The Moon is Dawn Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Moon is Dawn - Essay Example During World War II Steinbeck wrote some effective pieces of government propaganda, among them The Moon Is Down (1942), a novel of Norwegians under the Nazis, and he also served as a war correspondent. His immediate postwar work-Cannery Row (1945), The Pearl (1947), and The Wayward Bus (1947)-contained the familiar elements of his social criticism but were more relaxed in approach and sentimental in tone. The Moon is Down is Steinbeck's work of genius. It is the account of invasion of idealist soldiers from the provinces, powered by hostility principles, whose yearning to build their fortune sets in action measures both attention-grabbing and tragic. His representation of the invaders through showing their positive and negative traits during early-nineteenth-century was remarkable and enlightening. The book stays as a matchless and incomparable creation, one that brilliantly anticipates modern literature. Steinbeck originally wrote The Moon is Down set in a medium sized American town. Steinbeck submitted for approval to the [office of] the Foreign Information Service. Officials there rejected it because they feared that postulating an American defeat might be demoralizing. intro. p. ix Steinbeck revised the work and s... p. ix Steinbeck revised the work and set it in an unnamed country in Europe. The Moon is Down became a staple of the underground resistance in many occupied countries in Europe. The Nazi's banned it in the countries they occupied; yet many risked their lives to get it circulated. In Italy, if an individual was found with a copy, it was punishable by death. This was written as a propaganda piece in 1942 and smuggled into occupied Europe where it was then translated into several languages and produced and distributed under a very real threat of death. Set in a fictitious country (sort of Norway, kind of like France, etc.) invaded by an unstated but thinly-disguised Germany, The Moon is Down was wildly popular in occupied Europe. In this short novel, the citizens of this occupied town and their occupiers are portrayed as complex, fully-realized characters rather than as the interchangeable stock heroes or evil-doers of many war novels. Sitting safely at his typewriter in the U.S., it would have been easy for Steinbeck to portray the Nazis as evil incarnate but instead they have hopes, dreams and fears at least as complex as the good guys. The book does a fine job of detailing the conflicting emotions of both occupiers and occupied. "The Moon Is Down" was a work of propaganda written by Steinbeck and distributed to Nazi-occupied Europe as moral support for the conquered peoples. Some of the finer works of literature are propaganda pieces. There is nothing inherently wrong with propaganda; what determines its worth (besides its qualities as literature) is the content of its message. And the message contained in "The Moon Is Down" is that a free people may be physically conquered by brute force for a time, but that their spirits will never be subjugated, and

Dating Methods Essay Example for Free

Dating Methods Essay For example, pollen, bone, hair, parchment, wood, charcoal etc. | 400-50000 years old. | Principal that all living things interact constantly with the atmosphere and we absorb Carbon 14, however at the point of death, living creatures stop absorbing carbon 14, and the carbon 14 is frozen. This carbon decays at a known, constant rate. AMS DATING (Acceleration, Mass, spectrometry)| Organic Materials| From 400-70000 years old. | Quicker results, much more expensive. Also more accurate, less samples needed and less possibility of contamination. | TREE-RING DATING (DENDROCHRONOLOGY)|. Trees or any timber object made from trees. | | Counted by looking at a cross section of the tree, looking at how many rings, the ring on the inner most centre is the first growth, and the outside ring is the last. THERMOLUMINESCENCE| Pottery| Over 50000+| When deducing if an artefact is fake, they can turn to Thermo luminescence to deduce weather it is real. Other time, in the form of energy, electrons will be stored within it, and if you heat the object to 500 degrees. Celsius or more, and then there is a flash of light which can be measured to see the age. | POTASSIUM ARGON DATING| Volcanic Rock| Up to millions of years. One of the most useful for dating human evolution. Used to date fossils. | DNA TESTING| | Has no age limit, can be used as long as DNA is available. | Shows the blueprint of an organism, is within all living or dead creatures. Useful in all matter to do with any remains, can tell us significant information. | URANIUM SERIES DATING| Roick including Calcium | 50000 – 500000 years old| Also useful for dating human evolution. |

Camping Technology :: Camps Camping Technological Papers

Camping Technology Could something designed to make life easier end up ruining everything we have worked to preserve? Technology can sometimes be quite controversial. In my major, I have found that it can be almost more of a frustration than a blessing. In most industries, technological advancements are viewed as a positive step towards efficiency and economic growth. This is not always the case, however. In the camping industry, for example, the constant â€Å"improvements† are often a source of frustration to many die-hard campers. When people go on vacation they generally have a common goal, which includes relaxation, adventure, and escape from the stress of their everyday life. They often want to spend quality time with their family without distractions. Camping is an exciting and affordable way to get all of those things. For a relatively low price you can pitch a tent at a State Park and â€Å"get back to nature†-- at least that’s how it used to be. Unfortunately times are rapidly changing, and camping, as it was intended, seems to be a thing of the past. To illustrate my point, I would like to paint a picture of the typical State Park camping experience. Pretend you are a vacationing middle class businessman from down state wanting to take his family on a camping excursion â€Å"up north† over his two week summer vacation. In order to spend a night in one of Michigan’s beautiful State Parks, there is a simple procedure that everyone must go through. First, you must dial a toll-free number, 1-800-44-PARKS, (or use the internet to make a reservation at http://www.midnrreservations.com ) up to 6 months in advance to your pre-planned date of arrival. Spontaneity is overrated anyway. After you dial the number you have to type in the first four letters of the park that you wish to visit. At this point you will be connected with an operator in Maryland who will help you pick out a site number that will suit your needs from a park she’s never seen before in a state she has never been in. This is called privatization, whi ch is an issue for a different essay, which I will avoid complaining about in this paper. So, this operator takes your credit card information and charges you $20.00 per night, plus a $2.00 reservation fee. She will then spend 10 minutes reading you a list of rules and regulations for camping in a State Park.

A.J. Dbq for Us History Advanced Placement

Before Andrew Jackson became president, he came off as an average man living in middle class America. He pulled his â€Å"Average Joe† persona off like a pro and got elected into the White house as a â€Å"man of the people†. However, Jackson may have been a common man, but he wielded power like a king. Kings have a difficult job. They have to walk the fine line of being strict enough that the subjects won't throw a fit when they don't get what they want but at the same time not being too dictatorial or else the people will rebel. More importantly, a king must be firm in what he believes is right for the country. Jackson greatly increased the power of the presidency. He did not comply with the checks and balance system, and also did not allow North Carolina to nullify the Protective Tariff of 1823. Jackson fired the old aristocrats (from farming families) from government jobs and replaced them with incompetent people – this was known as the â€Å"spoils system. † He was also responsible for the â€Å"Trail of Tears†. Jackson took his job extremely seriously and used his full power to help the entire country. Andrew Jackson often took advantage of his veto power. He was very willing to veto the laws that the legislative branch came up with. Because of this, Congress learned to ask for his opinions in advance to avoid vetos. All presidents have since had a say on impending legislation. Andrew was not afraid to use his power aggressively if it meant helping the whole country. An example of this is in the Nullification Crisis. In short, this was when Andrew Jackson passed tariff acts on the states. South Carolina, after years of complaining about it, finally refused to obey the 1832 tariff. They voted to have troops defend them against Jackson. The president responded angrily and sent troops to South Carolina to enforce the tariff bill and asked Congress for a â€Å"Force Bill† to back him up. Andrew Jackson was also responsible for the Trail of Tears. This was when he forced thousands of Native Americans to relocate. In 1830, Jackson passed the Indian Removal Act. It ordered all Native Americans living east of the Mississippi River to move west of it. This resulted in many of them dying from exposure, disease and starvation while migrating. Jackson, of course, did this intending the best for the country.

A.A. Milne

He is creator of one the world's most beloved characters, he is the author of our childhood's favorite stories, he is A. A Milne. A. A. Milne is the author of the popular and cherished Winnie the Pooh stories. Anyone who is young, or young at heart can gravitate to the stories that have brought joy to our hearts for nearly a century. Milne’s life is not only enlightening, but discovering the true inspirations, accomplishments and triumphs behind his extraordinary tales will change how you read them forever. Before he became the famous author he is today, Milne lived a rather normal and quiet life. Milne was born to Sarah and John Milne in Hampstead, London on January 18th 1882 . For most of his childhood and young adulthood, Milne resided in the school his father ran, the Henley house, which he also attended as a child (just-pooh). As a boy, Milne was a rather bright student who learned to read and write before the age of five (Wheeler). Milne’s extraordinary grades in Mathematics, and especially Writing, got him numerous scholarships to many different universities such as Cambridge. Although Milne always aspired to be a writer, on of his inspirations was the famous H. G Wells who became his teacher and Mentor (poohcorner). The more he learned from Wells, the more Milne aspired to be a writer. It is certain that without the encouraging words and teachings from his mentor, Milne would not be the same, remarkable author he became. Though Milne garnered encouragement and knowledge from Well’s unique teaching styles there was another source of inspiration that was be yond just encouraging words, this source of inspiration shaped A. A. Milne’s career into what we know and still praise him for today. In 1913, Milne married Dorothy Daphne de Selincourt, together they had a gregarious, effervescent son named Christopher Robin Milne. (winniethepohh). From the day of his birth, Christopher served as his father's main source of inspiration; Milne wrote poems for him that later became his book When We Were Very young (1924), and most importantly, he and his toys became inspirations for Milne’s now most famous, Winnie the Pooh Series. All written between 1926 and 1928, Milne’s fulgent and quip filled books launched his career and today are his most read, appraised and notable works (justpooh). These unique and charming tales would change Milne’s life forever. Although there is no recorded evidence of Milne receiving any notable awards for his stories , it is certain he regaled many gracious acknowledgements, un-matching success all thanks to his loyal fans. Milne’s gained many fans for his poems, plays and especially Pooh novels that only increased, when his wife Dorothy sold the rights to Pooh to Disney after his death (wheeler). Although most of his fans were and are children, many adults have enjoyed his plays and even original Pooh books for their inspirational themes and striking, quirky story lines. As I read A. A milne’s poems and stories I recognised two, distinct, recurring themes; embracing individuality and the the importance of problem of solving. Unfortunately, Milne never discussed the themes found in his stories and their personal importance, nor if he purposely added them into his works. Although Milne’s thoughts regarding his themes are uncertain, something that is certain is, no matter what story or poem is read, Milne’s works will leave the reader with a sense of joy and satisfaction, that will leave anyone wanting to apply his recurring themes into everyday life. Although Milne happens to be one of my favorite authors, I recently discovered things I previously did not know about him through my research. Because Winnie the Pooh was such a big part of my childhood, and that of many of my peers, I was surprised to find, he lived and wrote all his works in England during the 20’s and up until his death in 1956. I was also surprised to find Milne was in the English Royal Army, and participated in World War II. Although there were a lot of social and political situations occurring at the time such as the Great Depression and the War, I found it unusual that none of these events influenced his literary process(poohcorner). Milne rather focused on the joys of childhood and teaching kids, and adults, the key to a happy future through his themes. Another extraordinary fact is, all of of the elements of his Pooh books were inspired by a personal aspect in his life. The characters were all based on his son’s toys and the place where his Pooh books took place was based off his sylvan family home in Sussex, England (kidsreads). Without Milne works it is easy to conclude children’s literature would not be the same. In my opinion, A. A Milne, through his writing, inspired countless authors and raised the canon to what is now, modern children's literature. He has brought joy to countless people and his scintillating stories are timeless. A . A Milne plays an important role in not only our childhood but that of our parents and future children and grandchildren. Milne, in my eyes, can easily stand aside the greatest authors of our time and in the hearts of individuals around the world.

Diversity in Psychology Essay Example

Diversity in Psychology Essay Example Diversity in Psychology Essay Diversity in Psychology Essay K. Tomlin, October 2011 Reflective Essay 1: Diversity in Psychology Why do we study diversity in psychology? Diversity comes in many forms. It is extremely important that psychologists, counselors, and therapists not only develop the skills to successfully treat and assess individuals, but they must also understand their values and attitudes related to the facets of diversity: age, religion, socio-economic status, culture, sexual orientation, ethnicity, spirituality, and ability. First and foremost, the client’s sense of security and safety must remain a priority. Mental health treatment is largely dependent upon the psychologist’s knowledge and ability to manage the client’s care and treatment relationship effectively and ethically. Due to the increase in multicultural populations, psychologists will continually have to interact with nationalities that may be ethnically and racially different. Hispanic and Asian populations are expected to triple by the 2050 (Martin Nakayama, 2008). Many minority cultures and youths do not have access to or adequate mental health services due to communication limitations, clinician bias, or other barriers that will further separate them from any treatment process and further discourage said services. What is lacking, at times even among professionals interested in multicultural issues, is the specific implementations of research programs, policy initiatives, and service programs that tackle the issues and diverse needs of culturally diverse youths and in particular those with serious emotional and behavioral disorders (Casas, Pavekski, Furlong, Zanglis, 2001). What are the different ways that diversity is an integral part of our larger society? Within diversity is competence and responsibility. No mental health care services should be established until the psychologist has had proper training, ongoing education, and knowledge with the understanding of the facets mentioned previously. Diversity-based psychology will not only better serve the public and provide better treatment options, but allow the psychologist to have more effective training and become increasingly more helpful. Psychologists in the past were derived from the White culture and were limited in being able to treat a radically different race or culture than that from the Euro-American culture. Psychology must break away from being a unidimensional science, that it must recognize the multifaceted layers of existence (Sue, Bingham, Porsche-Burke, 1999). Diversity can expand our horizons – linguistically, politically, socially – as various lifestyles and ways of thinking come together (Martin Nakayama, 2008). A major goal for the future of society is that there is access and opportunity at the personal, professional, institutional, and social levels. In addition, educational experiences do not reflect social reality (Sue, et al. , 1999). What have you learned or experienced previously that may influence your learning or attitude about this course? After reading Experiencing Intercultural Communication (Martin Nakayama, 2008), I gathered a tremendous amount of information pertaining to immigration in regard to the European influence on â€Å"Americans† and how culture was practically depleted with the onset of the first peoples. The United States still has a very far way to go before culture is actually a positive force on society. The majority becoming a minority and the minority becoming a majority will a very new experience for me, but I believe it will be a very positive one now that I have a better understanding of diversity and the population shifts. My attitude toward other cultures is a lot more sensitized, especially after living as a white minority in a pacific island for four years. I have a much greater appreciation for the needs of others and how I can communicate and relate to them. I believe this class will further teach and guide me in the diversity of psychology, the diversity of culture, and the importance of how my future psychology career will impact those I treat. References Casas, J. M. , Pavelski, R. , Furlong, M. J. , Zanglis, I. (2001). Advent of systems of care: Practice and research perspectives and policy implications. In J. F. Ponterotto, J. M. Casas, L. A. Suzuki C. M. Alexander (Eds. ) Handbook of multicultural counseling (2nd ed. ). Sage. Martin, J. Nakayama, T. (2008). Demographic imperative. Experiencing intercultural communication (3rd ed. , pp. 10-14). New York: McGraw-Hill. Sue, D. W. , Bingham, R. , Porsche-Burke, L. (1999). The diversification of psychology: a multicultural revolution. American Psychologist, 54(12), 1061-1069.

Defending the Mockingbird Essay Example

Defending the Mockingbird Essay Example Defending the Mockingbird Essay Defending the Mockingbird Essay Many people from the town of Maycomb have gathered at the town’s courthouse to witness the trial of the poor, laborsome woman, Mayella Ewell, and the hard-working African-American man who allegedly raped and beat Ms. Ewell, Tom Robinson.Because Tom was accused of the crime, Atticus Finch, his attorney, played a key role in defending him throughout the trial. Tom Robinson was prosecuted and seen guilty in a court of law, but the jury’s perception of his race had a major influence on their decision to convict him of the crime. During the 1930’s, racism was a major belief in the everyday lives of white Americans. Though the U.S. Constitution states that all men are created equal, the opinion that whites and blacks should still be segregated flourished throughout this time period. Even with society expressing hatred upon Atticus and his family, he still felt obligated to defend Tom Robinson to the best of his ability. With the use of rhetorical appeals, rhetorical de vices, and diction throughout the trial, Atticus was able to strengthen his argument and influence the jury to make a long, hard, thought-out verdict. Atticus appeals to logic and credibility with the use of logos and ethos within his argument. He is able to comprehend and think thoroughly about what has happened to Ms. Ewell. Using the appeal of logos, Atticus is able to come to the conclusion that, â€Å"there is circumstantial evidence to indicate that Mayella Ewell was beaten savagely by someone who led almost exclusively with his leftand Tom Robinson now sits before you, having taken the oath with the only good hand he possesses- his right hand† (Lee 272). He explains to the jury that the accusation of Tom Robinson is false, and he proves that there is no reasonable explanation as to how Tom could have committed the crime. He is also able to execute his defense to a much of a greater extent by quoting a phrase from one of the most credible sources of all time. By

How to write the perfect interview thank you note

How to write the perfect interview thank you note Someone wise once said, â€Å"Saying thanks costs nothing but gives everything.† If you’re a jobseeker who’s currently going through the interview process, it can also help you to gain everything, especially that coveted position. Sending a job interview thank you note within 24 hours of a meeting isn’t just good manners; it can be the act that ultimately secures you the role. Not only do follow-up notes serve to remind hiring managers of your exchange, but they also show prospective employers that you really want the job and that you’re the sort of polite, committed individual they want in their workforce. In other words, follow-up notes are a must-do, and with National Thank You Note Day coming up soon on December 26th, now is a particularly good time to start thinking about how best to express gratitude in a letter or email. Because to really have an impact, you need to go beyond simply saying, â€Å"Thanks for your time†. Let’s loo k at how to craft post-interview correspondence that sets you apart from the competition.1. Lay the groundwork.You should ideally write a personalized job interview thank you note to every individual who set aside time to meet with you – if there were five people on the interview panel, best practice would dictate that you craft five separate letters. To make this easier for yourself, try to get each person’s business card at the end of the interview, or if this isn’t possible, ask your main contact for the other interviewers’ full names and email addresses before you leave.2. Make your â€Å"thank you† sincere and specific.It’s important that your issue of thanks feels genuine and not like something you’re just checking off a list. To make it sound sincere, don’t stop at â€Å"Thanks for meeting with me today.† Rather, pick out and mention one or two specific things you truly appreciated about the exchange. Maybe the in terviewer went out of their way to make you feel relaxed. Maybe they patiently answered all of your questions at the close of the interview. By calling out these particulars, you show that you noticed, and place value on, the effort they invested in the conversation.3. Reference a unique, memory-jogging detail.Hiring managers typically interview a bunch of candidates for a single vacancy, and they’ll likely receive a heap of thank you notes, too. So, when your letter appears in their inbox, they might not immediately recall who you are. Remind them by making reference to a part of the discussion that was (most likely) unique to you. For example, perhaps you discovered that you share a favorite author or attended the same university. Or maybe you found yourselves chatting about an exciting new industry development for a solid 10 minutes. Allude to this in your job interview thank you note to make sure that your face pops into the recipient’s mind when they’re rea ding it.4. Show that you were really listening.Employers want to hire someone who can hit the ground running – someone who really understands what the company needs and what would be required of them as an employee. In most interviews, hiring managers will cover these sorts of details. Show that you were paying attention, and that you genuinely care about the position, by speaking to a few of the key points that the interviewer shared with you. Illustrate that you’re familiar with the goals and challenges that the organization is currently facing, and then go one step further by highlighting how your skills and experience position you well to help them achieve their objectives.5. Reiterate your interest in the position.In the same way that you might leave a meet-up wondering what the interviewers think of you, they might walk away wondering how you feel about the role, now that you’ve learned more details. Use your job interview thank you note to reassure prospe ctive employers that you’re still enthusiastic about the position. Express your genuine interest by pulling out specifics about the role and company that really appeal to you, but be careful not to overdo it.6. Invite a response.Close your note by encouraging the recipient to contact you if they have additional questions or need extra documentation from you in order to make a decision. You could also politely request interview feedback. This way, interviewers will be pressed to follow up, and you’ll (ideally) keep the lines of communication open and your name top of mind.7. Pay attention to formatting and tone.In today’s digital age, it’s absolutely fine to send your job interview thank you note in email form (unless the company you’re applying to is old-school, in which case a handwritten letter would be better). Either way, make sure the tone and language you use is professional, and format the note like you would a formal business letter, with a ppropriate opening and closing salutations. Remember to proofread for spelling and grammatical errors, and finally, keep the note as a whole succinct – while hiring managers will appreciate a â€Å"thank you,† they probably won’t take kindly to having to wade through an epic story.LiveCareer  offers assistance to jobseekers at every step of the journey. Access free  resume templates  and  resume examples, plus a free  resume builder  and advice on how to answer  interview questions  of all stripes.

Structure And Anarchy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Structure And Anarchy - Essay Example majority votes to determine group positions, consensus, working to avoid having leaders or seeing everyone as a leader, group processes, and the time taken in efficiently reaching clear positions. Individual freedom and rights for expression of almost all sorts are enshrined in most democratic constitutions the globe over. Are these rights unbridled or uncontrolled letting an individual act in any manner either in group or as an individual? No these rights and freedoms are well defined and controlled often these find the forms of duties and responsibilities of citizens. Any organization has a structure and leadership. It is also recognized that an organization is primarily its people. In theoretical discussions it is widely agreed that social movements are not organizations. As Freeman (1978) says,† Granted, most movements are not organizations and thus not able to make conscious decisions about their direction. Usually they consist of numerous core groups and a large penumbra of sympathizers. Nonetheless, these core groups serve as the foci of a movements values and activities and determine much of its deliberate policy†. It is here that the crux issue rises. Lac king a resolute structure a social movement always faces instability and the conflict between group maintenance needs and goal achievement needs. The core values of the movement can have a constellation of other values supported by differing groups. These values can be parallel or opposed to core values. The opposing values and their support groups can be in a consensus and form a noticeable opposition. So long as the leadership and the majority that support leadership and movement’s core values are able to outnumber and control opposing opinions and groups structure prevails and the movement sails along smoothly with foci values. The instability of movements and opposite values and opinions are particularly strong in movements with democratic values, where the structure is deliberately loosely

Internet Connectivity Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Internet Connectivity - Research Paper Example High speed internet connectivity has greatly improved various areas (Huske, Protheroe, and Shellard, 2001). Consider the following rewards to investing in broadband internet: Waiting for pages to load is annoying. With broadband internet, pages load faster than average speed and require less page reloading. With high speed internet connection, people can browse the internet with many tabs open even with video and photos present on various pages. With broadband internet, one can stream media without interruptions. Streaming movies, music, and television shows is becoming increasingly popular and interruptions can be annoying especially when reloading a page requires more than just troubleshooting. Connections can be extremely slow if there is more than one person in a particular household using the internet at the same time. This is a major setback of the dial-up speeds internet connection. Broadband internet allows multiple users to access the internet at the same time that is; multiple users can access and utilize the internet concurrently without a hitch in connection (Vacca, 2001). To keep up with the technology of the future, you need to catch up with the technology of the present. Internet connectivity is, and will be, a necessity and there are various methods of being connected so as to be able to access and utilize the internet. Digital Subscriber Lines/Loop refers to a family of digital telecommunications protocols that allow high speed data communication over the existing telephone lines between end-users and telephone companies. DSL service is an umbrella of a number of different technologies. The most commonly installed DSL technology is the Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ASDL). DSL uses higher frequency bands for data and this is the reason why the DSL service is delivered simultaneously with wired telephone service on the same telephone line. DSL requires a modem that is responsible for splitting transmissions into two frequency bands

(the self-parking and driving car Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

(the self-parking and driving car - Assignment Example Also as they will be able to access real-time information on the status of the roads, traffic jams and grid-lock may become a thing of the past, also they may ease movement for the visually impaired and physically challenged (Car jam). Driverless cars are still illegal and ultimately it will be up to lawmakers to adjust the guidelines of the road, particularly dealing with security and insurance matters, so as to allow for driverless cars on the road. Issues like who is at fault in an accident? Will drivers control data about their whereabouts? Imagine a situation where the computer fails and the driver cannot retake control in time. Likewise, what if the system is hacked? These are a few of the new challenges that have to be faced. Despite this some states namely California, Michigan, Nevada, Florida and Washington D.C, are taking steps(CNN). Either way companies like Google, Audi, BMW, Mercedes ford and Nissan see this as the next frontier in car development and have viable prototy pes in testing. Though this is yet to be achieved, it seems to be the future of driving (CNN). Â  CAR Magazine site. "Driverless cars: why you wont be buying one soon (2014)." 2014. Web. 26 Mar 2014.

The Political Economy of States in the Middle East and North Africa Essay

The Political Economy of States in the Middle East and North Africa - Essay Example First, the report highlights the dominant economic activities and social service in Egypt. Second, the study will look at the political systems in Egypt with an emphasis on their connection with the citizens. Third, the paper will explore the citizenship rights and the role of women in politics and development of Egypt. Finally, the research will relate the views of international community about Egypt with a keen interest on the stand of U.S on the matter. Political Economy of Egypt Egypt leads in the population in the Arab world. It is the second populous country in the African continent. It has a population of about 80 million people living in different locations. The regions include Alexandria and Cairo, the banks of river Nile, and along Suez Canal. The regions support many people. They are in the category of the world’s densely populated regions. On average, a square carries over 3,820 persons. Egyptians are fairly homogeneous people of Hamitic origins. Most of the citize ns in Egypt are Muslims. However, there are minorities who are Christians (Aldosari 33). Egypt economy depends on petroleum exports, tourism, and agriculture. Egyptians practice agriculture in the fertile grounds of Nile Valley and Delta. This area is approximately 2.5 million hectares. The estimate of the workforce that engages directly in farming is about one-third. Egyptians who do carry out the tilling of the land make their fortunes from the agricultural industries. The factories deal with processing of agricultural products that feed the Egyptians. The surplus is exporter to earn foreign currency. There are projects in progress to convert the Egyptian deserts to productive lands. This is a government initiative to balance agricultural outputs in Egypt. A good example of such projects is the Toshka project in the Upper Egypt (Aldosari 1144). The warm weather and steady supply of water supports crop farming throughout the year. Predominantly, Egypt grows cotton, rice, sugarcane, sugar beets onions, wheat, corn, and beans. Cotton contributes significantly to agricultural exports. Egypt also produces fruits, vegetables, and flowers. Egypt export crops such as grapes, potatoes, and green beans to Europe. The close proximity of Egypt to the European markets boosts the export trade remarkably. This is because the short distance reduces the shipping costs. Farmers rear livestock in small quantities. These comprise of buffaloes, chicken, and water buffaloes. In addition to the agricultural capacity, the Nile Valley and Delta Egypt is endowed with natural resources. These include petroleum, natural gas, phosphates, and iron ore deposits. The gulf of Suez Canal and Western Desert contain rich sources of crude oil. Natural gas comes from the Nile Delta that is off the Mediterranean seashore, and in Western desert. Oil and gas product contributes to about 12% of the Egypt Domestic Gross Product (GDP). In the year 2008-2009 the petroleum and its products brought in $ 11.4 billion (Oxford Business Group 104). Tourism industry flourishes in Egypt. The country provides reliable domestic air service for tourists. Cairo is the major tourist hub in Egypt. Egypt leads in tourist destination in the Middle East. For instance, in the year 1996 Egypt tourists’ arrival reached a high mark of 3.9 million. This was an average stay of six nights. This contributes to 25 % of all of the total tourist traffic to the Middle East. The

Corporate Social Responsibility Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Corporate Social Responsibility - Essay Example Corporate social responsibility helps build sustainable and stable business environments with healthy markets and surrounding communities (McCabe, 2). The key aspects for corporate social responsibility include; firstly, social investment which involves the company contributing to the infrastructure of the community. Secondly, transparency and accountability whereby the company is transparent on what they do, this will help build confidence from the outside on their business. Thirdly, CSR is aimed at enlightening self interest whereby they are able to work well with the community and, lastly, to increase the expectations of the community on their business and that it is not all about getting profits but, also for providing employment and helping the community in their projects. Corporate social responsibility involves a company’s social investment in a society and the trust they build through their CSR activities. A strong CSR is associated with good business and successful le adership; the way they relate to the community will affect their relationship with their customers and stakeholders (McCabe, 4). They, therefore have to be very careful in ‘giving back to the community’. This report will analyze the WD-40 company corporate social responsibility. WD-40 is a global consumer product company that deals with fabrication of products such as cleaning agents, chemicals, and aerosols. The board manages how the company handles its management and social responsibility, which includes compensations. The WD-40 CSR program assists the neighboring community, stakeholders and investors (WD-40 Company). The community is the greatest beneficiary of the CSR program. In terms of leadership and business ethics, they ensure that they treat all the stakeholders, customers and investors in the same way (Samuel & Celine Louche, 28). Leadership ethics involves the company’s culture of making ethical choices. It measures the company’s obligation to incorporating into the social aspects in their laid down objectives. Another important feature of CSR at WD-40 is transparency. Transparency put in place to ensure that the company is open in what it does to both customers and stakeholders. This help build trust in the whole society. WD-40 makes sure that it involves the employees in the verdict making process and administration of the company. This feature of CSR ensures that the company has a list of its stakeholders and how they engage with them and, that its part of global entities. In the aspect of community development, the company shows how it relates with the community through giving, donations and involvement in development activities (O'Brien, 2). The company should show their responsibility in protecting the health of the community at large. If they are engaging in construction activities, they devise ways to protect the environment by carrying out impact assessments and, giving the community a chance to show whether they are comfortable with their activities, i.e. they should be part of decision-making (McKinsey & Company, 5). The category that involves products and services covers the company’s responsibility in development and management of products and their impacts on the community. The company focuses on the health of consumers and market opportunities available. The quality of their products influences how a product or service will sell; they should ensure that their products work especially, that their products deal with cleaning (WD-40 Company). The human rights category measures the company’s commitment to respecting human rights and the freedoms associated with the human rights. This will help the company be recognized as one that values human

Study of a commercial Airline company (vigin Atlantic) Essay

Study of a commercial Airline company (vigin Atlantic) - Essay Example For the purpose, Virgin Atlantic along with Boeing 747 ran a biofuel commercial aircraft, successfully, for the first time in the world (Virgin Atlantic, 2007) from London’s Heathrow Airport to Amsterdam (reference). Richard Branson, the owner and founder of Virgin Atlantic owned a successful music records company – Virgin Records in the early eighties and ventured into the highly competitive airline service industry in 1984. The company brought revolutionary changes in terms of services offered to the customers and was the first company to offer personal TVs to their business class passengers. By the end of the decade, the company managed to become one of the leading airline companies in the world and had flown over a million passengers by the end of the 1980s. In the 1990s the company mostly focused on expansion activities - buying new planes, expanding its route network and even acquired a 49% stake in Singapore Airlines. Today the company is still capitalizing on its strengths by offering world class and revolutionary services to its passengers and is focused on implementing bio fuel technology to promote the environmental cause (Virgin Atlantic, 2008). Differentiation based on value, service and price: Virgin Atlantic differentiates its competitive strategy by leveraging its brand equity and placing itself as a premium airline company thus deviating from the oft repeated policy of price based differentiation. It offers premium services to its customers, which are creative and innovative and hence is one of the greatest strengths of the organization. Global appeal spanning wide range of customers: Virgin Atlantic caters to a wide range of customers from the economy to the business class offering varied services including complimentary meals amongst others. It also offers price differentiation according to the time of

Corporate Social Responsibility Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Corporate Social Responsibility - Essay Example Corporate social responsibility helps build sustainable and stable business environments with healthy markets and surrounding communities (McCabe, 2). The key aspects for corporate social responsibility include; firstly, social investment which involves the company contributing to the infrastructure of the community. Secondly, transparency and accountability whereby the company is transparent on what they do, this will help build confidence from the outside on their business. Thirdly, CSR is aimed at enlightening self interest whereby they are able to work well with the community and, lastly, to increase the expectations of the community on their business and that it is not all about getting profits but, also for providing employment and helping the community in their projects. Corporate social responsibility involves a company’s social investment in a society and the trust they build through their CSR activities. A strong CSR is associated with good business and successful le adership; the way they relate to the community will affect their relationship with their customers and stakeholders (McCabe, 4). They, therefore have to be very careful in ‘giving back to the community’. This report will analyze the WD-40 company corporate social responsibility. WD-40 is a global consumer product company that deals with fabrication of products such as cleaning agents, chemicals, and aerosols. The board manages how the company handles its management and social responsibility, which includes compensations. The WD-40 CSR program assists the neighboring community, stakeholders and investors (WD-40 Company). The community is the greatest beneficiary of the CSR program. In terms of leadership and business ethics, they ensure that they treat all the stakeholders, customers and investors in the same way (Samuel & Celine Louche, 28). Leadership ethics involves the company’s culture of making ethical choices. It measures the company’s obligation to incorporating into the social aspects in their laid down objectives. Another important feature of CSR at WD-40 is transparency. Transparency put in place to ensure that the company is open in what it does to both customers and stakeholders. This help build trust in the whole society. WD-40 makes sure that it involves the employees in the verdict making process and administration of the company. This feature of CSR ensures that the company has a list of its stakeholders and how they engage with them and, that its part of global entities. In the aspect of community development, the company shows how it relates with the community through giving, donations and involvement in development activities (O'Brien, 2). The company should show their responsibility in protecting the health of the community at large. If they are engaging in construction activities, they devise ways to protect the environment by carrying out impact assessments and, giving the community a chance to show whether they are comfortable with their activities, i.e. they should be part of decision-making (McKinsey & Company, 5). The category that involves products and services covers the company’s responsibility in development and management of products and their impacts on the community. The company focuses on the health of consumers and market opportunities available. The quality of their products influences how a product or service will sell; they should ensure that their products work especially, that their products deal with cleaning (WD-40 Company). The human rights category measures the company’s commitment to respecting human rights and the freedoms associated with the human rights. This will help the company be recognized as one that values human

Planning an IT Infrastructure Audit for Compliance Term Paper - 1

Planning an IT Infrastructure Audit for Compliance - Term Paper Example With such an evaluation, the company will be able to streamline the inter-company communication effectiveness and departmental communications (Newsom & Haynes, J. 2014. P66). Planning, the IT audit, entails gathering information to formulate an audit plan and to gain insight of the available internal control structure of the IT. The Planning and IT infrastructure audit is a valuable practice to local and global organizations. The audit planning process directly affects the quality of the outcome. A proper plan ensures that resources are focused on the right areas and that potential problems are identified early. A successful audit first outlines what’s supposed to be achieved as well as what procedures will be followed and the required resources to carry out the procedures. The information to be collected is regulatory statutes, inherent risk assessment, recent financial information, and past audit results. Besides the auditors will require to avail information such as control procedures, equate total risks, control risk assessment, and control environment to gain an understanding of the present internal control structure. With all this prior audit information, auditors will be in a position to formulate a useful audit plan. The audit plan must details the time and cost required to execute IT infrast ructure audit. It also needs to show the different areas and activities to be engaged during IT auditing process. The scope of planning and IT infrastructure audit: Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is a Canadian IT organization that manages and controls the IT infrastructure of two government organizations. It also provides auditing and IT security services to various digital organizations in Canada. CBSA performs frequent IT infrastructure audit to appraise how effective and efficient the organization execute it operations and activities. Goals and objectives of

Crucible Character Analyses of Abigail Williams Essay Example for Free

Crucible Character Analyses of Abigail Williams Essay The play Crucible is set in Salem, Massachusetts, 1692; the government is a theocracy. Hard work and church consume the majority of a Salem resident’s time. Within the community, there are regular disputes over land; but disagreement over land boundaries is not the only simmering situation that becomes out of control. Abigail, the orphaned niece to Reverend Parris, is cast out of the house of John and Elizabeth Proctor because of her part in the infidelity and adultery committed with John Proctor. Her uncle is suspicious of her hasty exit, and even more so when he discovers her dancing in the woods. In order to avoid punishment, Abigail claims to be victimised by evil, thus causing madness that spread like wildfire through Salem, claiming many innocent souls. Yet the one who escaped punishment, Abigail, is not innocent. However, her crime, invisible to the eyes of the judges, for whom faith had replaced psychology, is not to have trafficked with the Devil; it is, with truly diabolic determination, to have brought about the ruin of the woman she cannot forgive for being married to the one she loves. Throughout the play, the people of Salem are consumed by paranoia and fear. Abigail is able to prey on that fear, as well as every other humanly weakness, and with her cunning, she is able to bend others to do her will. With a combination of lies and threats, as well as her capability to take advantage of paranoia and hysteria, Abigail seems to be an untouchable antagonist. When first introduced to the antagonist, we develop sympathy for Abigail, enters a strikingly beautiful girl, an orphan, with endless capacity for dissembling. We are told that she is strikingly beautiful which undoubtedly gives us a brief visual aid of her appearance, author Arthur miller may have chosen to tell us this to suggest she is seductive and he emphasises the fact that she is beautiful with a powerful adverb, strikingly. We then become aware that she is an orphan, this uses the readers emotions to develop some sympathy for abigail, one could also suggest that with out that adult, mature, and older figure to nurture and advise abigail, she has not only become very independent, but possibly unaware of morals which maybe be the reason for the heartless actions she makes to get her way. In addition we are told that she has an endless capacity of dissembling, she is able to hide her true emotions/feelings in all situations, this tells us that she is a deceitful, lier but very intelligent, resourceful and highly mischievous girl. Already without abigail actually speaking, her impression has twisted and turned but is a mainly negative view. In addition when interrogated about her where about and the events that took place the previous evening, we begin to see a ruthless character unfold, one can perceive Abigails talent in the area of villainy. She lies continuously in order to protect herself. She denies her role in the witchcraft as she is being questioned by Parris, But we never conjured spirits. Not soon after she also refuses to admit other events that took place. No one was naked! You mistake yourself, uncle!. It is obvious that Abigail is a compulsive liar. She sees no problem with concealing the truth and would use imperatives to manipulate people even her own family to ensure and change their thoughts and opinions. Abigail is known to some as a Jezebel figure, someone who is commonly associated with the devil and scheming. Abigail’s evil can be seen through her interactions with the other characters in the play; she threatens Betty and Mary Warren, â€Å"Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word about the other things and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and i will a pointy reckoning that will shudder you† this shows a side to her that is devilish, threatening and in a way powerful, these threats are used to manipulate the other girls, to take part in her evil schemes only for her selfish gain.

Conversion of Waste to Energy

Conversion of Waste to Energy This section of the report focuses on waste to energy which is one of the most popular methods used to manage municipal solid waste around the world. Through waste to energy, trash has become a useful material because we are able to convert it to heat. The combustion of trash at a waste to energy facility produce ash, heat and flue gas. From the ash, metals are recovered and recycled. The flue gas is cleaned then it is released into the atmosphere through the chimney. The heat produced is used to generate electricity that powers the plant and nearby buildings. A waste to energy plant in the community helps to increase recycling rate which is beneficial for the city. There are more advantages to waste to energy than disadvantages, therefore it is essential that the city utilizes waste to energy has a way of managing municipal solid waste. 4.1.1. Introduction The management of municipal solid waste (MSW) in New York City has changed over the past decade from ocean and street dumping, to unregulated incineration, to current and export landfilling practices (Sylvan, 2011). The NYC Department of Sanitation, which is in charge of managing NYC waste collaborates with the Department of Parks and Recreation, the Sims Multi Recycling Recovery Facility, and GreeNYC to manage the citys waste through recycling, waste reduction, and composting and organic waste diversion (Cohen et al., 2015). In 2006, to efficiently manage the citys waste, the city Council approved the Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan (SWMP) which was created under the administrator of former Mayor Bloomberg (Cohen et al., 2015). The purpose of this plan was to establish a dependable, economical, and sustainable system for managing the citys waste (Cohen et al., 2015). This plan was eventually integrated into the sustainability planning under the PlaNYC, New York Citys compr ehensive sustainability plan in 2011 (Cohen et al., 2015). Under the new plan, in 2012, Former Mayor Bloomberg announced that the city would solicit plans to build a waste to energy facility near or within New York City (Rizzo et al., 2012). Waste to energy (WTE) technology is a process where trash is converted to heat/electricity. The most common waste to energy technology use around the world is mass burn, where trash is combusted to produce energy (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). However, the plan to build a WTE facility was eventually archived due to misconceptions surrounding WTE (Rizzo et al., 2012). 4.1.1.1 Background on the Problem Incinerators are not new to New York City. In the 20th century, there were thirty-two municipal and 17,000 apartment house refuse incinerator in the city (Walsh et al., 2001). In 1935, New York City was forced to stop ocean dumping, which was the waste disposal method for the city at that time, after a federal lawsuit was filed by New Jersey coastal cities (Cohen et al., 2015). This led the city to rely on incinerators and landfill to dispose of its waste (Cohen et al., 2015). However, in 1952, citys officials reported that apartment house refuse incinerators were responsible for 30% of the citys air pollution (Walsh, 2002). The report on air pollution caused by incinerators in the 1950s led to the limits on incinerator usage based on environmental grounds (Walsh, 2002). In 1970, after the Federal Clean Air act was enacted, the city was forced to shut down incinerators plant that did not meet the emissions guidelines (WastedNYC, 2015). The emission guidelines led to the closure of th e citys four oldest municipal incinerators by 1971, and by mid- 1970s thousands of residential incinerators were closed down (Walsh, 2002). In 1989, City Council committee passes a bill to ban incinerators in the city in the next four years (WastedNYC, 2015; Dunlap, 1989). This bill led to the decline of both residential and municipal incinerators, and by 1994 there were no more incinerator plants in New York City (Walsh, 2002; Rizzo et al., 2012). 4.1.1.2. Purpose of the Paper The burning of garbage and WTE are related because they both involve the combustion of trash. However, WTE is not just about burning trash but it is used to produce energy. The purpose of this paper is to outline how WTE plants work as well as the benefit the city stands to gain if it builds its own WTE facility. The city currently sends approximately 10% of its MSW to WTE plants in Hempstead, Long Island and Essex County, New Jersey (Cohen 2015, Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). If the city were to build its owns plant, it would save money from not spending on the transportation of waste and the use of other states landfills or WTE facilities. WTE has the ability to improve New York Citys current waste disposal practices (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). 4.1.2. Municipal Solid Waste Incinerator Process 4.1.2.1. How Incineration Works Figure 4.1.1: Schematic Diagram of the MSW incineration process (Lam et al., 2010). The incineration process of MSW is separated into three main parts: combustion, energy recovery and air pollution control (Lam et al., 2010). The crane in the machine (upper left, Fig.4.1.1) is used to feed solid waste into the furnace of the machine continually for combustion (Lam et al., 2010). The combustion of the waste in the furnace is enhanced by following the three Ts guideline, which are temperature, turbulence and time (Lam et al., 2010). High temperature increases burnout of the waste, while increasing turbulence reveals more waste surface and also increases burnout. (Lam et al., 2010). A longer resident time for the flue gas and waste also increases burnout (Lam et al., 2010). The temperature for incineration should be at least 850 oC with a residence time of 2 minutes (Lam et al., 2010). Air supply must be sufficient during the process to ensure complete combustion of waste and to inhibit the formation of carbon monoxide and dioxins (Lam et al., 2010). For the energy recovery process of the system, heat is generated from the waste and it is used to produce steam in the boiler (Lam et al., 2010). The steam is then used to drives the turbine to generate electricity (Lam et al., 2010). Air pollution was a major problem for old incinerators in the 20th century. However, modern incinerators are equipped with advanced pollution control systems which are designed to reduce pollution and ensure that the system is in compliance with environmental standards (Lam et al., 2010). To neutralize acidic gases such as hydrogen chloride and sulfur oxides, fine atomized slurry or lime powder is spray into the hot exhaust gas using a dry/wet scrubber (Lam et al., 2010). Also in the system, an activated carbon column is used to adsorb the heavy metals and organic pollutants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) and volatile organic compounds (VOC) in the exhaust gas (Lam et al., 2010). The bag filter install in the system acts to filter and remove dust particles and fine particulates from the combustion (Lam et al., 2016). 4.1.2.2. The Product of Incineration of Waste After the combustion of the waste three products are produced, the products are flue gas, heat and ash (Lam et al., 2016). 4.1.2.2.1. Flue gas The flue gas produced from the combustion contains air pollutant (Zaman, 2010) (See table 4.1.3). Therefore, before the flue gas is release through the chimney, the filtering system makes sure the gas is clean to be released into the atmosphere (Zaman, 2010). 4.1.2.2.2. Heat The heat produced is used to generate electricity. The facilities use the electricity generated to operate the plant and sell the excess energy (Chambers, 2016; Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). At most facilities, for every ton of waste combusted, 550 to 650 Kilowatt/hour (KWh) of electricity is generated for sale (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). This is the way that WTE facilities are able to earn more income for the plant (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). 4.1.2.2.3. Ash There are two types of ash produced from the combustion, bottom ash (BA) and fly ash (FA) (Lam et al., 2016). The ash is 90 percent smaller than the original volume of the waste combusted (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). From the ash, WTE facilities are able to extract recyclable ferrous and non-ferrous metals (Chambers, 2016; Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). Then the ashes are landfilled (Chambers, 2016). Before the ashes are landfilled, the facilities test the ashes to make sure that the ashes are not hazardous to the environment (Chambers, 2016). However, in some Asian and European countries that uses WTE, the ashes are not landfilled but rather utilized for other purposes such as cement and concrete production, road pavement, glass ceramics and ceramic production, adsorbent for dyes and agriculture (Lam et al., 2010; Pà ©rez-Villarejo et al., 2012). Application of MSW ashes Type Application Composition % Country BA Aggregate in concrete up to 50% France BA Aggregate in concrete replace up to 15% of cement Slovenia BA Road base Spain BA Adsorbent for dyes India BA Concrete Italy Mixed Ash Cement clinker up to 50% Portugal Mixed Ash Cement clinker 44% Japan Mixed Ash Cement clinker 15% Taiwan Mixed Ash Aggregate in concrete Spain FA Concrete 50% France FA Eco cement 50% Japan FA Ceramic tile China FA Glass ceramic Korea FA Blended cement up to 45% UK Table 4.1.1: The uses of MSW Ash in different countries. The BA represents Bottom Ash, the FA represents Fly Ash and the Mixed Ash represents the mixture of both BA and FA (Modified after Lam et al., 2010). Table 4.1.2: Research projects on MSW ash as road construction materials in the U.S. BA represents Bottom Ash and combined ash represents both Bottom Ash and Fly Ash (Modified after An et al., 2014). WTE facilities in the United States(U.S.) such as Covanta have been lobbying to recycle the ash instead of landfilling it, but these attempts have been unsuccessful so far (Chambers, 2016). The facilities have been lobbying for both federal and state regulation that would allow the usage of ash in the country (Chambers, 2016). Several studies conducted in the U.S. has proved that ash can be used in the U.S. as part of road construction (An et al., 2014) (see table 4.1.2). Despite the research showing that ash is usable in the U.S. no regulation has been passed to allow the usage of ash (An et al., 2014). Recycling of ash would be beneficiary because it would help eliminate landfills. Therefore, it is essential that these facilities continue to lobby for the recycling of ash. 4.1.3. Misconception about Waste to Energy Opposition to waste to energy plant in the city is rooted in two misconceptions (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). One of the misconceptions is that a waste to energy plant would displace recycling programs in the city (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). This has been proven to be false based on places that use waste to energy as part of their waste management program (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). High reliance on WTE is in fact correlated with high recycling rate (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). For example, in Austria where WTE facilities are used, 70 percent of its MSW is either recycled or composed while the remaining 30 percent is sent to WTE plants (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). Meanwhile, in the U.S., studies have shown that states that do not rely heavily on WTE to manage their waste have a recycling rate below 20 percent while states that rely heavily on WTE has recycling rates above 20 percent. (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). For example, Connecticut, which is one of the leading states in reliance on WTE, sends 63 percent of its waste to WTE plants and recycle d 26 percent of its waste (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). As of 2015, the recycling rate for the city was 16%, which is lower than the recycling rate for Connecticut (Szendro, 2015). This demonstrates that having a WTE plant in the city would not displace recycling but rather help us recycle better. The other misconception about WTE is that it causes air pollution which would affect the health of the resident that would who live around the plant (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). In the 20th century there was a problem with incineration due to the fact that it causes air pollution. However, modern incinerators are equipped with systems that reduce the amount of pollutants released from the plant (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). Also tight rule and regulations have led to the reduction of pollutant from WTE plants (Chambers, 2016). Under the federal Clean Air Act, WTE facilities must abide by the Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) rules, which apply to eight different air pollutants (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). Every five years, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) updates the MACT, which result in the update of pollution control in WTE facilities to meet the new EPA limits (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). In 2012, the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) examined eight air pollutants at the states municipal waste combustion plants and found that most pollutant had declined by 30 to 60 percent from 1996 to 2010 (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). *Toxic equivalent (sum of substance amounts multiplied by toxicity equivalency). Table 4.1.3. Emission from US WTE facilities Pre- versus Post MACT (Modified after EPA, 2016). Table 4.1.4. Average emission of 87 US WTE facilities (Lumber et al., 2006 as citied in Psomopoulos et al., 2009). WTE facilities in the US emit pollutants that are below that of the EPA Standard (Chambers, 2016, Psomopoulos et al., 2009) (see table 4.1.4). Numerous studies have shown that modern combustion plants pose no significant health risks (Citizen Budget commission., 2012). For example, a study in Germany, found near new WTE facilities the dioxin levels are only 1 to 2 percent of the level considered harmful to human health (Citizen Budget Commission., 2012). Another example, in Montgomery County WTE facility a health risk assessment found that even in the worst case scenario a nearby farmer has a one in three million chance of increase health risk from exposure to the facility(Budget Citizen Commission., 2012). This shows that WTE plants have no effect on human health and the idea that WTE plants in the city would affect the health of New Yorkers is false. 4.1.4. Benefit of Waste to Energy 4.1.4.1. Energy production and reduction in Greenhouse gases At WTE plants, combustion of 1 metric ton of MSW generates approximately 600 kWh of electricity thus preventing the mining of 0.25 ton of U.S. coal or importing one barrel of oil for electricity (Psomopolous et al., 2009). This lead to the displacement of energy produced at local facilities (Citizen Budget Commission., 2013). For example, the EPA calculated that for a ton of wasted combusted in the Middle Atlantic region prevent about 0.56 metric tons of emission from local utilities (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). The EPA also estimated that for every ton of waste combusted, 0.04 tons of carbon dioxide from metal recovery is saved (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). WTE is the only alternative to landfilling of non-recyclable wastes, where the decomposing waste releases methane into the atmosphere (Psomopoulos et al., 2009). Which means that the city practice of hauling waste to other states landfill is increasing the citys carbon footprint. Disposing of the citys garbage to local WTE would decrease the citys carbon foot print (Citizen Budget Commission., 2012). 4.1.4.2. Source of Renewable Energy Figure 4.1.2. Sources of U.S. electricity generation in 2015 (Modified after EIA, 2016). The combustible materials in MSW consist of 82% biomass (paper, food, yard wastes etc.), and 18% petroleum chemical wastes (Psomopolous et al., 2009). Therefore, MSW is considered a renewable source of energy and it is included by the U.S. Department of Energy in the biomass fuel category of renewable energy source (Psomopolous et al., 2009). In 2015, renewable energy generated 13% of the energy produced in the U.S. (EIA, 2016). The electricity produced by WTE facilities in the U.S. is 3% of the renewable energy generated in 2015, which is less than the amount of electricity generated by other renewable energy sources such as wind (35% of renewable energy generated), and solar (5% of renewable energy generated) (EIA, 2016) (see Figure 4.1.2). However, compare to wind and solar energy, the electricity generated by waste is consistent because the availability of these resources is stable, while the amount of electricity generated by the wind and solar energy depend on daily and seasona l weather, and this make the sources unreliable. (EIA, 2016). This shows that even though waste is not generating a lot of energy, it is a stable energy resource. 4.1.4.3. Recycling Having a WTE plant in the city would increase the citys recycling rate. WTE plant in the city would burn only non-recyclable material, which means that New Yorkers have the responsibility of sorting out their garbage before it is taken to the WTE plant (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). 4.1.4.4. Free Amenities The people who live near the WTE plant might be entitled to free amenities. For example, the Toshima Incinerator plant in Tokyo has a swimming pool and an affordable fitness center located within the plant (Harden, 2008). These amenities are accessible to the people who live in community where the plant is located (Harden, 2008). Another example, is the Hiroshima Naka Citys Incinerator plant in Japan, which is also known as the museum of garbage (Harden, 2008). The end of one of Hiroshimas main boulevards, overlooks the citys harbor, but the building has entirely blocked residents access to the water(Bernstein,2004). Therefore, the architect of the building decided to continue the boulevard, in form of a raised, glass-enclosed walkway (Bernstein, 2004). Beginning where the pavement ends, a 400-foot walkway slips was put through the building, ending in a new waterfront park. Residents can walk through the slip to get access to the waterfront park (Bernstein, 2004). The beautiful archi tecture of the plant has made it a tourist attraction center in Hiroshima (Bernstein, 2004). This proves that WTE plants can be multifunctional. If the city decides to build its own WTE plants it can make it attractive to the community by including free amenities. 4.1.5. Economic Analysis In 2012, the average price of sending our waste to distant landfill was $95 per ton and it was estimated that the price would increase to $140 per ton in 2016 (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). Meanwhile sending our waste to WTE facilities in Newark, New Jersey, and Hempstead, Long Island cost the city $66 and $77 per ton, respectively (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). The prices for sending our waste to distant landfill and WTE facilities is expected to increase in the coming years (Citizen Budget Commission, 2016). In comparison, the projected tipping fees of new plants are much lower than sending our waste out of the city (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). The New York City Independent Budget Office (IBO) estimated that the tipping fee at a new WTE plant that process 900,000 tons of waste per year would cost about $108 per ton in 2019, which is cheaper than the $140 per ton in 2016 for landfill (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). Therefore, it would be beneficiary for the city to build its own plants. A full detail on economic analysis regarding WTE can be found in section 4.4 of this report. 4.1.6. Recommendation The use of a WTE plant located in the city or near the city offers both economic and environmental benefits compared to sending our waste out of the City (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). Different factors are involved in estimating the economic benefits from the use of citys own WTE facility (citizen Budget Commission, 2012). The Key factors for the estimation are the future price of transporting waste to landfills, and the time it would take to plan, design and construct a plant (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). Therefore, the cost of WTE would be compared to the amount the City would be paying to export its waste in 2022 (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). It is estimated that in 2022 the City would be paying $170 per ton to export to landfill (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). It would cost the City $750 million to finance a 3,000-ton per day WTE plant and capital funding, cost of operations and net of electricity sales for the plant would be approximate $109 million in 2022 (Citizen Budget Commission, 2016). It is assumed that the plant would be able to process 985, 500 tons of waste annually at a cost of $111 per ton if it operates all year round with 90 percent availability, (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). This would save the City $59 for every ton sent to the new plant instead of being transported to landfill (Citizen Budget Commission,2016). Using this estimate, taxpayers would save approximately $119 million if the city diverts two million tons from landfill to WTE plant in 2022 (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). This would lead to a reduction in the cost for disposing MSW in the City from $526 million to $408 million, a 23 percent drop in 2022 (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). The diversion of two million tons of waste from landfills to WTE woul d not only save the city money but also reduce greenhouse gas emission (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). Greenhouse gas emission due to this diversion is expected to decrease by 35 percent, which is equivalent to the reduction of carbon dioxide from 679,000 to 439,000 metric tons (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). A Full detail on recommendations for the city regarding WTE can be found in section 4.4. of this report 4.1.7. Conclusion The use of WTE facilities has proven to be one of the best ways of managing MSW. WTE helps lower greenhouse gases and provides energy and material recovery. WTE also help reduce our reliance on fossil fuels for electricity, which leads to the reduction of greenhouse gas. WTE would also help increase the recycling rate of the city. Building WTE plant within NYC might be a problem due to the misconceptions surrounding WTE facilities. When people hear WTE, they think back to the old incinerators that were used in the 20th century in NYC. Therefore, it is essential for New York City to develop programs that would educate New Yorkers about the benefit of having WTE in the city and the differences between modern incinerators and the incinerators from 20th century. WTE has more benefits for the city than any effect it might have on the environment. References An, J., Kim, J., Golestani, B., Tasneem, K. M., Al Muhit, B. A., Nam, B. H., Behzadan, A. H. (2014). Evaluating the use of waste-to-energy bottom ash as road construction materials. University of Central Florida: Department of Civil, Environmental, and Construction Engineering. Accessed: December 8, 2016: http://www.fdot.gov/research/completed_proj/summary_smo/fdot-bdk78-977-20-rpt.pdf Bernstein, F.A. (2004). Beauty in Garbage: Naka Incinerator Plant by Yoshio Taniguchi. Arch News Now. Accessed November 26. 2016: http://www.archnewsnow.com/features/Feature152.htm Chambers, T (2016). Interviewed by me. Facility manager of Covanta Huntington LP. Kings Park, NY. Citizens Budget Commission (2012). Taxes In, Garbage Out: The Need for Better Solid Waste Disposal Policies in New York City. Citizens Budget Commission New York. Accessed October 6, 2016: http://www.cbcny.org/sites/default/files/REPORT_SolidWaste_053312012.pdf Cohen, C., Martinez, H., and Schroder, A. (2015). Waste Management Practices in New York City, Hong Kong and Beijing. Columbia University. Accessed October 5, 2016: http://www.columbia.edu/~sc32/documents/ALEP%20Waste%20Managent%20FINAL.pdf Dunlap, D.W. (1989). Panel Votes Bill to Ban Incinerators. New York Times. Accessed November 28, 2016: http://www.nytimes.com/1989/05/23/nyregion/panel-votes-bill-to-ban-incinerators.html EIA (2016). Energy in Brief: How much U.S. electricity is generated from renewable energy. Energy Information Administration. Accessed December 6, 2016: https://www.eia.gov/energy_in_brief/article/renewable_electricity.cfm EPA (2016). Energy Recovery from Waste: Air Emissions from MSW Combustion Facilities. Environmental Protection Agency. Accessed December 8, 2016: https://archive.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal/web/html/airem.html Harden, B. (2008). Japan Stanches Stench of Mass Incinerators. Washington Post. Accessed November 28, 2016: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2008/11/17/AR2008111702968.html Lam, C. H., Ip, A. W., Barford, J. P., and McKay, G. (2010). Use of incineration MSW ash: a review. Sustainability, 2(7), 1943-1968. Pà ©rez-Villarejo, L., Eliche-Quesada, D., Iglesias-Godino, F. J., Martà ­nez-Garcà ­a, C., Corpas-Iglesias, F. A. (2012). Recycling of ash from biomass incinerator in clay matrix to produce ceramic bricks. Journal of environmental management, 95, S349-S354. Psomopoulos, C. S., Bourka, A., Themelis, N. J. (2009). Waste-to-energy: A review of the status and benefits in USA. Waste management, 29(5), 1718-1724. Rizzo, C., Plum, M.K. (2012). Waste-to -Energy Facilities in New York City: Challenges and Opportunities. Accessed October 2, 2016: http://www.clm.com/publication.cfm?ID=370 Sylvan, D. (2011). Municipal Solid Waste in New York City: An Economic and Environmental Analysis of Disposal Options. New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund (NYLCVEF). Accessed October 6, 2016: http://nylcvef.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Solid-Waste-Background-Paper.pdf Szendro, B. (2015). New York City Makes Small Improvement in Recycling Rate: Despite improvements, Department of Sanitation falls short of its goal. New York League of Conservation Voters (NYLCV). Accessed November 15, 2016: http://nylcv.org/news/new-york-city-makes-small-improvement-in-recycling-rates Walsh, D. C., Chillrud, S. N., Simpson, H. J., Bopp, R. F. (2001). Refuse incinerator particulate emissions and combustion residues for New York City during the 20th century. Environmental science technology, 35(12), 2441-2447 Walsh, D. C. (2002). Peer Reviewed: The Evolution of Refuse Incineration. Environmental science technology, 36(15), 316A-322A. WastedNYC (2015). History of Incineration in New York City. WastedNYC. Accessed November 28, 2016: https://wastednyc.wordpress.com/local-incineration/incinerators-in-inwood/

Fahrenheit 451 as a Criticism of Censorship Essay -- Fahrenheit 451 Es

Fahrenheit 451 as a Criticism of Censorship      Ã‚  Ã‚   Ray Bradbury criticizes the censorship of the early 1950's by displaying these same themes in a futuristic dystopia novel called Fahrenheit 451. In the early 1950's Ray Bradbury writes this novel as an extended version of "The Fireman", a short story which first appears in Galaxy magazine. He tries to show the readers how terrible censorship and mindless conformity is by writing about this in his novel.    In Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury uses "artificial stimulus", such as television and radio, to provide the reader with a feeling of how isolated the public is and how their minds are being controlled by this conformist government in the twenty-first century. He uses technology, like the Mechanical Hound and also drugs, to show the oppressiveness of the government in his novel. Ray Bradbury chooses to write this book after seeing many of his fellow writers and other entertainers being "blacklisted" by Senator Joseph McCarthy in the early 1950's. While he couldn't just openly oppose this behavior, for he would surely be censored, Bradbury writes about an exaggerated version of his own government in which books are burned along with the houses that harbors them. This is to demonstrate to the readers how letting the government censor their art could lead to more drastic measures. Such as editing one line in a book; then a page; then the whole book is condemned and burned along side the many other books and ideas that do not agree with the government. This then leads to the eventual condemnation of all books and forms of entertainment, which is not "politically correct" and/or agreeable to the government's ideas.    Bradbury uses artificial stimulus... ...writers, and other entertainers were blacklisted by McCarthy and some were even brought to trial under suspicion of being Communist.    In conclusion, Bradbury's criticism of the 1950's censorship and conformity opened the eyes of the public to the wrong-doings of the government at the time. Many people began to realize that they were being censored for almost everything and art, for example in the form of writing and film, was being simplified to almost nothing.    Works Cited Eller, Edward E. Essay on: "Fahrenheit 451" Novels for Students. Ed. Diane Telgen. Vol.1. Detroit: Gale1997.pg 150-53 Wood, Diane S. Essay on: "Fahrenheit 451" Novels for Students. Ed. Diane Telgen. Vol.1. Detroit: Gale1997.pg 153-55 Johnson, Wayne L Essay on: "Fahrenheit 451" Novels for Students. Ed. Diane Telgen. Vol.1. Detroit: Gale1997.pg 156-57   

Dostoevsky’s Notes from the Underground Essay

The utopian society has a long tradition in both philosophical and literary works. The image of a perfect state ruled exclusively by principles of good and righteousness has spurred the imagination of thinkers and writers over the centuries. Perfect harmony and sublime harmony and understanding dominate this state of things where evil is no longer known. In his famous satirical work, Gulliver’s Travels, Jonathan Swift identifies and censures the flaws inherent in human nature and the general interests, prejudices and impulses that govern the human society. Although the traveler explores unknown and fantastical lands, the various societies he encounters are only different versions of the same human geography governed by reason but also by vice. The last visit however takes Gulliver to the land of the Houyhnhnms, a utopian society that lives in absolute harmony and that does not even comprehend the notion of evil or deceit. It is not by accident that this ideal state is inhabited and ruled by horses endowed with the power of reason while man, or the Yahoo, is a base animal that serves the Houyhnhnms. Swift shows through this utopian representation that, however miraculous the power of reason and creativity in man, it will always corrupted by vice. Human nature is and will always be paradoxical: while reason has the ability to reveal the truth and weigh good and evil, man’s passions and instincts often prevent him from choosing good over evil. In a very different way, Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Notes from the Underground delivers a similar message regarding the possibility of a utopian human society. The â€Å"crystal palace† that the underground man speaks of is a symbol for the impossible, unreachable and vain ideal that the humanity chases. Paradoxically, the same humanity despises this lofty dream because it cannot laugh at it as it would. Moreover, Dostoevsky emphasizes that humanity is not satisfied with perfect harmony and happiness, although it covets impossible dreams. Sufferance is essential to the structure of the individual and, in Dostoevsky’s view, a secret wish of man. Therefore, both Swift and Dostoevsky give similar views of mankind and the impossibility of utopian states. Reason, which gives man the ability to see the truth and distinguish between good and evil, will always be blinded by passion and impulses. Man is a complex and paradoxical being, endowed with a superior spirit but also with a passionate nature apt to lead him into temptations. Lemuel Gulliver travels through the world and lands on peculiar lands where the inhabitants only appear to be fantastical creatures. In fact, all of them prove to be wonderful mirroring of Swift’s British contemporary society. Every state that the traveler encounters is governed by people who are the prey of numberless human impulses such as greed, prejudice, egotism, stubbornness, misconception, deceitfulness and violence. The dwarfs in Lilliput and the giants in Brobdingnag are only two representations of humanity at a different scale. Through these two representations, Swift unmasks human vanity and malice. In both of these countries human reason is paired with cunning and vice. The absurd academies of Laputa mock the vain enterprises of the human reason to conquer nature and reality. Their complicated systems of thought and their absurd inventions and devices only serve to root them strongly in blindness and lies, keeping them farther away from the truth. At the end of the journey, the last of the stops is a utopian land that is antithetical to all the other societies the narrator has lived in. The simplicity of the Houyhnhnms’ society and customs contrasts sharply with the complexity of the human civilization. On the one hand, man is a noble being but also a vicious one. Man is haunted by passions and prone to subjective interpretation of life. Because of this, absolute harmony can never govern a human society.

Looking Deathworthy Essay

Researchers Jennifer L. Eberhardt, Paul G. Davis Valerie J. Purdie-Vaughns, and Sheri Lynn Johnson studied whether being stereotypically black influences the probability of receiving the death penalty. Sociologist have previously proven that people quickly apply racial stereotypes to blacks who have the stereotypically appearance of a black person. This racial profile effects how people judge an individual and this judgment may very well influence how one is treated by others. This study is important because it shows how racial stereotypes can affect the sentence given to a defendant guilty of murder. The relationship of the different sentences of black on black murders vs. black on white murders is also slightly exposed in this study. For science, this shows a new perspective of how modern society views and profiles African-American men. These stereotypes have and influence on how people treat one another, in this case African-American murder defendants, which is changing society as a whole. Judgment plays a major role in how we interact with one another. The researchers had a very basic research design. There topic was if being stereotypically black influences the possibility of being sentenced with the death penalty. They defined there problem by stating how previous researchers have found a correlation between racial profiling and how people judge others. Researchers have also found that murders of white victims are more likely than murderers of black victims to be sentenced to death. The article Looking Deathworthy by the researchers that conducted this experiment, states that the researchers reviewed plenty of previous studies, theories, and cases. They conducted the experiment in two methods. The first method they showed pictures of 44 black males convicted of murdering white victims in Pennsylvania and Philadelphia during 1979 and 1999, and showing their pictures to raters. The raters where Stanford University undergraduates who were not told the men in the pictures where convicted murderers. They simply rated the men according to how stereotypically black they looked. The researchers found that the defendants who appeared to be more stereotypically black than the others were more likely to receive a death sentence. In the second method, they used the same databases and procedures to see if the same result would be obtained in the experiment if the victims were black. They found that the perceived stereo typicality of black defendants convicted of murdering black victims did not predict a death sentence. There were a couple of limitations made by these researchers that might have effect the outcome of the research. The researchers only used black defendants from the Pennsylvania and Philadelphia area. These changes make the research only correct for that area at that particular time. They should have broadened their case studies to all the states in the U. S. the researchers also only used raters from Standford University. There is a greater chance the people from the same area and same age group judge individuals with the same mentality. They should have used different age groups and people from different backgrounds as raters. T would have made the study more valid. I feel that this was an excellent theory to experiment and I agree that it is true. Capital punishment does give harder sentences for murder defendants who look stereotypically black. However, the study should have been broader. The researchers had variables that if they removed, would have allowed their findings to be more valid.

The Return: Nightfall Chapter 16

Stefan was surprised to find Mrs. Flowers waiting for them when they returned from their picnic. And, also unusually, she had something to say that didn't involve her gardens. â€Å"There is a message for you upstairs,† she said, jerking her head toward the narrow staircase. â€Å"It came from a dark young fellow – he looked somewhat like you. He wouldn't leave a word with me. Just asked where to leave a message.† â€Å"Dark fellow? Damon?† Elena asked. Stefan shook his head. â€Å"What would he want to be leaving me messages for?† He left Elena with Mrs. Flowers and hastened up the crazy, zigzagging stairs. At the top he found a piece of paper stuffed under the door. It was a Thinking of You card, sans envelope. Stefan, who knew his brother, doubted that it had been paid for – with money, at least. Inside, in heavy black felt-tipped pen, were the words: DON'T NEED THIS. THOUGHT ST. STEFAN MIGHT. MEET ME TONIGHT AT THE TREE WHERE THE HUMANS CRASHED. NO LATER THAN 4:30A.M . I'LL GIVE YOU THE SCOOP. D. That was all†¦except for a Web address. Stefan was about to throw the note in the wastebasket when curiosity assailed him. He turned on the computer, directed it to the proper website, and watched. For a while, nothing happened. Then very dark gray letters on a black screen appeared. To a human, it would have appeared to be a completely blank screen. To vampires, with their higher visual acuity, the gray on black was faint but clear. Tired of that lapis lazuli? Want to take a vacation in Hawaii? Sick of that same old liquid cuisine? Come and visit Shi no Shi. Stefan started to close the page, but something stopped him. He sat and stared at the inconspicuous little ad beneath the poem until he heard Elena at the door. He quickly closed the computer and went to take the picnic basket from her. He said nothing about the note or what he'd seen on the computer screen. But as the night went on, he thought more and more. â€Å"Oh! Stefan, you'll break my ribs! You squeezed all my breath out!† â€Å"I'm sorry. I just need to hold you.† â€Å"Well, I need to hold you, too.† â€Å"Thank you, angel.† Everything was quiet in the room with the high ceiling. One window was open, letting the moonlight through. In the sky, even the moon seemed to creep stealthily along, and the shaft of moonlight followed it on the hardwood floor. Damon smiled. He had had a long, restful day and now he meant to have an interesting night. Getting through the window wasn't quite as easy as he'd expected. When he arrived as a huge, glossy black crow, he was expecting to balance on the windowsill and change to human form to open the window. But the window had a trap on it – it was linked by Power to one of the sleepers inside. Damon puzzled over it, preening himself viciously, afraid to put any tension on that thin link, when something arrived beside him in a flutter of wings. It looked like no respectable crow ever registered in the sighting book of any ornithologist. It was sleek enough, but its wings were tipped with scarlet, and it had golden, shining eyes. Shinichi?Damon asked. Who else?came the reply as a golden eye fixed on him.I see you have a problem. But it can be fixed. I'll deepen their sleep so that you can cut the link. Don't!Damon said reflexively.If you so much as touch either of them, Stefan will – The answer came in soothing tones.Stefan's just a boy, remember? Trust me. You do trust me, don't you? And it worked out exactly as the demonically colored bird said it would. The sleepers inside slept more deeply, and then more deeply still. A moment later the window opened, and Damon changed form and was inside. His brother and†¦and she†¦the one he alwayshad to watch†¦shewas lying asleep, her golden hair lying across the pillow and lying across his brother's body. Damon tore his eyes away. There was a medium-sized, slightly outdated computer on the desk in the corner. He went over to it and without the slightest hesitation turned it on. The two on the bed never stirred. Files†¦aha.Diary. How original a name. Damon opened it and examined the contents. Dear Diary, I woke up this morning and – marvel of marvels – I'mmeagain. I walk, talk, drink, wet the bed (well, I haven't yet, but I'm sure I could if I tried). I'm back. It's been one hell of a journey. I died, dearest Diary, I really died. And then I died as a vampire. And don't expect me to describe what happened either time – believe me; you had to be there. The important thing is that I was gone, but now I'm back again – and, oh, dear patient friend who has been keeping my secrets since kindergarten†¦I am so glad to be back. On the debit side, I can never live with Aunt Judith or Margaret again. They think I'm â€Å"resting in peace† with the angels. On the credit side, I can live with Stefan. This is the compensation for all I've been through – I don't know how to compensate those who went to the very gates of Hell forme. Oh, I'm tired and – might as well say it – eager for a night with my darling. I'm very happy. We had a fine day, laughing and loving, and watching each of my friends' faces as they saw mealive! (And notinsane, which I gather is how I have been acting the past few days. Honestly, you'd think Great Spirits Inna Sky could have dropped me off with my marbles all in order. Oh, well.) Love ya, Elena Damon's eyes skimmed over these lines impatiently. He was looking for something quite different. Ah. Yes. This was more like it: My dearest Elena, I knew you would look here sooner or later. I hope you never have to see it at all. If you're reading this, then Damon is a traitor, or something else has gone terribly wrong. A traitor? That seemed a little strong, Damon thought, hurt, but also burning with an intense desire to get on with his task. I'm going out to the woods to talk to him tonight – if I don't come back, you'll know where to start asking questions. The truth is that I don't exactly understand the situation. Earlier today, Damon sent me a card with a Web address on it. I've put the card under your pillow, love. Oh damn, thought Damon. It was going to be hard to get that card without waking her. But he had to do it. Elena, follow this Web link. You'll have to dither with the brightness controls because it's been created for vampire eyes only. What the link seems to be saying is that there is a place calledShi no Shi – literally translated, it says, asthe Death of Death, where they can remove this curse which has haunted me for almost half a millennium. They use magic and science in combination to restore former vampires to simple men and women, boys and girls. If they truly can do this, Elena, we can be together for as long as ordinary people live. That's all I ask of life. I want it. I want to have the chance to stand before you as an ordinary breathing, eating human. But don't worry.I'm just going to talk with Damon about this. You don't need to command me to stay. I would never leave you with all the goings-on in Fell's Church right now. It's too dangerous for you, especially with your new blood and your new aura. I realize that I'm trusting Damon more than I probably should. But of one thing I am certain:he would never harm you.He loves you. How can he help it? Still, I have to meet with him at least, on his terms, alone at a particular location in the wood. Then we'll see what we see. As I said before, if you're reading this letter, it means that something has gone drastically wrong. Defend yourself, love. Don't be afraid. Trust yourself. And trust your friends. They can all help you. I trust Matt's instinctive protectiveness for you, Meredith's judgment, and Bonnie's intuition. Tell them to remember that. I'm hoping that you never have to read this, with all my love, my heart, my soul, Stefan P.S. Just in case, there is $20,000 in hundred-dollar bills under the second floorboard from the wall, across from the bed. Right now the rocking chair is over it. You'll see the crack easily if you move the chair. Carefully, Damon deleted the words in this file. Then, with one corner of his mouth quirked up, he carefully, silently typed in new words with a rather different meaning. He read them over. He smiled brilliantly. He'd always fancied himself a writer; no formal training of course, but he felt he had an instinctive flair for it. And that was Step One accomplished, Damon thought, saving the file with his words instead of Stefan's. Then, noiselessly, he walked to where Elena was sleeping, spooned behind Stefan on the narrow bed. Now for Step Two. Slowly, very slowly, Damon slipped his fingers under the pillow on which Elena's head rested. He could feel Elena's hair where it spilled on her pillow in the moonlight, and the ache that it awoke was more in his chest than in his canines. Inching his fingers under the pillow, he searched for something smooth. Elena murmured in her sleep and suddenly turned over. Damon almost jumped back into the shadows, but Elena's eyes were shut, her lashes a thick inky crescent on her cheeks. She was facing him now, but strangely Damon didn't find himself tracing the blue veins in her fair, smooth skin. He found himself staring hungrily at her slightly parted lips. They were†¦almost impossible to resist. Even in sleep they were the color of rose petals, slightly moist, and parted that way†¦. I could do it very lightly. She would never know. I could, I know I could. I feel invincible tonight. As he bent toward her his fingers touched cardboard. It seemed to jerk him out of a dream world. What had he been thinking? Risking everything, all his plans, for akiss ? There would be plenty of time for kisses – and other, much more important things – later. He slipped the little card out from under the pillow and put it in his pocket. Then he became a crow and vanished from the windowsill. Stefan had long ago perfected the art of sleeping only until a certain moment, then awakening. He did this now, glancing at the clock on the mantelpiece to confirm that it was fourA.M . exactly. He didn't want to awaken Elena. He dressed soundlessly and exited the window by the same route his brother had – only as a hawk. Somewhere, he was sure Damon was being made a fool by someone using malachs to make him their puppet. And Stefan, still pumped up with Elena's blood, felt that he had a duty to stop them. The note Damon had delivered had directed him to the tree where the humans had crashed. Damon would also want to continually revisit that tree until he'd traced the malach puppets to their puppeteer. He swooped, drifted, and once almost gave a mouse a heart attack by stooping down on it suddenly before rocketing skyward again. And then, in midair, as he saw evidence of a car hitting a tree, he changed from a glorious hawk to a young man with dark hair, a pale face, and intensely green eyes. He drifted, light as a snowflake, down to the ground and gazed in each direction, using all his vampire senses to test the area. He could feel nothing of a trap; no animosity, just the unmistakable signs of the trees' violent fight. He stayed human to climb the tree that bore the psychic imprint of his brother. He wasn't chilly as he climbed the oak his brother had been lounging in when the accident had taken place at his feet. He had too much of Elena's blood running through him to feel the cold. But he was aware that this area of the forest was particularly cold; that something was keeping it that way. Why? He'd already claimed the rivers and forests that ran through Fell's Church, so why take up lodging here without telling him? Whatever it was, it would have to present itself before him eventually, if it wanted to stay in Fell's Church. Why wait? he wondered, as he squatted on the branch. He felt Damon's presence coming at him long before his senses would have noticed it in the days before Elena's transformation, and he kept himself from flinching. Instead he turned with his back to the trunk of the tree and looked outward. He could feel Damon speeding toward him, faster and faster, stronger and stronger – and then Damon should have been there, standing before him, but he wasn't. Stefan frowned. â€Å"It always pays to look up, little brother,† advised a charming voice above him, and then Damon, who had been clinging to the tree like a lizard, did a forward flip and landed on Stefan's branch. Stefan said nothing, merely examining his older brother. At last he said, â€Å"You're in good spirits.† â€Å"I've had a sumptuous day,† Damon said. â€Å"Shall I name them off to you? There was the greeting-card shop girl†¦Elizabeth, and my dear friend Damaris, whose husband works in Bronston, and little young Teresa who volunteers at the library, and†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Stefan sighed. â€Å"Sometimes I think you could remember the name of every girl you've bled in your life, but you forget my name on a regular basis,† he said. â€Å"Nonsense†¦little brother. Now, since Elena has undoubtedly explained to you just what happened when I tried to rescue your miniature witch – Bonnie – I feel I'm due an apology.† â€Å"And sinceyou sent me a note that I can only construe as provocative, I really feelI'm due an explanation.† â€Å"Apology first,† Damon rapped out. And then, in long-suffering tones, â€Å"I'm sure you think it's bad enough, having promised Elena when she was dying that you would look after me – forever. But you never seem to realize that I had to promise the same thing, and I'm not exactly the caretaking type. Now that she's not dead anymore, maybe we should just forget it.† Stefan sighed again. â€Å"All right, all right. I apologize. I was wrong. I shouldn't have thrown you out. Is that enough?† â€Å"I'm not sure you really mean it. Try it once more, with feel – â€Å" â€Å"Damon, what in God's name was the website about?† â€Å"Oh. I thought it was rather clever: they got the colors so close that only vampires or witches or such could read it, whereas humans would just see a blank screen.† â€Å"But how did you find out about it?† â€Å"I'll tell you in a moment. But just think of it, little brother. You and Elena, on the perfect little honeymoon, just two more humans in a world of humans. The sooner you go, the sooner you can sing ;;Ding Dong, the Corpse Is Dead'!† â€Å"I still want to know how youjust happened to come across this website.† â€Å"All right. I admit it: I've been suckered into the age of technology at last. I have my own website. And a very helpful young man contacted me just to see whether I really meant the things I said on it or if I was just a frustrated idealist. I figured that description fit you.† â€Å"You – a website? I don't believe – â€Å" Damon ignored him. â€Å"I passed the message along because I'd already heard of the place, theShi no Shi .† â€Å"TheDeath of Death , it said.† â€Å"That's how it was translated to me.† Damon turned a thousand-kilowatt smile on Stefan, boring into him, until finally Stefan turned away, feeling as if he'd been exposed to the sun without his lapis ring. â€Å"As a matter of fact,† Damon went on chattily, â€Å"I've invited the fellow himself to come and to explain it to you.† â€Å"You didwhich ?† â€Å"He should be here at 4:44 exactly. Don't blame me for the timing; it's something special to him.† And then with very little fuss, and certainly no Power at all that Stefan could discern, something landed in the tree above them and dropped down to their branch, changing as it did. It was, indeed, a young man, with fire-tipped black hair and serene golden eyes. As Stefan swung toward him, he held up both hands in a gesture of helplessness and surrender. â€Å"Who the hell are you?† â€Å"I'm the hell Shinichi,† the young man said easily. â€Å"But, as I told your brother, most people call me just Shinichi. Of course, it's up to you.† â€Å"And you know all about the Shi no Shi.† â€Å"Nobody knows all about it. It's a place – and an organization. I'm a little partial to it because† – Shinichi looked shy – â€Å"well, I guess I just like to help people.† â€Å"And now you want to help me.† â€Å"If you truly want to become human†¦I know a way.† â€Å"I'll just leave the two of you to talk about it, shall I?† said Damon. â€Å"Three's a crowd, especially on this branch.† Stefan looked at him sharply. â€Å"If you have any slightest thought of stopping by the boardinghouse†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"With Damaris already waiting for me? Honestly, little brother.† And Damon changed to crow form before Stefan could ask him to give his sworn word. Elena turned over in bed, reaching automatically for a warm body next to her. What her fingers found, however, was a cool, Stefan-shaped hollow. Her eyes opened. â€Å"Stefan?† The darling. They were so in tune that it was like being one person – he always knew when she was about to wake up. He'd probably gone down to get her breakfast – Mrs. Flowers always had it steaming hot for him when he went down (further proof that she was a witch of the white variety) – and Stefan brought up the tray. â€Å"Elena,† she said, testing her old-new voice just to hear herself talk. â€Å"Elena Gilbert, girl, you have had too many breakfasts in bed.† She patted her stomach. Yes, definitely in need of exercise. â€Å"All right, then,† she said, still aloud. â€Å"Start with limbering up and breathing. Then some mild stretching.† All of which, she thought, could be put aside when Stefan showed up. But Stefan didn't show up, even when she lay exhausted from a full hour's routine. And he wasn't coming up the stairs, bringing up a cup of tea, either. Where was he? Elena looked out their one-view window and caught a glimpse of Mrs. Flowers below. Elena's heart had begun beating hard during her aerobic exercise and had never really slowed down properly. Though it was likely impossible to start a conversation with Mrs. Flowers this way she shouted down, â€Å"Mrs. Flowers?† And, wonder of wonders, the lady stopped pinning a sheet on the clothesline and looked up. â€Å"Yes, Elena dear?† â€Å"Where's Stefan?† The sheet billowed around Mrs. Flowers and made her disappear. When the billow straightened out, she was gone. But Elena had her eyes on the laundry basket. It was still there. She shouted, â€Å"Don't go away!† and hastened to put on jeans and her new blue top. Then, hopping down the stairs as she buttoned, she burst out into the back garden. â€Å"Mrs. Flowers!† â€Å"Yes, Elena dear?† Elena could just see her between billowing yards of white fabric. â€Å"Have you seen Stefan?† â€Å"Not this morning, dear.† â€Å"Not atall ?† â€Å"I get up with the dawn, regular. His car was gone then, and it hasn't come back.† Now Elena's heart was pounding in good earnest. She'd always been afraid of something like this. She took one deep breath and ran back up the staircase without pausing. Note, note†¦ He'd never leave her without a note. And there was no note on his pillow. Then she thought ofher pillow. Her hands scrabbled frantically under it, and then under his pillow. At first she didn't turn the pillows over, because she wanted so badly for the note to be there – and because she was so afraid of what it might say. At last, when it was clear that there was nothing under those pillows but the bed sheet, she flipped them and stared at the empty white blankness for a long time. Then she pulled the bed away from the wall, in case the note had fallen down behind it. Somehow she felt that if she just kept looking, she must find it. In the end she'd shaken out all the bedding and ended up staring at the white sheets again, accusingly, ever so often running her hands over them. And that ought to be good, because it meant Stefan hadn'tgone somewhere – except that she'd left the closet door open and she could see, without even meaning to, a bunch of empty hangers. He'd taken all his clothes. And emptiness on the bottom of the closet. He'd taken every pair of shoes. Not that he had ever owned much. But everything that he needed to make a trip away was gone – and he was gone. Why? Where? Howcould he? Even if it turned out that he'd left in order to scout them out a new place to live, howcould he? He'd get the fight of his life when he came back – – if he came back. Chilled to the bone, aware that tears were running unmeant and almost unnoticed down her cheeks, she was about to call up Meredith and Bonnie when she thought of something. Her diary.