The Jungle Essays (782 words) - Meat Packing Industry, The Jungle

The Jungle Upton Sinclair's The Jungle is the story of a Lithuanian family that immigrates from their home city in Lithuania to the city of Chicago. The novel begins with the strong description of a wedding in which Ona Lukoszaite and Jurgis Rudkus are united in Holy Matrimony. The two of them then move to Chicago. Soon after the wedding, Ona and Jurgis have many great debts to pay due to both the wedding and a large debt that Ona's father left them after he died. Due to Jurgis' large size and strong will he found a job in Chicago within only a half an hour of waiting in the unemployment line. Back in the newlywed's hometown of Lithuania, Ona and Jurgis' family anticipated a move to America. America uses the image of the ?American Dream? to lure immigrants to this land of opportunity. The family desperately desires higher wages and true freedom. For months and months, Jurgis works very hard to pay for the families travel to Ona and Jurgis' new hometown, Chicago. When the family finally makes it to America, their funds are very low. They met with a well off man named Jokubas Szedvilas who placed the family in a run down youth hostel. Jokubas takes the family to the meatpacking factory. He makes jokes about the sanitation of the operation (due only to the lack of quality of the meat). The family finds an advertisement for a housing complex that is very cheap. They talk to a real estate agent and they go see the housing complex. The houses aren't as big and luxurious as they are pictured in the advertisement, but the price is right. The real estate agent swindles them, and they are pulled into the contract. Sinclair emphasizes the corruption of upper class society during this era. Jurgis' father, Dede Antanas, is promised a job by a grubby worker, but only if he pays that worker one third of his wages. He takes the job despite the disgusting working conditions and his low pay. Jurgis is a very hard worker. He is the only person in the meat plant that doesn't complain. He doesn't think much of the other workers. He feels that they never get any work done, and all they do is gripe. Marija, Ona's cousin and Jonas, Ona's step brother, both get jobs, but neither one holds them for very long. From there things take a turn for the worst. The meat packing factories prove to be very unsanitary. Animal fetuses and even human corpses were processed, packaged, and distributed to the country. Working conditions became even worse for Jurgis, and after both his wife and child die, he left his job and family. Jurgis, now struggling more and more for money, turns to crime. The slums of Chicago show great contrast between the upper class and the underprivileged. The majority of the immigrant society possess very little money. Jurgis, an underprivileged person, must make his money illegally. He wanders the city aimlessly taking continuous criticism from the upper class of Chicago. He returned home to find that Ona's stepmother's child, Stanislovas, who once had a great fear of the cold after a frostbite incident, has tragically been eaten alive by a pack of rats on the job. He also finds out that his cousin in law Marija has become a whore to make money for herself. Jurgis tries to convince her to give it up, but she become addicted to morphine and she depends on the money. Jurgis' life has hit a dead end. He only finds light when he hears a political speaker involved with the Socialist party. He feels that an oversized proportion of a government is the only thing to uplift people of his kind. Back then, in the United States, being poor was a terrible crime in its self. I believe that these people looked toward a more Socialistic government because this type of government would take some of the power from the upper class and would give it to the poor. These people were working terrible shifts in horrible working conditions. If they were born poor they would remain that way unless they really got lucky, the same as

Making Academic Writing More Digestible

Making Academic Writing More Digestible Academic research provides the basis for many different texts written for many different purposes. Marketing campaigns, proposals, essays - they commonly begin with a writer pouring through pages of research, looking through all the numbers, and determining which needles to pull out of the haystack of jargon and methodology. Learning how to understand and sift through the data and protocol descriptions is often a key talent of the best writers. In this case, knowing how to adapt the academic 4-course meal into a more easily digestible snack becomes crucial in reaching a wide range of people, interests, and reading levels.As with any effective medium, writing requires consideration of the audience. A general audience requires less jargon - and fewer technical details - than a specialized audience expects. Therefore, the first thing to keep in mind is that when adapting academic text, audience engagement is crucial. Most writers will readily admit: academic writing isnt exactly the most exciting (or easy) read. So how does a writer adapt academic writing to get the message across in the right way, and to an expanded audience?This can be done in several ways. The easiest is to pretend that you are explaining the research publication to a friend. How would you describe the gist of the study, and more importantly, what highlights would you choose to point out to be the most convincing data from the research? Would you use words like therefore and furthermore, or would you opt for a more conversational tone? These questions are important to take into account before beginning a rough draft, and should be revisited at the various stages of the editing and final draft process.Making academic writing more digestible is not only a matter of shortening sentences and removing jargon - it involves being able to quickly get to the heart of the matter. While a marketers first impulse might be to simply reword the abstract to achieve this goal, the abstract rarely contains the specifics of the studys goals and aims, or even the exact statistics revealed. These factors are crucial in engaging a more general audience, because they will be the concerns that drive the purpose of the adapted text in the first place.Beyond these general considerations, there are specific tasks a writer can focus on to make the process of adapting an academic text a smoother one.Relax on the formalitiesSome grammar rules are accepted (at least for now) as being set in stone. Take, for example, run-on sentences. Fiction authors get away with it, but I have yet to see any non-fiction writers or copywriters pull it off. Ending with a sentence or clause with a preposition, however - thats an entirely different story.When adapting academic writing for a broader audience, the following grammar rules can be relaxed, making the text seem less stuffy and nondescript.Semicolon usage - semicolons most often connect two independent thoughts and tend to make sentences more convoluted. Its best to avoid them entirely, if possible.Avoiding contractions - most academic writers shy away from contractions, especially sense writing in passive voice tends to circumvent them, anyway. To adapt an academic text to a more mainstream audience, contractions are fine, and can be useful in giving the writing a more approachable voice.Referencing the source of every fact - the research approval and monitoring process demands that researchers state every source theyve taken from in their writing. This is such a focus within academic circles that researchers must almost be overly cautious about making a statement of fact or relevant theory that isnt referenced by previous studies.A lot can be learned from the appendixThe graphs and charts that are usually included in the Appendix of a research publication are often quick, visual indicators of the findings of the study. You can reference these by looking at the end of the paper, after the References or Bibliography section. Bar c harts and graphs are often used, or mapped webs to show hierarchical relationships and connections. Researchers are required to make these easily understandable, with applicable keys included, making them a great resource for beginning a scaled-down adaptation.Pay attention to the abstract, but dont use the same languageThis one is important. Abstracts are purposefully written to summarize the framework and methodology of the research. The language used is succinct, formulated, and chocked full of terminology that is edited specifically for removing wordiness and unnecessary language.The abstract is also typically written with a lot of passive verbs. Below is a common passive sentence you may find in a research abstract:The researchers found†¦The trick to modifying this statement is to simply state the findings of the research. Instead of The researchers found that 63% of employees reacted positively to a career ladder incentive plan, instead explain that, This career ladder in centive plan works - and the research proves it! The specific details can always be included in footnotes in case the reader wants to fact check.PowerPointThe above information also applies well when attempting to convert research into PowerPoint presentations. This type of writing is becoming a common task as modern workplaces are focusing professional development on data driven strategies.In fact, the commonly accepted grammar rules for PowerPoint slides are often even more lax than those of informal business correspondence. Bullet points are preferred to complete sentences, and end punctuation is sporadic.

Alcohol Abuse in the over 65 Population

A discussion of the increase of alcohol abuse in the senior population. This paper discusses the problem of an increase of alcohol abuse among the over 65 segment of the population. The problems in identifying alcohol abuse in this group, as well as the consequences ofthe abuse are presented.The causes of abuse specific to the elderly population are explored.Substance abuse, especially that of alcohol and prescription drugs, is increasingly growing into a serious problem among the population segment of 65 plus citizens. What is of grave concern is the fact that this particular segment of the population is the fastest growing. Census estimates predict that 1994s older adult population of 33 million will more than double to 80 million by 2050.Also consider the fact that several studies have found a clear relationship between early alcohol habits and the development of alcohol abuse later in life. Given that the use of alcohol has been more widespread since the 1960s, it is likely that the future will see a far larger incidence of alcohol abuse among the el derly with the aging of the baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964).

The Unilever Company Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Unilever Company - Research Paper Example The business model is a very important factor to be considered in any business, and it should be incorporated in the strategic plan of the organization. The business model gives the organization a plan on how it will perform its duties giving the routes to follow through the organizational infrastructure and policies. This gives the idea on how the organization offers services to customers and also the way the customers reward the services offered to them by the organization. It also gives managers foresight about the future of the company hence growth and development are prevalent in the organization. The model gives the general public the knowledge on how the business operates and in the other hand can be used in accounting to give a rim light on the organizational proceedings to the general public. This enhances confidentiality in the organization management by the adjacent customers and hence motivating them and drawing more new customers into the organization. The Unilever Compa ny The Unilever Company is a company that deals with processing goods that are internationally and multi nationally recognized. It was founded through company mergers that lead to a globally recognized company that produces foods, refreshers such as beverages, cleaning agents that are fast washing solutions and other products that are personal care such as lotions and perfumes. It is a company that its goods have been received positively by nations due to their quality. Due to the good business model employed by Unilever Company the revenue allocation for the company is very high in the world's market. Operations and Products The operations of Unilever Company are very admirable because the strategic plan of the company provides measures that boost its performances leading to improved services. This has been enhanced through the world wide branches that have enhanced wider regional support that has helped in the growth of the company. The marketing management of the company has give n a major setback on the Socio – economic profile so as to enroll and attract more customers towards the company. The social economic sector will apply to the website creation so that more customers can access the goods offered by the company online hence improving customer management communication. This will help the management in identifying areas of weakness hence improving on them leading to better and quality services (Tuccillo, 2011). Unilever Company is a company that is branched systematically so that it can reach more customers in each and every country in the world. For that matter, it has national managers who are in charge of a country under the regional management (Armstrong, 2012). These work hand in hand to ensure that the company plans are executed in every country where they are but with respect the rule of law of the country. The business models that are employed by the Unilever Company have favored it through the competitive business market that is overwhel mingly growing competitive. This has led to major support leading to it becoming a multinational company. The other major boost of Unilever Company is the diverse models of goods that they offer (Tuccillo, 2011). They have featured every customer in their target leading to a larger market shares allover the world. The websites and the advertising campaigns that have been carried out through out the world by the company have resulted to better product marketing. Through advertising, more customers get the product's knowledge offered by the organization leading to converting them to be the future customers of the products. All this success has been made possible due to the good financial model that has been developed by the company’

Frequency Distributions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Frequency Distributions - Essay Example Initially, there was a bimodal distribution, showing that students were grouped into those that understood better (scores that clustered around the top of the scale) and those that did not understand as well (scores clustering near the lower end of the scale). By the second week, the two groups of students did combine into one unified group; but the majority still did have trouble grasping the concepts in class. A minority of students did far better than the rest and got high score; while the majority still scored towards the lower side of the scale. Scores from the third week show that the class as a whole was starting to make sense of the concepts being taught, and were improving in their understanding. This can be understood from the movement of the majority of the scores from below the 50% mark to very close to the 50% scores point. By now, about half the class understood the concepts reasonably well, scoring above average, and only half the class was struggling and scoring less than average on understanding the concepts. This trend again changed in week 4; where a negative skew showed that now a majority of students had caught up with the concepts being taught in class; and only a minority was still scoring low on the scale while the majority was scoring towards the higher side.

The Declaration of Independence and David Simon Essay Example for Free

The Declaration of Independence and David Simon Essay In this essay, I will explain what â€Å"The Declaration of Independence† says about the people’s right to happiness and compare it to David Simon’s essay There Are Now Two Americas. My County is a Horror Show and what he believes about Americans enjoying the same rights. David Simon believed that happiness involves money, land and opportunity. Lastly I will give my opinion on what I believe the right to pursue happiness involves and means. According to the first draft of The Declaration of Independence, people’s rights were being ignored by the King. Thomas Jefferson once said â€Å"mankind is more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed† (Jefferson,1), this is telling us that the people are allowing the corrupt government to take over their life and put them through suffering that they do not deserve or want. â€Å"Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed† (Jefferson, 1), this one ruler mentality also known as absolute monarchy lets the ruler have full control of everything and has no limits on his wishes or power. This type of government allowed the one ruler or king to take away people’s right to be heard, seen and ultimately their happiness. One would think that because they live in the United started of America everybody gets treated equally, but in reality, they are wrong. In David Simon’s essay There Are Now Two Americas. My County is a Horror Show, Simon expresses his view on how Americans are not enjoying the same rights as others and how rich people have taken over the government. Simon also says â€Å"You witnessed it again with the healthcare debacle in terms of the $450m that was heaved into congress† (Simon, 3). He believed that rich people bought the government with their money so they could make more money and be richer. The lower class was always fighting to get basic need services such as healthcare and education. Most were at risk of becoming drug addicts and/or homeless. Many immigrants or citizen just wanted to live the American dream, which is considered the opportunity for prosperity and success, and an upward social  mobility that one will achieve through hard work. David Simon believed that money, land or to have opportunity to live a happy life is not based on money. Simon considers that with a minimum wage salary, a small home and a fair government you will be able to pursue and eventually acquired complete or full happiness. He says that the government has only helped the working class by raising wages and going into war so they can win more land and build more factories. In his essay, Simon says â€Å"It took a working class that had no discretionary income at the beginning of the century, which was working on subsistence wages. It turned it into a consumer class† (Simon, 2). The government has converted our people into working animals that only care about making or earning more money to waste it on unnecessary stuff they like but do not need. The engine that drove them to this gullible mentality was the ability to make money and realizing that they are able to afford everything they want and desire even when this desires are not needed. Having a fair society is being able to have moral choices without jeopardizing happiness. â€Å"Are we all in this together or are we all not?† (Simon, 5), David Simon is asking that as Americans we have to work together as a team to ensure everyone has their basic rights and happiness. He believed that capitalism is a good way of making money but it does not solve moral problems. â€Å"The other thing that was there in 1932, that isn’t there now is that some element of the popular will could be expressed through the electoral process in my country† (Simon, 5), he goes to say this because in 1932 the government bought the elections and the people of America were not able to choose their government. I believe that the right to pursuit happiness involves you speaking up when you feel your unalienable rights are being violated. The key word is pursuit, we all have the right to go after the things we want and what we think will make us happy; but happiness is not guarantee, is just the ability to look for it. Furthermore, happiness is not an entitlement either. We all have the right to take action for our own happiness as long as one’s rights are not being infringed. Unalienable rights are given to all human beings by their creator. It is the government’s responsibility to protect them without violating them. Finally, live life in a manner that you believe will lead you to happiness.

Ben Sira Essay -- Bible, Attributes Ascribed to God

WISDOM OF BEN-SIRA How does the author of the book justify the goodness of God in the face of the evil present in the world? ANSWER: Ben-Sira’s theology, though not systematic, offers a coherent presentation of the sets of belief necessary in understanding and living the Jewish faith (The Anchor Bible Dictionary, 940). In this regard, one important question that has been addressed by the author is the presence of God vis-Ã  -vis the presence of evil in the world. In addressing the question the author has laid down his Doctrine of God and from there explain how evil is present and persist in the face of the goodness of God. Ben-Sira’s doctrine of God affirms the Judaic concept that there is only one God. This becomes significant not only because it re-echoes the Jewish faith but because it counters the notion of the belief on pluralist God, which was the dominant notion or belief during the ancient period. This concept is significant in understanding of the notion of god vis-Ã  -vis evil because as it removes the plurality of gods, it opened the tension between the goodness of God and the presence of evil. This tension necessitates justification as the presence of evil in the world does not only posits a contradiction to the goodness of God but it also acts as a counter-claim for the one God being all-powerful. Ben-Sira claims that there are certain attributes ascribed to God alone. These are God is one and the same (42:21). God is eternal (42:21). God is the all and in all (43:27). This means that God is both transcendent and immanent in all creation (The Anchor Bible Dictionary, 940). God is the creator (G:1). God is powerful and His power is manifested in the creation when He created everything out from His words (39:17-1... ...ce ill-gotten goods! Presents from the lawless do not win God’s favor The Most High approves not the gifts of the godless, nor for their many sacrifices does he forgive their sins On the other hand, To keep the law is great oblation And whoever observes the commandments sacrifices a peace offering In works of charity one offers a fine flour And when he gives alms he presents the sacrifice of praise To refrain from evil pleases God And to avoid injustice is an atonement (35: 1-5) For the author the goodness of God remains despite the reality and face of evil in the world because evil is the result of man’s weakness, of man using his free will to veer away from the laws and opt to live in sin. God in all his power shows the utmost respect on man’s freedom by not imposing his will on men but by respecting his choice – to be good or to be evil.

Balance of Payments Essay

The Balance of Payments is a summarized recording of all transactions between Australia and the rest of the world of a given period of time, essentially it illustrates the trade and money flows in and out of Australia’s economy. For ease of identification and analysis, the Balance of Payments is separated into two separate components namely the, Current Account and the Capital and Financial account which deal separately with certain aspects of Australia’s international public and private sector interactions. Resulting trends as a consequence of the calculation and analysis of the Balance of Payments such as the Current Account Deficit and the Terms of Trade become significant economic issues both in Australia and their effect can have profound impact on the Australian economy abroad and as a result become a great priority for the Government. The Current Account is a section of the Balance of Payments which summarises all international transactions involving goods, services, income (i.e. interest and dividends) and current transfers. Components of the Current Account include the goods balance, which is the difference between the value of exports and the value of imports (X-M) resulting in either a surplus or deficit and the services balance which is the balance of services exports and imports. Other components of the Current Account include the income balance which are the profits earned by Australian company’s overseas and dividends earned by Australian investors overseas minus the same payments made overseas and also Current transfers which are funds brought into Australia by immigrants, funds taken out of Australian by emigrants and gifts and donations to and from Australians from and to overseas. The total of the Current Account section of the Balance of Payments is the net total of Goods and services plus net income plus goods and services. The Capital and Financial account section of the Balance of Payments is a summary of all capital transfers and international transactions involving financial assets and liabilities. As its name suggests, there are two components to this section of the Balance of Payments, firstly the capital account is a record of all money transfers or a capital nature. Secondly, the financial account is a record of all transactions in financial assets and liabilities including the following: Direct Investment which involves  overseas acquisition of a significant degree of influence over a business, usually more than 10 percent; Portfolio investment on the other hand can be described as a speculative investment (i.e. share or debt securities that can be readily exchanged on financial markets.) and Reserve Assets which are RBA holdings in foreign currencies, this is one of the most important components of the financial account as it allows the Government to manipulate these assets or holding for re flective effects on the exchange rate. (i.e. the RBA can sell foreign currency to buy AUD; conversely it can sell AUD to buy foreign currency.) There are several main identifiable relationships between the three components of the Balance of Payments the main of which being offsetting phenomenon that occurs between the current account and the capital account. With a floating exchange rate, the balance on the current account is always exactly offset by the balance on the capital account therefore in principle the balance of payments should always be in balance overall. That is, a deficit on the current account is exactly matched by a surplus on the capital account and vice versa. However as the data is collected from many independent sources, discrepancies between the credit and debit records may occur for various reasons. To compensate for this, the balance is brought to zero using a system which allows for net errors and omissions. The position of Australia’s overall Balance of Payments is extremely pivotal in determining Australia’s success in the global economy. The Current Account for example has been in regularly in deficit and in 1985-86 peaked at a 6.3% deficit as a proportion of GDP. The current account deficit (CAD) is very reflective of the balance of goods and services (BGS), the years when the BGS was in surplus, the CAD was usually under 4 % of GDP, conversely when the BGS was in deficit this was reflected by the CAD being up to 6.3% of GDP. In recent years, the CAD has become a controversial issue, especially at a time where imports regularly outweigh exports which contribute to a deficit in the balance of goods and services. Furthermore, this can result in a cyclical effect where a high CAD can further deteriorate our BGS due to the unattractiveness of foreign investment and therefore a slowdown in the production of resources (Australia’s greatest  export product.) A largely unknown factor contributing to our sizeable CAD however is the Net Income Deficit, which is mainly reflective of our large use of foreign savings and Australian firms increasing overseas assets. The Government has felt that as long as Australia remains prosperous, output continues to grow and the CAD does not get out of hand then foreign investment and the ability for Australian firms to borrow from overseas will remain high and available then Australia needn’t worry about the CAD that it is currently running. The Balance of payments is a complex issue yet remains vital when ascertaining Australia’s level of growth and output and how this is reflected in the global economy. There are various and the just putting this in to see how thoroughly things are checked. links that can be drawn between the two components and three resulting sub categories of the Balance of Payments and allows economists to examine and amend various issues that become apparent in the record of Australia’s international transactions. The Government places great importance on the Balance of Payments data as it is a direct and straightforward analysis of Australia’s performance at home and abroad.

Comparison Between Beowulf the Epic and Beowulf the Film Essay

Contrast and Similarities between Beowulf and â€Å"Beowulf† Beowulf, an epic written down in the year 1060 by the Beowulf Poet, is the epitome of what true writing is, defining the standard of the epic itself. The more modern film of â€Å"Beowulf†, produced in 2007, is an attempt to do justice to the Beowulf Poet’s masterpiece. The poem and film have several key similarities and differences which influence the reader/viewer. Important similarities between the two include the heroic characteristics of Beowulf and the severing of Grendel’s arm; however, the movie does have some drastic differences from the text such as Beowulf’s seduction by Grendel’s mother, and how the product of this sin is his son the dragon, while in the text this beast is regarded as a rogue monster. Similarities between the text and the movie are established to stay true to the theme of Beowulf, a theme in which a hero conquers great odds and shows what the epitome of humanity can achieve; this theme is essential to the development of any true epic. The most prominent similarity between the two is the characteristics granted to Beowulf, the key trait being arrogance. Arrogance is an important trait of any epic hero, in the film this arrogance is established in Beowulf’s tale of swimming in the ocean during which he states he slew several sea monsters, however in the background his followers can be seen stating that the original number was much smaller than Beowulf has stated. This arrogance is mirrored in the text when Beowulf is proclaimed as â€Å"†¦the strongest of the Geats – greater and stronger than anyone anywhere in this world† (Beowulf Poet 110-111), while in truth it is unlikely that he was the greatest warrior of the time, making this a very boastful statement. This arrogance is again mirrored when Beowulf refuses to fight Grendel with any weapons or armor, in the film he simply strips before sleeping and in the text he states that â€Å"†¦My Lord Higlac might think less of me if I let my sword go where my feet were afraid to, if I hid behind some broad linden shield: my hands alone shall fight for me, struggle for life against the monster.† (Beowulf Poet 169-174). This arrogance is persevered in the film to demonstrate the characteristics of a hero. At the time heroes were people who had such a boastful attitude, thus the film writers made sure to impart this narcissism onto the viewer to show Beowulf’s strength of attitude. The film establishes a second similarity to the text by  illustrating Beowulf’s fight with Grendel. Beowulf is displayed grappling around with Grendel and eventually removing his arm, claiming it as a sign of â€Å"The Victory, for the proof, hanging high from the rafters where Beowulf had hung it, was the monster’s Arm, claw and shoulder and all† (Beowulf Poet 356-358). This â€Å"prize† is an important object that is established in both the text and the film to display both the epic struggle between Beowulf and once more show how strong Beowulf truly was, further establishing him as an epic hero. During the course of the film, there are some artistic liberties taken which change the plot from that of the text; these changes were made to display a more unified tale between that of the younger Beowulf and the older Beowulf. These differences begin immediately following the death of Grendel, coming to head when Beowulf confronts Grendel’s mother. In the text, Beowulf is seen to fight with Grendel’s mother until â€Å"Her body fell to the floor, lifeless, the sword was wet with her blood† (Beowulf 523-524). This is a drastic difference from the film, where Grendel’s Mother is shown seducing Beowulf promising him a long life and a successful reign if he gives her a son along with the golden horn he received for killing Grendel. This change was made to make a smooth transition between the two parts of the epic, the first concerning Grendel, the second concerning the dragon. It is at the end that the second change, and the product of the transition, is sh own. This product is the dragon, who is shown to be the son of Beowulf and Grendel’s Mother. This further differs from the text where Beowulf fights a â€Å"dragon hiding in his tower† (Beowulf 610) that has been terrorizing the country side, not his own offspring. These changes are made to make a connection between the two parts of the epic tale of Beowulf. In the text, the tales of the dragon and Grendel are completely unrelated thus may be viewed with some confusion by the reader. However, when the dragon is shown to be Beowulf’s son who comes back for revenge, the death of Beowulf is that much more conclusive showing him wrapping up the mistakes of his life and fully concluding his tale. The differences and similarities between Beowulf and â€Å"Beowulf† are precisely placed in order to retain what makes Beowulf an epic tale, while the  differences help to establish a smoother transition and backstory between Beowulf and his fight with the dragon. Similarities between the two include Beowulf’s epic characteristics and his fight with Grendel; while the key differences are Beowulf’s failure to slay Grendel’s Mother and his fight with his own son, the dragon. In the end, the stories effectively conclude the tale of Beowulf and demonstrate how effective both similarities and differences can be at changing ones viewpoint.

Pharaoh Hatshepsuts Deir el-Bahri Temple in Egypt

Pharaoh Hatshepsuts Deir el-Bahri Temple in Egypt The Deir el-Bahri Temple Complex (also spelled Deir el-Bahari) includes one of the most beautiful temples in Egypt, perhaps in the world, built by the architects of the New Kingdom Pharaoh Hatshepsut in the 15th century BC. The three colonnaded terraces of this lovely structure were built within a steep half-circle of cliffs on the west bank of the Nile River, guarding the entrance to the great Valley of the Kings. It is unlike any other temple in Egyptexcept for its inspiration, a temple built some 500 years earlier. Hatshepsut and Her Reign The pharaoh Hatshepsut (or Hatshepsowe) ruled for 21 years [about 1473-1458 BC] during the early part of the New Kingdom, before the vastly successful imperialism of her nephew/stepson and successor Thutmose (or Thutmosis) III. Although not quite as much of an imperialist as the rest of her 18h Dynasty relatives, Hatshepsut spent her reign building up the wealth of Egypt to the greater glory of the god Amun. One of the buildings she commissioned from her beloved architect (and probable consort) Senenmut or Senenu, was the lovely Djeser-Djeseru temple, rival only to the Parthenon for architectural elegance and harmony. The Sublime of the Sublimes Djeser-Djeseru means Sublime of the Sublimes or Holy of the Holies in the ancient Egyptian language, and it is the best-preserved part of the Deir el-Bahri, Arabic for Monastery of the North complex. The first temple built at Deir el-Bahri was a mortuary temple for Neb-Hepet-Re Montuhotep, built during the 11th dynasty, but few remains of this structure are left. Hatshepsuts temple architecture included some aspects of Mentuhoteps temple but on a grander scale. The walls of Djeser-Djeseru are illustrated with Hatshepsuts autobiography, including stories of her fabled trip to the land of Punt, considered by some scholars likely to have been in the modern countries of Eritrea or Somalia. The murals depicting the trip include a drawing of a grotesquely overweight Queen of Punt. Also discovered at Djeser-Djeseru were the intact roots of frankincense trees, which once decorated the front faà §ade of the temple. These trees were collected by Hatshepsut in her travels to Punt; according to the histories, she brought back five shiploads of luxury items, including exotic plants and animals. After Hatshepsut Hatshepsuts beautiful temple was damaged after her reign ended when her successor Thutmose III had her name and images chiseled off the walls. Thutmose III built his own temple to the west of Djeser-Djeseru. Additional damage was done to the temple at the orders of the later 18th dynasty heretic Akhenaten, whose faith tolerated only images of the Sun god Aten. The Deir el-Bahri Mummy Cache Deir el-Bahri is also the site of a mummy cache, a collection of pharaohs preserved bodies, retrieved from their tombs during the 21st dynasty of the New Kingdom. Looting of pharaonic tombs had become rampant, and in response, the priests Pinudjem I [1070-1037 BC] and Pinudjem II [990-969 BC] opened the ancient tombs, identified the mummies as best they could, rewrapped them and placed them in one of (at least) two caches: Queen Inhapis tomb in Deir el-Bahri (room 320) and the Tomb of Amenhotep II (KV35). The Deir el-Bahri cache included mummies of the 18th and 19th dynasty leaders Amenhotep I; Tuthmose I, II, and III; Ramses I and II, and the patriarch Seti I. The KV35 cache included Tuthmose IV, Ramses IV, V, and VI, Amenophis III and Merneptah. In both caches there were unidentified mummies, some of which were set in unmarked coffins or stacked in corridors; and some of the rulers, such as Tutankhamun, were not found by the priests. The mummy cache in Deir el-Bahri was rediscovered in 1875 and excavated over the next few years by French archaeologist Gaston Maspero, director of the Egyptian Antiquities Service. The mummies were removed to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, where Maspero unwrapped them. The KV35 cache was discovered by Victor Loret in 1898; these mummies were also moved to Cairo and unwrapped. Anatomical Studies In the early 20th century, Australian anatomist Grafton Elliot Smith examined and reported on the mummies, publishing photos and great anatomical detail in his 1912 Catalogue of the Royal Mummies. Smith was fascinated by the changes in embalming techniques over time, and he studied in detail the strong family resemblances among the pharaohs, particularly for the kings and queens in the 18th dynasty: long heads, narrow delicate faces, and projecting upper teeth. But he also noticed that some of the mummies appearances did not match the historical information known about them or the court paintings associated with them. For example, the mummy said to belong to the heretic pharaoh Akhenaten was clearly too young, and the face didnt match his distinctive sculptures. Could the 21st dynasty priests have been wrong? Identifying Mummies Since Smiths day, several studies have attempted to reconcile the identities of the mummies, but without much success. Could DNA resolve the problem? Perhaps, but the preservation of ancient DNA (aDNA) is affected not only by the age of the mummy but by the extreme methods of mummification used by the Egyptians. Interestingly, natron, properly applied, appears to preserve DNA: but differences in preservation techniques and situations (such as whether a tomb was flooded or burned) have a deleterious effect. Secondly, the fact that New Kingdom royalty intermarried may cause a problem. In particular, the pharaohs of the 18th dynasty were very closely related to one another, a result of generations of half-sisters and brothers intermarrying. It is quite possible that DNA family records may never be precise enough to identify a specific mummy. More recent studies have focused on the recurrence of various diseases, using CT scanning to identify orthopedic irregularities (Fritsch et al.) and heart disease (Thompson et al.). Archaeology at Deir el-Bahri Archaeological investigations of the Deir el-Bahri complex were begun in 1881, after objects belonging to the missing pharaohs began to turn up in the antiquities market. Gaston Maspero [1846-1916], director of the Egyptian Antiquities Service at the time, went to Luxor in 1881 and began to apply pressure to the Abdou El-Rasoul family, residents of Gurnah who had for generations been tomb robbers. The first excavations were those of Auguste Mariette in the mid-19th century. Excavations at the temple by the Egyptian Exploration Fund  (EFF) began in the 1890s led by French archaeologist Edouard Naville [1844-1926]; Howard Carter, famous for his work at Tutankhamuns tomb, also worked at Djeser-Djeseru for the EFF in the late 1890s. In 1911, Naville turned over his concession on Deir el-Bahri (which allowed him sole excavators rights), to Herbert Winlock who began what would be 25 years of excavation and restoration. Today, the restored beauty and elegance of Hatshepsuts temple is open to visitors from around the planet. Sources Brand P. 2010. Usurpation of Monuments. In: Wendrich W, editor. UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology. Los Angeles: UCLA.Brovarski E. 1976. Senenu, High Priest of Amun at Deir El-Bahri. The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 62:57-73.Creasman PP. 2014. Hatshepsut and the Politics of Punt. African Archaeological Review 31(3):395-405.Fritsch KO, Hamoud H, Allam AH, Grossmann A, Nur El-Din A-H, Abdel-Maksoud G, Al-Tohamy Soliman M, Badr I, Sutherland JD, Linda Sutherland M et al. 2015. The Orthopedic Diseases of Ancient Egypt. The Anatomical Record 298(6):1036-1046.Harris JE, and Hussien F. 1991. The identification of the eighteenth dynasty royal mummies: A biological perspective. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology 1:235-239.Marota I, Basile C, Ubaldi M, and Rollo F. 2002. DNA decay rate in papyri and human remains from Egyptian archaeological sites. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 117(4):310-318.Naville E. 1907. The XIth Dynasty Temple at Deir El-Bahari. London: Egypt Explorati on Fund. Roehrig CH, Dreyfus R, and Keller CA. 2005. Hatshepsut, From Queen to Pharaoh. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art.Shaw I. 2003. Exploring Ancient Egypt. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Smith GE. 1912. Catalogue of the Royal Mummies. Imprimerie de Linstitut Francais Darcheologie Orientale. Le Caire.Vernus P, and Yoyotte J. 2003. Book of the Pharaohs. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.Zink A, and Nerlich AG. 2003. Molecular analyses of the American Journal of Physical Anthropology 121(2):109-111.Pharaos: Feasibility of molecular studies in ancient Egyptian material.Andronik CM. 2001. Hatshepsut, His Majesty, Herself. New York: Atheneum Press.Baker RF, and Baker III CF. 2001. Hatshepsut. Ancient Egyptians: People of the Pyramids. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Somali piracy and international law Research Paper

Somali piracy and international law - Research Paper Example Background of the study In 1991, Somali went down into war after the fall of Dictator Mohamed Siad Barrre (Little 79). Shortly after his fall, some foreign countries took advantage of the anarchy and sent their navy to fish in the Somali waters. Other countries took advantage of the situation to dump their toxic waste and nuclear waste at the sea. Due to lack of government in place to control such illegal activities in the Somali waters, the Somali fishermen began to organize themselves to confront waste dumpers and to collect some revenues from foreign fishers. It is this legitimate fight against foreign exploitation that turned to be a criminal venture after the Somalis discovered its profitable potentials (Little 99). Most of the people who are pirates along the Somali coast are actually not from the coast but are former militiamen whose biggest motivation is money (Kraska 155, Natalie, Joanna, and Donald 241). However, they justify their activities by claiming that they are always on a mission to defend their waters from illegal fishing and dumping of waste products. This has led to increased piracy along the Somali coast and has attracted the international response on the same. In this regard, the United Nations Security Council has passed a series of resolutions to give its forces legal authority to apprehend pirates. The Somali pirates were much angered by the council resolution and especially because it was initiated and promoted by the United States. In fact, this marked a clear start of Somali pirates’ connection with the Al-queda terror group (Little 49). Since the main aim of the Somali pirates is to scoop money from their victims, the Al-queda group targeted Somalia in order to us e Somalis along the coast to terrorize targeted citizens of certain states in the exchange of money. However, this did not seem to work for the Al-queda group as the Somali pirates considered this as a different mission altogether. After lacking concrete contact with the Somali pirates, the Al-queda group turned to Somali militia men who with the help of Al-queda consolidated their forces and named it ‘Al-shabab’ (Alina 481). Al-shabab conflicted the role played by the Somali pirates and started kidnapping citizens of western states. Their main target people were the tourists from the United States especially those that visit the border, Kenyan coast. In the recent developments, a German tourist was killed and his wife kidnapped by men believed to be members of Al-shabab terror group. However, the Kenyan government was quick to launch a manhunt for the Al-shabab in the effort to rescue the kidnapped lady. The Kenyan government declared war against both the Somali pirate s and the Al-shabab and launched a military land operation in Somalia. Kenya called for the intervention of the international community with the United States, Britain and Israel backing it up for the operation. Statement of the problem Since Somali attracted the international attention due to piracy activities, very little has been done by the international community to curb the menace. This is what has led to increased piracy activities along the Somali coast. In fact, the international

Kantian Sincerity and Professional Ethics Assignment

Kantian Sincerity and Professional Ethics - Assignment Example Sincerity makes him weigh his acts according to ethics. Kantian sincerity explains the aspects of sincerity based on good will. This paper intends to explain the essence of Kantian sincerity, and how it can relate to professional ethics and good will. The importance of professional ethics in the life of an organization is discussed, in correlation with Kantian sincerity. The characteristics of a sincere and ethical leader have been described, so as to give the reader an idea as to what is expected of a person who follows Kantian sincerity and ethical guidelines. Kantian sincerity is based on good will. â€Å"†¦the sincere will is both good and autonomous†, according to Palmquist (2010:635). Palmquist writes in his book that Kantian’s good will considers acts to be virtuous, good, and sincere, by associating them with the moral law coming from within the person, rather than weighing the acts on some external principle, lying outside the person. Similarly, profession al sincerity cannot be measured by a parameter defined by the external world; instead, sincerity will be measured by the person’s own good nature. The Kantian model helps us understand how professionals can generate professional sincerity or good will.... Professional sincerity has also got the same philosophy. When Kantian sincerity works with professional ethics, it becomes a part and parcel for the progress of an organization. Also, when this sincerity, which is valued by a person’s internal good will, is also recognized as a precious asset by the outside world, this is the point when sincerity achieves its milestone in the chain of human progress. This sincerity also plays an important role in Confucian process of moralization. Palmquist (2010:633) states that: The centrality of sincerity can be seen even more clearly when we take it to be primarily a quality of the will and when we compare the sincere will with the Kantian good will. As Kant says (4:392-3): â€Å"Nothing in the world- indeed nothing even beyond the world- can possibly be conceived which could be called good without qualification except a good will. Hence, Kantian sincere will brings the self in agreement with the dao; and since dao is good without qualifi cation, in the same way, sincerity is also good without qualification. Kantian model also states that sincerity is the Way of Heaven; and to achieve this sincerity is the way of man. And whosoever is easily walking on the Way of Heaven led by sincerity, is the one who can be called a sage. Kantian model describes a sage as a person who has got a perfectly manufactured good will. A Sage’s good will is absolutely sincere, and thus, it can also be related to holy will, guided by sincerity on the Way of Heaven (Palmquist 2010:636). 3. Professional Ethics Kantian ethics describe that those acts should be considered as right which seek our good will. We know that the accomplishment of an organization depends mainly on value-based actions and decisions. Value-based actions and