Dijkstras Algorithm Essay Example for Free

Dijkstras Algorithm Essay 1) Write short notes on: a) Pains of Partition b) Family bonding and disintegration Ans. a) India was a colony for over 200 years and this struggle for independence is deeply rooted in the Indian psyche. More than this, another momentous event of partition is taken up by the authors. Heinous activity, cruelty, barbarism have left deep scars in Indian minds. Different aspects of partition have been dealt with by many writers specially who have themselves undergone that experience. His most famous book is â€Å"Train to Pakistan†. Another important book by him is â€Å"Ghadar 1915: India’s first Armed Revolution†. There are some women writers who have also written about the partition of 1947. Manju Kapur has, in fact, made it the background of her novel â€Å"Difficult Daughter† that was published in 1998. Nina Sibal painted a vivid picture of partition in her novel â€Å"Yatra† and â€Å"What the body remembers† by Shauna Baldwain also throws light on the pains of Partition. b) Among all the countries of the world, the institution of family is of supreme importance in India. Even in this post modern world, Family still plays the pivotal role. There have been continuous twists and turns in the cobweb of family relationship. Many writers have written profusely on it but basically women writers have dealt with an extra edge. Shashi Deshpandey, Kamala Markandeya, Nayantara Sahgal , to name a few. Earlier, India had joint family system but with rapid industrialization and to meet out the search of better opportunities of employment, the families gradually acquired the shape of nuclear ones. Urban migration started with the shifting of masses from rural to urban areas to meet out the challenges of earning living. Such issues also dealt with seriously by many writers in all the languages in India. Both the genres of short stories and novels take up ‘Family’ as an important issue and then the different equations between members of the family always make interesting plot for the stories. Relation between mother and son, husband and wife, brother and brother, brother and sister requires minute detailing and a lot of sensitivity. 2) Write a note on basket-selling girl. Ans. The writer is shown as eighteen years old and studying in the Delhi University. The girl , that he meets at Deoli station, is very poor as her feet were bare but he was struck by the sheer dignity with which she carried herself. She had a typical charm about her personality. She had a beautiful , pale visage with shiny, black hair. The feature of profound attraction was her pair of dark, troubled eyes. In a way the writer was mesmerized by the simple beauty and grace oozing out of her personality. â€Å"She stood by my window for some time and neither of us said anything. But when she moved on, I found myself leaving my seat and going to the carriage door. † The use of the words â€Å"I found myself† amply suggests that he was motivated from within to follow that girl. The germination of love in this story does not seem to be unrequited as the girl also gets sparkled up looking at the writer for the second time. In fact her maiden meeting with the writer instills a spark of happiness within her. He writes, â€Å" I watched her as the platform slipped away. She was alone on the platform and she did not move, but she was looking at me and smiling. I watched her until the signal-box in the way, and then the jungle hid the station, but I could still see her standing there alone .. â€Å" 3. What are the unique features of Desai’s prose style ? Ans. Desai is part of a new literary tradition of Indian writing in English which dates back only to the 30s or 40s. She explains that this is because at one time all literature was recited rather than read and that remains the tradition in India. It is still rather a strange act to buy a book and read it, an unusual thing to do. Her new style of writing is also different from that of many Indian writers, as it is much less conservative than Indian literature has been in the past. For these reasons, she says, she is not widely read in India, mainly in Indian universities if at all. Throughout her novels, childrens books, and short stories, Desai focuses on personal struggles and problems of contemporary life that her Indian characters must cope with. She maintains that her primary goal is to discover the truth that is nine-tenths of the iceberg that lies submerged beneath the one-tenth visible portion we call Reality. She portrays the cultural and social changes that India has undergone as she focuses on the incredible power of family and society and the relationships between family members, paying close attention to the trials of women suppressed by Indian society. Desai is praised for her broad understanding on intellectual issues, and for her ability to portray her country so vividly with the way the eastern and western cultures have blended there. 4) Write the character sketch of Daga . Ans. Daga was a contractor who earned huge amount of money. As money begets money, he piled up bundles of notes by hook or by crook. He was involved in the quagmire of immoral deeds like murder, kidnapping, trafficking etc. He had an unsatiating appetite for money and he blew it up on women and alcohol. There was nothing congenial or friendly in Daga’s personality. He did not think twice before slashing anybody from his scheme of life but if someone tried to leave his gang, he would akin it an act of treacherous absconder. For example, there was a man Kannan who wanted to leave Daga’s world of heinous crime but no sooner than this news reached Daga’s ear, he was murdered. When Kailas extricated himself from the company of Daga, he could not take it casually. In spite of Kailas’ escaping to a far off place, in fact a continent away, he managed to find him. To Kailas’ utter discomfort, his greed of money is not quashed. He demanded fifty thousand rupees from him. Kailas tried his level best to make him understand that his current job did not flourish him with unlimited money but Daga was not ready to listen. He was violent enough to have forgotten that Kailas once used to work for him. He used harsh body language while dealing with Kailas. â€Å"If you run again, I will kill you, no matter which gutter you hide in. Tomorrow this time. Fifty thousand. † This threat sent the shivers down Kailas’ spine. He knew that Daga was a killer and that hunting lodge was an ideal place for his murder to be taken place without any news of it to anybody. Finally Daga meets his death as a murderer should die. 5) Write a note on suitability of the title â€Å" Panch Parmeshwar’ . Ans. The story ‘Panch Parmeshwar’ deals with the supremact of

Evaluating Truth and Validity Essay Example for Free

Evaluating Truth and Validity Essay Truth and validity are two different concepts which should not be confused, although they are usually taken as synonyms in common language. In logic, it is said that the argument is valid when the conclusion follows deductively from the premises. While of the premises and the conclusion is that they are true or false, the arguments are said to be valid or invalid. The validity or invalidity of the argument does not depend on its conclusion to be true. According to Moss (2007) â€Å"Understanding Truth aims to illuminate the notion of truth, and the role it plays in our ordinary thought, as well as in our logical, philosophical, and scientific theories. The argument is valid, when you have consistency and sense. It has coherence because the premises do not contradict each other and correspond to the conclusion† (para.12). Therefore, we must distinguish between the concept of truth and validity. Truth is something that is preached propositions or statements. Validity is predicated of the arguments. Truth makes reference to the content, and the validity to the shape or structure of the arguments. This reading will address three scenarios in which it will evaluate each argument, using the 4-step process regarding truth and validity. The first scenario is â€Å"Power must be evil because it can corrupt people.† The first thing this paper will address is if the argument is stated fully and in a clear way. The statement has a hidden premise. The premise expressed of the statement can be view as Power is evil because it creates corruption. Therefore must powerful people are corrupt. The statement has errors affecting truth. From the statement we know that the statement is overgeneralizing its context because it is taking a valid point and it is extending it beyond the limits of reasonableness. Sometimes this statement can be true but we can’t assume all powerful people are evil. The fact that power corrupts all people is a negative statement. All throughout history there has been many of people that had power that were not evil. For Example, Nelson Mandela was a very powerful man in South Africa. According to Vallely (2003) â€Å"His life was an inspiration not just in South Africa but throughout the world, to all who are oppressed and deprived, and to all who  are opposed to oppression and deprivation. He was a model of faith, hope and charity† (para.11). In the other hand, there has been people corrupted that had power. For Example, Adolf Hitler and Napoleon were very powerful and corrupt individuals. According to Napoleon and Hitler (2010) â€Å"Both were heartless and cavalier about the lives of their men (Napoleon: A man like me cares little about losing the lives of a million men; Hitler: I can send the flower of German youth into the hell of war without the slightest pity). As for their legacies, Seward states that Napoleon began the irreversible destruction of the old hierarchical, Christian Europe and the Fuhrer completed it† (para.12). According Kivisto (2013) â€Å"Evil is an entity, person, place or thing that does not deserve compromise or negotiation. It must be destroyed. Dictionary. Reference.com describes it as the force in nature that governs and gives rise to wickedness and sin† (para.2) Also, not all corrupt people are evil. Mexico, for example, is full of corrupt leaders, but in the other hand, there are not evil. Another corrupt organization is the Federation International of Football Association, known as FIFA, but is not evil. How corrupt you have to be to be consider â€Å"Evil†. There are people who are corrupt, but are not in any way evil. In conclusion, it is found that this argument is so flawed that the only thing to do is to throw it out and embrace a different argument. It is found that power if used right ca n do so much good, and if power is in the wrong hands it can do enormous harm. The second scenario talks about â€Å"The credit card habit promotes careless spending, particularly among young people. Therefore, credit card companies should not be permitted to issue credit cards to anyone under age 21. This reading will evaluate truth and validity and also it will talk about the four step process in evaluating an argument. Not all young people are careless spenders. The statement â€Å"The credit card habit promotes careless spending, particularly among young people. Therefore, credit card companies should not be permitted to issue credit cards to anyone under age 21. Is not truth as it is written. From past experiences people came to the conclusion that in fact people under the age of 21 get into a lot of debt from credit cards, but not all the debt is form credit cards. Also, there is a lot of people that have credit card debt and over 21. This reading  notice that this argument is overgeneralizing its context. This statement could be truth at times. According to Herman (2008) â€Å"Credit card companies have been pursuing teenagers and designing credit cards so they can ‘learn’ about the credit system,† says Gary Herman, President of Consolidated Credit. â€Å"And although most teenagers don’t fully understand the repercussions of using a credit card and the impact it can have on their future financial situations, more teens are working and are spending their own money. Credit card companies believe they have hit the jackpot† (para.3). In the other hand, there have been many people who are filled with credit card debt and are over the age of 21. In the following step checking for validity errors, it is found that this statement is somewhat valid. Credit card companies don’t promote careless spending. It is the parent’s responsibilities to teach their kids of proper way s to manage their finances. The argument talks about credit cards are promoting careless spending in which is true, but there is a lot of people under the age of 21 who are responsible for owning a credit card. Not all young people under 21 are careless spenders. The final step is to validate errors, if found; the reading will revise the argument to eliminate them. The credit card habit promotes careless spending, particularly among young people. Therefore, credit card companies should run credit checks on all people applying for one. The third scenario talks about â€Å"Low grades on a college transcript are a handicap in the job market, so teachers who grade harshly are doing students a disservice. To make the expression complete, the reading will identify the premises that are hidden in this argument. Companies take into consideration a lot of factors when it comes to hiring personal, and one of those is how well they did in school to include grades. Employers want productive employees and ones that perform well. If an applicant with good grades apply for a position and another one with bad grades apply nine out of ten the one with the good grades will get the job. Teacher’s main job is to teach coach and mentor them towards their entrance in the job market and to make sure they meet all the requirements of a desired profession. Teachers who grade harshly are doing disserve to students by many different ways. Teachers may deduct points because of lack of participation or attendance, which it doesn’t means he is a bad student but in the other hand he might have job that intervenes with him being on time. This statement  contains an element of truth, yet it is not accurate. According to Belkin (2003) â€Å"The test, called the Collegiate Learning Assessment, provides an objective, benchmarked report card for critical thinking skills, said David Pate, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at St. John Fisher Colleg e, a small liberal-arts school near Rochester, N.Y. The students will be able to use it to go out and market themselves. The test is part of a movement to find new ways to assess the skills of graduates. Employers say grades can be misleading and that they have grown skeptical of college credentials†. (para.3). In the other hand according to McNicol (1999) â€Å"In the independent performance survey of the 25 colleges, Georgian had impressive results, including above-average scores for graduate placement and satisfaction, Georgian officials said. The survey was conducted as part of the accountability initiatives spearheaded by the Ontario Ministry of Education and Training. Called the key performance indicators (KPI) project, it found 90 per cent of 600 Georgian College grads surveyed found work within six months of graduation, slightly higher than the system- wide 89 per cent† (pg.2). In the final step, it will revise the argument to eliminate errors. The statement â€Å"Low grades on a college transcript are a handicap in the job market, so teachers who grade harshly are doing students a disservice† has errors. Not all companies look into college transcripts before they hired a future employee they are several other facts that come in play before the hiring process, for example past experiences, work history, military experience, resume, etc. In conclusion, validity is a property of forms or structures of deductive arguments. It does not mean that their proposals are always true. An invalid form means that even if the premises are true, the conclusion is not necessarily true. Therefore, there are deductive arguments that may be valid, but not true, and, therefore, not solid. References Moss, P. A. (2007). Reconstructing validity. Educational Researcher, 36(8), 470-476. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/216903729?accountid=458 Vallely, P. (2013, Dec 07). Nelson Mandela. The Independent Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1465444822?accountid=458 NAPOLEON AND HITLER. (2010). Kirkus Reviews, Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/915700909?accountid=458 Kivisto, P. (2013). Evil. Choice, 50(5), 976. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1312183109?accountid=458 Herman, G. (2008). Teenagers credit cards. Retrieved from www.consalidatedcredit.org: http://www.consolidatedcredit.org/credit-card-debt/teenagers-and-cards/#back Belkin, D. (2013, Aug 25). Are you ready for the post-college SAT?; employers say they dont trust grade-point averages. Wall Street Journal (Online) Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1427661410?accountid=458 McNichol, P. (1999, Mar 11). Good grades for georgian: Most grads, employers happy with college courses. Sun Times Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/349164482?accountid=458

British Airways Analysing Financial And Non Financial Indicators Tourism Essay

British Airways Analysing Financial And Non Financial Indicators Tourism Essay British Airways is considered as one of the largest international airlines of United Kingdom. British airways Plc and many other subsidiaries companies make the whole British Airways group. Currently, British Airways(BA) covers more than 550 destinations. According to the data of the year 2008/09, more than 34 million passengers have travelled through British Airways. British airways main business operating hub location is Londons Heathrow airport which serves the company with large geographical area. British Airways is also listed in stock exchange of London.. (Company Information, n.d.).The following report will analyse and then evaluates both the indicators of the British Airways ie, financial as well as non-financial by making it compare with the performance of other company, which is Dubai based named as Emirates Airlines. Talking about Emirates Airlines, being launched in 1985 and since then shown the signs as of one of the fastest growing airlines of the worlds airline industr y. Currently, the company covers more than 100 different destinations throughout the world. (The Emirates Group, 2009). Further in the report the evaluation of the performance of both these companies is being done by using ratio analysis and there will also be discussion about the financial performance trend analysis of both the companies in the last few years. This report will also look at the managerial and non financial challenges faced by both of these companies using SWOT analysis, and then talking about the challenges and solutions for those challenges. The last section of this report will discuss and analyses the comment by John Rishton due to adoption of IFRS and also look at the differences between IFRS and US GAAP. Section B The following paragraphs will cover the changes and the financial pressures recently faced by the airline sector. According to keynote report, Factors like increase in the prices of oil during first half of 2008 which seriously affected the operating costs of airlines, then the impact of global recession made the condition even worse as affecting the number of passengers and thus decreased the demand for air travel globally. In response the different airlines companies have abandoned those routes which were unprofitable and also cut down the un-necessary costs. In such a difficult phase of the airline sector, the companies must understand that how its customers are rephrasing value and their reaction in the period of recession, instead of cutting down on the budget which they have planned for the market research. Now we will discuss specifically about the British airways and Emirates airlines, also will consider the different financial and managerial challenges that are faced by the above two companies. SWOT analysis is used as tool to clarify the difference between the both the airlines. SWOT analysis Strengths British airways made a strong brand identity as United Kingdoms leading airlines because of trust and loyalty being showed by its customers. Strong brand identity also brought advantages of economies of scale. There is being a new subsidiary launched by British airways named as, Open Skies, which offers only business class for the traffic between U.S and major European countries. British airways has got huge capacity for its air planes because of its main operating base hub ie, at Heathrow airport and With the proposed merger with Iberia, British airways is aiming to become second largest airline company after Air France of Europe. British airways offers different loyalty programmes for its customers as to make sure the again travel from their airlines only. On the other side Emirates airline has made its brand strong in the marketplace using different advertisements and many sponsorships. One of the main strengths of emirates airline is having its focus on diversified market and the entrance into the cargo shipping proved very beneficial for the company. Emirates airline has made its corporate culture by listening and identifying the needs of its customer. Emirates also has low cost, which is around 30% less than its European competitors. With the opening of emirates terminal 3 at Dubai international airport recently and the continuous ability to renew with improvement in the service gives the emirates airline the strength edge over its competitors. Tim Clark who is the president of emirates airline, stated that the past results of the airlines have exceeded above expectations despite of the increase in jet fuel prices for emirates airlines from US$1.68 upto US$2.78 per gallon by the end of the year. Weakness With the opening of new terminal 5 at Heathrow airport by the British airways, the company faced problems with training of staff, which led in flights being cancelled, complains of missing luggage. Moreover the rising fuel prices led to increase in ticket prices. The slowdown of both the UK and US economies has affected British Airways as the company has become very vulnerable to financial instability. The bankruptcies in the US banking sector decreased the number of premium booking passengers in British airways heavily. The route of Heathrow and New York is having huge traffic of passengers and forms an important part of British airways earning. Therefore, the drop in the bookings of premium class affected the profitability of the company. British airways also suffered from increased in non fuel costs like from staff and the landing charges. For emirates airlines, there is some weakness also associated with it, like it is not being successful in all of its diversification and approaches, which has emerged as a weakness of the company. Analysts have blamed the company for too much emphasizing on high end acquisitions and diversifications in spite of getting the type of results from such decisions. As U.S is a major market for the airline industry and emirates airline does not cater to many places in the U.S., which is also a weakness for the company. Opportunities If British airways will fully acquire the Iberia airlines with currently 13% share, then it will be in the list of the worlds biggest airlines having approximated combined stock market capitalisation worth of EUR 5.5 billion. There is an opportunity for the British airways to expand more in emerging markets like Middle East Region, India, and China. Another opportunity for British Airways is to now improve the operating conditions of its terminal 5 at Heathrow airport. The company should focus on minimum cost of travelling to fulfil customer needs. With the increase of fuel efficient aircrafts of British airways it can minimize the environmental damage, as protection of environment is emerged as an important issue throughout the world. The company should also see an interest of customers towards new places and develop new routes wherever possible. On the other hand for emirates airline the opportunity lies in which, it can use its well developed infrastructure business to go into the new emerging markets where internet adoption is not very well developed. Same as for the British airways, there is also an opportunity for emirates to introduce new routes by observing the interest of customers. As also Dubai and the middle-east region is more advancing for tourism and commercial purpose enables emirates airline to grow. Emirate airline does no pay income tax so this also gives a tax benefit to it. This saves around $250 million of money per year. Also due to close proximity of Dubai from Indian and Pakistan gives a chance to the airline to access hugely available cheap labour. The benefit of cheap labour in the emirates airline can be seen from the figure as from the total operating budget of the company, the cost of labour accounts upto 18% which is very less as compared to Lufthansa airline having 27% and united airlines with 2 9% of cost of labour. Threats The current threat to British airways is from current economic slowed down, increased fuel prices and weaker pound. The global recession has severely affected air transportation. The travel and tourism industry is moving towards including more green practices. There is pressure from European Union on all the airlines companies to limit carbon emissions Across EU. After the events of 11 September 2001, the security measures have been more tighten by the airline companies. There is also strong competition from low cost airlines, cruise and rail transport that constitutes a bigger share in travel market. Low cost carriers are increasingly looking for new routes for customers with affordable ticket price. Another matter of concern for British Airways is the trade union power. The trade union already did many strikes in august 2004 and 2005. Cost of fuel is also can be at risk as the political situation in Iraq is supporting the rise of oil prices, which will result in add up of another à ‚ £100 million to the cost of British Airways. Whereas, there is severe threat on emirates airlines also from its competitors naming Qatar airways and Etihad airways. Due to political instability in middle-east could lead to have a negative impact on emirate airline. Although the cargo commercial and passenger segments of emirates airlines have managed to achieve their targets, but increasing oil prices affected last quarter net income. As more desire of commodity trading affected oil prices due to brokers were not revealing the actual figure of shortage of raw material. 4 Challenges: There are some of the challenges still left out to be tackle by the BA at the time of developing its climate change programme. As the company operate in environment which is uncertain and political environment is just a part of whole environment but it gives challenges like of changing climate. BA has taken various initiatives to face solved these challenges right from developing in-depth understanding on how to face these challenges, keeping debate with government and asking for their cooperation. (British Airways SWOT Analysis, 2006). BA had to face many threats from competition besides the security threats like after the incidence of 9/11 terrorist attack, as its been considered as amongst the world most profit making airlines so for them to lead the industry the competition becomes more stiff for that they not only have to face threats like escalating fuel cost but also have to operate with low cost. BA has been helped by keymetric with 2006 transformational online programs to save nearly about 38 millions. Operating profit has gone down to 80 percent which shows sheer and utmost decrease due to the weak customer confidence and thus reducing the traffic volumes. Challenges are mainly face due to the so many cost which has become hot air balloon and going high, if busted will not beneficial for the company. The cost balloon include so many costs like right from fuel cost, employee cost, cost of engineering, landing fees and besides this, also includes more operations costs due to delay in shifting to terminal 5 like, cargo handling costs, trucking charges, cost of ground equipments, IT and strong euro rate etc. Whereas, Emirates airlines firstly penetrated the market by launching it s routes to the places in west Africa like in Nigeria and Ghana altogether. To sustain in to the market and feel the presence in these two countries there is also a challenge to be able to handle many multilingual issues and the problems with double byte sites. As emirates is present internationally, to manag e its data which is globally spread through internet, the company took the decision of spreading out SDL Tridions content for management solution. With such a decision enabled the Emirates, to cater to wider and variety of audience. As now the customers from all over the world can access to common information available to them. (Simon, 2007) Solution: Aviation industry requires huge sums of investment to operate and it adds risk to the return as well. The main money source of income for firms is shareholder. BA secures its position in the world aviation through focusing its aim towards its prospective shareholders and product betterment with handing cost efficiently. BA aims to achieve unique culture in airline by focussing towards customer and their requirements. BA believes that, differentiating their strategy from their competitors will bring the huge market. After being loosed the battle in to the business class which has been collapsed, after their position has been taken over by Silver Jet Airlines as a business class leader. But after this move in the aviation industry, British Airways took some good decisions like purchasing of Lavion Paris Airline, which was a quiet successful for BA. British Airways is always prepared to the change according to the environment and that alo shows in their course of planned action. BA has released the Terminal 5 which was going through good functioning with 6 million passengers (Marzouqi, N.D.). Emirates on the other hand, had find out a niche for itself as a route for success and not in the way of following others. Unlike BA, emirates was not very much affected by 9/11 incident and also with decline of profit levels, seat factors the company managers didnt shake and through their belief in their company and dedication took them out in such a crisis situation and thus, they were remained profitable. Whereas, other airlines were reducing and laying off their workforce so as to cut down the cost but, emirates didnt do this and their unique working paid off. (Sull, 2005)

The Art of Murder :: The Art of Murder

The Art of Murder In "The Most Dangerous Game" and "Bargain" murder happens.   Certainly, murder is one of the most vile, inhuman crimes a person can commit. Many people commit it willfully and wantonly, but few get away with it without being suspected. General Zaroff got away with murder quite frequently, and Mr. Baumer also did. They were both good at it. Zaroff and Mr. Baumer were the most evil people in "The Most Dangerous Game" and "Bargain" because they were both very sneaky and smart about murdering, they both stacked the deck against their victims, and they were both murderers. General Zaroff and Mr. Baumer were very sneaky and smart at committing the murders. General Zaroff "hunted" humans on an island where many people were afraid of going. He made the shipwrecks look like an accident so that no one would come looking for him or to find possible suspects. He put a large house where he lived in a jungle, where it would be hard for even the most experienced to find by chance. He also "played" with his "game" to think that they would do something that would give them self away so that the killings could be done more sneakily. Mr. Baumer was also very sneaky in committing his act of murder. He wanted Slade dead because he maimed Baumer's hand. He wanted to make it look like an accident. So, he poisoned the liquor which he all but knew that Slade would steal and drink it. He didn't just happen to put the poison in the right place. When Baumer found out Slade was dead, he acted as if it was a surprise to him so that no one would th ink he had something to do with it. General Zaroff and Mr. Baumer were both very smart and sneaky, and they always got away with murder. Both General Zaroff and Mr. Slade stacked the deck against their victims. Zaroff was much more equipped to make his way through the jungle then the sailors. If his hunt took too long, he would send out dogs that could hunt down people with ease. He had much more experience and intelligence than the sailors he used. No sailor was used to walking through such a jungle, with it being so dense and having so many things that could trap them or make it harder to walk through it.

The Cuban Legend of the Owl and the Sijú Essay -- Urban Legends Siju

The Owl and the Sijà º The legend of "La lechuza y el sijà º" ("The Owl and the Sijà º") is a popular and old Cuban legend. I collected this legend on March 17th, when I first talked to Denise Corte, my co-worker at my campus job, about this particular class assignment. She is a Brazilian doctoral student whose thesis is based on a Cuban theater group. She traveled to Cuba to follow this theater group that primarily focuses their plays on Cuban legends. When she heard about my assignment she was enthusiastic, as her dissertation is based on the exploration of Cuban legends. She generously told me about a legend that she had included in her own work, concerning an owl and a sijà º, a nocturnal bird native to Cuba. This legend was told to her in Spanish, so she graciously translated it into English. The patakà ­n (legend of Yoruba) concerns the story of a beautiful, mysterious, and wise princess who lived in a very small country. After a war to expel a tyrant, it was proclaimed that all citizens would be equal. Anyone who wanted to put an end to tyranny would find a home in that land. One day, a traveler from a country enveloped in eternal darkness arrived in search of light. The princess saw him and thought he was sick. Confused, she asked her grandmother what to do: "Oye tres dà ­as al zunzà ºn, otros tres dà ­as al canario. La verdad solo tà º la sabes. El remà ©dio està ¡ en tus manos" ("Listen to the zunzà ºn for three days, and other three days to the canary. Only you know the truth. The remedy is in your hands") answered the grandmother. The princess did as recommended, but the only thing she heard was "mal de amor se cura amando" ("lovesickness is cured by loving"). The traveler also sought the old woman, received the same counsel, and heard ... ...n and achieving equality. Also, the legend focuses on how the truth lives on forever and can be heard only by those who are pure at heart. This is demonstrated by the tree of eternal truths, where the princess told the story about her lover, that would not seem "different than any other tree" to liars. This could lead to the interpretation that, despite the tyranny that they were suffering under, the slaves still had hope that their traditions and beliefs would last forever and would only be heard by those that would understand and appreciate them. Works Cited Ayorinde, Christine. Afro-Cuban Religiosity, Revolution, and National Identity. Gainsville: University Press of Florida, 2004 Brown, David. Santeria Enthroned. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2003. Clark, Mary Ann. "Santeria." 2000. 09 Apr. 2005 http://sparta.rice.edu/~maryc/Santeria.

Antigone or Creon as the Tragic Hero in Antigone Essay -- essays resea

A tragic hero is a character in a play that is known for being dignified but has a flaw that assists in his or her downfall. Antigone is a Greek tragic piece written by Sophocles. In the theatrical production the use of power and morality versus law is evident. The promotion to the conflict was that Creon created a law in which enabled Polynieces, Antigone’s brother, to be buried in the proper way. As it is the way of the gods Antigone found it fit to bury her brother causing her to disobey the law of Thebes. Both Antigone and Creon, the main characters, could represent a tragic hero. However Creon is more eligible for being the tragic hero because he fits the definition. Aristotle’s idea of a tragic hero was that the character was of noble stature. Tragic heroes are great, but not perfect. If they were perfect the audience would not be able to identify with the tragic hero. And lastly the hero's downfall is the fault of their own, the result of free choice, not of acci dent. Creon was the king of the city of Thebes and the father of Haemon and Megara by his wife, Eurydice. As descr...

Domestic violence

Article Critique My article Is about the NFG football player Ray Rice who was caught on video surveillance beating up his fiancà ©Ã‚ ©e viscously until she fell unconscious. In the article it explains that sadly, the NFG has dealt with many domestic violence cases Just as bad as this one. In the criminal case, he can avoid prosecution and a criminal record by completing the pre-trial intervention program. Most people who do such an offence wouldn't be given this option to do instead.Many people believe that since he is professional athlete, he is able to go around the justice system in favor for himself. â€Å"Joana Rice has been supportive of her husband and criticized his indefinite suspension by the NFG†. I chose this quote because I found it very shocking that his fiancà ©Ã‚ ©e that was beaten up by Ray Rice is defending him and accusing the media for getting into their private lives. She is probably doing this out of fear from him.This relates to our Families In Canada class because It shows us what an abusive legislations Is and how the man thinks he Is more dominant then the woman. The mall reason why I chose this article was that It shocked me that his flan ©e was defending him after the incident and said the media should leave them alone. I also chose it because I know this is a regular issue in professional sports. Incidents like this happen a couple times a year and mainly in the NFG. To conclude this article teaches me that this is a bad example for information for parents and families.Class Question: Why do you think Ray Rice's fiancà ©Ã‚ ©e defended him after an incident like this? By: Matthew Tomato's RAY RICE By animators My article is about the NFG football player Ray Rice who was caught on video he is professional athlete, he is able to go around the Justice system in favor for relates to our Families in Canada class because it shows us what an abusive relationship is and how the man thinks he is more dominant then the woman. The m ain reason why I chose this article was that it shocked me that his fiancà ©Ã‚ ©e was Domestic Violence â€Å"A violence that occurs between partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, or cohabitation – to live together as husband and wife, usually without legal or religious sanction. † That's how dictionary. com describes spousal abuse. But to me, spousal abuse is when one person in a marriage sanctified relationship verbally, mentally, emotionally, or physically abuses the other person in the relationship. Many people view domestic violence as only happening to specific races, ethnicities, class, education level or age of the abuser but, surprising to many, it occurs in all social economic, religious, and cultural groups.And it can be the most damaging thing a man or woman could ever go through. In the US, a woman is beaten or assaulted every 9 seconds. At least one in every three women has been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused during her lifetime all around the world. Most often, the abuser is a member of her own family. Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women – more than car accidents, muggings, and rapes combined. Studies suggest that up to 10 million children witness some form of domestic abuse annually.Nearly 1 in 5 teenage girls who have been in a relationship said a boyfriend threatened violence or self-harm if presented with a breakup. Every day in the US, more than three women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends. 92% of women surveyed listed reducing domestic violence and sexual assaults as their top concern. Domestic violence victims lose nearly 8 million days of paid work per year in the US alone – the equivalent of 32,000 full-time jobs.Based on reports from 10 countries, between 55% and 95% of women who had been physically abused by their partners had never contacted non-governmental organizations, shelters, or the police for help. The costs of intimate partner violence in the US alone exceed $5. 8 billion per year: $4. 1 billion are for direct medical and health care ser vices, while productivity losses amount for nearly $1. 8 billion. Men who as children witnessed their parents' domestic violence were twice more likely to abuse their own wives than sons of nonviolent. He always apologized, and sometimes he would even cry because of the bruises he'd made on her arms or legs or her back. He would say that he hated what he'd done, but in the next breath tell her she'd deserved it. That if she'd been more careful, it wouldn't have happened. That if she'd been paying attention or hadn't been so stupid, he wouldn't have lost his temper. † -Nicholas Sparks, Safe Haven. When people think of abuse, they always seem to ask the question: â€Å"Why don't you just leave? ,† â€Å"Why did you stay so long in the first place? ,† â€Å"How could you love someone who did something like that to you? But it's not always that easy. A woman I know very well and am extremely close with was once affected by spousal abuse and she will be the first per son to say leaving was not only the hardest thing she's ever done, but the scariest and most complicated. This woman was beaten numerous times by a husband that â€Å"loved her. † â€Å"At first it wasn't so bad,† she recalls. â€Å"He wasn't always mean. And when he was being nice, I couldn't even remember the times he was being mean. † Abuse is a cycle. It can start out being once a year, once a month, and escalate to being numerous times a day.Abuse works sort of like the cycle of precipitation. When the sun heats up the body of water, it's like the man getting angry. As the water evaporates and rises into the air, it's like the yelling, name calling, emotional aspect of abuse is construed. As the water cools and condenses to become droplets, which form clouds, is when the pushing and the shoving and the slight hitting begin. When the water condenses and falls to the ground as rain or snow, is when the beating begins: the punching, the kicking, the mauling. A nd as the rain collects, is when apologizes and/or crying begins. The worst time was when we beat me so bad I couldn't open my eyes for a week,† my friends confines to me. â€Å"Once he got mad and punched me so hard he cracked my rib. † â€Å"He later got mad and kicked me out of the bed which surfaces the continuation of the breaking of the rib. † â€Å"He would lock my in the basement for hours just because he got mad. † â€Å"He would rip apart my clothes and take a hammer to all the jewelry I owned that wasn't on my body. † â€Å"He cheated on me. † â€Å"He undermined me, called me names, talked to me so bad I thought I was a monster. I would look in the mirror once a day just to brush my hair and put on my makeup. Now, as you read this I know you've asked yourself that universal question: â€Å"Why didn't you just leave? Why'd you let it get so bad? † But think when you were threatened weekly that he would not only kill you, bu t your family, and take your kids, leaving would probably be the last thing on your mind. â€Å"Why didn't you call the cops? † Well, when you wanted nothing more than to pretend that nothing was happening and everything was okay and you were normal just like everyone else, getting law enforcement involved and creating drama was the absolute last thing you wanted.But she did finally get the courage to leave when she thought of her oldest son, and how he'd be starting school soon. How could you send a child to school with them witnessing his mother getting beaten and him be able to actually lead a normal life? And believe me this not something that just happened out of the blue. It was an extraneous plan to get out without him hurting her, her family, and most importantly, their two sons. The story I'll never forget though, is months after she left, going back to pick up her son from the father's supervised visitation, he tried to kill her.Just thinking of this story sends chi lls down my spine and brings tears to my eyes. Their son had an event at Sunday school he was dying to go to, and he could only under one condition†¦ She had to go pick him up by herself. Thinking back upon this, she realizes what a stupid decision she made but at the time, she was focused on her the wants of her child. As she arrived at his house, she approached the door, having a gut feeling that something was really wrong but she suffaced the feeling and went inside to get her boy.Upon departure, the man that had formerly beaten her asked if he could walk her to the car. This was weird because he never asked for permission, but she just shrugged it off and agreed to it, which would prove later to be the worst decision of her life. As she reached over to buckle in her oldest son, she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up, she knew something horrendous was momentarily about to happen. She turned around to her former husband, the former love of her life, blatantly stab bing her repeatedly in the chest with the sheer intention to murder her.As she sat there pressing against the steering wheel as hard as she could, her two children screaming bloody murder, this man, who â€Å"loved this woman more than that anything on the planet,† jabbed a knife into her chest twelve different times. If it hadn't been the man's mother running outside to see what all the commotion was about, this woman probably won't be here today. The woman is strongest, most courageous, most beautiful woman I know. She is my role model. She was dealt the worst card a life could of been dealt and struggled through it and is now one of the most happy women on the planet.This woman has been there for me through thick and thin. She is a pinochle of strength. She is the prime example that abuse could most possibly be the worst thing on this planet, but you can get through and even though at the time it make seem like it, it's not the end of the world. Just remember next you hear a story of abuse and think, â€Å"Why didn't they just leave? ,† think back to this woman story. See her struggles and difficulties. See how hard it was to escape. Next, time don't just judge the book by the cover. Open it up and read a few pages first. Abuse is an extremely serious thing that shouldn't be ignored.I know I sound like one of those commercials telling to call someone, let someone know it's happening to you. But it's the truth. The sooner you come out to someone about it, the closer you are to getting the courage to leave once and for all. Remember, it's not going to be an easy process but, in life, you have to work for the things you truly want and are truly important to you. And remember, you're not the only one. This happens to women all over the world. You're not alone, take a stand. By: Chelsea Fenwick 3rd Period * Statistics and facts taken from http://domesticviolencestatistics. org/domestic-violence-statistics/ Domestic violence Article Critique My article Is about the NFG football player Ray Rice who was caught on video surveillance beating up his fiancà ©Ã‚ ©e viscously until she fell unconscious. In the article it explains that sadly, the NFG has dealt with many domestic violence cases Just as bad as this one. In the criminal case, he can avoid prosecution and a criminal record by completing the pre-trial intervention program. Most people who do such an offence wouldn't be given this option to do instead.Many people believe that since he is professional athlete, he is able to go around the justice system in favor for himself. â€Å"Joana Rice has been supportive of her husband and criticized his indefinite suspension by the NFG†. I chose this quote because I found it very shocking that his fiancà ©Ã‚ ©e that was beaten up by Ray Rice is defending him and accusing the media for getting into their private lives. She is probably doing this out of fear from him.This relates to our Families In Canada class because It shows us what an abusive legislations Is and how the man thinks he Is more dominant then the woman. The mall reason why I chose this article was that It shocked me that his flan ©e was defending him after the incident and said the media should leave them alone. I also chose it because I know this is a regular issue in professional sports. Incidents like this happen a couple times a year and mainly in the NFG. To conclude this article teaches me that this is a bad example for information for parents and families.Class Question: Why do you think Ray Rice's fiancà ©Ã‚ ©e defended him after an incident like this? By: Matthew Tomato's RAY RICE By animators My article is about the NFG football player Ray Rice who was caught on video he is professional athlete, he is able to go around the Justice system in favor for relates to our Families in Canada class because it shows us what an abusive relationship is and how the man thinks he is more dominant then the woman. The m ain reason why I chose this article was that it shocked me that his fiancà ©Ã‚ ©e was