diseases common in the western world. | | Since this article deals with healthy eating habits, a question remains to be answered: what constitutes a healthy diet? Unfortunately, there are more opinions about this than there are health experts. To further complicate the matter, dietary concepts change over time, leaving most people confused and uncertain about what or whom to trust. One solution to this problem is to become sufficiently knowledgeable about the relevant subjects and rely on reason to draw basic conclusions. Along with  personal experimentation, such approach will enable you to establish healthy eating habits that work especially well for your body. This takes time and requires discipline, but considering the long lasting benefits healthy eating can provide, the effort is more then well worth it. In order to determine the minimal basic requirements of a healthy diet, I concluded that it is safe to start with the following two objectives: 1. xamine human diet over time – the foods humans consumed since the arrival of our species. 2. examine diets of ethnic groups known for their good health. | The traditional living Okinawans and people from the other Ryukyu Islands have the highest longevity in the world. This is partly attributed to diet, but also to other factors such as lifestyle, genetics, and mental well being. | | Looking at the typ e of diets humans lived on through out  pre-history, provides good insights into the kind of foods human body is well adapted at utilizing and dealing with. Further, the diets of certain ethnic groups that are well known for good health – the  people of Okinawa  (Japan); traditional cultures in the  Mediterranean region; and many  hunter-gatherer  societies – suggest certain healthy eating habits that promote good health. Upon closer examination of the above mentioned objectives, two main denominators emerged: A) diets are based on natural, whole or minimally processed foods in accordance to heritage. B) diets are lower in calories compared to a typical western diet. In the context of present time, one can therefore make two general assumptions in regard to the question of what constitutes a healthy diet: 1) generally, the less a food is processed the better. 2) eat less – eat what is adequate, do not over eat. Food  is any substance[1]  consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually of  plant  or  animal  origin, and contains essential  nutrients, such as  carbohydrates,  fats,  proteins,vitamins, or  minerals. The substance is ingested by an organism and assimilated by the organism’s cells in an effort to produce energy, maintain life, or stimulate growth. Historically, people secured food through two methods:  hunting and gathering, and  agriculture. Today, most of the  food energy  consumed by the  world population  is supplied by the  food industry. Food safety  and  food security  are monitored by agencies like the  International Association for Food Protection,  World Resources Institute,  World Food Programme,  Food and Agriculture Organization, and  International Food Information Council. They address issues such as  sustainability,  biological diversity,  climate change,  nutritional economics,  population growth,  water supply, and  access to food. The  right to food  is a  human right  derived from the  International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights  (ICESCR), recognizing the â€Å"right to an adequate standard of living, including adequate food†, as well as the â€Å"fundamental right to be free from hunger†. ————————————————- Food sources Global average daily  calorie  consumption Almost all foods are of plant or animal origin. Cereal  grain is a  staple food  that provides more food energy worldwide than any other type of crop. Maize,  wheat, and  rice  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ in all of their varieties – account for 87% of all grain production worldwide. [2] Other foods not from animal or plant sources include various edible  fungi, especially  mushrooms. Fungi and ambient  bacteria  are used in the preparation of  fermented  andpickled  foods like  leavened  bread,  alcoholic drinks,  cheese,  pickles,  kombucha, and  yogurt. Another example is  blue-green algae  such as  Spirulina. [3]  Inorganic substances such as  baking soda  and  cream of tartar  are also used to chemically alter an ingredient. Plants Foods from plant sources See also:  Herbs  and  spices Many  plants  or plant parts are eaten as food. There are around 2,000 plant species which are cultivated for food, and many have several distinct  cultivars. [4] Seeds  of plants are a good source of food for animals, including humans, because they contain the nutrients necessary for the plant’s initial growth, including many healthful fats, such asOmega fats. In fact, the majority of food consumed by human beings are seed-based foods. Edible seeds include  cereals  (maize,  wheat,  rice,  et cetera),  legumes  (beans,  peas,  lentils,  et cetera), and  nuts. Oilseeds  are often pressed to produce rich oils –  sunflower,  flaxseed,  rapeseed  (including  canola oil),  sesame,  et cetera. [5] Seeds are typically high in unsaturated fats and, in moderation, are considered a health food, although not all seeds are edible. Large seeds, such as those from a  lemon, pose a choking hazard, while seeds from  apples  and  cherries  contain a poison (cyanide). Fruits  are the ripened ovaries of plants, including the seeds within. Many plants have evolved fruits that are attractive as a food source to animals, so that animals will eat the fruits and excrete the seeds some distance away. Fruits, therefore, make up a significant part of the diets of most cultures. Some botanical fruits, such as  tomatoes,  pumpkins, and  eggplants, are eaten as vegetables. [6]  (For more information, see  list of fruits. ) Vegetables  are a second type of plant matter that is commonly eaten as food. These include  root vegetables  (potatoes  and  carrots), bulbs (onion  family),  leaf vegetables  (spinach  and  lettuce),stem vegetables  (bamboo  shoots and  asparagus), and  inflorescence vegetables  (globe artichokes  and  broccoli  and other vegetables such as  cabbage  or  cauliflower. [7] Dairy cattle  in  Maryland Animals Various raw  meats Main articles:  Animal source foods  and  Food chain Animals are used as food either directly or indirectly by the products they produce. Meat  is an example of a direct product taken from an animal, which comes from  muscle  systems or from  organs. Food products produced by animals include  milk  produced by  mammary glands, which in many cultures is drunk or processed into  dairy products  (cheese,  butter, et cetera). In addition, birds and other animals lay  eggs, which are often eaten, andbees  produce  honey, a reduced nectar from flowers, which is a popular sweetener in many cultures. Some cultures  consume blood, sometimes in the form of  blood sausage, as a thickener for sauces, or in a  cured,  salted  form for times of food scarcity, and others use  blood  in stews such as  civet. [8] Some cultures and people do not consume meat or animal food products for cultural, dietary, health, ethical, or ideological reasons. Vegetarians  do not consume meat. Vegans  do not consume any foods that are or contain  ingredients  from an animal source. How to cite Vegetables: Nutrition and Food, Papers

Saturday, April 25, 2020

Strategic Planning Essays - Management, Strategic Management

Strategic Planning MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING ESSAY 1998/99 The development of a strategic plan is essential to the achievement of organisational goals. Discuss. The development of a strategic plan is an essential part of strategic management accounting. If carried out to its full credibility the organisation will achieve its goals. It is important to note that the strategic plan is set for long term planning, as much as 3-5 years. It has been established that a strategic plan requires the specification of objectives distinguished between three key elements, forming a hierarchy: the mission of an organisation, corporate objectives and unit objectives. These objectives are the first stage of the strategic plan, before the organisation has to ask, and answer, three simple but vital questions; 1) Where are we now? 2) Where do we want to be? (long term) 3) How are we going to get there? This is where we bring analysis such as SWOT analysis, the Boston matrix, the value chain and the Ansoff matrix into the plan. Corporate objectives relate to the organisation as a whole. They are expressed in financial terms, such as desired profit or sales levels, return on capital employed (ROCE), rates of growth or market share, and are normally measurable in some way. Formulated by members of the board, or directors to be handed down to senior management. United Biscuits corporate objectives in their annual report of 1985 were; 'The most important objective remains the achievement of a minimum return of 20% on average capital employees, with a target return of 25%'.2 Unit objectives relate to the specific objectives of individual units within the organisation, such as a division or one company within a holding company. The unit objectives for costain group plc in their annual report of 1986 were; 'In the UK costain Homes is budgeted to sell 2'500 homes in 1987, - a figure that will put it among the top ten house builders'.3 Before the corporate and unit objectives are incorporated one must start with the mission, and the basic concepts which involve vision statement, mission statement, goals and objectives. The first thing is to establish the long-term strategic aims of the organisation, otherwise known as corporate planning. A vision statement would be drawn up first and is simply a vague sentence expressing the positive effect it will have on society and is often used to say how the 'world will become a better place due to the existence of the proposal(s). This is often linked with the mission statement, and some companies may even omit the vision and focus only on the mission. This emphasis more on the specific role that the organisation plans. It describes in very general terms the broad purpose and reason for its existence, the nature of the business(es) it is in, and the customers it seeks to serve and satisfy over the long run. The mission statement for international company 'Virgin' is very simple, very brief but informative as to what they wanted to put across, and is simply; 'The directors aim to develop virgin into the leading British international media and entertainment group'.4 Equally important are the goals and objectives. Firstly the organisational goals, the aims that the company strives to incorporate and achieve. These are a more detailed breakdown of what the mission states. They will be defined for different groups of shareholders. As one would expect, organisational goals are established for shorter time frames and are of unquantified sources. Goals can be a little ambiguous, they can be expressed in simple terms, for example, to make a profit, or in a wider area, to increase productivity. Therefore such goals can be taken for granted and so tell us little about the emphasis placed on the various activities of the organisation in meeting those goals. On the other hand one can say how vitally important they are. They provide a basis for planning and management control, guidelines for decision making and justification for the actions taken. The goals that the company set out in their report will be different to that received by the individuals, group s or departments of that same company. The goals will help to develop commitment of these people and so focuses attention on purposeful behaviour providing a basis for motivation and rewards. Fig 1: FORMAL GOALS Personal goals of

Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Free Essays on Age Of Industry

In consumer America, the perfectly competitive market is always under pressure to improve. Demands of increased efficiency and convenience keep producers on there toes in order to stay in the market. It seems that Americans are always dissatisfied with the quality at which any firm runs. At the supermarket, we see complaints about dirty, badly lit and crowded stores, confusing layouts, rude and difficult-to-find staff, unavailable products, and queuing at the checkout. A response to these accusations was the development of self-scanning and checkout. These demands have now extended themselves into our homes. New innovations in technology has promoted the creation of products that can now keep our minds worry free as they sweep along our floors, brew our coffee, and even untwist our jars. These things have become not only pedestrian in our society, but required for our daily living. The sheer though of vacuuming our own pools, or even dare to bake our bread could remind us of our grandmothers. Such menial jobs have been put out of our minds buy these new technological revolutions. As we step back into history, we see that man has always strived to be a little more efficient in their efforts. The first man to tie a sharp rock to a stick had a much easier time hunting then his counter part with throwing stones. Even from an early time, as man discovered jobs for survival, they also looked for methods of making them easier to accomplish. Convenience began as mostly being a luxury to the wealthy. This of course, was until the further development of our technological field. Such discoveries now make it possible for what once beyond the reach of the average American, affordable. Many today can remember when the change happened and still reminisce about times previous to the age of technology. But as the new generation moves in, one must notice how they perceive these products. The new generation has never dealt with toils that their eld... Free Essays on Age Of Industry Free Essays on Age Of Industry In consumer America, the perfectly competitive market is always under pressure to improve. Demands of increased efficiency and convenience keep producers on there toes in order to stay in the market. It seems that Americans are always dissatisfied with the quality at which any firm runs. At the supermarket, we see complaints about dirty, badly lit and crowded stores, confusing layouts, rude and difficult-to-find staff, unavailable products, and queuing at the checkout. A response to these accusations was the development of self-scanning and checkout. These demands have now extended themselves into our homes. New innovations in technology has promoted the creation of products that can now keep our minds worry free as they sweep along our floors, brew our coffee, and even untwist our jars. These things have become not only pedestrian in our society, but required for our daily living. The sheer though of vacuuming our own pools, or even dare to bake our bread could remind us of our grandmothers. Such menial jobs have been put out of our minds buy these new technological revolutions. As we step back into history, we see that man has always strived to be a little more efficient in their efforts. The first man to tie a sharp rock to a stick had a much easier time hunting then his counter part with throwing stones. Even from an early time, as man discovered jobs for survival, they also looked for methods of making them easier to accomplish. Convenience began as mostly being a luxury to the wealthy. This of course, was until the further development of our technological field. Such discoveries now make it possible for what once beyond the reach of the average American, affordable. Many today can remember when the change happened and still reminisce about times previous to the age of technology. But as the new generation moves in, one must notice how they perceive these products. The new generation has never dealt with toils that their eld...

Sunday, March 1, 2020

Manson Family Member Lynette Squeaky Fromme

Manson Family Member Lynette Squeaky Fromme Lynette Squeaky Fromme Lynette Squeaky Fromme became the voice of the  cult leader, Charlie Manson when he was sent to prison. After Manson was sentenced to life in prison, Fromme continued to devote her life to him. To prove her devotion to Charlie, she aimed a gun at President Ford, for which she is now serving a life sentence. In 2009, she was released on parole. Unlike most other former Manson family members, it is said that she has remained loyal to Charlie. Frommes Childhood Years Lynette Alice Squeaky Fromme was born in Santa Monica, California on October 22, 1948, to Helen and William Fromme. Her mother was a homemaker and her father worked as an aeronautical engineer. Lynette was the oldest of three children and was one of the star performers in a childrens dance troop called the Westchester Lariats. The troop was so talented that they performed around the country and appeared on the Lawrence Welk show and at the White House. Fromme Leaves Home During Lyns junior high school years she was a member of the Athenian Honor Society and the Girls Athletic Club. Her home life, however, was miserable. Her tyrannical father often berated her for minor things. In high school, Lyn became rebellious and began drinking and taking drugs. After barely graduating, she left home and moved in and out with different people. Her father put a halt to her gypsy lifestyle and insisted that she return home. She moved back and attended El Camino Junior College. Fromme Meets Charlie Manson After a ferocious argument with her father over the definition of a word, Lyn packed her bags and left home for the final time. She ended up at Venice Beach where she soon met Charlie Manson. The two talked at length and Lyn found Charlie captivating as he spoke of his beliefs and his feelings about life. The intellectual connection between the two was strong and when Manson invited Lyn to join him and Mary Brunner to travel the country, Lyn quickly agreed. Fromme and George Spahn As the Manson family grew, Lyn seemed to hold an elite spot in the Manson hierarchy. When the family moved onto the Spahn ranch, Charlie assigned Lyn to the job of caring for 80-year-old, George Spahn who was blind and also the caretaker of the property. Lyns name eventually changed to Squeaky because of the sound she would make when George Spahn would run his fingers up her legs. It was rumored that Squeaky took care of all of Spahns needs including those of a sexual nature. Squeaky Becomes The Head of the Family In October 1969, the Manson family was arrested for auto theft and Squeaky was rounded up with the rest of the gang. By this time, some of the group members had participated in the infamous murders at the home of actress Sharon Tate and the murders of the LaBianca couple. Squeaky had no direct involvement in the murders and was released from prison. With Manson in jail, Squeaky became the head of the family. She remained dedicated to Manson, branding her forehead with the infamous X. Squeaky is Arrested Numerous Times The authorities did not like Squeaky or any of the Manson family for that matter. Squeaky and others she directed were placed under arrest numerous times, often because of their actions during the Tate-LaBianca trial. Fromme was arrested on charges including contempt of court, trespassing, loitering, attempted murder, and lacing a hamburger given to ex-family member Barbara Hoyt with an overdose of LSD. The Ever Devout Squeaky In March of 1971, Manson and his co-defendants were sentenced to death, later changed to a life sentence. Squeaky moved to San Francisco when Manson was transferred to San Quentin, but prison officials never allowed her to visit him. When Manson was moved to Folsom Prison, Squeaky followed and lived in a home in Stockton, CA with Nancy Pitman, two ex-cons, and James and Lauren Willett. Prosecutor Bugliosi believed the Willetts were responsible for the death of defense lawyer, Ronald Hughes. International Peoples Court of Retribution On Nov. 1972, James and Lauren Willett were found dead and Squeaky and four others were arrested for the murders. After the four confessed to the crime, Squeaky was released and she moved to Sacramento. She and family member Sandra Good moved in together and began the International Peoples Court of Retribution, a fictitious organization used to scare corporate executives into believing that they were on a large terrorist organizations hit list because they polluted the environment. Order of the Rainbow Manson recruited the girls as nuns for his new religion called the Order of the Rainbow. As nuns, Squeaky and Good were forbidden to have sex, watch violent movies, or smoke and were required to dress in long hooded robes. Manson renamed Squeaky Red and her job was to save the Redwoods. Good was renamed Blue because of her blue eyes. Assassination Attempt Red was committed to making Manson proud of her environmental work, and when she found out that President Gerald Ford was coming to town, she stuck a .45 Colt automatic into a leg holster and headed out to Capital Park. As Ford came through the crowd, Squeaky Red Lynette Fromme pointed the gun at Ford and was immediately taken down by the Secret Service. She was charged with attempting to assassinate the President, although it was later disclosed that the gun she carried did not have bullets in the firing chamber. Sentenced to Life in Prison As was the Manson way, Fromme represented herself at her trial but refused to present testimony that was relevant to the case and instead used it as a platform to speak about the environment. Judge Thomas McBride ultimately removed her from the courtroom. At the end of the trial, Fromme hurled an apple at U.S. Attorney Dwayne Keyes head because he had not turned over exculpatory evidence. Lynette Fromme was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. A Less Than Model Prisoner Frommes prison days have not been without incident. At a prison in Pleasanton California, it was reported that she brought the claw end of a hammer down on the head of Julienne Busic, a Croatian Nationalist who was imprisoned for her involvement in a 1976 airline hijacking. In December 1987, she escaped from prison in order to see Manson who she heard was dying of cancer. She was quickly caught and returned to prison. She served until 2009 when she was released on parole. See Also: The Manson Family Photo Album Source:Desert Shadows by Bob MurphyHelter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt GentryThe Trial of Charles Manson by Bradley Steffens

Friday, February 14, 2020

Focus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 9

Focus - Essay Example Organization The introduction of the essay is eye catching to the reader as the author makes a sounding impact with the first statement. Clearly, the reader can tell the intentions of the author from the introductory statement. As Regal introduces his essay, â€Å"For most of recorded history, the half-man, half-wolf lycanthrope reigned supreme as the creature travellers most feared encountering in the woods and along dark roads at night† (Regal 1). The statement points out to the reader that the topic in discussion is in the past. Though he is referring to these creatures at present, they are part of history which he talks about. The body explains the major points covering the topic of discussion to support his reasoning. Adequately, he explores the possibilities that could have led to the vanishing status of these creatures from the earth. In a candid way, Regal articulates historical and scientific possibilities that could have been the resultant factors to this condition. Conclusively, he has pulled all the major points together to summarize his work. In the conclusion part of the essay, the writer manages to conclude that Darwin’s theory of evolution could have been the biggest contributing factor to the loss of these creatures from the world. However, he fails to incorporate the historical beliefs ideologies to the conclusion part despite having focused on them in the body of the paper. Despite this though, the main points in the body of the paper have not been repeated but highlighted to give a summary. Support In the essay, the use of the Darwin theory backs the author’s ideas and opinions, making his arguments concrete and real. The assumption that a number of factors could have caused the loss of the werewolves in the world... In the past, people created all sorts of pictures and images for different reasons. The author has backed on this historical information and stories by the people of this time to draw a conclusion that these creatures actually existed. However, any type of information could have cropped up as a result of beliefs and practices by different people and societies. Regal (2) claims that these creatures were believed to have been as a result of witchcraft and black magic. This cannot scientifically be proven especially in a world that relies on science and evidence to prove various events and occurrences as well as phenomena. The author chose to take the claims of the people who existed in these times, legends and the film creativity as a fact, therefore drawing the conclusion that these creatures were in existence. Personally, I feel that this was a wrong move, as history can hardly prove that these creatures ever existed. Any form of scientific evidence to prove that these creatures ever existed could have given the author solid bargaining grounds. However, the use of a scientific theory successfully proves that somehow these creatures were in existence and vanished through the evolution process. According to Regal (5), the same forces of nature that led to the extinction of creatures like dinosaurs were responsible for the extinction of the Werewolves. In the essay, the author believes that these creatures were in existence in the world, and were a menace to the people especially the travelers.

Saturday, February 1, 2020

How can theories of the social construction of technology (SCOT) help Essay

How can theories of the social construction of technology (SCOT) help inform the innovation processes by which novel technologie - Essay Example And, dialectically speaking advancements in one become the development of the other. It could happen in the other way around too; regressive societies could not only hinder technological reconstruction but also gave birth to regressive technologies as happened in Fascist Germany. The paper intends to analyze the complex paradigm in which social construction of technology and innovation and creativity in technological development go hand in hand. Social Construction of Technology, Innovation and Smart Technology Social reality must be identified as inherently pluralist. Berger and Luckmann note that â€Å"pluralism encourages both skepticism and innovation and is thus inherently subversive of the taken-for-granted reality of the traditional status quo. One can readily sympathize with the experts in the traditional definitions of reality when they think back nostalgically to the times when these definitions had a monopoly† (Berger and Luckmann, 1966, p. 115). Social construction of technology changes according to the nature of the prevailing paradigms of knowledge production. According to Thomas Kuhn, scientific development is no miraculous leaps by great scientists because â€Å"a new theory, however special its range of application, is seldom or never just an increment to what is already known. Its assimilation requires the reconstruction of prior theory and the re-evaluation of prior fact, an intrinsically revolutionary process that is seldom completed by a single man and never overnight† (1996, p.7). Certainly, many great technological interventions are known with name of individual scientists. However, every scientists work within a paradigm which is collectively constructed. Therefore, it is possible to argue that technologies are socially constructed. For instance, computer logarithms are the product of late capitalism but it would not have been possible without the ancient Indian invention of zero. Here, it is important to remember that scie nce is not supreme or infallible. Science and technology are necessarily social constructs and social products. Moreover, â€Å"science emerges as very human and – by necessity – constrained enterprise, even if its findings are subsequently presented as canonical† (Irwin, 1995, p.49). The terminology and language related to the technological discourses are crucial for understanding the social construction of technology. Therefore, Berger and Luckmann argue that â€Å"the common objectivations of everyday life are maintained primarily by linguistic signification. Everyday life is, above all, life with and by means of the language I share with my fellowmen. An understanding of language is thus essential for any understanding of the reality of everyday life† (1966, p.37). Language plays a major role in the social construction of technology as technology is a cultural product too. And, technology, on the other hand, changes language. For instance, social netw orking sites such as Facebook and Twitter have caused a metamorphosis in the way people use English language. Social construction of technology challenges the monopolistic claims by science and scientific community on the production of technologies. Non-deterministic â€Å"accounts of artifacts and technologies show that scientific knowledge plays little direct role in the development of even many state of the art technologies. Historians and other theorists have argued that there are

Friday, January 24, 2020

Essay on Global Warming: The Effects of Climate Change -- environment,

Climate change is a long-term alteration in the statistical distribution of weather pattern over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. The world is currently experiencing drastic change in temperature. This change can be felt in the tropical climate areas where the weather is getting hotter and hotter every day. The change in global temperatures and precipitation over time is due to natural variability or to human activity. It is also caused by accumulation of greenhouse effects (Arrhenius, 1896). Should we as humans let this problem worsen? Climate change will affect everything including humans, flora and fauna, and the environment. One of the effects of climate change is how it will affect the people. Climate change will have a huge impact on the people’s health. The health of the people will be affected mostly by air pollution and respiratory problems will have the greatest risk of health effects. Increases in moulds and pollens due to warmer temperatures could also cause respiratory problems such as asthma for some people. Should the effects of climate change get any worse than what it is now, people around the world will have to face some serious problems. Food security will be affected and thus diseases can easily get transmitted. Food or waterborne diseases are acquired through eating or drinking. For example, Hepatitis A is a viral disease that interferes with the functioning of the liver. It can be spread through consumption of food or water contaminated by fecal matter (CIA World Factbook, 2011). Apart from being infected with Hepatitis A, people around the world can potentially get infected with Hepatitis E, bacterial diarrhoea, and Typhoid fever. Climate change will also have an impact on the financial s... ...of the flora and fauna species are unlikely to have time either to adapt to this warming, or to adjust their ranges to keep pace with the shift in climatic zones. To put things on a conclusive note, global warming already disrupts millions of lives daily in the forms of destructive weather patterns and loss of habitat (Houghton, 2007). What is already happening is only the tip of the melting iceberg, for it is our children and grandchildren who may suffer most from the effects of climate change. The effects of climate change are likely to be severe and irreparable. If we do not reduce the rate of climate change, hundreds of millions of people may be exposed to famine, water shortages, extreme weather conditions and a 20-30% loss of animal and plant species. While humankind has the ability to destroy the planet, we can also help to protect and sustain it.

Thursday, January 16, 2020

Dream and Reality in Chinese Literature Essay

Myths and legends had always been a part of early Chinese literature. With the integration of Buddhism and spirituality into the culture, more fables on fantasy, dream and reality, and even spirits and ghosts, were produced as evident in writings from the six dynasties that ensued. The two tales discussed in this paper were written during the Tang Dynasty and they belong to this category, more specifically, as narratives on dream and reality. How does this form of writing effectively present itself to capture the curiosity and attention of its readers? Was it an appropriate style used during its own era and is it still an effective method of story-telling in today’s modern age? And finally, if Buddhism or religion did play a part in influencing or affecting the writing themes of that particular age, where and how does spirituality come into view in the stories discussed in this paper? There are three relevant elements to consider in the dream and reality tale: (1) a vision of grandeur, (2) the illusion of time, and (3) the time-measuring device. This paper shall discuss these significant elements and how they were applied in these stories. Undeniably, the advent and eventual flourishing of arts and literature in the Chinese culture many ages ago has contributed to the over-all development and advancement of human civilization as we now know it. Main Body The Spendthrift and the Alchemist, written by Li Fuyan, is a story of a degenerate man, Du Zichun, who squanders his fortune repeatedly until he is overcome with misery and indignation because his shameful plight. With nothing to eat, he laments his fate accordingly but is continually given increasingly large amounts of money by a mysterious man. However, with money in his hands, his lavish lifestyle makes him forget his good resolutions in exchange for pleasures which always render him penniless. After he is given a huge amount of money for the third time, he thought in gratitude: ‘I have led a dissolute life and run through all my property, and none of my relatives has ever helped me. Now here is this old man who has given me money three times – how can I repay him? ’ So he said to the old man, ‘With this sum I can settle my worldly affairs, make provision for my poor relatives and fulfill all my obligations. I am deeply grateful to you. After my affairs are settled, I shall do whatever you tell me’. ‘That is what I wish,’ was the old man’s reply. (138) This man turns out to be a priest who tries to perform a ritual to immortalize Du Zichun, and it was apparent that his repeated offers of money was to educate Du on how to master and overcome desire for worldly pleasures, all of which were in preparation for the ritual he was intending to perform. The Governor of the Southern Tributary State, written by Li Gongzuo, is a tale about a man, Chunyu Fen, who believes that he has been given high statutory recognition in society, only to discover in the end that all the wealth and power he had unwittingly amassed was just a fantasy and a delusion, as illustrated in the tale’s concluding quatrain: His reputation reaches to the skies, His influence can make a kingdom fall, And yet this pomp and power, after all, Are but an ant-heap in the wise man’s eyes. (69) It is clear that the central theme of these two stories focuses on the futility of man’s worldly accumulation of wealth, recognition and authority. The frustrations and disappointments of Chunyu in his old life fuelled his desire to be a powerful and renowned ruler in his new-found territory. Likewise, Du’s repeated shameful failures in his self-indulgent life propelled him to try and do better. A Vision of Grandeur In this, the main character dreams that he undergoes a long series of experiences in which he ultimately attains a great amount of success after a certain amount of time. He may also undergo a succession of sufferings, or trials and tribulations until it eventually leads to his awakening. In the Governor of the Southern Tributary State, authority, influence and splendor are the essence of a dream by the central character, Chunyu, a frustrated military man and academic. One day, as he lay drunk, he was accompanied by two purple-clad messengers to the Kingdom of Ashendon where he married the king’s daughter and became governor of the Southern Tributary State. As he arrived at the province, all the citizens welcomed him at the gate with much fanfare. The officials of the province, the monks and priests, elders, musicians, attendants and guards had all come out in welcome. The streets were thronged, while drums and bells could be heard for miles around. Chunyu saw a goodly array of turrets and pavilions as he entered the great city gate, above which was inscribed in letters of gold: ‘The Southern Tributary State’. In front there were red windows and a large gate with a fine view into the distance. (64) He ruled well as a governor for twenty years and as a result, the people admired and honored him, erecting monuments and building temples in his name. Not only was he highly-successful in politics, at home he was happily-married and blessed with five sons and two daughters. Life was at its best until tragedy upon tragedy started to invade his life. First his army was defeated by a neighboring kingdom, followed by the untimely death of his wife, until finally he was falsely accused by an enemy in the palace, leading to the king’s hostility toward him. His glory days were over for he had lost all the material wealth and power he thought he had in previous years. Destitute, he fell into a deep moral depression until one day he was sent back to the former life he knew. Again he was escorted by the same purple-clad messengers who first took him to Ashendon. In a dilapidated carriage, they arrived at his former home. Upon seeing his other self still sleeping in the eastern part of the hall, he was terrified and woke up from his dream. He gave an account of his vivid dream to his two companions and they searched the hollow under the ash tree where he was taken. There they found a big hole large enough to hold a couch. Inside were gathered swarms of ants and heaps of earth forming towers and city walls. One ant hill had a small reddish tower where two huge ants lived. They were surrounded by scores of other big ants who prevented other ants from approaching. This was apparently the Ashendon that Chunyu narrated to his friends and the two huge ants were the king and queen. There was another smaller ant hill to its south and it had smaller towers, this was the Southern Tributary State. Chunyu tried to protect this hollow under the ash tree but that night there was a vicious storm and when he came back to the place the following morning, all the ants were gone. In the Spendthrift and the Alchemist, after Du Zichun was repeatedly given large sums of money over a period of years, he was brought to a huge mansion and was given three marble pills and a goblet of wine and instructed to sit on a tiger skin by the west wall, facing east. Before the priest disappeared, he was informed that all sorts of horrible illusions would come before him and that he should not utter a word no matter what he sees. And so it happened that his life was threatened by men and monsters, his body tortured, and his pleading wife murdered in front of him. He was killed and his soul was thrown in hell where the king of hell further tortured his soul. Then he was reborn as a woman, married and even bore a son. During all these experiences he was successful in not uttering a single word, as he was instructed by the priest. But when his little son was killed in front of him, his love for the child made him forget his promise and he uttered an exclamation of horror. At this he suddenly awoke with the mansion starting to burn. When the fire was quelled, the enraged priest told him that had he passed the test, Du Zichun would have become an immortal like him. Mastering joy, anger, sorrow, fear, hate and desire, he failed to overcome love. The Illusion of Time In this element, when the central character falls asleep, his dream seems to occupy a long period of time, but when he awakens, he finds that his sleep has lasted for only a short duration. In The Governor of the Southern Tributary State, Chunyu’s two friends laid him down in the eastern chamber because of his drunkenness, after which they fed the horses and washed their feet. When Chunyu suddenly awoke from his unusual dream, his friends had finished giving fodder to the horses and were still washing their feet but sunset had not yet arrived. He saw his servants sweeping the courtyard. His two guests were still washing their feet by the couch, the slanting sun had not yet set behind the west wall and his unfinished wine was still by the east window – but he had lived through a whole generation in his dream! Deeply moved, he could not help sighing. And when he called his two friends and told them, they were equally amazed. They went out to look for the hollow under the ash tree, and Chunyu, pointing to it, said, ‘This is where I went in the dream. ’ (67) The same happens in The Spendthrift and the Alchemist. When Du Zichun awakens, he finds that he has only been asleep from sunset till dawn, when in fact he has lived for decades in his dream. While the exclamation was still at Du’s lips, he found himself back on the seat in the hall, with the priest before him. It was dawn. Purple flames from the cauldron were shooting up through the roof to the sky, and fire was rising from all sides to burn the house to ashes. ‘Look at what you have done! You have spoilt my work, you silly fellow! ’ exclaimed the priest. Seizing him by the hair, he threw Du into a jar of water. Then the fire was extinguished. (143) The illusion of time presents an additional appeal to the stories, initially because everyone has experienced and questioned this type of illusion since it normally occurs in dreaming and waking cycles, thus making it more readable and interesting. It may also bring into the fore another question: is time itself an illusion? Or, in the paranormal plane of thought which is in harmony with the theme of the two stories: would time, as we know it, elapse in the same rate or pace as that in a paranormal plane or level of existence? Hence, contemplating on this concept: is there even a slim possibility that Chunyu Fen really did experience these events? Did he think himself to be a man living among the ants or an ant living among humans? Which is reality and which is a dream? These are but a few of the questions which may further fascinate and arouse the curiosity of the reader to analyze and seek for answers which elude man’s capacity to comprehend the unexplained and demand enlightenment in simple terms that he can understand. The Time-Measuring Device The stories use material objects to measure the amount of time that actually passes in the dream. For example, the dream may take the space of time it requires to wash horses, cook a meal, or wake up from drunkenness. In the case of The Governor of the Southern Tributary State, the device used to measure the actual amount of time that passed from the moment Chunyu slept to his eventual awakening was the feeding of the horses and washing of the feet. It was also mentioned that the slanting sun had not yet set in the west and his unfinished wine was still by the east window when he awoke. For The Spendthrift and the Alchemist, the device used was the nine-foot high cauldron in the central hall brewing with drugs before Du slept during sunset. When Du awoke in the dawn, purple flames were already shooting up from it through the roof to the sky. The time-measuring devices employed in these tales indispensably complement the illusion of time and provide a necessary medium by which to ascertain the actual duration of the sleeping and waking cycle. Conclusion In The Spendthrift and the Alchemist, we are given a clear visualization of the fickleness and irresoluteness of man in confronting worldly pleasures and immorality. Illusions of joy and artificial bliss are presented as mere distractions or obstacles to a life of moral ideology and righteousness. The story of The Governor of the Southern Tributary State is an account of a mystical phenomenon but it was written primarily to rebuke the over-ambitious who aspire for materialism and power, even at the expense of morality, as stated by the author in the following: In the eighth month of the eleventh year of the Zhen Yuan period (AD 795), while on a journey from Suzhou to Luoyang I had stopped at Huaipu and met Chunyu by chance. I questioned him and looked at the ant-hills, going into his story very thoroughly. Believing it to be quite genuine, I have written this tale for those who may be interested. Although it deals with supernatural and unorthodox things, it may have a moral for the ambitious. Let future readers not think this narrative a mere series of coincidences, and let them beware of taking pride in worldly fame and position! (69) Contemplating both stories, we find the true substance and significance of detaching ourselves from worldly pleasures and desires, and heeding the call of spirituality. In one of the tales, Du Zichun would have achieved immortality had he been successful in mastering himself and overcoming worldly concerns, even love itself, clearly a pervasive doctrine preached in all religions worldwide where man would have everlasting life in paradise if he is willing to set everything else aside, prioritizing God above all, and following the holy teachings of his Church. The dream and reality tales discussed in this paper were effectively presented using an appropriate style of narrative during its time because: (1) it captures the interest and attention of its readers, not only because it touches on the paranormal, mystical or superstitious nature of the Chinese civilization during that era, but also because (2) it delves on the primal nature or tendency of man in desiring excessive material gain and power, a fact that has, time and again, revealed itself in the annals of human history and is still unquestionably in high supply in this modern day and age. Works Cited Li, Fuyan. â€Å"The Spendthrift and the Alchemist† (â€Å"Du Zichun†). Tang Dynasty Stories. Trans. Yang Xianyi and Gladys Yang. Beijing: Chinese Literature P, 1986. 136-43. Li, Gongzuo. â€Å"Governor of the Southern Tributary State† (â€Å"Nanke taishou zhuan†). Tang Dynasty Stories. Trans. Yang Xianyi and Gladys Yang. Beijing: Chinese Literature P, 1986. 56-69.

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

Legalization of Same-Sex Marriage - 1446 Words

Imagine that your spouse was suffering from a terminal illness and one was charged with deciding with whether life-saving measures would be continued or ended. This decision is not one that is made lightly, but for homosexual couples, it isnt one that is often afforded. Now that being homosexual is becoming socially accepted, homosexuals are demanding the same rights and benefits as others (The Gay Rights Movement). Many homosexual Americans believe that they are being excluded from â€Å"one of the basic civil rights of man (Support for same-sex marriage hits new high; half say Constitution guarantees right†). They have formed organizations, gone to court, and rioted all over the nation; but they are still being denied the simple right to marry (The Gay Rights Movement). Redefining marriage will allow all Americans access, regardless of sexual orientation, to rights given to heterosexual couples without serious social, financial, or legal detriment to society. Those who are a gainst legalizing gay marriage feel that marriage is not only a union of the hearts and minds, but a union of the bodies (Understanding the Meaning of Marriage). Many religious conservatives believe that a marriage should have the ability to produce biological children (Should Gay Marriage be Legal).Research has shown that the children of same-sex marriages â€Å"are at increased risk for a variety of negative outcomes (Hansen).† Trayce Hansen, a licensed psychologist has performed studies on children fromShow MoreRelatedLegalization Of Same Sex Marriage Essay963 Words   |  4 PagesKaye Shannelle Romuar Alfritz Arevalo Angelika Figueroa Legalization of Same-Sex Marriage I. Introduction Same-sex marriage can also be called gay marriage. This is a marriage between two males or two females, in either a religious setting or in a civil ceremony. Same-sex unions are recorded in the history of a number of cultures but this type of marriage is rare, or doesn’t exist in other cultures .The first law that provided same-sex marriage for the people was in 2001 in the Netherlands. As of JulyRead MoreLegalization Of Same Sex Marriage1594 Words   |  7 PagesWhy The Nationwide Legalization Of Same Sex Marriage Will Greatly Benefit The Economy Same-sex marriage has been a long debated issue in the United States. Since the nationwide legalization of same-sex marriage in countries such as Holland, Belgium, and Canada American gay couples have been pushing harder for equal marriage rights under the law. 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The women’s suffrage movementRead MoreThe Legalization Of Same Sex Marriage1091 Words   |  5 PagesThe legalization of same-sex marriage is a hot topic in the U.S. approving, it in all fifty states can be harmful to the country. Same-sex marriage should not have been legalized in the United States. First, legalizing can be harmful to the society, Second, same-sex marriage it always denies a child a father or a mother, Third, legalizing It Offends some religions and violates tradition. In addition, It means all citizens should have understood of the consequences before maki ng the decision. OneRead MoreThe Legalization Of Same Sex Marriage1411 Words   |  6 PagesNikta Kalatari Writing Assignment #1 The proposead legalization of same-sex marriage is one of the most significant issues in contemporary American family law. Presently, it is one of the most vigorously advocated reforms discussed in law reviews, one of the most explosive political questions facing lawmakers, and one of the most provocative issues emerging before American courts. If same-sex marriage is legalized, it could be one of the most revolutionary policy decisions in the history of AmericanRead MoreThe Legalization Of Same Sex Marriage1294 Words   |  6 Pages The Legalization of Homosexual Marriage Brandon Taylor Wichita State University Gay marriage, also known as homosexual or same-sex marriage, has been a major topic in our country ever since it was allowed in Massachusetts whenever the state’s Supreme Court ruled the ban as unconstitutional. It was legalized in thirty seven of the fifty states before the Supreme Court’s ruling on June 26, 2015 that it was unconstitutional to deny marriage to a same sex couple (ProCon.org, 2015). The Merriam-WebsterRead MoreLegalization Of Same Sex Marriages1390 Words   |  6 PagesLegalization of Same Sex Marriages As a Muslim, in my opinion same sex marriage is not right and same sex marriage should not be legalized. Out of this statement comes the question: what is the purpose and meaning of marriage. Can we ever explain marriage in the context of a bond between two males or two females. Can this relationship be called a â€Å"Marriage†? Whether we disguise this relationship with the label of marriage, does it become accepted into society as a real marriage? Or are we foolingRead MoreThe Legalization of Same Sex Marriage 1623 Words   |  6 Pageshow the citizens value their morals. An every day American would think that being with the same sex is not normal, or is frowned upon. Recent studies show that half of all Americans believe that gay men and lesbians have a constitutional right to marry (Craighill). Same-sex marriage has caused many conflicts around the country and even the world with multiple stand points. World views on same-sex marriage are changing day to day. â€Å"Of the 15 countries worldwide to permit gay men and lesbians to marry