Marriott Corporation” the Cost of Capital Essay

What is the weighted average cost of capital for the Marriott Corporation and cost of capital for each of its divisions? – What risk-free rate and risk premium did you use to calculate the cost of equity? – How did you measure the cost of debt? – How did you measure the beta for each division? Solution What risk-free rate and risk premium did you use to calculate the cost of equity? – Risk-free rate proxy The risk-free rate is determined using the yields of U.S. Treasury securities, which are risk-free from default risk. U.S. Treasuries are subject to interest rate risk, therefore, the selected maturity should correspond to an investment horizon[1]. – Investment horizon According to the cost-of-capital calculation methodology used by Marriott Corporation, lodging division was treated as long-term, while restaurant and contract services divisions were treated as short-term because those assets had shorter useful lives. – Expected return proxy Arithmetic average return is more suitable than geometric mean as it is better in estimating an investment’s expected return over a future horizon based on its past performance (geometric mean is a better description of long-term historical performance of an investment). – Risk-free interest rate Taking into account the above, arithmetic average annual returns of long-term U.S. government bonds for the period 1951-1987 (4.88%, see Appendix 1) is  considered to be risk-free rate for lodging division. Arithmetic average annual returns of short-term U.S. government bonds for year 1987 (5.46%, see Case Exhibit 4) is considered to be risk-free rate for restaurant and contract services divisions. – Market proxy S&P 500 index is selected as a market proxy as it is believed to be close to the true market portfolio. As it is important to use historical returns for the same market index used to calculate beta (which is given), an assumption is made that the given leverage data is calculated based on the same S&P 500 index. – Market risk premium Market risk premium should be calculated for the same horizon as that used for the risk-free interest rate. Thus a spread between S&P 500 composite returns and long-term U.S. government bond returns for the period 1951-1987 (7.88%, see Appendix 2) is a market risk premium for lodging division. A spread between S&P 500 composite returns and short-term U.S. government bond returns for year 1987 (-0.23%, see Case Exhibit 5) is a market risk premium for restaurant and contract services divisions. How did you measure the cost of debt? Marriott Corporation and each division are given market value-target leverage ratios and credit spreads as well as U.S. government interest rates as of April 1988 (see Case Tables A and B). According to investment horizons discussed above, the following cost of debt is estimated: How did you measure the beta for each division? Ideally, when estimating beta by using past returns, time interval should be consistent with an investment horizon. Betas given in Case Exhibit 3 are estimated over 1986-1987 period. As these are the only betas given, they are assumed to be relevant for both long-term and short-term investment horizons. Equity betas of each division are calculated from comparable hotel and restaurant companies. Equity betas are then unlevered taking into account financing structure of each company according to the following formula: [pic], where Tax = 40% An average of unlevered betas of comparable companies is assumed to be a proxy for unlevered betas of Marriott divisions. For calculations of unlevered betas for each division see Appendix 4. What is the weighted average cost of capital for the Marriott Corporation and cost of capital for each of its divisions? WACC is calculated according to the formula given in the case taking into account the tax shield. Cost of equity is calculated according to CAPM model.

Reporting Practices and Ethics Essay

The four elements of financial management are planning, controlling, organizing and directing, and decision making. These four elements will be defined and explained in this paper. Also emphasized will be the accepted accounting principles and the general financial ethical standards. Examples of ethical standards of conduct and financial reporting practices will be explored and notated in this paper as well. All of these points are important in the accounting practice of health care management to help the organizations run smoothly and to be financially stable. Four Elements of Financial Management Planning lets a health care organization set goals and guidelines to make sure their office is a success and that all accomplishments are met. Controlling is ensuring that all areas within the healthcare organization are following goals and guidelines set and gives the organization the opportunity to prepare for any issues that may arise. Organizing and directing ensures that the health care organization is working to its potential and allows them to work on a day to day basis and fix any issues that may be looming. Lastly, decision making works off all of the other elements (planning, controlling, organizing and directing) by collecting information and making the final decisions on how the financial management will work. General Accepted Accounting Principles â€Å"The common set of accounting principles, standards and procedures that companies use to compile their financial statements. GAAP are a combination of authoritative standards (set by policy boards) and simply the commonly accepted ways of recording and reporting accounting information† (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles , n.d.). Even with GAAP being a set of  standards, there are still companies that will finagle numbers on their financial statements, so their financial statements will have to be scrutinized tremendously. General Financial Ethical Standards â€Å"Ethical standards are determined largely by professional accounting and finance organizations and the Financial Accounting Standards Board. Small-business owners who plan to perform their own accounting services or hire accountants should be aware of accounting principles and general financial ethical standards so they can maintain a positive reputation for their businesses† (Morley, n.d.). Competence is one of the ethical standards that is key for a financial officer to uphold in an organization. Financial managers should follow the GAAP and stay up to date with its guidelines. They should also uphold honesty and integrity. Examples of Ethical Standards of Conduct Ethical standards of conduct is a set of standards that each company sets for themselves. There is no consistent standards of conduct for a business, but they must include, promoting values, trust, good behavior, fairness, and kindness. They are not easily enforceable and are always open to interpretation. For example, men and women should be treated equally or treat the patient with respect. Nightingale Home Healthcare code of ethics are direct and descriptive. Some of their ethical standards of conduct are listed as: â€Å"all business conduct should be well above the minimum standards required by the law, each employee is responsible for the consequences of his or her actions, each employee must be the guardian of Nightingale’s ethics, leaders at Nightingale have extra responsibility of setting an example by their personal performance and an attitude that conveys Nightingales ethical values, our first responsibility is to the patient and patient’s families that we p rovide our services† (Corporate Social Responsibility-Code of Ethics , n.d.). There are numerous points of their code of ethics but they serve a purpose and that purpose to make sure their company is ran efficiently and respectfully. Financial Reporting Practices â€Å"A distinguishing characteristic of high performance organizations is a strong internal control structure-controls that ensure patient care,  compliance with regulations, internal efficiencies, and financial reporting. It is controls on financial reporting that are receiving a great deal of attention under a new law, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Public companies are now required by law to document controls over financial reporting, in order to fully address exposures and the effectiveness of current controls. Though many healthcare organizations are not directly affected by the law, regulatory agencies could follow suit and require similar compliance. In fact, several states have introduced bills that require nonprofit organizations to adhere to portions of the act. This article provides a guide for organizations desiring to stay ahead of the curve† (Godwin & Mueller, 2005). Significance The significance of these examples are that there are ethics that need to be followed within any organization but in a healthcare organization it is extremely important because you handle patients and to ensure the comfort of these patients, a code of ethics need to be enforced for the organization. It is also important to ensure that financial reporting is done, so all finances stay up to date on a legal manner. It helps to show revenue, liability, and expenses and helps control the business effectively. References Corporate Social Responsibility-Code of Ethics . (n.d.). Retrieved from Nightingale Home Healthcare : http://www.homecareforyou.com/about/code.html Generally Accepted Accounting Principles . (n.d.). Retrieved from Investopedia : http://www.investopedia.com/terms/g/gaap.asp Godwin, N., & Mueller, J. (2005). Fiancial Reporting Practices: A Comprehensive Evaluation. School of Accountancy, Auburn University. Morley, M. (n.d.). Accounting Principles and General Financial Ethical Standards . Retrieved from Small Business Chronicle: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/accounting-principles- general-financial-ethical-standards-36283.html

Assignment: Economics Essay

1. Economists in Funlandia, a closed economy, have collected the following information about the economy for a particular year: Economists also estimate that the investment function is:  where r is the country’s real interest rate, expressed as a percentage. Calculate private saving, public saving, national saving, investment, and the equilibrium interest rate. Please note: national savings is not related to the interest rate, which means that the supply curve for loanable funds is vertical. (15 points) Private Savings= Y-T-C 10000-1500-6000= 2500 Public Saving= T-G 1500-1700= -200 National Saving= S=(Y-T-C)+(T-G)=(10000-1500-6000)+(1500-1700)= 2300 Investing= I=Y-C-G 10000-6000-1700= 2300 Real interest rate I = 3,300-100r , 100r = 3,300-I 100r = 3,300-2300 ( I=2300) 100r = 1000 100r/100 = 1000/100 (dividing it by 100) r = 10 2. In the summer of 2010, Congress passed a far-reaching financial reform to prevent another financial crisis like the one experienced in 2008-2009. Consider the following possibilities: a. Suppose that, by requiring firms to comply with strict regulations, the bill increases the costs of investment. On a well-labeled graph, show the consequences of the bill on the market for loanable funds. Be sure to specify changes in the equilibrium interest rate and the level of saving and investment. What are the effects of the bill on long-run economic growth (recall: higher investment would increase capital and capital per worker)? (7 points) i. The demand loanable would decline along with the equilibrium. The saving and investments will decline as well hence giving the economy a lower rate for the future. ii. b. Suppose, on the other hand, that by effectively regulating the financial system, the bill increases savers’ confidence in the financial system. Show the consequences of the policy in this situation on a new graph, again noting changes in the equilibrium interest rate and the level of saving and investment. Again evaluate the effects on long run growth. (7 points) i. The supply of loanable funds would increase. The interest rate will decrease while the savings and investments will increase. Which will let the economy growth for the future, ii. Problems for Chapter 14 3. According to an old myth, Native Americans sold the island of Manhattan 400 years ago for $24. If they had access to a financial investment that yielded an interest rate of 7% per year, how much would they have today? (8 points) a. (1.07)^400 x 24= $13.6 Trillion 4. For each of the following kinds of insurance, give an example of a behavior that can be called moral hazard and another example of behavior that can be called adverse selection: a. Medical insurance (6 points) i. A sick person is more likely to apply to medical insurance compared to a healthy person. Meaning it’s an adverse selection. A healthy person may get health insurance too but now he may less likely to take care of himself, this would be a moral hazard. b. Car insurance (6 points) i. A risky driver is more likely to apply for car insurance, this would be an adverse selection. Or once a driver has insurance, they may be driving more reckless, this would be a moral hazrd. 5. For each of the following pairs of bonds, which bond would you expect to pay a higher interest rate? Explain. (5 points each) a. A bond of the US government or a bond of an Eastern European government i. Eastern European because non-US bonds will include risk premiums and also have higher interest rates b. A bond that repays the principal in 2015 or a bond that  repays the principal in 2040 i. 2040 because higher maturity requires higher interest rate. c. A bond from Coca-Cola or a bond from a software company that run in your garage i. The software company due to not being well known so it would be a higher interest rate. d. A bond issued by the federal government or a bond issued by the state of New York i. Definitely federal government because they are not tax-exempted compared to municipal bonds 6. When company executives buy and sell stock based on private information they obtain as part of their jobs, they are engaged in insider trading. a. Give an example of inside information that might be useful for buying or selling stock. (6 points) i. Information on new products or any government involvement that may affect the firm b. Those who trade stocks based on inside information usually earn very high rates of return. Does this fact violate the efficient markets hypothesis? (6 points) i. Who does trade with inside information is not violating the efficient market hypothesis. The hypothesis includes all available information about the future of the firm. Inside information is not available to the public meaning the price of the stock doesn’t reflect this. c. Insider trading is illegal. Why do you suppose that is? (5 points) i. It’s illegal for sure due to the fact that it gives others an unfair advantage over everyone else who doesn’t have access to this. 7. Jamal has a utility function , where W is his wealth in millions of dollars and U is the utility that he obtains. a. Graph Jamal’s utility function. Is he risk averse? Explain. (7 points) i. 1. He is risk averse because of his chances of getting more money for more risk. b. In the final stage of a game show, the host offers Jamal a choice between: i. $4 million for sure ii. A gamble that pays $1 million with 60% probability and $9 million with 40% probability Should Jamal pick choice i or choice ii? Hint: evaluate the utility that Jamal would expect to receive in choice i and choice ii. Jamal would expect to receive utility in the amount of the weighted average of the possible outcomes, where the probabilities are the weights. (7 points) E(Utility) = 0.6*U(1000000) + 0.4*U(9000000) = 0.6*0 + 0.4*1 = 0.4 Jamel should pick option one because he has a only 40% in order to get the 9 million but it might not worth it because he could end up back at 1 million.

A&P Discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

A&P Discussion - Essay Example The five-liter per minute blood flow indicates how the fatty materials have built up along the arterial walls that the volumetric blood rate becomes this low. (2) Immunosuppressive Disorder, otherwise known as immunodeficiency disorder, pertains to any condition that impairs the ability of a human body to combat infections as such disorder suppresses a natural response of the immune system to an antigen. Besides being genetically transferred, it may be acquired in the form as AIDS and one may obtain the virus responsible for it through sexual intercourse or transfusion with a contaminated blood or needles. This sensitive condition would normally require isolation of an immunosuppressive person for becoming increasing prone to infections. Health care environment may put the person to a higher risk of exposure to factors that worsen his situation since there are several other ill patients who possess contagious disease that may readily spread in the open and bring about different types of infections at varying degree. (3) G.I.

The Logic and Evidental Problem of Evil Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Logic and Evidental Problem of Evil - Essay Example All materials presented in this paper will come from class notes and a secondary source. Logical Problem of Evil Atheist J.L Mackie presented this argument where he argued that there is a contradiction between the existence of God and the existence of evil (Kelly 218). Mackie formulated his argument that there seems to be an evident contradiction between four main premises. One of them is that God is an omnipotent (Kelly 219). This premise translates that God is all-powerful, meaning that he is supposed to have the power of eliminating all evil that exists in this world (Meister 132). The second premise is that God is an omniscient. This second premise translates that God is all-knowing, meaning that he could have the ability to detect the occurrence and existence of evil in order to prevent or eliminate it. The third premise according to Mackie is that God is Omni-benevolent (Meister 132). This argument translates that God is all-good, meaning he would have the will to prevent all t he evils from happening in this world (Meister 132). The fourth premise indicates that evil and suffering exists in this world (Meister 132). This premise translates that there is evidence of moral and natural evil existence in this world. Reflecting on all of the above four premises Mackie concluded that God does not exist. The above four premises leads to a contradiction between the existence if evil and God. This derives to a point that God does not exist. For example, it is easy to reject the premise that God is omnipotent. This is because if God is not able to stop evil and most importantly know before it occurs in order to do something to stop it, then probably there is no God. There is also a possibility to reject the second premise; God is omniscient, by stating that if God is really all knowing, he could have the ability to stop evil. The above information indicates that no one is able to know what individuals can do even God himself. Moreover, this means that if God does e xist, evil occurs and surprises even him. It is also possible to reject the third premise indicating that God is Omni-benevolent. This is because if God is perfect good, he ought to have the ability of knowing when evil might occur and then have the power to stop it. However, it seems that God does not care about evil and possible he does not have the ability to stop it. Rejecting the first three premises translates into the fourth one, evil and suffering exists, and therefore giving a possible conclusion that there is no God. The Evidential Argument One of the well-known individuals who have firmly supported the evidential argument is William Rowe (Kelly 220). Through the evidential argument, Rowe and many other philosophers argue that much of the evils that people experiences in this world seem to be pointless. Rowe presented his arguments on four main statements. One of the statements indicated â€Å"E†, is an evil that no one established its justifier. However, many peopl e especially philosophers have been trying to find the justifier without any success. The second statement according to Rowe shows there is a high probability â€Å"E† has no justifier. The third statement indicates that if there are some evil that depict to have no justifier, then all the facts presented on theism about God depicts to be false (Meister 135). The fourth statement as presented by Rowe then concludes there is a high probability that theism is false. According the above statements

The Nurses Role in Wound Care in the Community Essay

The Nurses Role in Wound Care in the Community - Essay Example Community-based leg ulcer clinics have shown to be very effective; however, there is a need to adopt a well-organised leg ulcer aftercare delivery to reduce the recurrence of leg ulceration and improve the quality of life. Research also revealed that there are significant lacunae with respect to nurse’s knowledge of the principles and practice of wound care. The strategies to improve nurse’s knowledge and future developments in wound care are discussed. The dissertation concludes with recommendations that more high quality clinical research trials be conducted in the future to assess the efficacy of various dressings and adopting the NICE guidelines and the TELER system. Recommendations are also made to conduct a comprehensive education program for nurses at all levels of training and practice. A wound care certification program and an online distance-learning package for acute and chronic wounds for nurses are also recommended. Over the past few decades, the protocols in wound management has changed and evolved rapidly. There has been a shift from dry to moist healing and an increasing trend in the use of modern dressings. Wound management alone leads to a massive drain on health care resources. Diabetic foot ulcers, venous leg ulcers, and pressure sores are frequently encountered clinical conditions and many of these conditions are chronic, leading to repeat visits. There has therefore, been an emphasis on proper wound care and the search for an ideal dressing continues to this day. The aim of this dissertation is to review the literature related to wound care regarding the principles and practice of wound care, methods of wound evaluation and the role that nurses play in wound care management in the community. Both electronic database search and manual search was made for literature related to wound care. Electronic database search included PUBMED and MEDLINE searches. The keywords used included â€Å"wound care,† â€Å"wound

A Systematic Comparison Between Traditional and Agile Methods Essay

A Systematic Comparison Between Traditional and Agile Methods - Essay Example Project management is a methodical technique to managing and scheduling project resources and tasks from inauguration to completion. However, these tasks and resources are separated into five stages, i.e. initiation, planning, executing, controlling, and completion or termination of the project. In fact, this standard format of the project management can be used for almost every kind of project, in view of the fact that its basic purpose is to systematize the different processes of project development (Kerzner, 2006; Haughey, 2009; TechTarget, 2008). Normally, the project management techniques are classified into two categories: traditional project management and agile project management. In traditional project management, project plans and cost estimates are normally developed once, in a front-loaded mode, and the remaining activities of a project involve adjusting to reality. On the other hand, in agile project management, every iteration is an opportunity to go back over the plan and adjust to reality for the next iteration (Freedman, 2010). Traditional project management approaches Traditional project management works fine for a lot of projects and environments. Actually, traditional project management makes use of the traditional tools and techniques for management and solving problems. In simple words, â€Å"the traditional project management is 'a collection of tools and techniques that can be used to perform an operation that seeks an end product, outcome, or a service†. These traditional tools and techniques can include the use of PERT chart and Gantt chart to estimate the schedule or plan the project (TutorialsPoint, 2012). The major advantage of the traditional project management methods is that they are plan driven and they follow a sequence and management approach to project development. Thus, the use of the traditional project management methods allows completing a complex project in a sequential phase wise manner where all the requirements are collected and approved at the beginning. And on the basis of these requirements software design is completed next and finally master design is executed to build high quality software. Another advantage of the traditional software development methods is they are very well-organized and purposeful planning and control methods. These methods allow us to recognize the distinct project life cycles (Rehman et al., 2010; Szalvay, 2004; Serena, 2007). Despite a lot of advantages associated with these methods, they have certain drawbacks as well. According to these methods, all the project requirements must be completed and approved before the project is initialized. On the other hand, in case of a large size and complex projects it is not possible to collect all the requirements before beginning the project. Hence, we will need to make some changes to the project requirements which will change design and as a result the entire project development will be affected (Rehman et al., 2010; Szalvay, 2004; Serena, 2007). In addition, the traditional project management methods are aimed at dealing with large size development projects, and the issues and challenges in determining and handling these endeavours to effectively carry results. Additionally, these methods were a great deal

3. Report - Base on Case study Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

3. Report - Base on Case study - Assignment Example Cliff Lewis has been ranked the highest for providing adequate support to the employees for the growth of the department. Before appointing Cliff Lewis as a head of the Department of Town Planning, the department consisted of 55 employees. It has been identified that out of 55 employees, 35 are appointed for technical purpose, 5 are appointed as a project directors and 5 are appointed as expert coordinator. Moreover, rest of 5 employees are appointed for the administrative support. On the other hand, the Department of Economic Development is ascertained to be organised in an effective manner. Cliff Lewis has been identified to be making efforts to design the department in an organised manner. The Department of Economic Development has been restructured by Cliff Lewis by developing four business units with 25 employees. The employees are recognised to be assigned with specific job roles based on which operations are needed to be performed. The Department of Town Planning is suffering from a poor infrastructure. It has been also observed that the Department of Town Planning has failed to achieve several responsibilities within the due time. In this regard, numerous conflicts have been witnessed with the organisation for increasing complexities and lack of business effectiveness (Rochdale Borough Council, 2015a; Hickman & Banister, 2007). It is expected that after being appointed in the position of Head of Planning for South Berkshire Borough Council, Cliff Lewis has been planning to bring various changes in its operational performances as well as structural base. Cliff Lewis has decided to develop a new planning relating to Town Planning and Development Department (Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, 2000). More elaborately, it can be ascertained that Town Planning is a part of national law of the country. Initially, Cliff Lewis has been planning to develop a

Why Money Chases Cheap Labor Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Why Money Chases Cheap Labor - Assignment Example According to Di Stefano, â€Å"capital, the resource that fuels our industries, has to seek the lowest labor costs in order for companies to survive† (â€Å"Why Money Chases Cheap Labor,† Lower Costs sect.). The second part of the article takes the reader to the loci of cheap labor. While America’s own cheap labor was situated in the southern states, Asian countries, such as Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, China, and India, were picking up slowly in the cheap labor market (Di Stefano, â€Å"Why Money Chases Cheap Labor â€Å"). The third and last section of the article stimulates the future of American firms and employment with its section titled as â€Å"Where Are We Headed?† The writer then answers his own question by pointing out that while â€Å"America obviously cannot compete effectively with the labor costs of developing nations,† competition then lies to America’s technology and science sectors (Di Stefano, â€Å"Why Money Chases Cheap Labor†). International Business Issues Outsourcing is considered an international business issue. In fact, its impacts are subject to steamy debates and multi-perspective arguments, which inevitably make it a sensitive issue for the host and headquartered country. Outsourcing sensitivity lies on the border of the gain on the host country and the consequent loss in the headquartered country.

Pick on topic from my uploaded resources Assignment

Pick on topic from my uploaded resources - Assignment Example Economists determine recession with the help of some conventional Macroeconomic indicators like Investment Spending, employment, business profits, capacity utilization, household income and inflation. If the general level of all these macroeconomic indicators is falling, then the economy is most likely to encounter recession. It is pertinent to mention here that as the level of these indicators fall, the level of unemployment and bankruptcies rise on the other hand. The two most important factors that have significant importance on levels of recession are Unemployment and Inflation. In the time of 1930s, when our world encountered Great Depression, most economies of the modern world like Germany were facing hyperinflation. Inflation exceeding the boundaries of Galloping Inflation can make the economy go down thousand times faster .Moreover, inflation accompanying unemployment causes the economy to collapse completely. Recession can be controlled by implementing different policies and by triggering different factors. Countries usually try to overcome recession by announcing sound and stringent Fiscal and Monetary policies. Interest Rates are raised and unemployment is eradicated with the help of different schemes and policies. We know that the global oil market is a complete oligopoly being run by a few powerful oil exporting countries and consortiums. The oligopoly of oil Market is very strong because of the fact that the International demand for oil barrels is relatively inelastic. Due to this reason, leading oil exporting countries have taken the market completely and are running the market according to their own terms and conditions. This type of competition in the global oil market has made the prices inflexible. With the fact that the prices of many other things are dependent on the rates of oil which is being obtained from the global oil market, therefore, oil being a complementary good controls the pricing

How to make the world a better place to live in Essay Example for Free

How to make the world a better place to live in Essay There is nothing which can be done to totally improve the worlds condition presently. However, there is something which can de done for the betterment of the worlds condition. The main point which could affect the condition of the world is Education. Education provides people with knowledge, communication skills, discipline, and also with dignity. Educations purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one said Malcolm Forbes. The supporting idea which could improve the worlds current situation is Religion. Religion provides people with a belief system consisting of discipline, tradition, culture, and morality. Matthew Arnold had said that the true meaning of religion is thus not simply morality, but morality touched with emotion. Last thing that might help is looking at the world in a social aspect. Being social gives us a more understanding character, and it gives us more information about the current issues which at least makes us not ignorant, and it also makes us more open to people. If a person has knowledge, good communication skills, discipline, dignity, a belief system consisting of traditions, cultures, and moral values, understanding, not ignorant, and more open, than that person could cause no harm or trouble to anyone. If billions of people view the world as an educational, religious, and also a social place, then the condition of the world would be greatly improved and would be a heaven to some people. Today, people have no time to do anything. They are so busy working that they dont even know what is going on around them. All they want to do is to earn money. Money is everything for everyone these days. Money brings happiness to people nowadays, which is totally wrong. Money can never bring peace in anyones life. Money can actually ruin a persons life by bringing jealousy, and proud into that person. If a person has a lot of money, he tends to have more power on others, which usually leads to an evil act or a selfish act. Billions of people look at the world in an economic view which is the cause of all the politics tensions, wars, and all different kinds of riots and disasters. However, if people look at the world in different aspects, the world could be a better place to live in. Educations purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one said Malcolm Forbes. Education can improve the worlds condition greatly. Without  Education, people would just live like cavemen and cavewomen. They will have no idea about anything. If everyone in this world is educated, there would be fewer problems in the world for example, over population. Education provides people with knowledge, communication skills, discipline, and also with dignity. From knowledge, we learn, understand, and analyze. We need to learn in order to know how things work. We understand by the learning and by all this learning and understanding, we can analyze things. From good communication skills, we tend to communicate well with others with created a better understanding between others. From discipline, people get self-control. Having self-control is always good because you know how and when to act. Lastly, from dignity, people learn how to respect themselves which brings in them an optimistic view. Education can provide all these qualities in a person. Education can make the worlds condition better which would create fewer problems in the world. The true meaning of religion is thus not simply morality, but morality touched with emotion said Matthew Arnold. Religion could also improve the condition of the world with the support of education. Without religion, people would have no belief system or any traditions and cultures. People would not have any history of their own backgrounds and their ethnic values. A religion teaches us what is good and what is bad for us. Religion provides people with a belief system consisting of discipline, tradition, culture, and morality. We need a belief system in order to keep a systematic schedule between work and also personal life. We need discipline because we need self-control. Having self-control is always good because you know how and when to act. We need traditions and cultures because without traditions and cultures, we will just live out lives as a robot. We will not have any festivals and will not believe in anyone or God. Traditions and cultures affect the way we look at things and also affect our thinking. Our traditions and cultures make us act as we do. Lastly, religion provides us with moral values. We need moral values in order to know what is good and what is bad for us. Without religion, we are nothing but just a bunch of people looking at the world in a very practical view with results in selfishness. Supported with education, and religion, looking at the world in a social aspect also helps to improve the worlds condition. If a person is not socially involved, it is likely that that person would have fewer knowledge of what is going on around the world as that person would not discuss about current affairs with others. That person would also not know other people properly which could results in disaster especially during bad times when you need someones help. Being social gives us a more understanding character, and it gives us more information about the current issues which at least makes us not ignorant, and it also makes us more open to people. You need to be more understanding in order for you to make good relationship with other people which make it easier to be socially involved. If you are more understanding, people will tend to talk to you more, which could result in being open with other people. Being socially involved can be very enjoyable yet also could be very benefici al. If billions of people view the world as an educational, religious, and also a social place, then the condition of the world would be greatly improved and would be a heaven to some people. Education provides people with knowledge, communication skills, discipline, and also with dignity. Religion provides people with a belief system consisting of discipline, tradition, culture, and morality. Being social gives us a more understanding character, and it gives us more information about the current issues which at least makes us not ignorant, and it also makes us more open to people. If a person has knowledge, good communication skills, discipline, dignity, a belief system consisting of traditions, cultures, and moral values, understanding, not ignorant, and more open, than that person could cause no harm or trouble to anyone. Education is needed because it makes a person who he/she really is and what his/her capabilities are. Religion is needed because it is necessary for every individual in a society. Being social is needed in order for your own recognition in a society. Every person needs to be educated, religious, and also social. These are the three aspects of life. Billions of peoples life could be enhanced if everyone views this world in these three aspects.

The Creation Story of Ancient Babylon Essay Example for Free

The Creation Story of Ancient Babylon Essay The Enuma Elish is one of the most famous stories in the Babylonian corpus of mythology. It is a creation story that is erroneously through to have led to the creation story in Genesis. Some, such as Bracher (2006) hold that this story is no more than the recitation of much older stories personifying the agricultural movement between birth (Spring) and death (later fall, after the harvest). The two major figures are Tiamat and Apsu, both gods of water, but two distinct properties of water: the one, the water used to fertilize fields, water that is fresh and good, but the other, salty and chaotic, the goddess of the Ocean, that is Tiamat. Timat, the female, with her husband Apsu gives birth to two gods of intermediate rank: that of the sky, and their names are Anshar and Kishar. These gods begin, like so many gods do, by behaving badly, and they ultimately need to be destroyed. Eah, the grandson of Tiamat, once this plan to have them destroyed is realized, he seeks to murder his grandfather Apsu. Once this is done, Eah and Damkina, his wife, give birth to the chief of the Babylonian pantheon, Marduk, the patron of the city and of Babylonian civilization. So far, it is quite a stretch to see how this has anything to do with the story of creation found in Genesis. Marduk is similar to the Greek god Apollo, for he the god of the sun, of geometry and order, all things necessary to build a city. He is the god of â€Å"re-creation† or re-creating an allegedly bad earth through the ingenuity of man, urban, civilized man. Once the murder of Apsu is discovered, Tiamat marries again and seeks to wreak havoc on the children and grandchildren. In the first tablet (section 90), Marduk is described in this way: He rendered him perfect and endowed him with a double godhead. Greatly exalted was he above them, exceeding throughout. Perfect were his members beyond comprehension, Unsuited for understanding, difficult to perceive. Four were his eyes, four were his ears; When he moved his lips, fire blazed forth. Tiamat, as said before, is chaos. She is the sea, not only dangerous, but useless in that one cannot drink it and one cannot grow crops by watering them with it. She, however, is a perennial element in the universe, the chaos of which all urban, civilized societies fear. The second tablet says: â€Å"Her decrees are firm, they are beyond resisting. † In other words, all civilizations fail. Man and technics can only go so far in taming her. He is the primal nature seeking revenge against the forces of man who have slashed into her with civilization: with technology (that Babylon had in abundance,) building of stone and cutting down trees of fuel and building materials. It seems here that Marduk is this god of civilization, that needs to â€Å"cut into† Tiamat in order to build their civilization. That the Babylonians had learned to harness water might have something to do with this fear of chaos. At the end of section 20 of Tablet II, this description of Tiamat’s army is given: She has set up the Viper, the Dragon, and the Sphinx, The Great-Lion, the Mad-Dog, and the Scorpion-Man, Mighty lion-demons, the Dragon-Fly, the Centaur Bearing weapons that spare not, fearless in battle Many of these objects and creatures became part of later mythological constructions. The Sphinx is the most fascinating, but its adoption by Egypt makes little sense, not only in that the two civilizations were bitter enemies, but that if the Sphinx is part of the arsenal of disorder, in that it works for Tiamat, how was it adopted as a major figure by Egypt? The Great Lion was used in Israel and Ethiopia, the Dragon is well known throughout ancient mythology of both eastern and western background (a dragon is just an old name for the dinosaur). It seems that this anti-pantheon is very important to mythology and might speak of either the land based forces of chaos and their affect on man (i. e. the scorpion man). In the meantime, Eah has learned of Tiamat’s plan, but it is clear that resisting her is futile. As both Eah and Anu both fail to stop this vengeful symbol of chaos and the passions, there is great fear from the progeny of the first couple, through it must be said that this second tablet is damaged, and only so much can be taken from it. The only one that has the ability to stand up to the forces of chaos now is Marduk himself, and ths is the purpose of tablet III. Significantly, section 130 of Tablet III has Marduk confronting chaos with rhetoric of civilization: Unalterable shall be what I may bring into being; Neither recalled nor changed shall be the command of my lips! Now hasten here and promptly fix for him your decrees, That he may go forth to face your mighty foe! When Lahmu and Lahamu heard this, they cried out aloud, All the Igigi wailed in distress: How strange that they should have made this decision! We cannot fathom the doings of Tiamat! They made ready to leave on their journey, All the great gods who decree the fates Several issues bear discussion at this point. First, Marduk, the god of order and civilization, says that his life will be forever. â€Å"Unalterable shall be what I bring into being. † But what he brings into being is identical to Apollo. Civilization and order, man’s fight against an alleged â€Å"mal-formed† universe, the very heart of Gnosticism and the secret societies who claim ( to this day) to have preserved the wisdom of Apollo, Marduk and Osiris. A council of the gods is called in the beginning of Tablet IV. This council suggests a sort of divine oligarchy of power that will be imitated in Babylon, an oligarchy of wealth, as all civilizations are. The wisdom of Marduk, it seems, is only for the powerful. The gods need to test his abilities, and a test is the destruction and re-creation of matter, things that science, with some reservations, says is impossible. The creation and re-creation of prime matter (really any matter) is the real holy grail for science, since it would permit the scientific elite to create (or re-create) the world nearly from zero, it is the grail of true revolution (cf Hoffman, 2001, for a detailed discussion of this). He passes this particular test and makes a cloak disappear and re-appear, a trick that has substantial ritual overtones. What is interesting here is that Marduk is no dictator, he is commissioned, as some say, to fight Tiamat by the council or pantheon of gods, all springing from the original union of Tiamat and Apsu. His weapons are the four winds of destruction, which seems to suggest that the forces of order can use, but not necessarily control, the forces of disorder for their own purposes (e. g. the water wheel, or the use of wind to harness power). It is this wind, and the chariot of destruction that Marduk rides, that eventually with destroy Tiamat: she is â€Å"inflated† by the use of the winds of destruction, and she is then killed by an arrow. With the carcass of Tiamat, Marduk will fashion the earth, with its laws, joining form with matter, as well as â€Å"setting the bounds† of the waters in an ordered universe. I’m still waiting to see exactly how this has anything to do with the Genesis story that many authors claim show â€Å"unmistakable† connections (see Heidel, 1966). At the very end of Tablet IV, at section 150 (which is apparently cut off) it is written: He crossed the heavens and surveyed the regions. He squared Apsus quarter, the abode of Nudimmud, As the lord measured the dimensions of Apsu. The Great Abode, its likeness, he fixed as Esharra, The Great Abode, Esharra, which he made as the firmament. Anu, Enlil, and Ea he made occupy their places. This is of immense importance, since out of chaos, civilization is born, everything, both man and matter, â€Å"has its place† and function with the rationally organized whole. But in order to do this, Marduk and his allies needed the â€Å"tablets† of knowledge that the goddess of Chaos had. But Tablet IV says that â€Å"these are not rightly his† (first line, section 130). Hence, the manipulation and destruction of the pristine nature (rather than chaos) is not the right of civilization. Marduk has created civilization and ordered the universe with form and number, law and regularity that civilization will take as its hallmark. But Marduk has no right to do this. His is the right of conquest. Tablet V is the most interesting of all the sections of this story. It is really the description of the infusion of order and number into chaos. It is the creation of the universe by the infusing of wisdom, that is, form, into chaos, that is, matter. The seasons of the agricultural year are ordered in the cycle of birth and death that already plants the seeds (so to speak) of all civilization’s eventual destruction. He creates the planets and their movements, and lastly, given the law giving of the natural world, he creates the human city, the lowest of the orders of nature, law of the city is the law of form in matter. It is the later natural law theory of human relations. This section of the tablet sums it up: Below I have hardened the ground for a building site, I will build a house, it will be my luxurious abode. I will found therein its temple, I will appoint its inner rooms, I will establish my sovereignty. When you come up from the Apsu for assembly, You will spend the night in it, it is there to receive all of you. When you descend from heaven for assembly, You will spend the night in it, it is there to receive all of you. I will call its name Babylon which means the houses of the great gods, I shall build it with the skill of craftsmen (section 130) This is likely the most important section of the story, in that it describes, not an Adam and Eve in a non-civilized paradise ordered by God, but civilization, the domination of men over nature under the decrees of Marduk. Nothing more different could be imagined. It is worth noting that only after Cain had killed his brother is the first city formed. The city is the place of sin, the place where the elite oppress the poor in the name of law and order. In the Babylonian story, it is the opposite, the very structure of Marduk’s wisdom is manifest in the city, that is a city only in that it is established by the sovereignty of Marduk. Tablet VI is the story of human creation, again without the slightest relation to the Hebrew story. Man, in short, is created by the blood of the second husband of Tiamat, the leader and instigator of the revenge on Tiamat’s progeny, and that is Kingu. Man is created with the blood of the first rebel, the consort of the goddess of chaos. Man is created, basically, to work as slaves for the gods, to manifest their wisdom and order at the lowest, material level. Several issues should be taken from the above: first, that man is a creation of two forces, light and darkness, chaos and order, wisdom and passion. These are opposite in the sense of bearing dialectical movement to higher and higher levels of synthesis. Second, that this is the pagan wisdom so beloved of the Masons and other societies, it is the beginnings of magic. Magic, given the above, is the ability to balance the order of the universe with its underlying drive to destruction and atomization. Force is at the root of this synthesis: force brought order and chaos together, form and matter. Force destroyed Tiamat, force created the world. Hence, all is force, all is manipulation. Magic takes its start from here. Man will not rest content begin the plaything of the Gods. He is made from the blood of rebellion, yet the order of the universe is to be found in him. This IS the very foundation of magic: making of one’s own order, not the god’s order. The creation and re-creation of matter in the council where Marduk proves his mettle is a symbolic and ritual form that shows the coming rebellion of men: to seek the power of the gods for themselves, for them to become gods themselves. This later myth is brought to fruition in Prometheus and Lucifer. Marduk and his creation of man is the fulness of man’s development, through it is far from clear that this development is a good thing. Civilization partakes of both forms of existence, chaos and order: it uses order in its general affairs, seeks the domination of Tiamat through technology, but also uses chaos, things such as subterfuge, massacre in war and other devices to maintain this order. Order is self defeating in that it must, like Marduk himself, use disorder in the maintenance of order. These two principles of the universe are at the root of all paganism: the moral equivalence of light and dark, order and disorder. There is no sin, only inappropriateness, something that any good magician would know. The nature of pagan religion here is manifest in the last Tablet: Who produces riches and treasures, establishes abundance; Who has turned all our wants to plenty; Whose favoring breeze we felt in sore distress. Let them speak, let them exalt, let them sing his praises! (Section 30) Marduk is not a god of mercy or of goodness, but he is the later Baal, the god who one approaches to ask for things. Through civilization, Marduk gives prosperity and treasure, but at a price. Civilization demands sacrifice, sacrifice through war, accident, disease and overcrowding. It seems that only the elite will share in Marduk’s wisdom. It is the continued multiplication of want and desire. It is the never ending cycle of spring and winter, want and satisfaction, good and bad, life and death, war and peace. References: Enuma Elish. (2006) Translated and Introduced by Dennis Bratcher. CRI Institute Press. Hoffman, Michael. (2001) Secret Societies and Psychological Warfare. Independent Press. (Excellent resource for explaining how the ancient pagan creation myths are used by modern civilization as a form of control). Heidel, Alexander. (1963). The Babylonian Genesis. University of Chicago Press.

What Impact did the Conquest have on Aztec Society?

What Impact did the Conquest have on Aztec Society? The discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492 was the catalyst for change that had been long awaited in European society. After hundreds of years of living in Asias shadow, the sun was finally rising over Europe and their newly conquered land. But we mustnt forget that the New World was not necessarily new to the indigenous peoples of the Americas. By the time Hernà ¡n Cortà ©s arrived in Mexico, the Aztecs had already established a society that had been successfully functioning for many years, complete with a teeming capital that rivaled European cities. However, the Spanish were able to decapitate their society and permanently change it. Simultaneously, they were able change the way society functioned in their homeland in Europe. But how did the Spanish accomplish the conquest of the Aztec Empire and what happened after they did? The discovery and conquest of the Aztec empire, while beneficial to European society in both the New and Old World, leaves Aztec societ y decapitated and virtually unrecognizable The fall of the Aztec empire to Hernà ¡n Cortà ©s and his army was the necessary first step in controlling this area of the Americas. Hernà ¡n Cortà ©s, a Spaniard on an unsanctioned expedition landed on the coast of Mexico in early1519, was searching for the rumored gold and great cities of Mexico.  [1]  He arrived in the city of Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec Empire, later that year.  [2]  At this time in the early 16th century, Tenochtitlan was one of the largest cities in the world, boasting a population of over 200,000 people.  [3]  According to records, the Spanish were dazzled by the city and had never seen anything like it before.  [4]  The Aztec empire as a whole, run by an emperor named Montezuma, had authority over 5 million people in the area that is now known as Mexico.  [5]  Cortà ©s first attempt to conquer the Aztecs failed miserably and he was quickly forced to retreat. However, he returned in 1521with indigenous allies from surroundi ng areas and was able to decapitate their society. He did this by exploiting cultural and political weaknesses of the empire. First of all, the Aztecs were not accustomed to traditional European warfare. Their fighting had always been ceremonial, not for bloodshed. The Europeans were merciless in their efforts to conquer the empire. Secondly, Cortà ©s disrupts the political structure of the empire very quickly by defeating Montezuma. The Aztecs were highly dependent upon their hierarchal structure, and without an emperor, they were unable to effectively organize resistance.  [6]  They were left in a state of chaos and were finally forced to surrender to the conquistadors after 3 months of warfare.  [7]  For the Aztecs, this surrender to the Spanish meant the permanent loss of their political and cultural society. The Spanish did not just deal a mortal blow to the political structure and culture of Tenochtitlan; they also wiped thousands of its residents off the face of the planet. This, however, was not intentional. The Aztecs had never been exposed to European diseases such as influenza and smallpox, and therefore were extremely susceptible to these illnesses. Smallpox was particularly contagious and deadly. Using the Spaniards as a vessel, it killed over 80 percent, which was approximately 11 million people, of the original population of Tenochtitlan.  [8]  It is difficult to fathom how the Aztecs felt as they watched millions of people die around them in an inexplicable manner. The psychological effect was inevitably devastating.  [9]  This demographic collapse further weakened the empire and left it more susceptible to European control and exploitation. If the destruction of the political structure had not been enough to conquer the Aztec Empire, such an overwhelming loss of the o riginal population did. The fall of the Aztec empire, while a devastation to its indigenous people, was a significant achievement for Hernà ¡n Cortà ©s and his army of conquistadors. After bringing Tenochtitlan to the ground, the Europeans assumed the responsibility of power in the area, which meant they needed to construct a new legal framework. Spains new viceroyalty was appropriately named New Spain and its capital was called Mexico City.  [10]  The Spanish crown appointed Hernà ¡n Cortà ©s governor and established a system much like feudalism that had been seen in earlier European society. In the encomienda system, conquistadors were given land and labor, and in return they had to house the indigenous people and provide them with a Christian education.  [11]  This system did not work as effectively as originally planned. Since the Spanish crown was across the ocean, it was not able to enforce the system. In many cases, the Spanish treated the Aztecs as slaves. In hopes of expanding European society into the area, the indigenous people ultimately lost their religion, their culture, their freedom, and their dignity under this system. Promoting religion in the New World was not only a way for Europeans to legitimize their conquests, but it was a way for them to spread their ideas and exert control in the New World.  [12]  Former religious institutions of the Aztec Empire were considered blasphemy to the Spanish Christians, and by 1521 the Spanish had destroyed 600 temples and 20,000 idols. Outnumbered, the indigenous peoples adopted Christianity without much hesitation.  [13]  The Spanish did make efforts to incorporate Aztecan aspects into the new religious society. They allowed indigenous peoples to be a part of the administrative structure of the church. They also replaced traditional church costumes with Spanish garments.  [14]  Just like in Europe, Christianity became an integral part of society in New Spain. Back in the old world, people heard stories of the magnificent conquest of Mexico and developed a desire to go to the New World. This was a good thing, especially following the depletion of 80% of the original population of Tenochtitlan (lecture).  [15]  This introduction of people from the old world created a society of new ethnic diversity. There were the two original groups of people: the Spanish and the indigenous Aztecs. From the earliest interactions between these groups, Spanish males and Aztecan women bred and created a new breed of people called the mestizo (Darwin 64). The Spanish eventually introduced African slaves into society as a source of labor, and they bred with the Spanish and the Aztecs to and developed the mulatto community (Darwin 64).  [16]  This interbreeding created a hierarchal society based upon race, with the Spanish whites, or criolles on top. The new creole society in New Spain was a direct consequence of the European conquest of Aztec society, f or it never would have transpired without them. The Spanish encountered a plethora of new resources in New Spain, but the one good they valued above all others was mineral wealth. The presence of gold and silver in the New World was one of the strongest factors that encouraged colonization (Darwin 63). The discovery of huge supplies of silver at Zacatecas in the Mexico area impacted the New World, the Old World, and beyond (Darwin 63).  [17]  Firstly, it allowed for the development of technologies. Silver has to be purified when it is mined, and the mercury required for purification came from Iberia and Croatia. The lighting in the silver mines is provided by candles made from the fat of cattle. Labor comes from the indigenous inhabitants. When the bullion is shipped over to Europe, it truly makes a huge impact on society. A radical increase in monetization is seen. (lecture)  [18]  . When Asians hear of this, they demand that they become a part of trade. It changed the way in which the Europeans interacted with the Asians . Prior to this, the Europeans tiptoed around the edges of the Asian continent and were seen as nothing but pests. (Darwin pg 59).  [19]  Silver becomes the first truly global commodity. The discovery of silver allows for European expansion into the east and the west, impacting the societies of Europe, Asia, and the Aztecs simultaneously. We mustnt forget how the conquest of the Aztec Empire influenced society across the Atlantic Ocean in the Old World. The discovery of the Americas as a whole challenged the worldviews of European society and exposed them to new natural history and geography. Maps played a major role in 16th century Europe. During this century we see the emergence of the Waldseemuller maps in 1507, which have become known as the birth certificate of America (exhibit).  [20]  Hernà ¡n Cortà ©s also creates a map, this one of his conquered city of Tetnochtitlan. He sends it to Europe and it becomes the first depiction Europeans see of their newly acquired land. And, according to scholar Barbara E. Mundy, the map assumed a symbolic function in supporting Cortà ©ss just conquest of the Amerindian empire. (article)  [21]  In addition to maps, books and art became popular ways of depicting the New World for those who lived thousands of miles away. Bernal Diaz del Castillo, an infantry man of Cort à ©s, wrote about his adventures in New Spain. He tells the story of myself and my comrades, all true conquerors, who served His Majesty in the discovery, conquest, pacification, and settlementà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦of New Spain (exhibit).  [22]  This collection of anecdotes is a classic, even today. The maps, books, and paintings that came from the Old World painted a picture of the New World for European society, enriching their knowledge and enhancing their worldviews. In discussing the impact of the discovery and conquest of the Aztec empire on both American and European societies, one must understand that Hernà ¡n Cortà ©s and his conquistadors ultimately destroyed a once flourishing and dazzling Aztec Empire in hopes of expanding that of the Europeans. This was very clearly a win-lose situation that favored the Europeans. The once great Aztec society was quickly robbed of its culture, religion, and a large majority of its indigenous peoples, and was left with no hope of regaining it. Ultimately, there was no Aztec society left after 1521. It was merely a new European society founded upon the skeleton of the former empire. After the decapitation of the Aztecs, the conquistadors brought in their religion and new political structure and imposed it upon the few remaining indigenous peoples. Tecnotichlan became virtually unrecognizable, both by name and by the new creole society. Back in Europe, the continent was benefitting from the knowledge and goods brought back from the New World. As tragic as the situation may sound for the Aztecs, discoveries and conquests like this happened quite frequently during this time period. It should not be forgotten that Europeans, while an emerging dominant world power during this time period, did not necessarily get there by honest and diplomatic means.

roman architecture Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The city of Rome has many of the great architectural feats of the ancient world. Many of these buildings and other assorted structures, although they were built around 2000 years ago, are still standing and even in use. At the start of Roman history, they imported their marble from another great ancient city; Greece. However, they did eventually find quarries in northern Italy that held an abundance of white marble. This marble helped them become the great architectural city that we see even in present times.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Later on, in the first century AD, the Romans began to use concrete in greater use. The architects of Rome used this concrete to make many structures including domes, arches, and vaults. They added bricks to these structures to improve the strength of the building. After adding the bricks, they put on an extra layer of marble for decoration.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the biggest improvements that the Romans made in architecture was the invention of the arch. These arches added a great amount of weight to the structure. To help support this weight, the Romans invented a type of building material that is called a keystone block. The force on top of the arch was directed down to this keystone block. Because of the shape of the keystone block, this force was then pushed through the voussoir blocks that formed the top of the arch. The force then went through the impost and the piers, finally ending up at ...

The Servants of Twilight :: Free Essay Writer

The Servants of Twilight I recently read a mystery novel called The Servants of Twilight by Dean R. Koontz. Joey Scavello, a six-year-old boy, is the main focus of the book. His mother, Christine Scavello, owns a gourmet shop in Newport Beach, California. Together, the two live in Costa Mesa, a city near Los Angeles. The Church of Twilight, headed by a supposedly psychic woman named Grace Spivey, is the main force against Joey Scavello. Charlie Harrison is a private detective who helps the Scavello family evade the clutches of the members of The Church of Twilight, who are called The Servants of Twilight. It begins on a sunny afternoon in 1985 in the parking lot of a Costa Mesa mall. Christine Scavello and her son are walking to their car when an old woman appears and begins to shout, "He must die!" toward Joey, and rants the phrase, "Don't you know what he is?" Later, they see the same woman outside a window at their house and then she calls them on the phone several times, again saying that Joey must die. It is then that they decide to hire a private investigator. They go to the office of Charlie Harrison and he immediately gives them two bodyguards and a man to keep watch on their house. A while after they get home, two men come with guns, invade the house, and kill the bodyguards. Joey and Christine manage to escape, but know they must go to another city to be safe. After much research, they find that the people following them are from The Church of Twilight, lead by the old woman who confronted them at the mall, Grace Spivey. Eventually, they travel with Charlie all the way from Los Angeles to the mountains of Sacramento, trying to get rid of the "Twilighters". However, every time they stop in a city to rest, the "Twilighters" show up, again attempting to kill Joey. Grace Spivey uses her psychic powers to locate the boy. She believes that six-year old Joey is the antichrist and the son of the devil. She thinks he will rule the world for a thousand years if she does not kill him. The group ends up at Charlie's cabin in the mountains near Sacramento and they believe they are safe from the ten members of the church following them. However, they are wrong, as Spivey and her followers show up for the final confrontation.

Analysis of The Rocking Horse Winner Essay -- Literary Analysis, D. H.

Certain individuals have a drive that can lead them to achieve what they desire most. In the Short story â€Å"The Rocking Horse Winner†, D.H Lawrence showcases this through character motivation and symbolism. He further this using pursuit of desire, and how if you take it to a certain extent it can result in tragedy if the individual chooses not to conform. Paul wants to please his mother because his mother feels that there family has no luck, but Paul proclaims that he is lucky. Paul suddenly becomes consumed with this sudden spree of good luck and feels this is the only way he will be able to gain to the affection of his mother. D.H Lawrence reveals that Paul has a certain flaw that turns him to believe that the only way he will be able to gain his mothers love and affection is by winning money in the horse races. He leads this pursuit of desire to the standards he thought he wanted to, but not to the standards that would have achieved what he wanted, which leads to his dow n fall. When individuals desire love from another, they may choose to conform their beliefs and actions to that person. At first they may feel successful, however if they sacrifice everything, in pursuing this kind of goal, they may pay a heavy price instead of gaining there hearts desire. Paul desire his mother’s love more than anything. However he believes he needs to prove he is lucky. He struggles to prove that he is to make his mother happy. Paul wants his mother to love him more than anything. For Paul’s mother money equals luck, and this will gain her love. â€Å"There must be more money†(19). He hears these voices throughout the house. They hear these voices when hey are receiving items of joy, especially around Christmas time. The other children can h... ...eparate paths, one for the money, and another for his mother. This ultimately leads to Paul’s demise. â€Å"Mother, did I ever tell you/No you did not†(34) He never told his mother what he was doing for her. He wanted to gain her love more than anything. He conformed to a certain path that he thought would be able to achieve his ultimate desire. Paul wanted to gain the love his mother more than anything. He chose to conform to the path of luck. While pursing this personal desire, he became overwhelmed with in it and this ultimately led to his demise. If he would have been able to control his desire it may have been able to save him from tragedy. When an individual chooses to conform to meet the ideals of another individual in order to achieve there own personal desire, they can not sacrifice everything for that persons ideals because it can often result in tragedy.

Our Bog Is Dood Essay

This poem is a conversation between two people, a female and a set of children. The female asks the children to explain to her why their God is good. When the children can’t agree on a reason on why their God is good they begin questioning their faith. In the first stanza of the poem you can tell that the poem is a conversation between children and an older female. â€Å"They lisped in accents mild† this line shows that they are talking about children. When children are young they usually slur in their words. â€Å"My darling little child? † confirms that the poem is between little children and an older person. It’s safe to say that our Bog is dood can be translated into our God is good. The poem starts off with what seems like the children chanting out God is good. When the older woman asks them to explain why their God is good the children get upset because they believe their faith is being questioned. In the second stanza the children respond by saying they know that their God is good because that’s what they wish. They kids say they don’t need a reason to believe that their God is good. This shows that these child a blind faith towards their God. The children are very prideful of their God who they blindly follow. They also accuse anyone who doesn’t agree or believe in their God are sinners. â€Å"You shall be crucified† the blind faith that these children posses causes these children to turn to violence towards nonbelievers. In the third stanza the older woman again asks the children what’s so good about your God. She asks them how do you know that your God is good. The children react to her questions by bowing their heads and praying. The children say that they belong to their God and that they belong to their God. At the end of this stanza I felt that the tone of the poem changes. It goes from our God is good to our God is dead. In the fourth stanza begins with the children raising their heads after being questioned about their faith. The children become upset with each other because they can’t agree on what is good about their God. Each of the children had a different definition for what was good. They all had conflicting views about their faith. In the fifth stanza the older lady leaves the children after she gets them to question their faith. She left because she didn’t want to see them realizing that they had a false image of God. She felt as if it was better to just walk away and leave the children alone. The last three lines of the poem I believe that the â€Å"encroaching sea† is religion in general. People blindly follow God and it gets to a point where they are going to drown in the religion. I believe that the children in the poem follow God because that’s probably the only thing that has been taught to them and when they begin questioning their faith it feels like they don’t have anything else to believe in. The last line in the poem shows that the older woman has not been sucked into religious conformity. The theme of this poem is about blindly following religion. The poem is basically a conversation between an older woman and a couple of children. The poem begins with the children firmly believing that their God is good, but then when they are asked to give reason why they begin to question themselves. The children aren’t able to agree on a reason why their God is good and this is where the tone in the poem shifts to our God is dead. The older female in this poem makes the children realize that they are blindly following something that they know nothing about.

Prometheus Bound Essay

In the play â€Å"Prometheus Bound† by Aeschylus, it states ideas about the concept of power through force. The play deals with conflict between force and intelligence which realates to the main concept of power and force. At the beginning of the play, Hephaestus is joined by Kratos, who represents power, and Bia, representing force. Heaphaestus chains Prometheus while Kratos abuses him and Bia stays silent throughtout the enchaintment. While Hephaestus has sympathy for Prometheus, Kratos reminds him that this is Zeus’ punishment for stealing fire from the gods and giving it to mankind. When Prometheus tried to use his intelligence to help humanity by giving them the gift of fire, Zeus responds by using his force to punish Prometheus. Throughout the play, Prometheus knowledge makes it clear that without him, Zeus will fall by a power greater than his own. For this reason, Force can be an advantage than knowledge, but it cannot remain indefinitely without it. On pg 1(lines 4-11), it says â€Å"Ordained thee by the Father-to enchain this malefactor on yon mountain crags†¦.. and check his charity for man. This is significant because Prrometheus stole fire from the gods and Zeus, all powerful, punishes Prometheus by sending his assistants, Kratos (power) and Bia (force) with Hephaestus to enchain Prometheus to a mountain. Therefore, Zeus has the power and control over the other gods and immortals. Secondly, on pg. 43 (lines 12-16) continued on pg. 44 (lines 1-3) it says â€Å"No rack nor pillory can cause Zeus devise to move or make manifest these things†¦. not thus will he consrain my tongue to tell By whose hand he from tyranny shall fall. This is significant because Prometheus has the knowledge about the overthrow of power of Zeus. For this reason, knowledge or force beats power. Prometheus is a powerless immortal and victim of an unjust powerful god, Zeus, who rules by demands and laws. In this conflict, the idea that force requires thought and guidance to sustain it. Therefore, Aeschylus is stating that a resolution between knowledge and force can work together to avoid destruction. Prometheus knowledge, signifies that the idea that thought must be sustained. In this case, his judgement will save Zeus but his opposition to Zeus leads on the path to resolution.

Catullus One

Catullus was a Roman poet in the 1st century BCE. His poems were known for being differently written from what his contemporaries were writing at the time. While others were writing more â€Å"manly† poetry, about their sexual conquests, Catullus was less racy in his writings. In his â€Å"Poem 1†, Catullus is dedicating his new poetry to a man named Cornelius. While not a love poem like he usually wrote, â€Å"Poem 1† shows several aspects of Roman culture and gives us a glimpse of how Romans tried to make a lasting impression on the world of the future.In â€Å"Poem 1†, Catullus is simply dedicating his new poetry to Cornelius. He says that Cornelius â€Å"had the habit of making much of my poetic little†, which seems as if Catullus is saying that Cornelius made his poetry more of a big deal than it was worth. This may mean that Cornelius was very excited to be reading Catullus' poetry, implying that the two were friends, or that Cornelius was jus t an admirer of Catullus'. This is reinforced by the next line which states, â€Å"†¦ the first in Italy, were boldly unfolding all past ages in three volumes†¦ . In Rome, at this point in history, preserving one's legacy was a very important task to undertake. It was on the mind of most every notable Roman.Whether it was through great acts committed in the name of Rome or through great works of literature, everyone wanted to be remembered far down the line. What we see in Catullus' â€Å"Poem 1† is this notion of eternal preservation. Catullus says that he will give his new collection to Cornelius and that he hopes that, â€Å"for the sake of its patron may it survive a century or better. This shows the Roman preoccupation with the preservation of their legacy. Catullus' poem may also show the Roman idea of amicitia, or friendship. In Rome, friendship could be an actual friendship, where those involved have a sort of admiration and respect for each other, or a ci rcle of favors where one Roman would do a favor for another. It is possible that Catullus says that he will dedicate this poem to Cornelius as a return of a favor that Cornelius did for Catullus or in order for Cornelius to does him a favor later down the line.But it seems more likely, based on the way that he writes, that Cornelius and Catullus are good friends and Catullus is preserving his friend's name at the same time as he is trying preserve his own and to secure his legacy. The poem is ambiguous in the fact that it does not come right out and say whether Catullus is being sarcastic with his words. As stated earlier, it seems that the relationship between Catullus and Cornelius is one of friendship. However, there is room for interpretation towards the sarcastic side of Catullus' writing.It could be that Cornelius is a critic of Catullus, who tries to make little of his great works of literature. The dedication could actually be a jab at Cornelius if he is in fact a critic of Catullus' writing. Catullus has used his poems to attack his critics before, as in â€Å"Poem Sixteen†. He used his poetry to attack two critics, Aurelius and Furius, who were criticizing Catullus' less than masculine writing style. These aspects of Roman culture, the preservation of legacies and the concept of amicitia, are shown not only in Catullus' work, but also in other writings from the time.Many letters from Cicero to various correspondents show the value of amicitia, both the true friendship and the circle of favors that were both part of this friendship. When he writes to and about Tiro, it is shown that there will be an exchange of favors as Cicero has recently freed Tiro, who was his servant. In exchange, Tiro will be indebted to Cicero and will have to perform a service for him later to repay this favor. The preservation of legacies is apparent in other readings by Catullus as well. In â€Å"Poems 68 and 101†, Catullus uses his poetry to preserve the legac y of other men.He tells us of a friend of his named Allius and of his brother. This man, Allius, aided Catullus after the death of Catullus' brother. He offered him a home to stay under and the mistress of the house to take care of him. This poem also exemplifies the Roman favor system. In repayment for his aid to Catullus, Allius' legacy was preserved in â€Å"Poem 68†. Catullus' brother was also preserved in these poems. He tells us of the grief that he feels in the wake of his brother's death, and by doing so tells us of his brother. Catullus was a very strange writer to read.His poems could vary in subject matter from his obsession over Lesbia, to attacking his critics, to how he has writer's block after the death of his brother. However, his poems did accomplish one of the most important of Roman goals. He was remembered. And through our remembrance of Catullus, we are given a small glimpse into Roman society in his life and what was valued by that society. In addition t o this, we also remember many other Roman men who he preserved with his poetry. Without the efforts of Catullus and many others in their attempts to be remembered, we would not have the wealth of information that we do today about life in Rome.

What annoys me about the British Weather

British Weather, three words: unpredictable, torturous and unbearable. We have all experienced the excruciatingly painful rain drops plummeting full speed onto our hoods or umbrella’s, haven’t we? Well we live in England of course. As you prepare to leave home, you take one quick glance out of the window, and you see the blazing red hot sun shining, you can actually feel the warm radiation hitting your skin and the last thing on your mind is to remember to take an umbrella or a jacket with you just in case. As you casually walk across the street to the bus stop you have an unexpected encounter with one of your ‘footy mad’ friends who just talks about football. After he bores you to death and then finally leaves things get one notch worse, out of nowhere, completely unexpected you feel this cold spit on your face, few seconds later you endure a torrential torrent of rain blasting onto your body within ten seconds you are drenched in water, unfortunately this has happened to most of us. This diabolical problem needs a solution and the weather forecast is not it. The arrogant weather who miserably dictates us the weather is entirely useless and unreliable. As a BBC clone he talks in that Standard English tone, as you listen you understand that all the information he is presenting to you is all gibberish. The next day you find out that the weather ‘somehow’ turns out to be the complete opposite of what the weather forecast predicted yesterday. So there you have it, the met office should just give up on forecasting the weather because they are completely hopeless. Another point is not the sudden change of weather but the despicably messed up seasons. You never know what you are going to get with British weather it constantly is on the move, there is cold weather in the summer and it’s warm in the winter, this year alone the snow is overdue it’s been expected and hasn’t arrived YET. From the bottom of my heart I would like to tell all of you people who want to visit England that it is not a holiday destination, at all especially in terms of weather. What you will get is not a relaxing, sunny holiday, but mainly an endless pour of rain which blasts on to you like a cannon of water, if you want to experience true English weather then book your tickets in winter as it might be very warm. Britain never inevitably fails to disappoint or leave you feeling in utter despair, whether it is in sport in their terrible world cup campaign or in this case when you want beautiful weather for a special day and it ends up disappointing you. It is always important to always be prepared with a brolly or a coat even if you end up looking like an utter fool in a winter coat like you’re going hiking in the arctic in the hottest day of the year. Cold weather comes natural to the UK and from past experience I get use to this sort of climate as if it was second nature. One of the worst moments is when you have to a spend a depressing Monday of your holidays locked inside at home, bored and in a dull displeasing atmosphere starring obliviously out of the window at the grey, dismal sky. Where droplets of rain are rolling down the window, and you can hear the thunderous cascading rain hitting the roof. At this moment in time you are hopelessly hoping that eventually this annoying rainy weather will just stop! What really ticks me off is that the winter weather causes many disruptions to the public transport system, not that it was the most efficient method of travel anyway. It also causes many businesses and schools to close early which plays mostly in favour for school students. Roads are blocked by the snow and this irritates drivers because they are blinded by the fog, this is disastrous for the economy apparently, because Britain is always caught unprepared even though we experience snowy and foggy conditions almost every year. In summary: don’t even bother to listen to the weather forecast as they talk complete nonsense, and make sure your prepared at least take a coat because it could start raining after all we do live in England.

American Involvment in World War I Essay Example for Free

American Involvment in World War I Essay This investigation assesses American involvement in World War I before military intervention, and how this led to military intervention. In order to assess these causes, one must examine America’s involvement in the war before combat, the events that launched America’s military intervention in the war, American sentiments about the war before military intervention, and Woodrow Wilson’s actions before the war. Two sources used in the essay, America’s Great War: World War One and the American Experience by Robert H.   Ziegler and Woodrow Wilson’s speech to congress on April 2nd, 1917 are evaluated for their origins, values, purposes and limitations. The investigation does not asses the pre-war situations of any countries but the United States, and does not asses American military involvement during the First World War Summary Of Evidence Prior to 1917, America was already deeply involved in the First World War, though they did not have troops fighting in the trenches overseas. First, American involvement in the war was purely as a producer and creditor to the Allied Powers. The war, while catastrophic for the countries involved in its atrophied trench battles, provided America with an astronomical boost to its economy, from 2 billion dollars in exported materials in 1913 to nearly 6 billion dollars in exports in 1916. This economic boom was mainly brought on by Britain’s dependency on American foodstuffs and manufactured goods.. The economic ties between America and Britain tightened with public subscription loans. By 1917, Britain had borrowed 2. 7 billion dollars from American creditors. Historian Paul Koistinen wrote â€Å"Without American supplies, Britain could not continue the war; without American financing of almost 10$ million a day †¦ Britain would exhaust its reserves of gold and securities by March 1917. Its dependence was total. Cutting back procurement . . . would produce disaster in England† Originally, America did nothing but reap the reward of â€Å"neutrality†. When Americas turned their eyes to the stage of war in Europe, they were truly terrified. One Chicago newspaper joked â€Å"A hearty vote of thanks to Columbus for having discovered America†. This sentiment was echoed by many American citizens, who showed pride in President Woodrow Wilson’s decision to declare America a neutral state in the war. Americans thoughts on the war lied in their bloodlines, as a majority of Americans were descendants from either Allied or Central Powers nations. Most Americans, early in the war at least, didn’t understand the war or why it was being fought, and were glad that America wasn’t involved. However, these robust Anti-Involvement sentiments began to fade after May 7 1915, the day of the Lusitania crisis. German U-Boats torpedoed and sunk a passenger liner in British waters, killing nearly 1,200 civilians, including 128 American citizens. The murder of these innocents set off the first widespread pro war feelings in Americans. This outrage was justified, but was also heightened by yellow journalism that demonized Germans as barbarians and deranged killers. President Woodrow Wilson, taking note of this event and the outrage it caused, warned the Germans that any further violation of American rights would result in â€Å"Strict Accountability† for these actions. This, as well as the bloody war dragging on in Europe, brought up the question of military preparedness in the United States. By 1916, pro-preparedness sentiment was widespread, as 135,000 supporters of expanding the military marched on New York City’s 5th Avenue, for 12 hours. In Chicago, 130,000 telephone operators moved in the shape of an American flag, goose-stepping down State Street. In the election of 1916, Woodrow Wilson ran against Charles E. Hughes, who was backed by Theodore Roosevelt, former president and staunch Allied Powers supporter, as well as an advocate for military preparedness. Woodrow Wilson won the election by only about 600,000 popular votes. However, these sentiments were met with an equally strong anti-militarism force, saying that in a chaotic world, America must be a beacon and resist entrance into war, and resist building an enormous military. Strong anti-militaristic sentiments began to fade when British intelligence officers intercepted a telegram sent from Foreign Secretary of the German Empire Arthur Zimmermann to the German ambassador of Mexico, Heinrich von Eckardt. This infamous proposal, known as the Zimmermann note, proposed that Mexico wage war against the United States. Throughout America’s neutrality in World War 1, President Wilson had acted as a mediator, but with tension building to a terminal level and with the Zimmermann note, Wilson was forced to ask congress to bolster America’s military forces on April 2nd 1917. Later in the same year, America sent its first military forces oversees Evaluation Of Sources Robert H Zieger: America’s Great War: World War One and the American Experience Origins- (2000) Zieger is a respected labor historian Purpose- Provides an in-depth look at American involvement in the war. Value- The economic statistics and quotations from various primary and secondary sources allow the reader to evaluate the validity of the claims Zieger makes. Limitations- does not provide any new opinions or claims Woodrow Wilson, April 2nd 1917 to congress to persuade congress to bring the United States Origin- German hostile actions towards the United States Purpose- Persuade congress to declare war on Germany and the Central Powers Value- clearly outlined Wilson’s reason’s for entering war Limitations- doesn’t explain the underlying causes of military intervention or pressure from big business to declare war for entry  Analysis America’s involvement in World War One began with producing vital weapons and foodstuffs for the Allied Powers, as well as economically supporting the Allied nation’s governments. Throughout the war, the German Empire repeatedly acted belligerently towards the neutral United States, sinking passenger lines, killing Amer ican civilians. Tension with Germany also rose after the proposal to Mexico asking the Mexican army to wage war on the United States. These belligerent German acts, however, would not have held as much effect as they did if American political opinions had not been shifted by the German actions, the economic pressure of close ties to the Allied nations, or social pressure brought along by shifting political attitudes. These all contributed to tensions growing regarding American military involvement I World War One President Woodrow Wilson was a stalwart proponent of American neutrality in the First World War for the almost all of the war, but the American political climate at the time forced his hand.. He was able to win this election because most voters at the time had pro-neutrality sentiments. However, Wilson took into account his slim margin of victory, and the Republican’s yearning for a prepared military. These yearnings were brought on mainly by the Lusitania sinking. A major proponent for intervention, the previously mentioned Theodore Roosevelt, denounced these acts of the German Empire as acts of piracy. Roosevelt’s popularity made these statements extremely well heard. This shift in public opinion helped force President Wilson’s hand. America’s involvement in World War One before it entry in combat was extremely vital, producing millions of dollars’ worth of material for Britain and France, as well as financing the war through small loans. This dependency was built by J. P Morgan, who traded nearly 3 billion dollars’ worth of goods with the allied powers. By 1917, America had invested 2. 7 billion dollars in Britain alone. Historian Paul Koistinen’s quote regarding British dependency on American trade shows how deeply entrenched America was with the war’s affairs pre involvement. These statistics show that the allied powers were completely dependent on American economic support American corporations had an immense amount of wealth in the war, and if they Allied powers lost the war, all of their investments would be worth nothing, because the countries that had been responsible for repaying these debts would no longer exist. The war was taking a detrimental toll on the populations of the warring nations, and the war was almost completely atrophied. It was only a matter of time before one side lost, and it was essential to American business that it was the Allied Powers. Had the allied powers lost to the central powers, American financers would have lost 2. 7 billion dollars as a whole, 2. 7 billion dollars that were needed to give to American business, 2. 7 billion dollars that banks needed to stay in business. Throughout pre-involvement America, as early as the dawn of the war, so called â€Å"hyphenated Americans†, had opinions on what side of the war to support, dependent on their country of origin. German-Americans, the largest ethnic group at the time , supported what they thought of as their motherland, Germany, therefore supported the Central Powers. The second largest ethnic group, Irish-Americans, saw Great Britain as an oppressor, therefore were also supporters of the central powers. However, most Americans at the time were still pro-neutrality. A Chicago newspaper, expressing thanks to Columbus, wrote an article on the blessing of the Atlantic Ocean. This was a popular sentiment at the time, and many Americans were proud of Wilson’s decision to be neutral. After the sinking of American ocean liner Lusitania the support of neutrality began to fade. Before the Lusitania disaster, however, 92 ships had been sunken by aggressive German action. None of these attacks had gained as much publicity, partially due to the fact that the previous sinking’s hadn’t been as destructive. But this was also due to the fact that the Lusitania sinking was grabbed onto by yellow journalists. â€Å"The blood of these murdered victims cries for vengeance. If that cry is unheard, the people of the United States will always bear upon them the stigma of the greatest humiliation ever put upon a nation. Writes a reporter from the Toronto Telegram. President Wilson demanded that German U-Boats stop sinking civilian liners, and if they continued to do so, they would be met with military retaliation. This didn’t stop Germans from sinking boats, and Wilson’s failure to take action against them infuriated Americans. Observing the protests in American cities at the time, one can judge that huge masses of people were strongly in favo r of interventionism. The process of the American military joining the Allied Powers seemed inevitable from the start of the war, but still took hostile action and over reaction to spark military involvement. America’s pre-war economic ties to Europe and America’s reliance on trade with these nations during the war made America’s involvement with these nations too deep to let them lose the war, therefore forcing combat. Woodrow Wilson’s strong stance on neutrality couldn’t stand up to the enormous pressure he faced from the people of the United States. American Involvment in World War I. (2016, Sep 14). We have essays on the following topics that may be of interest to you

Kilmer Ecological Preserve Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Kilmer Ecological Preserve - Lab Report Example The annual species include the peppergrass, oxtail grass, and ragweed. Perennial species, on the other hand, include the common cinquefoil, milkweed, strawberry, and plantain. A close examination shows that all species growth close to the ground surface to avoid wind and maximize the surface area of sunlight. The ‘power-line cut’ reflects a region that would be suitable for power lines to pass through due to the size of the vegetation. This region is inhabited with shrubs, perennial herbs and grasses. It can be classified as a second stage of the second succession due to the size and nature of vegetation (Mongillo 2004). There are various dispersal mechanisms depending on individual seeds. Wind dispersion is effective for the maple and goldenrod species. Animal dispersion is through birds that carry the cedar, sumac and oak species. The seeds are later able to colonize new habitats after factors such as weather and tragedies such as fire. It is part of the 1929 field providing shelter to the perennial grasses (Kilmer Ecological Preserve). It represents the second succession stage but at an earlier stage due to the new vegetation. Secondary disturbances such as fire have led to the growth of resistant herbs and other perennial plants. The poison ivy is also common in the area due to its resistance qualities. This area represents a later stage of success. There is the presence of young woodlands where tree species are getting to a larger size. Close assessment also reveals that other species of shrubs have been shaded out due to increasing in competitions for the available resources. The grown woodlands have led to the creation of little canopies that prevent growth of other shrubs despite the poison ivy. Maple trees that are part of a secondary succession inhabit the area. The tour reveals that they grow at the same time due to disturbances such as fire that is common. They also

Ansel Adams Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Ansel Adams - Research Paper Example In this essay, I would discuss the various life experiences and natural aesthetic exposures that created a photographic genius, Ansel Adams. His congenial relationships with other renowned photographers such as Edward Weston and his travels to Yosemite and Taos Pueblo proved to be of great assistance to his prophetic vision of natural preservation. I will analyze particular photographs that defined Ansel Adams as a photographer using these influences in his long career. Lastly, I will scrutinize a particular photograph which holds much detail that Ansel Adams was trying to represent in his every picture. The photograph Line Crew Work in Manzanar looks like at first glimpse a commonplace and typical image of work life. But in a much deeper look, the photograph actually reveals even more that are invisible to the unaided eye. In 1932, a group of photographers from Bay Area were occasionally gathering for conversation and wine at the home of Willard Van Dyke in Berkeley. The group consisted of photographers in different phases of development. Ansel Adams, John Paul Edwards, Preston Holder, Sonya Noskowiak and Henry Swift were amateurs in their professions. Imogen Cunningham, on the contrary, almost fifty, took pleasure on a well-known reputation. Under the persuasion and example of the well-recognized Edward Weston, a member of the group, Cunningham was initiating the shift from Pictorialism to an acute, more realistic approach. The transition of Cunningham puts emphasis on what had unified the whole group in the first place: a resolve to perform photography as an independent form of art. Thus far, the group consented, photography had not entirely unshackled itself from the academic and artistic superiority of painting and literature: dominance somehow apparent in the mild-emphasis, narrative-controlled P ictorialist approach. Even the Photo Secessionism performed by other photographers such as Edward Steichen and Alfred Stieglitz,