Hammurabi essays

Hammurabi essays In ancient Mesopotamia Hammurabi's Law Code were just and reasonable, but the punishments were very retaliatory and barbaric. The system of laws applied to all citizens, however, punishment was not equally applied to all citizens. Punishments had social, gender and government inequality. Different social classes were not equally punished. Despite the inequalities of punishments, Hammurabi's Law Code was a new and great development. The most corrupt and controversial issues were the social or class differences. The laws are reasonable in trying to correct a wrong, but in most cases are extremely unreasonable and unfair in the application of punishment. Document (1,10) states that if a man has knocked out the eye of a patrician, his eye shall be knocked out. However, if a surgeon operates on a patrician's eye and has made the patient lose his eye, [document (1,12)] the surgeon shall lose his hands. The surgeon is held to a higher standard than a common man in the different punishment applied to the surgeon and to the common man. I believe this is very unfair and too drastic for the surgeon. The patient should be appreciative that someone is trying to save the patient's life, especially in those times. Documents (1,10) and (1,11) are more just laws except for the social class differences. They provide that if a man has knocked out the eye or broken the arm of a patrician he shall have the same punishm ent done to him. This is a more equitable and perfect punishment. The criminal's or wrongdoer's social standing, however, should have no influence over the application of the laws. In document (1,2) if a seignior is to destroy the eye of a commoner, the seignior shall pay one mina of silver, however if that same seignior destroys the eye of a member of the aristocracy, they shall destroy the eye of the seignior. These laws have been completely unfair to both parties. You can say that th ...

10 consejos para lotería de green cards gratis de USA

10 consejos para loterà ­a de green cards gratis de USA Todos los aà ±os se celebra la loterà ­a de green cards para Estados Unidos, conocida tambià ©n como sorteo de visas de la diversidad y la participacià ³n en la misma es gratuita. Para inscribirse, la pgina de internet oficial del Departamento de Estado se activa  este aà ±o el dà ­a 3 de octubre de 2018, a las 12 am hora EST, es decir, la de la costa Este de los Estados Unidos y se cerrar el 6 de  noviembre de 2018 a las 12 am EST. No se admitir ninguna solicitud enviada en papel, es decir, solo es posible participar por internet. No es necesario pagar a ninguna empresa, ya que cada solicitante puede aplicar por sà ­ mismo, una sola vez por aà ±o, en la à ºnica pgina oficial -la del Departamento de Estado- y gratuitamente. A continuacià ³n, todo lo que se debe saber antes de aplicar. 1.  ¿Cuntas tarjetas de residencia se sortean en la loterà ­a de visas de diversidad? Cada aà ±o fiscal se sortean 50.000 visas de diversidad, que se conoce por sus siglas en inglà ©s como DV pero que a pesar de su nombre son tarjetas de residencia. En octubre se abren los plazos para inscribirse y a principios de noviembre se cierran. En mayo del aà ±o siguiente comienzan a listarse los ganadores y a procesarse las tarjetas de residencia y en septiembre de ese aà ±o ya est acabada toda la tramitacià ³n para que los ganadores puedan emigrar a Estados Unidos. La razà ³n por la que el plazo se abre en octubre y se finaliza todo el proceso para los ganadores hasta del 30 de septiembre del aà ±o siguiente es porque en Estados Unidos el gobierno federal sigue lo que se conoce como aà ±o fiscal, que va desde el 1 de octubre al 30 de septiembre, es decir, no se corresponde con el aà ±o natural que va desde el 1 de enero al 31 de diciembre. Asà ­, por ejemplo, en el 4  de octubre de 2018  es, para el gobierno de los Estados Unidos, el aà ±o fiscal 2019. Y se escribe FY2019  o FY19. Eso quiere decir que si una persona decide  participar en la loterà ­a dicho 4 de octubre de 2018, se registrarà ­a para la loterà ­a de diversidad del aà ±o 20, porque en octubre de 2018 que es cuando los ganadores podrà ­an ya emigrar a Estados Unidos, ya es el aà ±o fiscal 2019. Es confuso, pero es asà ­. Por eso se puede ver la expresià ³n DV2020, Diversity visa 2020, para la que hay que registrarse en octubre del 2018. 2.  ¿Quià ©nes pueden solicitar participar en la loterà ­a de visas? Este sorteo se conoce como loterà ­a de la diversidad. Su objetivo es provover la inmigracià ³n de paà ­ses con bajas tasas de migrantes. A consecuencia de ello, quedan excluidos de participar los ciudadanos de paà ­ses con ms de 50.000 nuevos inmigrantes en Estados Unidos en los à ºltimos 5 aà ±os, como por ejemplo Inglaterra, China o India. La lista de paà ­ses excluidos puede modificarse de aà ±o a aà ±o. En el sorteo de este  aà ±o  no pueden participar los nacionales de los siguientes paà ­ses latinoamericanos: Brasil, Colombia, El Salvador, Mà ©xico, Perà º y Repà ºblica Dominicana. Por nacionalidad en este contexto se entiende paà ­s de nacimiento.  Existen excepciones  por razà ³n de la nacionalidad de los padres o la del cà ³nyuge,   En ningà ºn caso pueden participar los indocumentados, cualquiera que sea su nacionalidad.   3.  ¿Es gratis participar? Sà ­, enviar la solicitud es absolutamente gratuito. Hay empresas que cobran por llenar el formulario. Pero es decisià ³n de cada participante utilizar esos servicios o no. Se puede hacer gratuitamente en la pgina oficial del Departamento de Estado. Sin embargo, si se gana el sorteo se deber pagar la cuota correspondiente a las visas de inmigrantes. Adems, Estados Unidos no paga jams por gastos de mudanza o ayuda econà ³micamente al nuevo inmigrante cuando llega nuevo al paà ­s. Hay que tener muy en cuenta que ciertos beneficios sociales como cupones de alimentos y Medicaid no aplican durante aà ±os a los inmigrantes adultos. Tambià ©n hay que saber que aunque se gane la loterà ­a es posible que el consulado niegue su aprobacià ³n por diversas causas, entre ellas se encuentra que se considere que la persona  puede ser una carga econà ³mica para el gobierno. 4.  ¿Quà © posibilidades tengo de ganar la visa de la diversidad? El total de visados se divide en seis zonas geogrficas correspondiendo un mayor nà ºmero a Africa, ya que es el rea con menos inmigrantes en Estados Unidos. Ningà ºn paà ­s puede obtener ms del siete por ciento del total de visas disponibles. Para hacerse una idea de quà © posibilidades hay estos son los à ºltimos datos oficiales de los resultados del sorteo de la DV de 2014, seà ±alando entre parà ©ntesis el nà ºmero de ganadores que posteriormente hicieron todos los trmites y obtuvieron la green card: Argentina (73)Bolivia (26)Chile (24)Costa Rica (25)Cuba (302)Ecuador ese aà ±o no pudo participar, pero este aà ±o sà ­.Espaà ±a (183). Entra en Categorà ­a EuropaGuatemala (44)Honduras (38)Nicaragua (2)Panam (7)Paraguay (1)Uruguay (9)Venezuela (802) Espaà ±a participa en el rea de Europa, mientras que los paà ­ses latinoamericanos y caribeà ±os forman una à ºnica zona geogrfica a la que le corresponde aproximadamente un dos por ciento del total de todas las visas de diversidad disponibles cada aà ±o fiscal. Se calcula que en Latinoamà ©rica, por cada ganador hay al menos 99 personas que no tuvieron suerte. 5.  ¿Cà ³mo puedo participar y cà ³mo me entero si he ganado? Cuando se abre el plazo - generalmente los primeros dà ­as de octubre- y sà ³lo en la pgina de internet del Departamento de Estado. Mucho cuidado con webs que casi copian a las oficiales y no lo son. Cuando acabas la inscripcià ³n vers un nà ºmero que debes imprimir y guardar. Sà ³lo lo tienes tà º y te permitir ir mirando, a partir del mes de mayo del aà ±o siguiente, si has ganado ingresando esos dà ­gitos en la pgina oficial del DoS para ese fin. Puede que tengas que verificar varios dà ­as, ya que no se cuelgan en la red todos los ganadores el mismo dà ­a. Jams habr una notificacià ³n por correo electrà ³nico. Si recibes una, son falsas, no pagues absolutamente nada y denuncia los casos de estafa. No permitas que te estafen. 6. Si gano,  ¿quiere eso decir que tengo seguro una tarjeta de residencia? No, y por varias razones. Algunos de los ganadores se lo piensan mejor y deciden no emigrar a Estados Unidos. Tambià ©n es frecuente que el consulado encuentre que se ha utilizado fraude en la solicitud, anulando el resultado. Pero es que adems de ganar es siempre necesario ser  admisible para emigrar a Estados Unidos. En algunos casos, si no se reà ºnen los requisitos ser posible solicitar un perdà ³n o waiver para la residencia. 7. Si gano,  ¿quà © familiares me pueden acompaà ±ar? En primer lugar, el esposo o la esposa. Tiene que ser un matrimonio vlido, no es suficiente una unià ³n de hecho. Puede tratarse de un matrimonio entre un hombre y una mujer o de uno entre lesbianas o gays, ya que desde junio de 2013 el gobierno federal de Estados Unidos reconoce los mismos derechos a las parejas heterosexuales y a las homosexuales. El esposo o la esposa pueden ser de un paà ­s excluido de la posibilidad de participar en la visa. Simplemente ganarà ­a la tarjeta de residencia como cà ³nyuge de un ganador/a. Tambià ©n podrn emigrar con el ganador los hijos biolà ³gicos y adoptados asà ­ como los hijastros que està ©n solteros y tengan menos de 21 aà ±os en el momento de rellenar la solicitud para participar en la loterà ­a. Entre los requisitos para que la aplicacià ³n sea vlida es la de listar a todos los hijos vivos menores de esa edad, excepto los que ya vivan en EEUU como residentes permanentes o ciudadanos americanos. Si no se incluye un hijo, y luego se gana, todo el proceso se anular y no se obtendr la green card. 8.  ¿Quà © derechos tendrà ­a como residente permanente? Los principales son vivir y trabajar en Estados Unidos. Si bien hay una serie de responsabilidades que cumplir como pagar impuestos o tener la residencia habitual en USA. Y hay que tener muy claro que no se es ciudadano americano y que hay importantes diferencias. 9.  ¿Me puedo hacer ciudadano americano? Sà ­, mediante la naturalizacià ³n los residentes permanentes se convierten en estadounidenses, siempre y cuando cumplan una serie de requisitos y se respeten los plazos, que varà ­an segà ºn los casos. 10.  ¿Participar en la loterà ­a de la diversidad me puede causar algà ºn problema? Lo cierto es que no hay una respuesta absoluta, pero sà ­ que hay un riesgo, aunque pequeà ±o. La razà ³n es que cuando se participa en este sorteo se est diciendo que se tiene intencià ³n de emigrar a Estados Unidos. Y la solicitud es ingresada en la base de datos a la que pueden acceder los consulados, el Servicio de Inmigracià ³n y Ciudadanà ­a (USCIS, por sus siglas en inglà ©s) y los oficiales de las aduanas. Y esa intencià ³n de emigrar a Estados Unidos contradice la ley de algunas visas no inmigrantes como la de turista y la de estudiante, que dicen que el beneficiario no puede tener intencià ³n de emigar. Y de ahà ­ puede surgir el problema. Esto no quiere decir que si se participa en la loterà ­a el solicitante no va a poder obtener una visa o que la que ya tiene se va a cancelar o a no renovar, pero sà ­ que debe saberse que los oficiales consulares y las aduanas tendrn en cuenta la participarcià ³n en el sorteo a la hora de decidir si conceden una peticià ³n de visa o permiten la entrada a Estados Unidos de un extranjero. Cà ³mo solicitar la participacià ³n en la loterà ­a de visas Este es el enlace a un paso a paso de cà ³mo aplicar para la loterà ­a de visas y que contiene un acceso a la pgina oficial y gratuita para inscribirse. Recordar que solo se puede acceder a la pgina oficial del Departamento de Estado a partir del martes 3 de octubre de 2017.   De interà ©s para potenciales inmigrantes Una de las principales razones por las que se decide emigrar a los Estados Unidos son las econà ³micas, por esta razà ³n se considera de interà ©s saber cules son las 10 nacionalidades de hispanos en Estados Unidos ms exitosas econà ³micamente, cunto ganan y dà ³nde viven. Este artà ­culo es meramente informativo. No es asesorà ­a legal para ningà ºn caso concreto.

How organisations gain committed employee co-operation. Andrew Essay

How organisations gain committed employee co-operation. Andrew - Essay Example The organization should also enact strict regulations to penalize straying employees (Bettencourt & Brown, 1997). Any organization desiring to have all its employees cooperate to ensure the success of its activities, and maximum productivity should cultivate a positive attitude to the employees. All employees must be treated with the ultimate fairness in terms of salary allocation and promotions based on merit but not some back door operations. This assists to create confidence and trust among the employees for the organization. It also ought to be very open in communicating any new policies or changes in the operation of its systems to ensure that all staff are updated on matters relating to the organization (Welins, 1991). Employees need to be involved maximally in all the activities of the organization. This aspect is critical since it makes them protect all the interests of the organization and work towards achieving the set goals as though they were their own. Each employee will own the ambition of the organization and this way they will cooperate to see that the organization succeeds in all its endeavors. The organization should also support the welfare groups of its employees through either funding some of their club activities or offering support services to the employees in their projects (Deci, Connell & Ryan, 1989). Successful organizations that work closely with their employees must have an organizational culture. This refers to the way the organization’s power structure is designed. The organization should have a well-organized chain of command such that the employees always get the true information concerning the running of the organization system. A well-structured organizational culture runs the system even without much intervention (Campion, Medsker & Higgs, 1993). An organization needs to convince its workers to cooperate in ensuring that it gains national certification in terms of maintaining human rights and the social welfare of

Design Rubric Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Design Rubric - Coursework Example This paper presents an information system capable of realizing both the learning method and the learning management process. This system has been designed using the ADDIE model and is divided into 5 phases as discussed in the following section. The course is about introduction to the basics of a computer system. The main aim of this course is to enable the students identify and familiarize with the different parts and basic architecture of a computer system. The basic architecture refers to computer components (both hardware and software) and how they interact together. After this course, students should also be able to identify the various types of input and output devices. The target students are teenagers of mixed gender aged between 13 to 17 years, who have used computers before. The main teaching approach will be done face to face (direct interaction between students and the tutor). There will also be practical lessons in the computer room. Students will be provided with learning materials throughout the course which is expected to last for 4 months. Students will be given a detailed introduction to the computer hardware parts. During the practical lessons, students will be divided into several groups and given various hardware components and asked to identify them. Students will be required to give their feedback after every session in order to ensure that they fully understand the topic at hand. Students will also be told about the latest technology related to each software or hardware component (Clark, 2004). Students will be provided with work books and lesson programs that will be produced in the library. This will help the students prepare for the coming lessons. A flow chart will also be created and will help in guiding the tutor on the flow of events throughout the course period. Before any session, it will be ensured that students have all the necessary materials. Before lab sessions, the instructor will ensure that all

Native American Religions Essay Example for Free

Native American Religions Essay Native American Religions happen to be one of the oldest and most enduring forms of religion. They comprise a large number of distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups. Native Americans arrived on the North American Continent fifth-teen thousand to twenty thousand years ago. Native Americans have literally sources that exist from only the last four hundred years even though Native American life covers perhaps twenty thousand years. Over three hundred tribes have been recognized by the United States government. Native Americans are the only known ethnic group in the United States requiring a federal permit to practice their religion. In the state of Virginia, Native Americans face a unique problem. Virginia has no federally recognized tribes. Native American Religions have also been known as American Indians, Amerindians, Amerinds, Aboriginal, Indians, Indigenous, Original Americans, Red Indians, or Red Men. Native Americans religions are polytheistic. Native American Religions are remarkably free of priesthood. Native Americans are very personal in that they encourage Page 2 individuals to contact the spirit world alone. Native Americans believe that many levels of Gods and Spirits exist in the universe. They think of the High God or Great Spirits as a personal God. They believe in the Supreme Being in a manner found in many basic religions. Native religions have some of the qualities of monotheism, polytheism, and monism. Native American has been exposed to Christian eschatology for more than four hundred years. The influence of Christianity has been so strong that today most Native Americans are Christians. They are interested in the day-to-day life among the multiple spirits found in the world. Native Americans have a reverent attitude toward the land, trees, rivers, and mountains. Native Americans who practiced agriculture revere the soil, plants, and tree. Hunting was an important part of life within many Native American Cultures. The hunter would pray to the spirit of the animal before the hunt. Hunting was a religious pursuit in which the hunters saw the animal as a fellow creature, with a similar spirit. After all hunting’s one would ask the animal for forgiveness. They would basically perform a taboo. A religious action that enables people to avoid doing things that would offend the spirits of nature and the ancestors. This was one of the ways the Native American would protect themselves from possible danger from the spirit world. Another widely observed taboo is the avoidance of the dead. Taboo concerning about Page 3 the dead led Native Americans to be greatly concerned about their final resting places. There is no heaven for those who have been righteous and no hell for those who have been wicked. Native Americans often seek to control the forces of spirit world with ceremonies. The purpose of their ceremonies, rituals, songs, and dances is not necessarily worship. They are a mean of renewing the partnership between humans and the spirit world. Long hours of dancing in this atmosphere prepare the participants for contact with the spirit world. Holy week is also celebrated a song and dance. Native Americans often gain special powers by seeking visions that may place them in connection with the spirit world. Visions are sought by Native Americans at other times in life. The spirit may appear after a period of fasting and prayer, or sometimes without any preparation. The Sweat Lodge is probably the most important Native Ritual. The sweat lodge usually occurs before and after every other major ritual like the Sundance and Vision Quest. It is also a stand alone ritual meaning that it occurs whenever it is needed. Its original purpose was to cleanse or purify individuals. Mother sweat lodge essentially translates in to returning to the womb. The Sun Dance last from four to eight days starting at the sunset of the final day of preparation and ending at sunset. It showed continuity between life and death regeneration. It shows that there is no true end to life, but a cycle of symbolic and true deaths and rebirths. All of nature is intertwined and dependent on one another. This gives an equal ground to everything on the Earth. The sun dance was a significant part of the Crow Indian peoples Page 4 spirituality. It was a spiritual retreat in which a large number of participants would fast, pray and dance for a period of days. They asked for answers to events going on in their lives. Traditional Native Americans seem to believe in two souls, neither of which is considered immortal. One soul is the life, or the breath, that accompanies the body. The other soul is known as the free soul. One of the most common elements of Native American Religions is the use of tobacco and the sacred pipe in religious ceremonies. Tobacco was originally grown and used only for religious purposes by Native Americans. The tobacco used in religious ceremonies is stronger than the tobacco used in cigarettes. The ritual tobacco is occasionally smoked in rolled from corn husks. Most Native American tribes had traditional gender roles. Men hunted, traded and made war, while women gathered plants, cared for the young and the elderly. Women ever had the task of making weapons and tools, they took care of the roofs of their homes and often helped their men hunt buffalos. Many Native American people believed in the unusual power of a woman at these times in life. During a women menstruation she was kept away from ordinary society. Native Americans today have a special relationship with the United States of America. In conclusion, Native Americans can be found as nations, tribes, or bands of Native Americans who have sovereignty or independence from the government of the United Statesry society. Like other religions, Native American belief systems include many sacred Page 5 narratives. Such spiritual stories are deeply based in Nature and are rich with the symbolism of seasons, weather, plants, earth, water, sky and fire. The idea of an all powerful Great Spirit, a connection to the Earth, diverse creation narratives and collective memories of ancient ancestors are common. Traditional worship practices are often a part of tribal gatherings with dance, rhythm, songs and trance.

Thomas More and the Utopian Dream Essays -- Thomas More Utopia Philoso

More and the Utopian Dream    To some, it can be paradise, to someone else a heaven on earth, and still to others it can mean the Garden of Eden, the New Jerusalem, or even Biosphere 2. What we have come to know as "Utopia," or, "Any idealized place, state, or situation of perfection; any visionary scheme or system for an ideally perfect society" (Neufeldt 1470), is just a name that was coined for us by Sir Thomas More for an eternal idea. There were centuries of utopian ideas before More came up with his idea for Utopia, but he has become the father of the word's meaning. Some of the previous ideal ideas were sources of information for More's book, just as More led the way for hundreds of other Utopias. Today Utopia is just another word in the dictionary, but it took years to develop it into what it is today. "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. . . and it was very good" (Bib. Gen. Ch. 1, vs.1, 31). According to biblical doctrine, the earth was in a perfect state after God had created it. There was no sin, and the two inhabitants were pure in thought. The Garden of Eden is the first utopian state that we have on record. Ezekiel said that the Lord, Himself, called it "the Garden of God" (Ch. 28, vs. 13); God, being the supreme of all perfect, could only have a perfect garden. But even the most perfect things, it has been proved, can not be perfect forever; that is the way God planned it. There must be opposition in all things, so Satan was allowed to enter into the picture. First Eve, then Adam partook of the fruit of the tree of knowledge, a sin in the eyes of God. This was God's plan though, and it led the way for the rest of the world. A little further on in the Bible we find out about the ultima... ...lliam, ed. Twentieth Century Interpretations of Utopia. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1968. Neufeldt, Victoria, ed. Webster's New World Dictionary of American English. New York: Simon & Schuster, Inc., 1988. "Sir Thomas More." Luminarium. Online. Internet. http://www.luminarium.org/renlit/tmore/htm. 16 Nov. 1997. Space Biospheres Ventures. "The Biosphere 2 Project - A Laboratory For Global Ecology: The Experiment Proceeds With New Crew." Sep. 1993. Online. Internet. http://www.biospheres.org/newcrew.html. 22 Nov. 1997. Tarnas, Richard. The Passion of the Western Mind: Understanding the Ideas That Have Shaped Our World Views. New York: Ballantine Books, 1991. Tod, Ian, and Michael Wheeler. Utopia. New York: Harmony Books, 1978. "Utopia." Catholic Encyclopedia. Online. Internet. http://www.knight.org/advent/cathen/15243A.htm. 25 Oct. 1997 Thomas More and the Utopian Dream Essays -- Thomas More Utopia Philoso More and the Utopian Dream    To some, it can be paradise, to someone else a heaven on earth, and still to others it can mean the Garden of Eden, the New Jerusalem, or even Biosphere 2. What we have come to know as "Utopia," or, "Any idealized place, state, or situation of perfection; any visionary scheme or system for an ideally perfect society" (Neufeldt 1470), is just a name that was coined for us by Sir Thomas More for an eternal idea. There were centuries of utopian ideas before More came up with his idea for Utopia, but he has become the father of the word's meaning. Some of the previous ideal ideas were sources of information for More's book, just as More led the way for hundreds of other Utopias. Today Utopia is just another word in the dictionary, but it took years to develop it into what it is today. "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. . . and it was very good" (Bib. Gen. Ch. 1, vs.1, 31). According to biblical doctrine, the earth was in a perfect state after God had created it. There was no sin, and the two inhabitants were pure in thought. The Garden of Eden is the first utopian state that we have on record. Ezekiel said that the Lord, Himself, called it "the Garden of God" (Ch. 28, vs. 13); God, being the supreme of all perfect, could only have a perfect garden. But even the most perfect things, it has been proved, can not be perfect forever; that is the way God planned it. There must be opposition in all things, so Satan was allowed to enter into the picture. First Eve, then Adam partook of the fruit of the tree of knowledge, a sin in the eyes of God. This was God's plan though, and it led the way for the rest of the world. A little further on in the Bible we find out about the ultima... ...lliam, ed. Twentieth Century Interpretations of Utopia. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1968. Neufeldt, Victoria, ed. Webster's New World Dictionary of American English. New York: Simon & Schuster, Inc., 1988. "Sir Thomas More." Luminarium. Online. Internet. http://www.luminarium.org/renlit/tmore/htm. 16 Nov. 1997. Space Biospheres Ventures. "The Biosphere 2 Project - A Laboratory For Global Ecology: The Experiment Proceeds With New Crew." Sep. 1993. Online. Internet. http://www.biospheres.org/newcrew.html. 22 Nov. 1997. Tarnas, Richard. The Passion of the Western Mind: Understanding the Ideas That Have Shaped Our World Views. New York: Ballantine Books, 1991. Tod, Ian, and Michael Wheeler. Utopia. New York: Harmony Books, 1978. "Utopia." Catholic Encyclopedia. Online. Internet. http://www.knight.org/advent/cathen/15243A.htm. 25 Oct. 1997

Zoe’s Tale PART II Chapter Eighteen

The conversation Hickory was having with Dad about the Conclave and the Colonial Union was really interesting, right up until the point where Hickory said it and Dickory were planning to kill my parents. Then, well. I sort of lost it. To be fair, it had been a really long day. I had said good night to Enzo, dragged my butt home, and could barely think straight enough to hide the stone knife in my dresser and fend off Babar's lick attack on my face before I collapsed onto my cot and passed out without even bothering to get all the way undressed. At some point after I lay down, Jane came home from the medical bay, kissed me on the forehead and slipped off my boots, but I barely remember that other than murmuring something to her about how happy I was she was better. At least, that's what I was saying inside my head; I don't know if my mouth formed the actual words. I think it did. I was very tired at the time. Not too much after that, though, Dad came in and gently nudged me awake. â€Å"Come on, hon,† he said. â€Å"I need you to do something for me.† â€Å"I'll do it in the morning,† I mumbled. â€Å"I swear.† â€Å"No, sweetheart,† he said. â€Å"I need you to do it now.† The tone of his voice, gentle but insistent, told me he really did need me to get up. I did, but with enough grumbling to maintain my honor. We went to the living room of our bungalow; Dad steered me to the couch, which I sat on and tried to maintain a semiconscious state that would allow me to go back to sleep when we were done with whatever it was we were doing. Dad sat down at his desk; Mom stood next to him. I smiled sleepily at her but she seemed not to notice. Between me and my parents were Hickory and Dickory. Dad spoke to Hickory. â€Å"Can you two lie?† he asked it. â€Å"We have not yet lied to you,† Hickory said. Which even in my sleepy state I recognized as not being an actual answer to the question that was asked. Dad and Hickory bantered back and forth a little about what being able to lie brings to a conversation (in my opinion, mostly the ability to not have to argue about stupid things it's just better to lie about, but no one asked me), and then Dad asked me to tell Hickory and Dickory to answer all his questions without any lies or evasions. This finally woke me all the way up. â€Å"Why?† I asked. â€Å"What's going on?† â€Å"Please do it,† Dad said. â€Å"All right,† I said, and then turned to Hickory. â€Å"Hickory, please answer my dad without lying to him or evading his questions. All right?† â€Å"As you wish, Zoe,† Hickory said. â€Å"Dickory too,† I said. â€Å"We will both answer truthfully,† Hickory said. â€Å"Thank you,† Dad said, and then turned back to me. â€Å"You can go back to bed now, sweetie.† This annoyed me. I was a human being, not a truth serum. â€Å"I want to know what's going on,† I said. â€Å"It's not something you need to worry about,† Dad said. â€Å"You order me to have these two tell you the truth, and you want me to believe it's not something I need to worry about?† I asked. The sleep toxins were taking their time leaving my system, because even as I was saying this I realized it came out showing a little more attitude to my parents than was entirely warranted at the moment. As if to confirm this, Jane straightened herself up a bit. â€Å"Zoe,† she said. I recalibrated. â€Å"Besides, if I leave there's no guarantee they won't lie to you,† I said, trying to sound a bit more reasonable. â€Å"They're emotionally equipped to lie to you, because they don't care about disappointing you. But they don't want to disappoint me.† I didn't know if this was actually true or not. But I was guessing it was. Dad turned to Hickory. â€Å"Is this true?† â€Å"We would lie to you if we felt it was necessary,† Hickory said. â€Å"We would not lie to Zoe.† There was a really interesting question here of whether Hickory was saying this because it was actually true, or whether it was saying it in order to back me up on what I said, and if the latter, what the actual truth value of the statement was. If I were more awake, I think I would have thought about it more at the time. But as it was, I just nodded and said, â€Å"There you go,† to my dad. â€Å"Breathe a word of this to anyone and you're spending the next year in the horse stall,† Dad said. â€Å"My lips are sealed,† I said, and almost made a lip-locking motion, but thought better of it at the last second. And a good thing, too, because suddenly Jane came up and loomed over me, bearing her I am as serious as death expression. â€Å"No,† she said. â€Å"I need you to understand that what you're hearing here you absolutely cannot share with anyone else. Not Gretchen. Not any of your other friends. Not anyone. It's not a game and it's not a fun secret. This is dead serious business, Zoe. If you're not ready to accept that, you need to leave this room right now. I'll take my chances with Hickory and Dickory lying to us, but not you. So do you understand that when we tell you not to share this with anyone, that you cannot share it with anyone else? Yes or no.† Several thoughts entered my mind at that moment. The first is that it was times like this when I had the smallest inkling of how terrifying Jane must have been as a soldier. She was the best mom a girl could ever have, make no mistake about it, but when she got like this, she was as hard and cold and direct as any person could be. She was, to use a word, intimidating. And this was just with words. I tried to imagine her stalking across a battlefield with the same expression on her face she had now, and standard-issue Defense Forces rifle. I think I actually felt at least three of my internal organs contract at the thought. The second is I wondered what she would think of my ability to keep a secret if she had known what I had just done with my evening. The third was maybe she did, and that was what this was about. I felt several other of my internal organs contract at that thought. Jane was still looking at me, cold like stone, waiting for my answer. â€Å"Yes,† I said. â€Å"I understand, Jane. Not a word.† â€Å"Thank you, Zoe,† Jane said. Then she bent down and kissed the top of my head. Just like that, she was my mom again. Which in its way made her even more terrifying, if you ask me. That settled, Dad started asking Hickory about the Conclave and what it and Dickory knew about that group. Since we had made the jump to Roanoke, we had been waiting for the Conclave to find us, and when they found us, to destroy us, like they had destroyed the Whaid colony in the video the Colonial Union had given us. Dad wanted to know if what Hickory knew about the Conclave was different than what we knew. Hickory said yes, basically. They knew quite a bit about the Conclave, based on the Obin government's own files on them – and that their own files, contrary to what we had been told by the Colonial Union, showed that when it came to colonies, the Conclave much preferred to evacuate the colonies they confronted, rather than destroying them. Dad asked Hickory why, if they had different information, they had not shared it earlier. Hickory said because they had been ordered not to by their government; neither Hickory nor Dickory would have lied about having the information if Dad had asked them, but he had never asked them about it before. I think this struck Dad as a bit weaselly on the part of Hickory and Dickory, but he let it go. Dad asked Hickory if it'd seen the video the Colonial Union had given us, of the Conclave destroying the Whaid colony. Hickory said that it and Dickory had their own version. Dad asked if their version was different; Hickory said it was – it was longer and showed General Gau, who had ordered the destruction of the Whaid colony, trying to convince the Whaidi colony leader to let the Conclave evacuate the colonists, only to have the Whaid refuse to leave before the destruction of their colony. Hickory said that other times, on other colony worlds, colonists did ask to be evacuated, and the Conclave carried them off the planet, and sent them back to their homeworlds or allowed them to join the Conclave as citizens. Jane asked for numbers. Hickory said they knew of seventeen colony removals by the Conclave. Ten of those had the Conclave returning colonists to their former homes. Four of those had the colonists joining the Conclave. Only three involved the destruction of the colonies, after the colonists refused to move. The Conclave was dead serious about not allowing anyone else to start new colonies, but – unlike what we were told by the Colonial Union – didn't insist on killing everyone on those new colonies to make the point. This was fascinating stuff – and disturbing. Because if what Hickory was saying was true – and it was, because Hickory would not lie to me, or to my parents against my will – then it meant that either the Colonial Union had been wildly wrong about the Conclave, and its leader General Gau, or that the CU had lied to us when it told us what would happen if the Conclave found us. The first of these was certainly possible, I suppose; the Colonial Union was in a state of active hostility with almost every other alien race that we knew about, which I would guess would make intelligence gathering harder than it might be if we had more friends. But it was really more likely that the second of these was the truth: Our government lied to us. But if the Colonial Union lied to us, why did it do it? What did it get from lying to us, punting us to who knows where in the universe, and making us live in fear of being discovered – and putting all of us in danger? What was our own government up to? And what would the Conclave really do to us if it found us? This was such an interesting thing to think about that I almost missed the part where Hickory explained the reason why it and Dickory actually had detailed files about the Conclave's other colony removals: in order to convince Mom and Dad, should the Conclave come knocking, to surrender our colony rather than to let it be destroyed. And why would they want to convince Mom and Dad of this? â€Å"Because of Zoe?† Dad asked Hickory. â€Å"Yes,† Hickory said. â€Å"Wow,† I said. This was news. â€Å"Quiet, sweetheart,† Dad said, and then gave his attention back to Hickory. â€Å"What would happen if Jane and I chose not to surrender the colony?† he asked. â€Å"We would prefer not to say,† Hickory said. â€Å"Don't evade,† Dad said. â€Å"Answer the question.† I caught Hickory giving me a quick look before it answered. â€Å"We would kill you and Lieutenant Sagan,† Hickory said. â€Å"You and any other colony leader who would authorize the destruction of the colony.† Dad said something to this and Hickory said something back, but I missed most of it because my brain was trying to process what I had just heard, and it was absolutely and completely utterly failing. I knew I was important to the Obin. I had always known it abstractly, and then Hickory and Dickory had pounded the point into me months ago, when they had attacked me and showed me what it felt to be hunted, and showed me why I had to learn to defend myself. But in no formulation of my importance was even the conception that I was so important to the Obin that if it came to it, they would kill my parents to save me. I didn't even know how to think about something like that. Didn't know how to feel about it. The idea kept trying to hook into my brain, and it just wasn't working. It was like having an out of body experience. I floated up over the conversation, and listened to Jane interject herself into the discussion, asking Hickory if even after admitting this as their plan, if it and Dickory would still kill her and John. Kill my mom and dad. â€Å"If you choose to surrender the colony, yes,† Hickory said. I actually felt a snap as I reeled myself back into my head, and I'm happy to say that I quite suddenly knew exactly how to feel about all of this: absolutely enraged. â€Å"Don't you dare,† I said, and I flung out the words. â€Å"Under no circumstances will you do that.† I was surprised to find myself standing when I said it; I didn't remember getting up. I was shaking so hard with anger I wasn't sure how I was still standing. Hickory and Dickory both flinched at my anger, and trembled. â€Å"This one thing we must refuse you,† Hickory said. â€Å"You are too important. To us. To all Obin.† To all Obin. If I could have spat, I would. Here it was again. All of my life, bounded by the Obin. Bounded not in who I was, but what I was. By what I meant to them. There was nothing about my own life that mattered in this, except what entertainment I could give them as billions of Obin played the records of my life like it was a funny show. If any other girl had been Charles Boutin's daughter, they would have happily watched her life instead. If any other girl's adopted parents had gotten in the way of the Obin's plan for her, they would have slaughtered them, too. Who I was meant nothing. The only thing that mattered was that I just happened to have been one man's daughter. A man who the Obin had thought could give them something. A man whose daughter's life they had bargained with to get that thing. A man who ended up dying because of the work he'd done for them. And now they wanted more sacrifices. So I let Hickory and Dickory know how I felt. â€Å"I've already lost one parent because of the Obin,† I said, and loaded everything I could into that last word. All my anger and disgust and horror and rage, at the idea they should so casually decide to take from me two people who had only ever shown me love and affection and honor, and flick them aside like they were nothing more than an inconvenience. I hated Hickory and Dickory that minute. Hated them in that way that comes only when someone you love takes that love and betrays it, completely and totally. Hated them because they would betray me because they believe they loved me. I hated them. â€Å"Everybody calm down,† John said. â€Å"No one is killing anyone. All right? This is a nonissue. Zoe, Hickory and Dickory aren't going to kill us because we're not going to let the colony be destroyed. Simple as that. And there is no way I would let anything happen to you, Zoe. Hickory and Dickory and I all agree that you are too important for that.† I opened my mouth to say something to that and just started sobbing instead. I felt like I'd gone numb from the legs; suddenly Jane was there, holding me and leading me back to the couch. I sobbed on her like I did so many years ago outside that toy store, trying to sort out everything I was thinking. I heard Dad make Hickory and Dickory swear to protect me, always, under all circumstances. They swore. I felt like I didn't want their help or protection ever again. I knew it would pass. Even now I knew it was because of the moment that I felt this way. It didn't change the fact that I still felt it. I was going to have to live with it from now on. Dad talked with Hickory more about the Conclave and asked to see the Obin's files on the other colony removals. Hickory said they would need to go to the information center to do it. Even though it was now so late it was almost morning, Dad wanted to do it right then. He gave me a kiss and headed out the door with the Obin; Jane held back a second. â€Å"Are you going to be okay?† she asked me. â€Å"I'm having a really intense day, Mom,† I said. â€Å"I think I want it to be over.† â€Å"I'm sorry you had to hear what Hickory said,† Jane said. â€Å"I don't think there would have been any good way to handle it.† I sniffled out a small grin. â€Å"You seem to have taken it well,† I said. â€Å"If someone was telling me they had plans to kill me, I don't think I would have taken it anywhere as calmly.† â€Å"Let's just say I wasn't entirely surprised to hear Hickory say that,† Jane said. I looked up at her, surprised. â€Å"You're a treaty condition, remember,† she said. â€Å"And you are the Obin's main experience of what it's like to live.† â€Å"They all live,† I said. â€Å"No,† Jane said. â€Å"They exist. Even with their consciousness implants they hardly know what to do with themselves, Zoe. It's all too new to them. Their race has no experience with it. They don't just watch you because you entertain them. They watch you because you're teaching them how to be. You're teaching them how to live.† â€Å"I've never thought about it that way,† I said. â€Å"I know you haven't,† Jane said. â€Å"You don't have to. Living comes naturally to you. More naturally than to some of the rest of us.† â€Å"It's been a year since any of them have seen me,† I said. â€Å"Any of them but Hickory and Dickory. If I've been teaching them how to live, I wonder what they've been doing for the last year.† â€Å"They've been missing you,† Mom said, and kissed the top of my head again. â€Å"And now you know why they'll do anything to have you back. And to keep you safe.† I didn't have a good answer to that. Mom gave me one last quick hug and headed to the door to join Dad and the Obin. â€Å"I don't know how long this is going to take us,† she said. â€Å"Try going to bed again.† â€Å"I'm too worked up to get back to sleep,† I said. â€Å"If you get some sleep you'll probably be less worked up when you wake up,† Jane said. â€Å"Trust me, Mom,† I said. â€Å"It's going to take something pretty big to get me over being worked up about all of this.†

Of Mice and Men †Friendship Essay

John Steinbeck shows how important a friendship is and how much two people can support each other to survive. Take this bond away and it will create a difficult and almost impossible journey for the two men in this novel. John Steinbeck portrays Lennie and George as having the greatest friendship in the world and while George claims to not need Lennie, he knows that he needs Lennie as much as Lennie needs him. The mutual relationship between George and Lennie is a genuine friendship between two very different men. Lennie, a mentally handicapped, big man with stand out features and George, the small little tough guy, with the brains and great leadership skills. As the two men are trying to escape from a mishap that Lennie is in fault for, George like always tries to back him up. George and Lennie met one day when George was talking to his friends and told Lennie to jump off of a bridge that they were both on. Since Lennie is mentally challenged he attempted this brainless act and almost drowned. George feeling great sympathy for Lennie thought of it as an obligation to be friends with Lennie to pay him back. As the two got to know each other they became great friends and didn’t stop. Knowing that Lennie was handicapped, George would always take care of him like a â€Å"cousin†. George proves that a good friendship is based on what someone’s personality is like, not how they look on the outside. George sticks around with Lennie even when Lennie does make many mistakes and almost puts George into danger. On page 34 George and Slim have a conversation. â€Å"You guys travel around together?† â€Å"Sure, we kinda look after each other† This quote shows that George isn’t afraid to say he and Lennie travel around together and isn’t embarrassed by his company. Throughout the whole novel, George always compliments Lennie on his work and his positive abilities. Good friends always stick by each other. They always back each other up and they always help out when one of them is in need. Even though Lennie never contributes to helping George, the reason isn’t because he will not. The reason for this is because George never gets into any type of trouble. Lennie is always the one who needs help, but I’m sure of it that Lennie would help George in any circumstance. When George and Lennie talk to the boss George says to Lennie, â€Å"Let me do all the talking†. George proves to help Lennie out because Lennie is not too good with his words. George and  Lennies friendship grows stronger and stronger and it grows so strong that even the part when George kills him is a sign of caring. I believe that George has always wanted the best for Lennie and he knew that Lennie would either be tortured in the end or get killed anyways. When George kills Lennie, it is in my belief that this is the biggest act of respect and love towards Lennie. George never wants to see Lennie get hurt, so this is the only way he can let Lennie live a happy life without getting hurt inside. If I were George I would do the exact same thing. It’s tough letting go of a friend, but sometimes it in the best interest of your friend. The last circumstance that showed a great friendship was when George said â€Å"We gonna get a little place (pg. 105). This showed that George wanted to settle down and live with Lennie for the rest of his life. George and Lennie had such a great friendship that they both wanted to live and know each other forever. George promised chickens, rabbits, and everything else that Lennie would ever want. He proposed to Lennie and to himself a great life with an amazing companionship. Lennie, only in the end realized how great their friendship was. He realized he took many things for granted and one of them was George. Lennie realized how much George had done for him and was soon relieved that George didn’t hate him. It’s too bad that it took Lennie that long to realize how good of a guy that George was and how much that he meant to George. I think that the most important part of this novel wasn’t who died, or the dream that they wanted. The most important thing was the closeness of the two main characters because it doesn’t happen often that a great mutual alliance is found. Usually a temporary friendship is established, like the one that almost everyone has at school. You don’t often find two students who are such great friends that they know each other until they die. Everyone is so obsessed with how expensive someone’s clothes or jewelry is that they don’t have time to look deeper into a person and find what’s inside them. The future generation is filled with a large percentage of shallow people who don’t focus enough on the person. Popularity is more important to some people for four years (high school), than a real comradeship that lasts a lifetime. That is why I think that a great relationship is close to being the most important thing in life and I think that it is the message that John Steinbeck tried to deliver to his readers.

The Effects of Immigration in America

The Effects of Immigration in America of the labor market, if there were no immigrants, there would be no labor at the age of 35 in the United States as now the American society is aging. What is more, the majority of immigrants is employed in the fields of industrial production, trade, construction, service, and entertainment industries. For several reasons, the proportion of immigrants is particularly weighty in the field of engineering, medicine, information technology, and physics. For example, in the 1960s, American medical schools did not prepare a sufficient number of specialists. In this connection, the U.S. government gave special immigration privileges to doctors and nurses from Korea, so that they moved to the United States. In some cases, the government even pays for resettlement in the United States for people from Korea. It is believed that if immigrants leave the U.S. high-tech center Silicon Valley, it will simply cease to exist. The contribution of immigrants to the economy lies in the fact that they are working hard. Immigrants from other countries are working on average 10% more than the locals. In addition, migrants and immigrants tend to be much less likely to violate local laws than the local residents, as well as being subjected to such vices as alcoholism or drug addiction. Immigrants also possess a great potential to update the population of the United States. According to the UN, the USA is one of the 13 industrialized countries which critically need the inflow of fresh blood as its native population is rapidly aging. According to UN forecasts, the population of the United States will increase from 280 million to 350 million people in a half of a century. Clearly, the history of the American immigration faced a lot of moments with harsh measures. However, nowadays some policies are altered in a way to support the country and its citizens. As it was stated on the inscription on the Statue of Liberty, America needs to host new and new generation in order to help those who need it.

Inspiring Quotes - Inspirational Quotes For Stress Relief

Inspiring Quotes - Inspirational Quotes For Stress Relief Often, a shift in perspective can help relieve the stress of a variety of situations; thats where inspiring quotes can be not just fun to read, but great for stress management as well. The following group of inspirational quotes goes a step furthereach quote is followed up with an explanation on how the concept relates to stress, and a link is supplied to supply you with additional information to take things a step further. The result is a collection of inspiring quotes you can share, and an increase in optimism and motivation as well. Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.- Mother Teresa Being fully present today is not only a great way to maximize your success, but its a very effective strategy for relieving stress as well. If you struggle with anxiety and rumination, try mindfulness. We all live with the objective of being happy; our lives are all different and yet the same. -Anne Frank I love this quote. And while different specific things may lead to happiness for each of us, we all tend to respond to the same basic elements, according to positive psychology research. Heres what makes most people happywhat specific things make you happy? Better to do something imperfectly than to do nothing flawlessly. -Robert Schuller Perhaps surprisingly, perfectionists can be LESS productive because the intense focus on perfection can lead to procrastination (or missing deadlines entirely!) and other success-sabotaging side-effects. Do you have perfectionistic tendencies? If so, what might you do today to allow yourself to enjoy a successfully imperfect day? We turn not older with years but newer every day. -Emily Dickinson This is a great quote to remember each birthday, or on days when youre feeling your best times just may be behind you. One thing I started doing for birthdays (and adding to on ho-hum days) is creating a bucket list of great things I still intend to do. What might be on your bucket list? Some of the secret joys of living are not found by rushing from point A to point B, but by inventing some imaginary letters along the way. -Douglas Pagels Sometimes adding some fun activities into your schedule can give you the energy and motivation to handle the work of your day with a smile. Other times, these activities can lighten your mood, or provide you with a sense of meaning that can get you out of bed in the morning. What imaginary letters might lessen your stress today? Never regret. If its good, its wonderful. If its bad, its experience. Victoria Holt I’m a big fan of savoring experiences (the positive psychology way)- that’s easy! Accepting and learning from mistakes is challenging, but no less important for our emotional wellbeing, and positively vital for our stress levels! What mistakes can be embraced and mined for good experience? Being happy doesnt mean that everything is perfect. It means that youve decided to look beyond the imperfections. unknown Stress relief, like happiness, doesnt come from having a perfect life. It comes from appreciating the great stuff, and coping with the less-than-great stuff. What do you appreciate in life? What can you look beyond? Freedom is mans capacity to take a hand in his own development. It is our capacity to mold ourselves. Rollo May One of the best ways to change your life is to change the way you think about things. Changing your perspective can change everything. How would your day be better if your thoughts shifted? He who smiles rather than rages is always the stronger. -Japanese Wisdom Its not always easy to do, but if youre able to laugh instead of crying or screaming, stressors are easier to handle. Think of a time when you did this well, and remember your strength. A childs life is like a piece of paper on which every passer by leaves a mark.-Chinese Proverb We are all affected by the experiences we have in life, especially as children. Helping kids learn healthy stress management techniques (and reminding ourselves at the same time, or learning along with them) is one of the best gifts you can give. How might you make a difference in the life of a child today?

Product Launch Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Product Launch - Research Paper Example In addition the product launch plan contains the following elements; product description and positioning, market target and needs, market potential and growth, a SWOT analysis on both countries, domestic and international competition, marketing objectives and strategies, pricing, marketing communications, distribution strategies, financial reports, and the marketing research on the plan. Kudler is offering catering to its service line. The company will offer catering at all locations in Canada and in Italy. Catering will be available to businesses and private households for events of all kinds and sizes. The catering will include fresh products from the bakery, deli, meat market, and produce department as well as shelf items within the store. The catering items are made to customer order and the customer will work closely with the catering department to create innovative ideas for parties and events. Kudler is offering catering, which is classified as a service. Kudler will provide the best service in the catering industry. Catering services face tough challenges because they provide food and servers to many different types of events. These events include birthday parties, weddings, and many other types of events. Also, the size of these events presents a challenge because the larger the event the more pressure on Kudler to provide great service and food. Kudler believes offering catering will create more marketability of its specialty products to new consumers. A consumer or business that purchases catering products from Kudler helps promote the products to other potential consumers. This word-of-mouth helps Kudler gain new potential customers by increasing the awareness of the specialty products offered. This consumer channel will help link in new customers by letting them taste the specialty products available. People can taste the products at such events without