Free Essays on Information Society In Europe

The Information Society will affect everyone in the world. Some people will actively take part in the development, others will use the emerging technologies to create business opportunities and the majority of the citizens will use the new applications and services. It is a challenge to create an Information Society for everyone in Europe, taken into account cultural differences, level of development in different regions, increased global competition in the information technology area, the implications for the citizens in Europe etc. In this respect the European Commission’s work consequently covers many areas of importance in the establishment of the Information Society. As an example of these important areas I would like to highlight the creation of a regulatory and legal framework to support the development of the Information Society (addressing issues like telecom liberalisation, interconnection, standards, copyright, privacy, encryption, intellectual property right, media ownership); the support for the development of infrastructure, applications, and services; social, the societal and cultural aspects and promotional activities for improving the citizens’ awareness of the possibilities and implications of the emerging technologies. To support the work and development in these areas the Commission has established several programmes and initiatives contributing to the development of the Information Society. The projects and initiatives financed cover many areas of the Information Society and range from basic research projects to awareness actions, each contributing to a better European position in terms of competitiveness and in the overall understanding of the implications, risks and opportunities the development of the Information Society will bring for the future.... Free Essays on Information Society In Europe Free Essays on Information Society In Europe The Information Society will affect everyone in the world. Some people will actively take part in the development, others will use the emerging technologies to create business opportunities and the majority of the citizens will use the new applications and services. It is a challenge to create an Information Society for everyone in Europe, taken into account cultural differences, level of development in different regions, increased global competition in the information technology area, the implications for the citizens in Europe etc. In this respect the European Commission’s work consequently covers many areas of importance in the establishment of the Information Society. As an example of these important areas I would like to highlight the creation of a regulatory and legal framework to support the development of the Information Society (addressing issues like telecom liberalisation, interconnection, standards, copyright, privacy, encryption, intellectual property right, media ownership); the support for the development of infrastructure, applications, and services; social, the societal and cultural aspects and promotional activities for improving the citizens’ awareness of the possibilities and implications of the emerging technologies. To support the work and development in these areas the Commission has established several programmes and initiatives contributing to the development of the Information Society. The projects and initiatives financed cover many areas of the Information Society and range from basic research projects to awareness actions, each contributing to a better European position in terms of competitiveness and in the overall understanding of the implications, risks and opportunities the development of the Information Society will bring for the future....

The outcasts of poker flats quick to judge essays

The outcasts of poker flats quick to judge essays The Outcasts of Poker Flat is a great example of what life was like during the rough and tumble days of the California Gold Rush. The author Bret Harte tells the story of a town known as Poker Flat wishing to improve itself by removing the undesirables from it. The story begins by learning of the group of people chosen to be outcast into the world and to fend for themselves during a harsh winter season. After they have been exiled and are outside the city walls, most of the group can not handle the situation presented before them The four people labeled by the secret town committee as improper persons (414) and forever banished from the town are: Uncle Billy, a thief and the town drunkard, Duchess, a local prostitute, Mother Shipton, another prostitute, and the extremely, over successful gambler Mr. John Oakhurst. As the outcasts heavily armed escort heads back to Poker Flat, the reader soon begins to realize who the leader of the group is. As the escort disappeared, their pent-up feelings found vent in a few hysterical tears from the Duchess, some bad language from Mother Shipton, and a Perthian volley of expletives from Uncle Billy. The philosophic Oakhurst alone remained silent(414). As for the rest of his company, they cant believe theyve just been left alone to take care of themselves, and can not handle the pressure and therefore explicitly express their distaste for their situation. Oakhurst, however, with the easy good humor characteristic of his class (415), chivalrously gives his own horse Five Spot (415) for the sorry mule that Duchess rode. This example of Oakhursts leadership and kindness is just one of many instances in which the author portrays John Oakhurst as the strongest of all the characters. Oakhurst, being the extremely talented poker player, maintains his poker face even in the face despair. As the story pro ...

Where Are We From Chineese culture and society Essay

Where Are We From Chineese culture and society - Essay Example It is always your environment and surrounding that helps an individual to develop and the physical and moral attributes that one possesses is generally a sheer manifestation of the region and location that individual lives in. In my case, China has contributed a great deal in my personality development as discussed further in this essay The landmass of East Asia is covered with what we call China. We can broadly understand the country in two parts, one being the Eastern and the other being the Western half. The Eastern region can be seen as mostly low fertile lands with mountains and deserts, also including certain subtropical areas (Haggett, pp. 2746-2747). The deserts of this region are quite expansive spread over hundreds of miles. However, its counter region has rolling plateaus that are famous the way they cover that land area. Tibet is present in this part of the world. Talking about the climate of China, many people find it strange when the tops of the mountains in South-Weste rn China remain covered with heavy snow and that too in summer season. During winters, the area is certainly very cold as much as - 40 degrees of Fahrenheit. Being there in this season of the year is a trouble for anyone who belongs to other countries. Nevertheless, the area can be extremely hot in the summer season in the same way. This means that the temperature reaches to 100 degrees of Fahrenheit in extreme summers.... I can explain this citing some personal experiences that I had with a Chinese family living in my neighborhood that had been there for quite a long time. The kids in that family were very friendly and they expressed their interest in learning foreign languages, however, their parents never showed their preference towards this. They wanted to communicate with each other merely in Chinese language and wanted no other culture to have any kind of influence over their day-to-day practices. However, these are very co-operative people, but having a long history of minority groups within their culture, some conflicts might be seen between the Han-dominated communist group of people and the Mongols of the country belonging largely to the Western part of China (Haggett, pp. 2836-2837). Due to a large number of divisions in a multitude of ethnic groups that they are segregated in, all want to have a prestigious place within the society but many of them remain low profile and they have considere d their groups as underprivileged and ignored. Moreover, in my neighborhood, I found most of the people being superstitious. They believed in ancient myths and stories and largely depended upon the consultations of fortunetellers in order to set their future goals or make a decision about their career. The elders in my neighbor used to ask fortunetellers about what career their kids should choose in order to excel and this largely influenced the direction their kids subsequently chose in educational and professional context. Analyzing the whole time that I spent with them, I have certainly adopted and rejected some of their traits. The values of belonging that they show to their own culture and community are something that influenced me the most. Earlier, I seldom bothered

Labor and delivery Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Labor and delivery - Research Paper Example Management of labor and delivery is section in the medical sector that has been allocated with the initiative of dealing with birth and birth complication cases. In this case, proper management strategies need to be initiated in this section in order to offer standard services to patients as well as reduce cases of childbirth mortality (Berghella et. Al, 2008). Methodology A questionnaire was designed and distributed to patients in random hospitals across in various cities of United States of America. The aim of the questionnaires was to investigate the efficiency in service delivery across the state in regards to labor and delivery. It also focused on the cost of labor and delivery in the Texas state. Findings United States of America registers a range of 4 to 4.6 million childbirths annually. There is poor self-diagnosis of active labor (Berghella et. Al, 2008). Few people visit the labor and delivery centers. There were cases of home-delivery. Most hospital had modern labor and de livery machinery. Many hospitals had a good number of nurses, obstetricians as well as gynaecologists and thus operated 24hours a day except a few situated in the remote regions of Texas. Implications In order to achieve standard medical services in the labor and delivery section, labor and delivery management departments opt to facilitate adequate and advanced trainings to obstetricians and gynaecologists. This is to improve their medical skills and enable them to handle advanced cases in the labor and delivery medical section. There is need to equip the hospital or medical center with advanced equipments. The advancement in technology has led to the invention of several medical machineries that are essential in monitoring pregnancy as well as during the delivery period. Obstetricians working in the rural areas of developing countries encounter a lot of difficulties in dealing with advanced levels of the child delivery process such as performing cesarean operations due to lack of r equired machinery and other medical equipments. 2. Labor and delivery nurses

Reconstruction’s Failure Essay Example for Free

Reconstruction’s Failure Essay Congress Reconstruction efforts to ensure equal right to freedom failed because the enforcement acts that was giving in Document 2, Prejudice in the south giving Benjamin Boyer’s speech and from the book â€Å"Black Reconstruction in America† in document 6, another reason was the Compromise of 1877. In the exert from the New York times, it states the Ku Klux Klan purpose was to establish a nucleus around which the adherents of the late rebellion might safely rally. The whites thought that it threatened individual freedom because it allowed the government to punish the Ku Klux Klan and banned disguises. The kkk wonted to enforce the fourteenth amendment which is to â€Å"make slaves citizens† to the constitution of the U.S. They believed in the innate inferiority of blacks. The Ku Klux Klan and other terrorist groups tried to keep African Americans from making economic process They killed there livestock, attacked the African Americans who owned land and forced them to work for previous slaveholders. Many southerners were opposed to African Americans gaining equal right and voting in elections so they formed terrorist groups. They were very prejudice in the south. Benjamin Boyer’s wrote a speech that stated† It is common for the advocates of negro suffrage to assume that the color of the negro is the main obstacle to his political quality† meaning its common for people to see black as people who shouldn’t have the right to vote. He also said Negros are not equal of white Americans and are not entitled. In the book Black reconstruction in America he said the American Negro was compelled to give up his political power. What he was saying if Negros wonted to work or wonted to increase the income they couldn’t handle politics to. Another reason was the Compromise of 1877. After the southerners made great changes affecting the lives of freed African Americans, restricting the right of freed slaves. Hayes got the 20 disputed electoral votes. They were unlimitedly awarded to him after a bitter legal and political battle. The south accepts republican, Hayes becomes President and the North agrees to end reconstruction and withdraw troops. They also agreed to build a railroad from Texas to the West Coast and also agreed to appoint southerners to the cabinet. Reconstruction failed for many different reasons. Reconstruction was suppose to be the period of rebuilding after the Civil war in which all the confederate states returned to the union. Like  may things everything doesn’t always go as planned.

Human Centric Computing: Algorithm Animation :: Essays Papers

Human Centric Computing: Algorithm Animation To many computer science students, algorithms are evil incarnate. They are hard to learn, understand, and teach. So, is there any way to make this difficult (and rather important) aspect of computer science easier? I believe that if algorithm animations are not a step in the right direction then maybe we need to change the direction. Algorithm animation is just a small piece of the software visualization puzzle. Software visualization is "the visualization of computer programs and algorithms" (Price 4). Unlike the visualization of computer programs, which is the visualization of the code or data, "visualization of an algorithm is the visualization of the higher-level abstractions which describe software" (Price 6). Visualization of algorithms can further be broken down into two more groups: inactive algorithm visualization, which is the use of flow charts, and active algorithm visualization, which is algorithm animation (Price 6). According to Marc H. Brown and John Hershberger, there are a few basic concepts that need to be met for an algorithm animation to be useful. The first is that the algorithm must be shown from different view points, each "displaying only a few aspects of the algorithm. Each view..." should be "...easy to comprehend in isolation, and the composition of several views is more informative that the sum of their individual contributions" (Brown 83). The next issue they talk about is "state cues"; "state cues reflect an algorithm's dynamic behavior" (Brown 84). This means that when the program algorithm is passing a certain part in the program, it should be visually clear; for instance, "when a sub file is partitioned, the animation replaces its box by a tree node at the splitting element with two smaller boxes as children" (Brown 84). Next, they talk about "static history"; this is just a log of what the algorithm has already accomplished (Brown 84). Lastly, they talk about how the changes to the algorithm animation should look as the animation goes on (Brown 84). The animation needs to know when to just abruptly change two subjects (i.e. replacing a dot with a square) and when to show a more fluid switch of two subjects (i.e. gradually show two squares changing places) (Brown 85). One of the most common human centric uses for algorithm animations is its potential as a learning device. The only problem is that it's not clear whether it is effective. There are many programs that allow algorithm animations to be used for learning purposes, and as an example of one, I will look at an early program called Animated Algorithms.

Group Communication Essay

Effective group communications come in forms of verbal and non-verbal techniques. Essential parts of the entire group’s contribution are that the group contains full participating members, the group is diverse, and that the diversity is recognized and respected (Hartley, 1997). In the videos viewed, three were evaluated on the effective and ineffective communication skills of the participants and suggestions made on how they could improve. The videos are titled, â€Å"Planning a Playground†, â€Å"Helping Annie†, and â€Å"The Politics of Sociology. Planning a Playground For the impact diversity plays on group member’s communication styles, I choose the video titled â€Å"Planning a Playground†. In this video, community residents are meeting for the first time to discuss an issue pertaining to funding of new neighborhood playground. The residents belong to diversified backgrounds in regards to their ages, genders, race, and SEC (Planning a Playground, 2008). The origins of the residents differ as one member is Black; one is Asian, whereas the other three are Caucasian. The residents come from different SEC backgrounds. One member opens the discussion about funding and how much difficulty they are having in raising enough money. Another member chimes in and mentions how she is close friends with a person with a lot of resources who might help with contributions. The group members’ communication style is totally different because their diversified backgrounds. Some sit facing the other’s and makes constant eye contact. Another sits at the ‘head’ of the table able to view everyone but does not necessary look at everyone. Some members are taking detailed written notes, where another is just sitting there listening to everyone. Physical placement places a huge effect and impact on communication. People facing each other, sitting in close proximity, ensures everyone is heard and gives a feeling of comfort. Other effective communication methods could have made use of for the meeting and benefitted all members. Two of these methods are written materials and telephones (Hartley, 1997). Written material could be repared before the group met and used to make occurrences clearer to members, who have no knowledge of the subject. The other method is telephones, which can assist the members to gain better understanding of each other. In the use of telephones there is the reduce chance of discrimination since the members can not see each other (if they have not met prior- in some incidences here). Annie To address the verbal and nonverbal interaction among the members of a group the video titled â€Å"Annie† best illustrates this. In the video there is clearly both listening and miscommunication going on. The setting of this video is that the title character, Annie is a high school girl, who seems to be suffering from a possible eating disorder as well as depression (Understanding Relationship- Helping Annie, 2008). A nurse from a school has called upon a meeting with a psychiatrist and a social worker to seek out a possible treatment plan for Annie. In â€Å"Annie†, again the physical setting and placement of participants play an important part in the communication style. Two of the members are sitting side-by-side on a couch while the third person sits in her desk chair across from the couch. The person in the chair is not only able to make eye contact with the other two but also is in a physical position to see their verbal and non-verbal communications. The two on the couch are at a disadvantage for reading the non-verbal language and making eye contact with each other. The school nurse, psychiatrist, and social workers are engaged in a verbal conversation. The psychiatrist is talking to the school nurse and is not all concerned or ready to take any sort of arguments from the social worker. He is engaging in various sorts of non- verbal communication with the social workers showing his disinterest. The various non- verbal communications used by the psychiatrist are body language and voice. He continues to cut the social worker off in mid-sentence, not allowing her to speak (Understanding Relationship- Helping Annie, 2008). These non- verbal communications were hindering the process of group communication. The two methods of communications, which could have facilitated the group would have been one-to-one conversation as well as written communication. Each member could have met individually to avoid interruptions and bad sitting placement (Hartley, 1997). Also since each one evaluated Annie separately the could have just submitted their findings and suggestions/recommendations to the social worker and let her develop a plan off of that- and send a copy to the nurse and psychiatrist for editing and review. The Politics of Sociology The third video, â€Å"The Politics of Sociology†, demonstrates good communication techniques from all members of the group. The various listening techniques, which have been used by the members of this group, are encouraging, paraphrasing, and reflecting feelings. The encouraging technique used, refers to the utilization of a variety of verbal and nonverbal to promote others to go ahead with their talks. Paraphrasing is restating the conversation to give an impression that the person listening has understood the conversation. Reflecting is concerned with showing empathy with the speaker. Listening is an important activity of group communication. To bring out an effective solution or conclusion to the matter discussed, it is important to listen to all the opinions. The participants are all professors at a university but still have different backgrounds (The Politics of Sociology, 2008). There are differences in the ages, races, and subjects they teach. Each person has a different communication style. Some shot ideas out right away where others waited for all to speak then evaluate and give their opinions, while staying respectful and understanding of each other’s point of view. The physical set-up of the room plays a positive part in their effective communication. Each member is facing each other and is able to see the faces of everyone. This positioning helps cut back on misunderstandings or non-verbal cues. Even though the communication techniques used in this video seem to be effective, there are always room for change and improvement. Since the group was composed of multiple people, five or six, a visual display could have been used. Either a blackboard or overhead projector could have been set up and allow each member to put up their pros and cons for change of the curriculum as well as any ideas or suggestions they had. After each member went then one person could be delegated to summarize the lists and come up with final recommendations to be voted on (Hartley, 1997). Another method could have been to break the group up into two smaller groups to work on solutions and then bring them back to the large group for discussion. Conclusion In problem solving, group discussion, or just typical dialogue it is important to have effect communication techniques. Depending on the group or topic of conversation there are several techniques that work better for discussion then others. Taking into consideration time frame or group size written, telephone, or one-on-one techniques can be utilized. Communication styles vary among groups but key essentials are universal; listening, respecting, and appropriate interaction between members.

Printing and its influence on the intellectual life Essay

The history of printing dated back as early as 868 AD when the Chinese used it to produce the earliest dated printed book known as the â€Å"Diamond Sutra. † However, it is believed that book printing may have occurred even before that. Around 1041, the movable clay type printing system was first invented by Bi Sheng in China. Later on, the metal movable type was invented in Korea in 1230. At around 1450, a goldsmith named Johannes Gutenberg assembled a printing system from which the modern printing system was developed. At present, all movable type printing systems have been derived from the Gutenberg design. Thereafter, the invention of the printing system hastened the production of many books. As more books were produced, the production of manuscripts also declined. During that time, manuscript was the official form of publication for all printed communications on the scientific and literary sphere. Political and religious communications are slowly catching up to the printing trend. Concurrently, publishing entities soon emerged. Printing and publishing materialized as a profitable livelihood. It even became an essential tool for the dissemination of information. Clandestine manuscript production containing unconventional ideas were easily produced and circulated due to the ease of its production. Evidently, printing and publishing had a profound impact on intellectual life. Impact of Printing on Intellectual Life Prior to the advent of printing, everything had to be done by hand. Think of it as diaries or journals, religious and medieval manuscripts are prepared by monks by copying the text. Biblical manuscripts and other books were handwritten and copied from a portion of the text source. These handwritten copies of books consist of attempts to reconstruct the original text. During that era, manuscripts were used as the means of storing and disseminating information, and the manuscript culture was basically dominated by monks until its transition to the market in the cities, along with the rise of universities. When Gutenberg introduced his printing system, it marked an improvement, at first, on the production of manuscripts, then on the production of books. His system revolutionized Europe’s book-making process that the technology expanded throughout the continent. Books were produced faster than before. Faster production of books means one thing: an increase of literacy. With this widespread increase in literacy rate, intellectual quests took off. The people have become thirsty for more knowledge, and printing became an essential tool to advance the academic pursuits. Gutenberg’s printing system, regarded as the most important invention of the second millennium, has been a key factor in the European Renaissance. With his printing system, the cultural movement easily spread throughout Europe. It allowed the people easy access to books. In addition, the invention of the printing system helped in the assimilation of Greek and Arabic knowledge. Classical and ancient ideas, which were lost through time have been revived and disseminated. The rebirth of these ideas fuelled the quest for rediscovery of ancient knowledge that had been long forgotten. While these old ideas were revived, novel thought were also spawned and disseminated. Combined with the technology of printing, intellectual pursuits were easily advanced. The printing technology also facilitated the social and political upheavals at that time through the dissemination of clandestine printed articles containing unorthodox views that challenged mainstream thought. Thus, printing afforded wide latitude of political freedom. It made the political atmosphere conducive for the advancement of revolutionary ideas. Printing and publishing also contributed to the transformation of scientific thought. Fundamentals in physics, astronomy and biology were easily propagated with the use of printed materials. Ancient science has been easily superseded with the dissemination of these new ideas. Thus, the scientific revolution ensued. The scientific revolution paved the way for modern science as we know today. Galilei, Copernicus, Kepler, Newton and the others questioned the foundation of the old science. Their ideas contradicted the prevailing ideas at that time. Theoretical developments, thus, emerged. The printing system facilitated the propagation of Copernicus’ work on the heliocentric model of the solar system. In the 16th century, Copernicus contended that the sun is the center of the solar system. This was received with opposition from the church. The church firmly adhered to geocentrism, which placed the earth as the center of the universe. With the help of the printing system, information regarding Heliocentrism was easily dispersed. With printing and publishing, these brilliant minds were able to easily communicate their knowledge through scholarly journals. It resulted to a greater awareness of things, which were previously hidden from the general public. Dissemination of information gave an understanding of the information dispersed. With printing, the process was rapidly spread across Europe. Printed articles of classical thought were reprinted and widely spread. A curiosity on all things were intellectual was aroused. People have begun to engage in intellectual discussions; hence, books have become a commodity. Book production evolved into a commercial enterprise. Accordingly, copyright laws were passed to protect these artistic and literary creations. This legal notion was conceptualized as a reaction to the advent of printing. Charles II of England was apprehensive about the unregulated production and copying of books. Moreover, printing helped established the standards of spelling and syntax. The English language also emerged as the language commonly used in most published works; thus, the use of Latin declined. On the religious end, printing also facilitated the Protestant Reformation. The movement was started an attempt to reform the Catholic Church. At that time, the Church’s hierarchy was plagued with corruption. Many Catholics observed that false doctrines and malpractices were carried out. This corruption was seen as even reaching the position of the Pope. With the printing press, the reform movement advanced the culture of Biblical literacy. By the translating the Bible and making it available to the masses, the message was dispersed and made it more accessible for the public. Moreover, Martin Luther, an Augustinian monk, also raised his protests against the Catholic Church. He discussed his discontent of the Church’s sale of indulgences. Because of the printing system, the swift dissemination of discontent was facilitated. Information relating to Luther’s theological teachings was dispersed in the form of broadsheets, to the poor sector of society. These broadsheets evolved into newspapers. Presently, newspapers are the most accessible tools for public information and written journalism. Information relating to political events, business and the society, among others, are disseminated. The wide circulation of newspapers as a means of communication was largely due to the advances of printing. Printing presses accelerated the process of making newspapers. With printing, intellectual innovations have progressed into something that we have today. The printing system has been a valuable tool in the dissemination of knowledge and information. Human advancements in the field of science, artistic and literary domain have been realized. The rapid dispersal of information is attributable to the fast production of books and other scholarly articles. These would not have been realized were it not for printing. The invention of printing assisted in the proliferation of new thought. Ideas, both old and new, were unearthed. Ancient knowledge was rediscovered. Dissemination thereof was necessary in order to inform the general public thereof. The innovation of printing and publishing helped pushed these ideas to the open, making it accessible for the public to see.

Wilfred Owens War Poetry Essays

Wilfred Owens War Poetry Essays Wilfred Owens War Poetry Paper Wilfred Owens War Poetry Paper Essay Topic: Poetry An authors context always has a substantial influence on the texts they write. We will also find this holds true for poetry, if not more so. Poetry is often considered a collection of emotions generated from its writer and we can see this by not only analysing a poem, but by taking into consideration the poets life as well. One such example is Wilfred Owen. Owens poetry has been greatly influenced by his context, and not only by his involvement in World War 1 but the friendships he made in that time. Through knowing Owens context we can interpret how the social, political and historical climate of the world influenced his poetry. Wilfred Owen was born in March, 1893. The course of his life changed many times before he went to war. After finishing school he became a parish assistant before abandoning religion and finally becoming a professor of English. It has never been clearly stated why he abandoned Christianity but we will look into how it has effected his poetry later. In 1910 Owen met Christoble Coleridge, daughter of the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and their friendship, together with his skills as an English teacher, is how Owens passion for poetry began. It was not long after England declared war on August 4th, 1914, that Wilfred Owen enlisted with the Artists Rifles Regiment as a cadet. In 1915 Owen was commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant of the Manchesters Regiment, and in 1917 was sent to the front line at the battle of Serre. At some stage during that battle Owen was concussed and spent several days in a bomb creator with the corpse of a fellow officer. Whilst recovering at Craiglockhart War Hospital, Owen met the poet Siegfried Sassoon who became the greatest influence in Owens work. In August 1918 Owen returned to the war where he was killed in action on the 4th November, 1918. When the poetry of Wilfred Owen is read there are many instances where we can see direct parallels to events in his life. Lets consider Owens becoming an apostate. There are many parts of his work that indicate an abandonment of religion, the best example being Le Christianisme. The very first line, So the church of Christ was hit and buried, is symbolic of Owen deferring from Christianity. However the rest of the poem, in particular the second stanza, can be interpreted as Owenss resentment of such a change. We can see in other poems this resentment and perhaps also indication that Owen converted back to religion during the war. In Strange Meeting Owen writes by his dead smile I knew we were in hell. It clearly illustrates that Owen was aware of the consequences of disbelieving in God and believed war to be his punishment, his hell. Quite often in Owens work, God is seen to symbolise death. The first line of Apologia Pro Poemate Meo speaks of how he saw God through mud; the mud that cracks on cheeks, meaning he saw God in the face of the dying. We consider this use of God to mean death because very often in Owens work he claims o see death in the eyes of man. Finally, in Greater Love one line gives us a good example of how Owen felt about God. Where God seems not to care. There is one poem which is almost an account of an event from 1917. Whilst leading his platoon in the battle of Somme, Owen captured an abandoned German bunker in no mans land. The sentry who was posted was blinded during a raid. This also happens to be the theme of the poem The Sentry, and we can already see the evidence in the title. After reading the poem we get a much better picture of what actually happened. The first line, We found an old Boche dug-out already indicates the finding of a German bunker. Further into the poem Owen has used the onomatopoeia whiz-bang to describe the sounds of rockets. Following a final attack, another onomatopoeic line depicts a man falling down stairs. Thud! Flump! Thud! Down the stairs The man to fall down the stairs is referred to as the sentry, and n regaining consciousness he cries O sir my eyes Im blind. This is said to have actually happened and gives us a good example of just how real Owens poetry is. Apart from resembling events in his life, Owens poetry strongly reflects his views and attitudes towards war and other issues. Perhaps the most profound trend across his work is the criticism he gives to the glory of war. Lets consider Dulce et Decorum est. The very title is Latin for noble and heroic to die for ones country, but the poem itself has a very anti-war approach in which Owen tries to depict the true image of war. The first stanza describes the state of the soldiers and what they have to endure. The line men marched asleep is describing how they no longer care, how what was once considered extra ordinary is now boring them to sleep. The last two lines emphasises this giving the impression they dont care for their lives and that death no longer perturbs them. deaf even to the hoots, Of gas shells dropping softly behind. The second stanza describes the fitting of gas masks during an attack. It is interesting to note the use of the word ecstasy with ecstasy meaning pure delight. Again this resembles how war can desensitise a person, so much so that a struggle for life is considered pure delight. It then goes on to describe the death of a solider not quick enough in fitting his mask. The final lines of this second stanza describe how the experience of war has affected his dreams. We make the assumption my dreams is literally referring to Owens dreams. The true meaning of this poem is written into the final stanza. The final stanza is a reflection of what Owen feels about war. He writes about the possibility that if we ever saw what he had we would not describe war with such high zest. It is blatantly saying that we do not and cannot have any notion of what war is truly like and how devastating it is. Children ardent for some desperate glory and hence war is depicted as glorious when in fact it is not. Owens attitudes towards this is best summed up by the last lines of this poem The old lie: Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori. We can derive other meanings from Owens works by looking at the extent to which the symbols blood and death have been used. Constant use of blood as a symbol is clearly a reflection of the violence of war. In the third stanza of Strange Meetings blood has been used as a symbol not once, but four times. Yet no blood reached there boil bloody, and be spilled much blood had clogged Foreheads of men have bled In many of his poems, the words blood, pain, die, dark, killed and hell are continuously used. This adds a very dark and evil feel to the poems and our notion of war. It is a technique in which Owen has successfully portrayed war for what it is. In The Next War Owen has personified death to create an enemy for the next war, the war for life. Out there weve walked quite friendly up to Death; Sat down and eaten with him In the poem, Death is described as a friend, Death was never an enemy of ours! It is exploring the notion that men at war did not fear death and did not try to avoid the war they would inevitably succumb to against him. It is also significant that we has been used as opposed to me. This could be referring to all soldiers, but in taking the first stanza into consideration we get quite a different meaning. Wars a joke for me and you, While we know such dreams are true. Siegfried Sassoon. This puts a new meaning to the poem. It now reads as Sassoon and Owen facing death together, and is symbolic of the strength of their friendship. If the war was half of Owens influence to write poetry, then Sassoon was the other half. Sassoon, already a poet himself, met Owen while he was in hospital. Sassoon read through Owens work and helped him develop new techniques, of which we see in his own work regularly. After Owen was killed on the 4th November 1918, Sassoon made it his personal endeavour to publish all of Owens work. If it had not been for Sassoon we would never have known about Wilfred Owen and his poetry. Sassoon once said, All that was strongest in Wilfred Owen survives in his poems, and this we take for truth. Not only does memory of Wilfred Owen live on through these poems, but the fatal mistakes made by humanity in going to war. In illustrating what war was really like, and exposing the false glory, Owen has left future generations a warning not to let history repeat itself. May his words live on forever, The old lie: Dulce et decorum est.

A Biography of US Senator Rand Paul

A Biography of US Senator Rand Paul Rand Paul is a Republican United States Senator from Kentucky with conservative-libertarian view points, and the son of former Congressman and regular presidential candidate Ron Paul. An eye doctor by trade, Paul has been married to his wife, Kelly, since 1990 and together they have three sons. While Paul has limited political history, he was a frequent campaigner for his father and also the founder of a pro-taxpayer group in Kentucky, Kentucky Taxpayers United. Electoral History: Rand Paul has a very limited political history and did not make a run for political office until 2010. Although he started as a double-digit underdog to Trey Grayson in the GOP primary, Paul took advantage of the anti-establishment sentiment within the Republican Party and was one of many long-shot outsiders to oust GOP-backed candidates. With the backing of the tea party, Paul went on to defeat Grayson 59-35%. Democrats believed they had a decent chance in the general election against Paul due to his lack of political experience. They party picked the fairly popular state Attorney General, Jack Conway. Though Conway led in early polling, Paul went on to win by a fairly comfortable 12 points. Paul was backed by most conservatives and tea party groups, including Jim DeMint and Sarah Palin. Political Positions: Rand Paul is a conservative-libertarian who is ideologically-aligned with his father, Ron Paul, on most issues. Paul is staunchly in favor of states rights on most issues and he believes that the federal government should only legislate where it is constitutionally authorized to do so. He believes hot-button issues such as gay marriage and marijuana legalization should be up for each state to decide, which also seems to be an emerging opinion within the conservative movement. Paul has also been a major figure in minority outreach and a major proponent of criminal justice reform. Rand Paul is pro-life, which is perhaps where he deviates most from the larger libertarian movement. He opposes federal funding of almost everything, including abortion, education, healthcare and other extra-constitutional issues that are meant to be handled by each individual state. The main area of concern for conservatives regarding Paul is on foreign policy. While Paul is clearly on the less interventionist and less activist scale of foreign policy, he is not quite the extremist his father was on the issue. He is strongly opposed to NSA spying programs. 2016 Presidential Run: Picking up where his father left off, Rand Paul announced a run for the 2016 GOP nomination for President. While he started off with decent numbers, his popularity took a dip as he suffered a handful of poor debate performances. While his father often occupied the wild outcast role in presidential elections, Rand Pauls more measured approach actually seems to have hurt him. The anti-establishment crowd drifted away from the Ron Paul/Rand Paul side and over to Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, both who have out-maneuvered Paul. His foreign policy views have also become a liability as the Republican Party has shifted back to a more hawkish stance following the off-hands approach of the Obama White House. This has led to the occasional back-and-forth between Paul and fellow contender Marco Rubio, who has typically came out for the better. Financially, the Paul campaign has struggled and it has remained in the bottom rung of candidates. His polling has also lagged, and he has constantly struggled to remain above the debate threshold. Some Republicans have called for Paul to give up on the race and instead focus on his 2016 Senate run as they fear he is wasting valuable resources while damaging his personal popularity.

Green Building and Sustainability Research Paper

Green Building and Sustainability - Research Paper Example The building life cycle entail; maintenance, design, renovation, operation and demolition. The United States green building council developed a set of rating system targeting operation, design and construction of such buildings. The rating system is called leadership in energy and environmental design (LEED). Green building focuses on finding the balance between sustainable and home building environment (Slessor & Linden, 2007).. The benefits of green buildings are unquestionable. The designers are able to develop harmless, environmentally friendly and energy efficient buildings. Unlike convectional building s which utilize too much of the natural resources, green building consumes renewable resources such as plants, rainwater and sunlight. Such buildings are usually certified by LEED. Some of the benefits of green buildings targets cost, energy efficient, water efficiency and material efficiency. Green buildings are usually expensive during construction period but many benefits are accrued during their usage. It has great benefit of reducing both the operating and embodied energy consumption (Gissen, 2003). Other forms of energy such as hydro and wind power are used to provide energy for consumption. Green buildings utilize rain water which is a renewable resource. The water used in the building is also recycled. On the other hand, green buildings present a number of limitations such as ineffective air cooling features. The materials utilized in building such houses are usually inadequate and may not be available in rural areas. The cost of constructing green buildings is usually high at the beginning even though it pays off during its lifetime (Engel-Yan et al,

Holiday Harassment in Wanda Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Holiday Harassment in Wanda - Essay Example The memories of twenty fifth December are as fresh in my mind as I can remember. The happiness that characterized the morning of that day cannot be compared with another day of the year. Cheers and ululations of women and children from the neighboring villages that sent a deafening voice could be heard from afar. As the first born in the family and one recognized by my mother’s kin, I won the pleasure of being invited to the nearby neighborhood called Wanda where she hails from. Though the place is very remote, it would be a very bizarre idea to reject the offer. So it turned out to be something of an obligation. As a city dweller and one used to travel by vehicle, I could not bear the blunt of walking through the rough terrain to the place. We had to board a taxi at least to display the acme of sophistication. My younger brother and sister were the main accompaniments. No sooner had we exchanged pleasantries with my family than we left for the place. The welcome I received from the people left the onlookers in awe. Greetings alone took half an hour, followed by unending presentation of gifts from their children and grand children. All kith and kin worshipped me, and the ordeal was more graced like a presidential visit. This left an awkward feeling because of the exaggerated welcome. Already, it dawned on me that much was expected from the light pocket I had. I began developing fear. Needless to tell, an eating and drinking program began, and the plates were filled with the normal, fresh, staple countryside food perfect for a celebration of some kind. Without prior confirmation, drinks followed, and I was amazed to be served with the local traditional liquor which I boldly declined. The rejection was treated with a stern look by the uncle. The lack of courtesy and genuineness began making the day boring early as it was. Not aware that this was only smoke and fire coming, people followed by small crowds began flocking the compound casting a glance at me every time they entered the house. I did not give a serious thought to these looks with the perception that it was a day of celebration and togetherness during such a day is the norm. Little did I know that I was the centre of attraction? The uncle and his wife had invited the whole village to come and see their rich nephew who resides in the city and who would bring money during the Christmas Day. Unfortunately, wishes are not horses because if I had known this, I would have turned down the offer immediately it was presented. When all the â€Å"guests† arrived, songs of praise began and I was surrounded as if I was the Christ himself. In fact, what I witnessed during that time left me shivering like a leaf on a windy day. The villagers were drunk and disorderly causing a sheer pandemonium in the house. Every man and woman was demanding that I buy them a packet of sugar a nd flour which is tantamount to fifty dollars each. I was even compelled to take the liquor I earlier