A History of United Nations Missions in Africa

The United Nations (UN) conducts a number of peacekeeping missions throughout the world. Beginning in 1960, the UN began missions in various countries in Africa. While just one mission occurred through the 1990s, turmoil in Africa escalated and the majority of missions were run from 1989 on. Many of these peacekeeping missions were the result of civil wars or ongoing conflicts in African countries, including Angola, the Congo, Liberia, Somalia, and Rwanda. Some of the missions were brief while others lasted years at a time. To confound things, some missions replaced previous ones as tensions in the countries escalated or the political climate changed. This period is one of the most dynamic and violent in modern African history and its important to review the missions that the UN carried out. ONUC -  UN Operations in the Congo Mission Dates: July 1960 through June 1964Context: Independence from Belgium and the attempted secession of the Katanga province Outcome:  Prime Minister  Patrice Lumumba  was assassinated, at which point the mission was expanded. The Congo retained the secessionist province of Katanga and the mission was followed by civilian aid. UNAVEM I -  UN Angola Verification Mission Mission Dates:  January 1989 through May 1991Context:  Angolas lengthy civil war Outcome:  Cuban troops were withdrawn one month ahead of schedule, having completed their mission. The mission was followed by UNAVEM II (1991) and UNAVEM III (1995). UNTAG  -  UN Transition Assistance Group Mission Dates:  April 1990 through March 1990Context:  Angolan Civil War and Namibias transition to independence from South Africa Outcome:  South African troops departed Angola. Elections were held and a new constitution approved. Namibia joined the UN. UNAVEM II  -  UN Angola Verification Mission II Mission Dates:  May 1991 through February 1995Context:  Angolan Civil War Outcome:  Elections were held in 1991, but the results were rejected and violence escalated. The mission transitioned to UNAVEM III. UNOSOM I  -  UN Operation in Somalia I Mission Dates:  April 1992 through March 1993Context:  Somali Civil  War Outcome:  The violence in Somalia continued to escalate, making it difficult for UNOSOM I to deliver relief aid. The United States created a second operation, the Unified Task Force (UNITAF), to help UNOSOM I protect and distribute humanitarian aid. In 1993, the UN created UNOSOM II to replace both UNOSOM I and UNITAF. ONUMOZ  -  UN Operations in Mozambique Mission Dates:  December  1992 through December 1994Context:  Conclusion of the Civil War in Mozambique Outcome:  The ceasefire was successful. Mozambiques then government and the major rivals (Mozambican Nation Resistance, or RENAMO) demobilized troops. Those people who were displaced during the war were resettled and elections were held. UNOSOM II  -  UN Operation in Somalia II Mission Dates:  March 1993 through March 1995Context:  Somali Civil War Outcome:  After the Battle of Mogadishu in October 1993, the United States and several Western countries withdrew their troops from UNOSOM II. The UN voted to withdraw UN troops from Somalia after having failed to establish a ceasefire or disarmament. UNOMUR  -  UN Observer Mission Uganda-Rwanda Mission Dates:  June 1993 through September 1994Context:  Fighting between the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF, based in Uganda) and the Rwandan Government Outcome:  The Observer Mission encountered many difficulties in monitoring the border. These were  due to the terrain and the competing Rwandan and Ugandan factions. After the Rwandan genocide, the missions mandate came to an end and it was not renewed. The mission was succeeded instead by UNAMIR, which had already begun its operations in 1993.   UNOMIL  -  UN Observer Mission in Liberia Mission Dates:  September 1993  through September 1997Context:  The First Liberian Civil War Outcome:  UNOMIL was designed to support ongoing efforts by the  Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)  to bring an end to the Liberian Civil War and ensure fair elections. In 1997, elections were held and the mission terminated. The United Nations established a Peacebuilding Support Office in Liberia. Within a few years, the Second Liberian Civil War had broken out. UNAMIR -  UN Assistance Mission for Rwanda Mission Dates:  October 1993  through March 1996Context:  Rwandan Civil War between the RPF and the Rwandan government Outcome:  Due to the restrictive rules of engagement and an unwillingness from Western governments to risk troops in Rwanda, the mission did little to stop the Rwandan genocide (April through June 1994).   Afterward, UNAMIR did  distribute and ensure humanitarian aid. However, the failure to intervene in the genocide overshadows these significant although belated efforts. UNASOG  -  UN Aouzou Strip Observation Group Mission Dates:  May 1994 through June 1994Context:  Conclusion of the territorial dispute (1973-1994) between Chad and Libya over the Aouzou Strip. Outcome:  Both governments signed a declaration agreeing that Libyan troops and the administration had been withdrawn as previously agreed upon. UNAVEM III  -  UN Angola Verification Mission III Mission Dates:  February 1995 through June 1997Context:  Angolas Civil War Outcome:  A government was formed by the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), but all parties continued to import arms. The situation also deteriorated with the involvement of Angola in the Congo Conflict. The mission was followed by MONUA. MONUA  -  UN Observer Mission in Angola Mission Dates:  June 1997 through February 1999Context:  Angolas Civil War Outcome:  Fighting in the civil war resumed and the UN withdrew its troops. At the same time, the UN urged a continuation of humanitarian aid. MINURCA -  UN Mission in the Central African Republic Mission Dates:  April 1998 through February 2000Context:  Signing of the Bangui Accord between rebel forces and the Central African Republics government Outcome:  Dialogue between the parties continued and the peace was maintained. Elections were held in 1999 after several previous attempts. The UN mission withdrew. MINURCA was followed by a UN Peacebuilding Support Office in the Central African Republic. UNOMSIL  -  UN Observer Mission in Sierra Leone Mission Dates:  July 1998 through October 1999Context:  Sierra Leones Civil War (1991-2002) Outcome:  The combatants signed the controversial Lome Peace Agreement. The UN authorized a new mission, UNAMSIL, to replace UNOMSIL. UNAMSIL  -  UN Mission in Sierra Leone Mission Dates:  October 1999 through December 2005Context:  Sierra Leones Civil War (1991-2002) Outcome:  The mission was expanded three times in 2000 and 2001 as the fighting continued. The war ended in December 2002 and  UNAMSIL troops were slowly withdrawn. The mission was followed by the UN Integrated Office for Sierra Leone. This was created to consolidate the peace in Sierra Leone. MONUC  -  UN Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Mission Dates:  November 1999  through May 2010Context:  Conclusion of the  First Congo War   Outcome:  The Second Congo War began in 1998 when Rwanda invaded. It officially ended in 2002, but fighting by various rebel groups continued. In 2010, MONUC was criticized for not intervening to stop mass rapes near one of its stations. The Mission was renamed the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. UNMEE -  UN Observer Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea Mission Dates:  June 2000  through July 2008Context:  A ceasefire signed by Ethiopia and Eritrea in their ongoing border dispute. Outcome:  The mission was ended after Eritrea imposed numerous restrictions that prevented an effective operation. MINUCI  -  UN Operation in  Cà ´te dIvoire Mission Dates:  May 2003 through April 2004Context:  Failed implementation of the  Linas-Marcoussis Agreement, which was to end the ongoing conflict in the country. Outcome:  MINUCI was replaced by the UN Operation in Cà ´te dIvoire (UNOCI). UNOCI is ongoing and continues to protect the people in the country and aid the government in disarmament and demobilization of former combatants. ONUB -  UN Operation in  Burundi Mission Dates:  May  2004 through December 2006Context:  Burundian Civil War Outcome:  The missions goal was to restore peace in Burundi and help establish a unified government. Pierre Nkurunziza was sworn in as President of Burundi in August 2005.  Twelve years of midnight-to-dawn curfews were finally lifted on the people of Burundi. MINURCAT -  UN Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad Mission Dates:  September  2007 through December 2010Context:  Ongoing violence in Darfur, eastern Chad, and northeastern Central African Republic Outcome:  The concern for civilian safety amidst activities by armed groups in the region prompted the mission. By the end of the mission, the government of Chad pledged that they would retain responsibility for protecting its citizens. After the termination of the mission, the UN Integrated Peacebuilding Office in the Central African Republic continued efforts to protect the people.   UNMIS  -  UN Mission in Sudan Mission Dates:  March 2005 through July 2011Context:  End of the Second Sudanese Civil War and signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) Outcome:  The CPA between the Sudanese government and the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement (SPLM) was signed, but it did not bring immediate peace. In 2007, the two groups came to another agreement and Northern Sudanese troops withdrew from Southern Sudan.   In July 2011, the Republic of South Sudan was formed as an independent country. The mission was replaced by UN Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS) to continue the peace process and protect civilians. This started immediately and, as of 2017, the mission continues. Sources: United Nations Peacekeeping.  Past Peacekeeping Operations.

Slavery And Its Impact On America - 1541 Words

Every day it is becoming more and more evident that our nation is divided. Despite warnings from prominent historical figures like George Washington, we have created a great fissure in our nation that stretches from Maryland to Kansas. Where we should be one nation, united under our Constitution, we are instead the North and the South. Every day, this fissure grows and spreads, and soon, I fear, it will crack our Unites States in half. The driving force behind this rift is a controversial issue: the institution of slavery. It was initially intended by our founding fathers that slavery be slowly phased out, as even in 1775 our budding nation’s leaders had the common sense and moral compass to see that slavery is wrong. Even the proponents†¦show more content†¦Fitzhugh identifies the success and grandeur of empires such as the Romans and the Ottomans, yet fails to mention what happened to these once-great empires. The Romans, for example, met their demise when they expa nded too far, causing the central power and influence to be spread too thin, causing the empire to destabilize and eventually collapse. The Ottomans met a similar end. These are hardly examples to be building a case to support the institution of slavery. However, Fitzhugh claims that the developed countries that exist successfully without slavery are not representative of how a working system would work in a large republic, such as the United States, and therefore their success is not relevant to the success of liberty and equality. While other developed countries are smaller in terms of geographic area, countries like Austria and England – among others – have approximately the same size of population, all around thirty million citizens. A country like Austria can hardly be described as a â€Å"small community†, which makes the success of its confederation very relevant to us. Today, the United States is the only developed, industrialized nation to still insti tute slavery, which does not reflect well on the integrity of our nation. The idea of liberty and equality is still relatively new to a world that has spent most of its history oppressing the majority, so there will be obstacles, and there will be failures such as

Macdonals Work Force Diversity Free Essays

What diversity means to McDonalds is not only who works within the organisation but goes as far as the customers who they serve. Patricia Sowell Harris, McDonald’s Chief Diversity Officer declares, â€Å"At its simplest, diversity means that your organization reflects the customers you serve and the society in which you operate. But to be effective, it’s more than counting numbers †¦ it’s making those numbers count. We will write a custom essay sample on Macdonals Work Force Diversity or any similar topic only for you Order Now A truly diverse culture means that different views, opinions, experiences, educations, religions, and lifestyles are respected, where everybody is a valued and contributing member of the team, and where actions are led by insights that create success in the business. † While diversity initiatives have assisted many people in their professions and organisations in their venture to succeed, is there another side to the story; is it just a waste of time and money? For some corporations, that may be true. Cultural diversity efforts like cultural awareness could be seen as nothing more than an extravagant scheme that really does nothing to help workers feel like they are truly a part of the organization, but for the organisation to be seen in a positive light from onlookers; although this hardly seems the case for cultural diversity initiatives in McDonalds. The following was taken from the McDonalds website: Minorities and women represent approximately 37 per cent of all McDonald’s franchisees; More than 65 per cent of the applicants in training to become new McDonald’s franchisees are women and minorities. † Serves more than 58 million customers around the world each day †¢ Is the leading global foodservice retailer with more than 32,000 local restaurants in 118 countries †¢ Employs more than 1. 6 million people worldwide – our brand’s best ambassadors are our people †¢ Today, more than 60 perce nt of our global home office and U. S. ompany workforce are of a racial or ethnic minority, or are women †¢ Is widely recognized as a top company for minorities – also a â€Å"Great Place to Work† in more than 30 countries †¢ Ranked one of the Top 20 Global Companies for Leaders by Fortune magazine in 2007 †¢ About 80% of McDonald’s restaurants worldwide are independently owned operated (franchised) by local business men and women (McDonalds corporation www. macdonalds. com as it exists 2/4/11) Around the world, inclusion and diversity at McDonald’s means providing equal opportunities for everyone to ucceed and contribute. We accomplish this in a number of ways, such as the integration of diversity initiatives into our daily business practices, a strong diversity education curriculum, employee business networks and external partnerships with minority organizations. Jan states â€Å"I’m proud of our industry-leading Global Inclusion and Intercultural Management team which has successfully driven our efforts to have diversity among our employees, franchisees and suppliers across the globe. Jan Fields, President, McDonald’s USA With more than 32,000 restaurants in 118 countries, McDonald’s carries a new meaning to the word diversity, bringing diversity and even change to the menus at every community it touches. Around the world, diversity at McDonald’s means providing equal opportunities for everyone to succeed and contribute. They accomplish this in a number of ways, such as bring forth diversity initiatives into their daily business practices, a strong diverse education curriculum, employee business networks and partnerships with minority organisations. To reinforce the diverse culture today, more than 60 per cent of the workforces are of a racial or ethnic minority, or are women. Inclusion and Diversity also plays an important role for the leaders of McDonalds in the future. Our management team provides regular updates on the progress in this area so they are constantly evaluating the performance to make sure they have strong diverse culture, including gender, ethnicity and nationality. In addition, McDonalds has the largest number of minority and women franchise owners in the fast food industry. The National Black McDonald’s Owner/Operator Association can be considered most successful African American business organizations in the nation, and the Hispanic franchisees fund the largest scholarship program for Hispanic high school students entering college. Furthermore McDonalds suppliers are equally diverse. On average McDonald’s spend $4 billion per year on food, paper packaging, restaurant operating supplies, uniforms and toys from minority and women-owned businesses says Patricia Sowell Harris, McDonald’s Chief Diversity Officer So whether it’s their franchisees, suppliers, or employees, their commitment to inclusion and diversity has helped make McDonald’s the company they’re today. Most importantly, this commitment allows the fast food chain to ensure that their restaurants and business reflect the customer in which is extensively diverse. How to cite Macdonals Work Force Diversity, Papers

Madness in Hamlet free essay sample

The theme of madness in Hamlet has been a widely popular topic in the discussion of the play by both critics and readers alike. Prince Hamlet, in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, is not mad, in terms of sanity. However, he is very mad, in terms of anger, at many of the people that surround him. Hamlet is mainly mad at Gertrude her mother and, most of all Claudius. Although he is extremely angry with Claudius and his own whole situation of his father being murdered; his mother marrying his father’s murderer; and his lady friend not talking to him, Hamlet remains sane in order to carry out his plan of revenge. The madness that has appeared to grip Hamlet is an act played out by him. In order to accomplish that act of revenge on his uncle, Hamlet must have pretended to be mad so that the people of the court would not look upon him with suspicion. We will write a custom essay sample on Madness in Hamlet or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In this play the tragic hero Hamlets contemplates his own concept of moral judgment and in the process, maybe considered mad. Points that suggest that Hamlet is actually insane are scattered throughout the play but many of these are court’s impression of Hamlet. The impression of the court is a false impression because Hamlet has made the members of the court think that he is mad so that he may carry out his master plan. Hamlet is a slyer and more deceptive character than most critics give credit. All of the evidence that points to Hamlet being mad is just a cover for Hamlet in the grand scheme that he has placed together. Hamlet’s appearance of being â€Å" ungartered† (Act 2, Sc 1 . 77), as well as his strange words and phrases are just a disguise. He succeeds in his convincing of the people that he is mad because Polonius, as well as the rest of the court, speaks on his strange behavior. Hamlet’s plan could then be carried out if he was not seen as a threat to the crown. It is interesting to note other characters in the play acting mad. One is Leartes. Unlike Hamlet, Laertes has developed a different kind of madness, a madness that is controlled by revenge. When Laertes is talking to Claudius, Laertes gets so much revenge building up inside him against Hamlet that Laertes now wants to â€Å"cut his throat† Act 4, Sc 7, 125). Laertes’ behavior is caused by the sudden death of his father who was without a due ceremony, and his sister who has been driven mad, has contributed to the madness that is being built up inside Laertes. This madness grows even stronger when Claudius promises â€Å"no wind of blame† (Act 4, Sc 7, 66), when Hamlet kills Hamlet. Claudius turns Laertes into a savage beast to avenge for his father’s death, perhaps this is what Claudius has planned all along. Laertes has a form of madness that is escalating because Laertes knows that he has the capabilities and motivation to act on what he believes on. Ophelia on the other hand, had a unique form of madness unlike Hamlet’s and Laertes’ because it is a mixture of love and hate. An example of hate is when she sings about a â€Å"baker’s daughter† (Act 4, Sc. 5. 42). Ophelia is referring to the way her father used to treat her before the tragic incident of his death. A love with her madness is when she speaks about the vents on â€Å"valentine’s day (Act 4, Sc. 5. 48). When Ophelia speaks about Valentine’s Day, she is referring to the event of romance that she was denied. Ophelia’s madness is brought on by her lack of being able to demonstrate any maturity in trying to cope with her losses and in return can only inflict her madness on the court. Hamlet immediately stresses that his madness is a mask put upon him by himself when he stated, â€Å"†¦. to put an antic disposition on† (Act 1, Sc. 5. 72). This means that Hamlet was going to put on an appearance of being mad. He admitted to himself that he was not mad by saying this and that he was only going to pretend to be mad. If Hamlet openly admits his true intentions to himself, we must trust that his actions are part of his plan. Although, many things lead us to believe that Hamlet was actually mad, he says his behavior is intentional, and there is no hard evidence to prove otherwise. We can look at his actions and assume that he is mad, but the only real proof of his sanity is his own statement. Hamlet directly tells the readers that he is only pretending to be crazy. Therefore, all the evidence that points to Hamlets as being crazy is unreliable, because his actions are pretended. Hamlet gives the audience the appearance that he is hesitant to kill Claudius for many reasons. These reasons include moral issues, religious issues, and depression; yet, Hamlet waits because he chooses to do so. Hamlet gives proof of his intention to wait when he says, â€Å"The time is out of joint; O cursed spite that ever I was born to set it right† (Act 1 Sc 5. 189-190). He is saying that the time to take revenge was not immediately after the murder. Hamlet, therefore, pretends to be mad, in order to maintain safety while he waits for the right time to strike. Although Hamlet manages to convince the court that he is unstable long enough so that he may avoid being killed while formulating his plan of revenge, Claudius becomes suspicious of his behavior. Even Claudius questions Hamlet’s supposed madness. Claudius states,† Was not like madness. There is something in his soul† (Act 3, Sc1. 172). This statement proves that someone besides Hamlet realizes that he is not actually mad, but rather, there is method to his mayhem. Near the end of the play, Hamlet, again, reveals his plan of disguise. This time, however, he reveals his plan to Gertrude when he says, â€Å"That I essentially am not in madness, but mad in craft† (Act 3. Sc4. 187-188). This repetition of his plan proves that Hamlet was truly not mad but just so precise and specific in planning every detail of his elaborate scheme that he seemed mad to the people in the court. He was so â€Å"Mad in craft† that he went to the extremes in executing his plan of revenge. Hamlet was so furious with Claudius, that he engulfed himself in his plan and carried it out right down to the words he spoke and every little action he did. In conclusion, Hamlet avoids allowing everyone know that he is planning hostile actions against Claudius. Even though Claudius and Polonius suspect that Hamlet knows the truth behind the murder of King Hamlet, Hamlet is able to disguise his intentions of revenge long enough so that he may wait for the right time to strike. The only proof that Hamlet is actually insane comes in the form of his actions and speech. Now, if Hamlet specifically says that his actions and speech is just a disguise, can they be used as evidence that he is unstable? Certainly not. Hamlet’s madness was an act; a disguise to draw attention away from his vengeful plan to murder Claudius for enough time to allow Hamlet to wait for the right time to strike. Hamlet must wait for the right time to act and plan his revenge, so, what better way to reduce his threat to Claudius than to make everyone believe that he had lost his mind. Works cited Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces.

This Is How I Am Prepaired for My Future Essay Example

This Is How I Am Prepaired for My Future Essay Most people have their future plans, dreams, things which they want to realize some day. Everyone dreams about interesting and satisfactory job with good salary, loving family, beautiful house and many friends. Future plans are often an escape from usual live for us. I often reflect on what kind of person I would like to be in the future and what my future life will look like. After 10th exam I want to study at the Delhi Politechnic and rent a room in this city. I want to study computer science because it is very interesting subject for me and using a computer gives me great pleasure. When I finish studying In my opinion it is a very interesting and good job – nowadays many bosses search for workers well-educated in computer science and they pay them much money. I want to live in Delhi or Kanpur the future. I think that living in a big city is interesting and very comfortable because there are many means of transport, a lot of museums, theatres, cinemas where you can go in your spare time. In Delhi, for example, there are also many cafes, restaurants, discos you can always find an interesting place. In big city there are many sorts of entertainment and you can meet a lot of people, Polish as well as foreigners. There are many good schools, when your children may be well-educated. In the future I want to spent much time with my family. I would like to have three children. I think that in the future I will adopt a child because in my opinion it is a disaster not to have parents and family. When I collect enough money I will travel to other countries. I have always dreamt about going to Noida or Bengalura. We will write a custom essay sample on This Is How I Am Prepaired for My Future specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on This Is How I Am Prepaired for My Future specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on This Is How I Am Prepaired for My Future specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer

The Confucian gentleman Essay Example

The Confucian gentleman Essay Example The Confucian gentleman Paper The Confucian gentleman Paper The Confucian gentleman has high standards for being a man in which the virtues that would be able to perfect society are implemented; the said virtues being humility, magnanimity, sincerity, diligence, graciousness, self-respect, generosity, and benevolence. With such standards to aid society as a whole as well as achieve ones own happiness, the components of the gentleman is to be known, and if According to the standards within the Lin Yu, has the Confucian gentleman survived to present time? In order to come to a conclusion, research was done on not only the characteristics Confucius and his pupil deemed the gentleman to posses, in essence the virtues, as well as how it progressed through time in analysis of other philosophies. The Ancient Days of Athens and the early Hellenistic period were analyzed with the works of the Platonists and the creator of Epicureanism, to see the courageous step in upholding personal justice, virtues and morals to seek ones own happiness. One of the most influential philosophers of the Middle ages, Thomas Aquinas is then studied as well to see that in his cardinal virtues; prudence, temperance, courage, and justice, the Gentleman may not only exist but even part the Golden rule which was a huge component of his. The Age of Enlightenment is then discerned with its scientific mind of Kant and the path of happiness stated by dHolbach, bringing forth a more general view on the virtues needed for happiness and becoming a true man. The present is then inquired with interviews of current day society, resulting in the presence of the Confucian Gentleman, though different in form and thought, despite all the time, having each era concur with its existence, the idea of the Gentleman lives on. Introduction Since the beginning of time man has always been the dominant figure in all of history. It is man who rules, wages war, and works hard to someday attain peace, honor and pride as well as any other thing that is considered a necessity of life. Over the millennia people have evolved in a way beyond the basics of physical aspects and have reached levels of insight that have spread over many regions, that which are withheld and respected; an example of this is the makings of man. In ancient China, circa 500 B. C, there lived a man who was known as the first teacher, Kung Fu tze, or more commonly known in English as Confucius (circa 551-479 BC), a wise man regarded as a famous sage and a social philosopher. A most notable conduct that he had taught was the essence of a true man, the epitome of all good and virtuous, a gentleman. Confucius had written four famous books that are read and following his teachings; the Lun Yi , also known as Confuciuss Analects. In every era, including now, man has tried to understand and find what is needed to become a True Man, someone to be revered and helpful, in order to gain a sense of happiness and achievement. Men try to become more manly or gentleman-like to rise in society. This same instance arose in China with Confucius descriptions of becoming a gentleman, and it was his gentleman that was sought after by thousands of followers. From that the question arises; if the ideas, the virtues the Confucian Gentleman followed were to be interpreted differently due to such differences between Eastern and Western philosophy, as well as the possibility of favoring other virtues, has the Confucian gentleman survived to present day? With that knowledge, one could see the present methods to reach Gentleman status and whether society can be aided with those characteristics. The Confucian Gentleman Before the Western philosophers are to be analyzed on their individual accounts, an in-depth premise must be set for the Confucian gentleman and thus compared after seeing the virtues it holds. First off, it must be noted that virtues are what they are in ethics alone, and by their implications, ethics and morals are defined and instituted. The teachings of Confucius hold three terms; in Chinese, the terms used in his writings are Li, Jen and Chn-Tzu; Li having many translations but considered as either of the following: propriety, reverence, courtesy, ritual or the ideal standard of conduct, where the most appropriate definition would be propriety, taken from the Latin propius, which means making ones own, thus the other definitions would follow suit with the virtues which would be passed on (Aarweb, N.D. ). Jen is the idea of humaneness, goodness, benevolence or man-to-manness (McDowell Stewart, 2006), it is the virtue of goodness and benevolence that makes his ethics a moral system and therein the creation of the Golden Rule (aka the Silver Rule) which Confucius later on summarizes in his Analects: Do not do to others what you would not like them to do to you. (Analects 15:23) [NOTE: Due to multiple versions of the translated Lun , the specific chapters and verses listed are to not be dependant with other versions] (Zukeran, 2002); and finally, Chi n-Tzu, translated as the gentleman, true manhood, the superior man, and man-at-his-best, the ultimate aim of Confucius teachings. Under the laws of Li and Jen one aims to become a Chi n-Tzu, being in social relations on an ethical base driven by virtues alone that would thus, if all would be brought together, create peace. Now as aforementioned, they are they are the virtues that hold dominion over the defining characteristic of the gentleman have no precise definition, thus some verses from the Lun Yi must be observed. First, it is to be established that the Confucian Gentleman practiced the following: self-respect, generosity, sincerity, persistence, and benevolence (Zukeran, 2002). Confucius had also said: He who in this world can practice five things may indeed be considered man-at-his-best. What are they? They are humility, magnanimity, sincerity, diligence, and graciousness. If you are humble, you will not be laughed at. If you are magnanimous, you will attract many to your side. If you are sincere, people will trust you. If you are gracious, you will get along well with your subordinates. It is this type of man who can transform society into the peaceful state it was meant to be. (McDowell Stewart, 2006). The following verses from the Lun Yi also provide further insight into the Confucian gentleman: 12:2-Chung-kung asked about perfect virtue. The Master said, It is, when you go abroad, to behave to everyone as if you were receiving a great guest; to employ the people as if you were assisting at a great sacrifice; not to do to others as you would not wish done to yourself; to have no murmuring against you in the country and none in the family. Chung-kung said, Though I am deficient in intelligence and vigor, I will make it my business to practice this lesson. (Velasquez, 2005) 12:1-Yen Yuan asked about perfect virtue. The Master said, To subdue ones self and return to propriety, is perfect virtue. If a man can for one day subdue himself and return to propriety all under heaven will ascribe perfect virtue to him. Is the practice of perfect virtue then from a man himself or is it from the other? Yen Yuan said, I beg to ask the steps of the process. The Master replied, Look not at what is contrary to propriety; listen not to what is contrary to propriety; speak not to what is contrary to propriety; make no movement which is contrary to propriety. Yen Yuan then said, Though I am deficient in intelligence and vigor, I will make it my business to practice this lesson. (Velasquez, 2005) With those, the gentleman is seen as said, a man-of-manness, living bounded to reciprocity and expressing the virtues in which one can not only move himself closer to the gentleman status, but which can also benefit those around himself with the altruistic mind set which the said Confucian gentleman would carry about himself in the search and keeping of perfect virtue; Confucius stating, A gentleman needs to have three basic characters, which I have not lived up to. Be benevolent with no worry; be wise with no bepuzzlement; be courageous with no fear as well as being unlike an implement, bringing aid by his benevolence and with the wisdom he has attained, fearing no situation or obstacle in his path despite the place he is visiting or living in(Csymbol, 2001). With such strict yet admirable standards, the Confucian Gentleman could have not possibly survived over the centuries with all the change in cultures and thinking.

Research Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Research Paper - Essay Example This war gained heavy criticism and the critics have established that US was wrong in conducting this war. War on Iraq was not justified due to several reasons including: it had no weapons of mass destruction, it was a weak nation, Iraq did not participate in the attack on the World Trade center, led to increase in terrorists, war was ethically wrong, led to loss of allies, higher cost lower benefits, war was fought for self interest over the interest of the community and led to the destruction of the global economy. Body The main official reason due to which US attacked Iraq was that Iraq and Saddam was in control of weapons of mass destructions and these weapons even were expected to include nukes. US might have made a just decision of going to war on this particular reason but later it was figured out that intelligence regarding weapons of mass destruction was misleading and no weapons of mass destruction were identified in the nation (O’Neill, 2012). The basis on which thi s war took place was that Iraq has previous used weapons that were dangerous in nature during the period of 1980s, but all those weapons were either utilized or recognized as unusable during the 1990s (Zinn, 2002). This clearly represents that US attacked Iraq on the basis of obsolete intelligence and the decision of going to war made by the administration of Bush was not justified. The intelligence gathered during the 1990s clearly showed that Iraq was not in possession of weapons of mass destruction and was not a plausible threat either to US or its allied nations. Even Saddam Hussein never had threatened US and neither to its allied force of attacking them. Neither Saddam nor Iraq poised a threat to the neighboring countries and neither the neighboring countries feared Iraq. Iraq had never attacked any of its neighbors since the end of the Gulf War as it had become quite weak and could not afford any war (O’Neill, 2012). US suspected that Iraq and Saddam had close ties wit h the terrorist group Taliban and its leader Osama Bin Laden and the US even suspected that he might have contributed to the attacks of 9/11 (Zinn, 2002). Since 9/11 US has been at a war against terrorism and has been at war with Afghanistan and Al-Qaeda and its leader Osama Bin Laden, Al-Qaeda had openly accepted the responsibility of the 9/11 attacks and even threatened US to attack US and allied nations in future due to which US launched an attack at Afghanistan and stood victorious. But Saddam Hussein had never conducted such threatening activities and should not have been attacked on the basis of terrorism. Instead of wasting resources in Iraq and causing damage throughout the world US should have focused on its war against terrorism in Afghanistan where the real terrorists exist and who continue to not only disturb the US society, but societies all over the world. Attack on Iraq did not lead to decrease in attack conducted by terrorist groups; rather terrorist groups have beco me much stronger due to this war. Individuals living in Iraq and other countries have started raising their voices against US and there are even those who do not appreciate what US did to Iraq, due to this the terrorist groups have gained more men and more personnel to dismantle US as these terrorist groups use the hatred against US to cause destruction in US. Instead of US distributing its resources

The Current Model of Education Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Current Model of Education - Assignment Example As denoted above, the problem that is faced is how to utilize new technologies and to what extent these are useful in the ability to meet existing metrics. The actual problem investigated within this particular research article was not contingent upon the way in which new technology can be leveraged at the students as a means of reaching or surpassing educational goals. Instead, the research was concentric upon the way in which social media platforms should be promoted and utilized within the faculty as a means of creating a unified understanding of the goals and directions that are being faced. Additionally, the question of whether or not social media can be used within faculty as a function of increasing learning objectives and creating a unified understanding of existing problems, strengths, weaknesses, and potential solutions was also a key element that the researchers sought to measure and draw inference upon. The underlying purpose of the study is to of course provide more identifiable metrics with respect to the way in which social media is adopted. As the researchers note, social media has received a negative rap within the arena of education; as something of little use and mainly a way for individuals to waste time. Because of this, the study had as its underlying purpose a need to redefine and rebrand social media usage within faculty; as the researchers believed it could potentially reflect a useful tool with respect to the way in which faculty interaction and engagement could take place. The current dynamic within the educational realm is one in which there is relatively little interaction between faculty members; creating an aura in which sharing and the attenuation of educational metrics amongst all stakeholders are neither encouraged nor possible. The questions and hypothesis for the research were concentric upon whether or not social media could reflect a benefit for faculty members with respect to the way in which best practices were understood and shared.  

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 22

Assignment Example Mr. McLeod, new general manager of All-Asia Paper (AAP) Company must develop ways of dealing with corruption to increase productivity of the company and save lives of company workers. Key alternatives: Mr. McLeod can introduce professional ethics in the company and ensure that all workers adhere to it. Mr. McLeod can refuse to give bribes and let the government and company officials carry out their threats. In the end, it is cheaper to pay a fine and learn to put things straight than live under the thorns of threats, intimidations and blackmails that will lower efficiency and quality of services. Mr. McLeod can resign if Goh (company owner) fail to support him fight the vice that makes the company perform below par and lose million of dollars. Analysis: The Company is performing below expectations as it produces 21,500 tonnes instead of 43,000 tonnes of pulp. Over ten workers have died within eight months for failing to put on protective clothing. The company is about to loose thousands of dollars in bribes to a government safety and health inspector so as not to have a bad report on the faulty outlet pipe and poor working conditions in the company. Government officials and some company employees use threats, blackmails and frauds to induce company officials to give bribes. Finally, Mr. McLeod knows that some threats of safety and health official is non-factual and may be of little significance if implemented. Decision: Mr. McLeod is angry and worried about the corruption levels in Asia. This is impediment to excellent performance and profitable growth of AAP. He decides to introduce professional ethics and provide necessary skills needed by all workers to do their jobs adequately and reduce work related hazards. Action Plan: Mr. McLeod instructs the human resources department to develop curriculum for training all employees. The curriculum shall cover all job specifications, ethics as well as health

Marketing Plan of Japanese Steakhouse Benihana

Marketing Plan of Japanese Steakhouse Benihana Benihana a Japanese steakhouse restaurant with hibachi concept commenced in 1964 in West Side, New York. This restaurant was founded by Hiroaki (Rocky) Aoki, an opportunity seeker, who identified the untapped needs in the American restaurant industry after having done a thorough analysis of the market. His concept serve the unfulfilled needs of the market especially the middle-income businessmen by providing exotic surroundings, the authentic Japanese ambiance, as well as offering new experience by having chefs cooked in front of customers. The idea quickly gained the popularity; resulted in high profits and rapid expansion. This service concept brought forth the competitive advantage to Benihana restaurant. By having chefs outside cooking; it allows the restaurant to save labor costs and offer more attentive services. The menu limitation also lowers the costs. The space was fully utilized to maximize the profits. The costs structure and utilization of space will be explained in detailed. Moreover, the highly trained skilled chefs and creative PR and marketing campaign were also the key contribution to the success of the restaurant. Despite the success, the rapid expansion can often time be a problem since, company may not have the resources and the solid plan for the growth strategy. Rocky wanted to diversify his business into retail and fast food chain. In addition, this new innovative service concept may cause confusion as to what the restaurant core product or services really are. This report aims to address the issues mentioned by evaluating Rockys diversification plan, identify the core products and services, come up with alternatives which were first to open new Beni Trendy restaurant which target younger generation and After Benis for dessert and come up with action plan. Issue Statement Rocky Aika is a man of great dreams but his dreams may be too big for him to be able to achieve it. He plans to grow his business to other sections of the market especially the younger generation but in order for Rocky to be able to grow his business and to maximize the profits, the expansion plans need to be strategically revised and planned. Currently, Rocky is planning his diversification strategy, but this has to be evaluated and for the purpose of successfully growing Rocky needs to first understand his business and market. Data Analysis Benihana, a Teppanyaki Japanese restaurant with hibachi concept was a major success. The service concept was new and unique to the market which differentiated itself from the typical existing restaurants. The major differences of the concept were: The restaurant eliminated the back of house conventional kitchen while instead providing hibachi tables with well-trained chefs cooking in front of customers. This concept allows the labor cost to be cut down to 10-12% of gross sales and attentive service. Benihana provided limited menus, which resulted in reduction of food storage and wastage costs. The authentic Japanese ambiance or Japanese touch was brought to the restaurant through importing all furniture from Japan including walls, ceilings, beams and decorations. Benihana better utilize their space. Normal restaurants require 30-35% space for back of the house meanwhile Benihana needed only 22% of the total space. By focusing on the above mentioned points, Benihana was able to reduce their costs, thus become more profitable. For instance, Chicago branch was the most profitable unit with the gross profit around 1.3 million per year. The reason for this was that the managements ability to keep their expenses to a minimal with food 30%, labor 10%, advertising 10%, management 4%, and rent 5 %. Benihana Cost and Typical Restaurant Cost Structure The above income statement shows the profits that Benihana in Chicago was making during the year 1972. Some of the amounts were already given including the gross sales, food and beverage sales, the percentage of food cost, labor cost, advertising costs, management cost, and rent. However, some other items needed to be calculated or assumed such as the percentage of beverage cost, the total sales and the income tax. The gross sales were given to be $1,300,000, thus the food and beverage would be $910,000 and $390,000 respectively. The food costs that are 30% of food sales would give an amount of $273,000 and the beverage costs that was averaged to be 20% of the beverage sales would equal to $78,000. Therefore, the gross profit would equal to gross sales minus total costs of goods sold which is equal to $949,000. The labor, advertising, management and rent expenses are expected to be 10%, 10%, 4% and 5% of gross sales respectively. The expenses were calculated to be $130,000, $130,000, $52,000, and $65,000 which totalled to $377,000 or total operating costs. The net profit before income tax on the other hand is equal to gross profit minus total operating expenses or $949,000 minus $377,000 which gives the value of $572,000. To calculate the net profit after tax, the assumption was made that the income tax was 14% which is based on the percentage of tax that needs to be charged must be given but the case does not give any such information, so for the purpose the assumption assume that the income tax was at 14% so in this case the value would be $80,080 which is $572,000*20/100. So the net profit after tax will be $572,000 minus $80,080 which calculates to $491,920. In order to have a clearer picture of the difference between Benihana and typical restaurant the percentages of each item were compared. The food and beverages sales percentages of Benihana are simlar to that of a typical restaurant which were around 70% for food and 30% for beverages. Nevertheless, the major difference lies in the food and beverage costs which was approximately 50% in Benihana whereas in typical restaurant would be equivalent to 73-88% or about 23-38% higher. The total expenses percentages of Benihana comes up to 29% which composed of labor, advertising, management and rent, meanwhile the operating expenses percentages of a typical restaurant total to 42.25-57%. It is apparent that Benihanas service concept, service operation and its delivery system enable the restaurant to significantly reduce costs and gain higher profits, thereby became more competitive than its competitors. The Chefs Salary Chefs were vital element to the success of the Benihana. Therefore, it is extremely important to estimate the influence of their salaries on the restaurant profitability. The case provided that in one unit there were approximately 30 staff which were 6-8 chefs, 6-8 waitresses, 4-5 managers, 2-3 barman, and about 8-11 bus staff and dishwashers. The total labor cost as calculated above was 10% of gross sales which is equivalent to $130,000 which must be divided among all the employees excluding the managers. In order to estimate the chefs salaries, each employee salaries will be first estimated. The assumption is made that waitresses and barmen would have roughly the same amount of salary which is approximate $3,000-4,000 per person per year or about 2-3% of total labor cost. The 6-11 bus staff and dishwashers could earn around $1,500-3,000 per person per year or 1-2% of total labor cost for each person. Given the assumptions above, the chefs salary would be around $10,000-12,000/year. Benihana Production System Benihana has an efficient process flow from that of the production process to the service delivered to the customer, providing them with the ultimate dining experience. The average dining time period is one hour which does not include the bar time. This identifies the efficiency of the employees, the hibachi style of cooking and seating arrangement. The food is prepared in front of the seated guest and is delivered to them with a personalised service; at the same time ensuring that high quality standards of food production are met. The restaurant has a well-organized layout plan which enhances their service delivery. It has been designed in a very systematic so as to facilitate the smooth flow of the staff and the guest entering the restaurant. The production system has been focused, which can be interpreted to mean, the entire production service within the restaurant from time of bringing the guest and staff together , seating them, taking their order, delivering the food, preparing the food till the time of guest leaving the restaurant. On carefully examination of the layout for the Benihana, it can be seen that the entrance leads directly to the lounge. See Figure 1. The guest can relax and have a drink in the lounge which has a seating capacity of about 50, while a table is being organised for them as the turnover time period ranges to about an hour. They are then escorted to the dining area in batches 4, 8 or 16. The 112 seat restaurant has again been planned with great efficiency. There is one chef and one waitress for every two hibachi tables, thus the designing process has been made keeping this in mind and at the same time this reduces the labour costs. The back area space has been efficiently utilised. The kitchen includes a pre-preparation area, hot area and post production area, which are separated to avoid confusion and chaos. The washing area is close to the kitchen and the restaurant to avoid delay of service. The storage area has enough space to cater to both the kitchen and the beverage areas in addit ion are designed to be easy access to both the areas. At the same time there are a few alterations that can be made to further enhance the process. The entrance for the restaurant consumes a lot of space and can be modified to accommodate more guests in the lounge. The Lounge area setup can be reorganized to accommodate more guest so that if the guests dining in the dining area want to spend some more time in the restaurant by having a few drinks they can thus be escorted to the lounge area, this in turn would also further reduce the turnover time period. The washrooms have been placed quite close to the bar and near the entrance which is extremely far from the dining area so if they are placed in between the lounge and the dining area it would be more convenient for the guest to walk to the location than to go from the dining area and through the lounge at last reaching the washroom. The three poles in between the lounge area can also be an obstacle for the people seated in the area as well as for the employees while delivering their s ervices. Presentation of Solutions The major concerns that were raised by both internal and external parties regarding Benihana business were the expansion strategy, understanding its core business and the sustainability of the business. In order to come up with solutions, one needs to understand the core business by first understanding the market. According to the survey, the main target market of Benihana was middle-income businessmen. The survey also revealed that the number one reason that persuades customers to come to the restaurant is good food or about 46.7% and atmosphere and preparation together came up to about 26.4%. The first time visit percentage is about 34.4%. Thereby, it is led to believe that first time visitors may come because the restaurant provides them with new exotic experiences. Consequently, as they have experienced the food; they were satisfied with the taste, hence second visit. Customers also rated that they would highlight the food 38.2% and preparation 24.6%. From this, one could conclude that the main core products and services of Benihana are the food and the experiences. The sustainability of business issue was also raised by Russ Carpenter. Due to the concept of the restaurant and the limited menus, the long-term competitiveness is questioned. As the business grows, so did the competitors. If new competitors with different concepts come into scene, the sustainability is raised. The limited menu options which although Benihana gave an advantage by reducing the food costs, but would it be enough the changing trends to attract the customers. Once the restaurateur knows that the restaurant is already successful, the management should consider the sustainability of the products and services. Time changes, trends change and people change, thus businesses should come up with innovative plan as a pioneer or expand the line of product for the business growth. If Benihana is considered to be fashionable due to the trend, then they will need to develop a concept for service according to help Benihana to become sustainable. According to Rockys, he planned to diversify into retail sale of Benihana-labeled food label and quick-service operation. Orient Express, their new product lines will be quite innovative and a great potential plan for the future. The Benihana label will enhance the corporate brand, yet increase the brand awareness among the people who have never experienced Benihana. Figure 3 shows Rockys growth strategy. One core product/service and one market Benihana Restaurant Chain for middle-income businessman Sell existing products/service in new geographic market segment Expanding Benihana Restaurants to different part of US through JV and wholly-owned Sell existing core service out of country Expanding Benihana Restaurants to different part of world Conglomerate diversification Expanding to retail and fast food chain, Orient Express Rocky intentionally aimed to appeal the younger generation by investing in the new small units called Orient Express which would be located in gas stations. However, the quick-service units in gas stations did not necessary target the younger generation. Since the gas station is a place that people stop to fill gasoline, use the restrooms or take a rest after a long journey. According Rockys concerns and issued raised by Russ Carpenter the following solutions are suggested: (1) To open a new Benihana which directly targets the younger generation. (2) To diversify the Benihana business to the other business such as Benihana restaurant that sells purely the Japanese style dessert. By doing so, Rocky could direct his business towards the group he wanted to attract, at the same utilize the companys core competencies which were the quality food and authentic Japanese experience. The dessert restaurant would allow Benihana to diversify into the potential market which is females which currently only constituted only 28.6% of Benihana restaurant according to the survey. The costs of training and staff would be reduced as the operation would be similar to that of the existing ones. Figure : Proposed growth strategy. Adapted from Carmen Langeard (1986) One core product/service and one market Benihana Restaurant Chain for middle-income businessman Sell existing products/service in new geographic market segment Expanding Benihana Restaurants to different part of US through JV and wholly-owned Sell existing core service out of country Expanding Benihana Restaurants to different part of world Conglomerate diversification Expanding to retail, but NO ORIENT EXPRESS Concentric diversification Beni Trendy: targets 18-30 people After Benis: desserts penetrate into younger and female market Recommendation The alternative to the solution mentioned above is opening a new unit which targets only the young generation (18-30 years old) as a separate clientele from existing Benihana. The unit will be named Benihana Trendy. This unit will create a completely different experience from original Benihana, but at the same time the customers still can perceive the feeling that this is Benihana. Benihana Trendy would still sell grilled steaks, however of different price and quality. The atmosphere would be created to attract new generation who seek for thrill and exotic experiences at lower prices. For example, the customer can cook with chef upon reservation. The menu of self-cooking might be added in the menu. The interior will be designed to facilitate the trendy atmosphere that appeals the young generation. The furniture did not have to be imported from Japan, hence cost saving. Another diversified alternative is creating a separate dessert unit which is called After Benis. The name comes from the idea that people can come to have dessert after having main course from Benihana or Benihana Trendy The ideal is the location of After Benis should be located as near as possible to Benihana, otherwise the name would not be quite suitable. The concept of this unit would also be the cooking show but the chef is not allocated at each table. The cooking show from chef will be set in the area that everyone can see, so the tables are not equipped with the hot stove. The dessert menu will be designed to incorporate the cooking show; for instance, the pancake, the fried ice-cream (mixing two or more ice-cream in one dish), and etc. As Japanese food culture is very delicate, the menu will be deliberately invented by design of Japanese chef. This also aims to attract younger generation as well as females segment. The decoration would be homely, but keep the trendy element. By having these two new concepts, it is believed that Rocky can best utilize his resources and core competency. This would help him save costs. In addition, he can tailor these new products and services to the new market segments which he had not yet tapped into. This will provide the opportunity for him to expand his business or concentric diversification, which is believe to be less risky than conglomerate diversification which he had initially planned. It is believed that this would be a good investment and diversification plan for Benihana. Action Plan For Benihana Trendy and After Benis Goals: To open Beni Trendy within 1 year with the budget of approximately around $US 210,000 To open After Benis within 1 year with the budget of approximately around $US 150,000 This is from the assumption that to open up new Beni Trendy will cost 70% and After Benis will cost 50% of set up cost for Benihana unit which is $US 300,000. Actions: Market research Define Five Ps of services Procurers, (customers) Product, (service concept) Policies Practice (operation strategy) Place Plant (service delivery system) Providers (servers)Actual Construction of the site Construction Hire The thorough concept is defined to serve the target market. Key factors are identified. 1. What products to sell. 2. What should the ambiance of the restaurant? 3. What should be on the menu none Define (Policies and Practices) Operation Strategy Within 1 month Rocky, Bill Susha, Allen Saito Time Concrete concept formed. Eg. The rules and regulations of the company that is accepted by all parties none Finding (Place and Plant) Restaurant location Within 2 months Rocky Time, connections with people, capital To find the right location to have the restaurant and to negotiate and sign contract with the landlord. none Design of the restaurant Within 3 months however alternations could be made within the project period. Rocky, Glen Simones and Interior Designer Floor plan To come up with the floor plan and interior design concept that fit the service concept $US50,000 Construction of restaurant Within 3 months External contractors Time and finances Find the right contractor and construct the restaurant $US120,000 Find Suppliers Within 2 month Bill Susha and Allen Saito Time Found the best suppliers of the raw materials which the price reflects the quality none Hire staff Within 2 months Restaurant Manager Time To find the quality staff that match the culture of the restaurant. none Train staff Within 1 month Restaurant manager Time and finance $US 2,000

Essay --

The Pura Principle is one of the most interesting stories written by Junot Diaz. The narrator of the story is Yunior a character that Junot had used in earlier stories. The story is also full of potent language further makes it quite interesting to read. Analysis of the plot it is also evident that the story also flows nicely especially due to the presence of several interesting imagery. Upon reading the story one of the issues that come to the mind of every reader is the question of what was main theme that the writer of the story wanted to convey. In this essay I argue that the writer of the story mainly wanted to bring out theme of conflict that exits in the modern Americans family setting. This essay therefore presents a strong view that the story bring out theme of peace and conflict that every family is subjected to. Right of from the beginning of the story the author first tries to describe the conflict that existed between Yunior and his elder brother Rafa. The author states that Yunior started drinking while he was still in high school. Whenever Rafa came home he does not have time to talk to his brother since he mostly spends time partying and drinking with his friends. Rafa even goes a step further where he comes home with women despite the objection by his mother of bringing women home without her approval. Rafa assumes that whatever advice he is given by his mother he can ignore with no consequences since at times he even goes ahead to spend time with his old girlfriend knowing very well that she is married. In most families peace is assumed to exist whenever the family members are able to sit and enjoy time together. This type of peace is rarely seen in this story since in most cases no one seems to care what th... ...ossible to conclude that the author mainly wanted to show some of the conflicts that exist in the contemporary society. Family conflict is depicted in the story as inevitable but the critical issue is how one deals with such issues. Others can also argue that the story does not have a specific theme since it only consist of a plot and voice of Yunior who is the main character. Lack of specific theme is also related to the fact that the story seems to be too simple. The story can also be seen to lack any specific theme since the author of the story makes several grammatical mistakes in mixing Spanish language with English. In addition the author also incorporates several unprofessional languages in the story that further interfere with any plot of the story. The story can also be seen as to bring out feminist related issues where women are demonstrated as powerless.

Bag of Bones CHAPTER FOUR

The phone was ringing when I walked in my front door. It was Frank asking me if I'd like to join him for Christmas. Join them, as matter of fact; all of his brothers and their families were coming. I opened my mouth to say no the last thing on earth I needed was a Irish Christmas with everybody drinking whiskey and waxing sentimental about Jo while perhaps two dozen snotcaked rugrats crawled around the floor and heard myself saying I'd come. Frank sounded as surprised as I felt, but honestly delighted. ‘Fantastic!' He cried. ‘When can you get here?' I was in the hall, my galoshes dripping on the tile, and from where I standing I could look through the arch and into the living room. There was no Christmas tree; I hadn't bothered with one since Jo died. The room looked both ghastly and much too big to me . . . a roller rink furnished in Early American. ‘I've been out running errands,' I said. ‘How about I throw some in a bag, get back into the car, and come south while the still blowing warm air?' ‘Tremendous,' Frank said without a moment's hesitation. ‘We can have us a sane bachelor evening before the Sons and Daughters of East Malden start arriving. I'm pouring you a drink as soon as I get off the telephone.' ‘Then I guess I better get rolling,' I said. That was hands down the best holiday since Johanna died. The only good holiday, I guess. For four days I was an honorary Arlen. I drank too much, toasted Johanna's memory too many times . . . and knew, somehow, that she'd be pleased to know I was doing it. Two babies spit up on me, one dog got into bed with me in the middle of the night, and Nicky Arlen's sister-in-law made a bleary pass at me on the night after Christmas, when she caught me alone in the kitchen making a turkey sandwich. I kissed her because she clearly wanted to be kissed, and an adventurous (or perhaps ‘mischievous' is the word I want) hand groped me for a moment in a place where no one other than myself had groped in almost three and a half years. It was a shock, but not an entirely unpleasant one. It went no further in a houseful of Arlens and with Susy Donahue not quite officially divorced yet (like me, she was an honorary Arlen that Christmas), it hardly could have done but I decided it was time to leave . . . unless, that was, I wanted to go driving at high speed down a narrow street that most likely ended in a brick wall. I left on the twenty-seventh, very glad that I had come, and I gave Frank a fierce goodbye hug as we stood by my car. For four days I hadn't thought at all about how there was now only dust in my safe-deposit box at Fidelity Union, and for four nights I had slept straight through until eight in the morning, sometimes waking up with a sour stomach and a hangover headache, but never once in the middle of the night with the thought Manderley, I have dreamt again of Manderley going through my mind. I got back to Derry feeling refreshed and renewed. The first day of 1998 dawned clear and cold and still and beautiful. I got up, showered, then stood at the bedroom window, drinking coffee. It suddenly occurred to me with all the simple, powerful reality of ideas like up is over your head and down is under your feet that I could write now. It was a new year, something had changed, and I could write now if I wanted to. The rock had rolled away. I went into the study, sat down at the computer, and turned it on. My heart was beating normally, there was no sweat on my forehead or the back of my neck, and my hands were warm. I pulled down the main menu, the one you get when you click on the apple, and there was my Word Six. I clicked on it. The pen-and-parchment logo came up, and when it did I suddenly couldn't breathe. It was as if iron bands had clamped around my chest. I pushed back from the desk, gagging and clawing at the round neck of the sweatshirt I was wearing. The wheels of my office chair caught on little throw rug one of Jo's finds in the last year of her life and I tipped right over backward. My head banged the floor and I saw a fountain of bright sparks go whizzing across my field of vision. I suppose I was lucky to black out, but I think my real luck on New Year's Morning of 1998 was that I tipped over the way I did. If I'd only pushed back from the desk so that I was still looking at the logo and at the hideo us blank screen followed it I think I might have choked to death. ‘When I staggered to my feet, I was at least able to breathe. My throat the size of a straw, and each inhale made a weird screaming sound, but I was breathing. I lurched into the bathroom and threw up in the basin with such force that vomit splashed the mirror. I grayed out and my knees buckled. This time it was my brow I struck, thunking it against the lip of the basin, and although the back of my head didn't bleed there was a very respectable lump there by noon, though), my forehead did, a little. This latter bump also left a purple mark, which I of course lied about, telling folks who asked that I'd run into the bathroom door in the middle of the night, silly me, that'll teach a fella to get up at two A.M. without turning on a lamp. ,'When I regained complete consciousness (if there is such a state), I was curled up on the floor. I got up, disinfected the cut on my forehead, and sat on the lip of the tub with my head lowered to my knees until I felt confident enough to stand up. I sat there for fifteen minutes, I guess, and in that space of time I decided that barring some miracle, my career was over. Harold would scream in pain and Debra would moan in disbelief, but what could they do? Send out the Publication Police? me with the Book-of-the-Month-Club Gestapo? Even if they could, what difference would it make? You couldn't get sap out of a brick or blood out of a stone. Barring some miraculous recovery, my life as a writer was over. And if it is? I asked myself. What's on for the back forty, Mike? You can play a lot of Scrabble in forty years, go on a lot of Crossword Cruises, drink a lot of whiskey. But is that enough? What else are you going to put on your back forty? I didn't want to think about that, not then. The next forty years could take care of themselves; I would be happy just to get through New Year's Day of 1998. When I felt I had myself under control, I went back into my study, shuffled to the computer with my eyes resolutely on my feet, felt around for the right button, and turned off the machine. You can damage the program shutting down like that without putting it away, but under the circumstances, I hardly thought it mattered. That night I once again dreamed I was walking at twilight on Lane Forty-two, which leads to Sara Laughs; once more I wished on the evening star as the loons cried on the lake, and once more I sensed something in the woods behind me, edging ever closer. It seemed my Christmas holiday was over. That was a hard, cold winter, lots of snow and in February a flu epidemic that did for an awful lot of Derry's old folks. It took them the way a hard wind will take old trees after an ice storm. It missed me completely. I hadn't so much as a case of the sniffles that winter. In March, I flew to Providence and took part in Will Weng's New England Crossword Challenge. I placed fourth and won fifty bucks. I framed the uncashed check and hung it in the living room. Once upon a time, most of my framed Certificates of Triumph (Jo's phrase; all the good phrases are Jo's phrases, it seems to me) went up on my office walls, but by March of 1998, I wasn't going in there very much. When I wanted to play Scrabble against the computer or do a tourney-level crossword puzzle, I used the Powerbook and sat at the kitchen table. I remember sitting there one day, opening the Powerbook's main menu, going down to the crossword puzzles, then dropping the cursor two or three items further, until it had highlighted my old pal, Word Six. What swept over me then wasn't frustration or impotent, balked fury (I'd experienced a lot of both since finishing All the Way from the Top), but sadness and simple longing. Looking at the Word Six icon was suddenly like looking at the pictures of Jo I kept in my wallet. Studying those, I'd sometimes think that I would sell my immortal soul in order have her back again . . . and on that day in March, I thought I would sell my soul to be able to write a story again. Go on and try it, then, a voice whispered. Maybe things have changed. Except that nothing had changed, and I knew it. So instead of opening Word Six, I moved it across to the trash barrel in the lower righthand corner of the screen, and dropped it in. Goodbye, old pal. Weinstock called a lot that winter, mostly with good news. Early in March she reported that Helen's Promise had been picked as one half of the Literary Guild's main selection for August, the other half a legal thriller by Steve Martini, another veteran of the eight-to-fifteen segment of the Times bestseller list. And my British publisher, Debra, loved Helen, was sure it would be my ‘breakthrough book.' (My British sales had always lagged.) ‘Promise is sort of a new direction for you,' Debra said. ‘Wouldn't you say?' ‘I kind of thought it was,' I confessed, and wondered how Debbie respond if I told her my new-direction book had been written a dozen years ago. ‘It's got . . . I don't know . . . a kind of maturity.' ‘Thanks.' ‘Mike? I think the connection's going. You sound muffled.' Sure I did. I was biting down on the side of my hand to keep from howling with laughter. Now, cautiously, I took it out of my mouth and examined the bite-marks. ‘Better?' ‘Yes, lots. So what's the new one about? Give me a hint.' ‘You know the answer to that one, kiddo.' Debra laughed. †You'll have to read the book to find out, Josephine,† she said. ‘Right?' ‘Yessum.' ‘Well, keep it coming. Your pals at Putnam are crazy about the way you're taking it to the next level.' I said goodbye, I hung up the telephone, and then I laughed wildly for about ten minutes. Laughed until I was crying. That's me, though. Always taking it to the next level. During this period I also agreed to do a phone interview with a Newsweek writer who was putting together a piece on The New American Gothic (whatever that was, other than a phrase which might sell a few magazines), and to sit for a Publishers Weekly interview which would appear just before publication of Helen's Promise. I agreed to these because they both sounded softball, the sort of interviews you could do over the phone while you read your mail. And Debra was delighted because I ordinarily say no to all the publicity. I hate that part of the job and always have, especially the hell of the live TV chat-show, where nobody's ever read your goddam book and the first question is always ‘Where in the world do you get those wacky ideas?' The publicity process is like going to a sushi bar where you're the sushi, and it was great to get past it this time with the feeling that I'd been able to give Debra some good news she could take to her bosses. ‘Yes,' she could say, ‘ he's still being a booger about publicity, but I got him to do a couple of things.' All through this my dreams of Sara Laughs were going on not every night but every second or third night, with me never thinking of them in the daytime. I did my crosswords, I bought myself an acoustic steel guitar and started learning how to play it (I was never going to be invited to tour with Patty Loveless or Alan Jackson, however), I scanned each day's bloated obituaries in the Derry News for names that I knew. I was pretty much dozing on my feet, in other words. What brought all this to an end was a call from Harold Oblowski not more than three days after Debra's book-club call. It was storming out-side a vicious snow-changing-over-to-sleet event that proved to be the last and biggest blast of the winter. By mid-evening the power would be off all over Derry, but when Harold called at five P.M., things were just getting cranked up. ‘I just had a very good conversation with your editor,' Harold said. ‘A very enlightening, very energizing conversation. Just got off the in fact.' ‘Oh?' ‘Oh indeed. There's a feeling at Putnam, Michael, that this latest of yours may have a positive effect on your sales position in the market. It's very strong.' ‘Yes,' I said, ‘I'm taking it to the next level.' ‘Huh?' ‘I'm just blabbing, Harold. Go on.' ‘Well . . . Helen Nearing's a great lead character, and Skate is your best villain ever.' I said nothing. ‘Debra raised the possibility of making Helen's Promise the opener of a three-book contract. A very lucrative three-book contract. All without prompting from me. Three is one more than any publisher has wanted to commit to 'til now. I mentioned nine million dollars, three per book, in other words, expecting her to laugh . . . but an agent has to start somewhere, and I always choose the highest ground I can find. I think I must have Roman military officers somewhere back in my family tree.' Ethiopian rug-merchants, more like it, I thought, but didn't say. I felt the way you do when the dentist has gone a little heavy on the Novocain and flooded your lips and tongue as well as your bad tooth and the patch of gum surrounding it. If I tried to talk, I'd probably only flap and spread spit. Harold was almost purring. A three-book contract for the new mature Michael Noonan. Tall tickets, baby. This time I didn't feel like laughing. This time I felt like screaming. Harold went on, happy and oblivious. Harold didn't know the bookberry-tree had died. Harold didn't know the new Mike Noonan had cataclysmic shortness of breath and projectile-vomiting fits every time he tried to write. ‘You want to hear how she came back to me, Michael?' ‘Lay it on me.' ‘Well, nine's obviously high, but it's as good a place to start as any. We feel this new book is a big step forward for him.' This is extraordinary. Extraordinary. Now, I haven't given anything away, wanted to talk to you first, of course, but I think we're looking at seven-point-five, minimum. In fact ‘ ‘No.' He paused a moment. Long enough for me to realize I was gripping the phone so hard it hurt my hand. I had to make a conscious effort to relax my grip. ‘Mike, if you'll just hear me out ‘ ‘I don't need to hear you out. I don't want to talk about a new contract.' ‘Pardon me for disagreeing, but there'll never be a better time. Think about it, for Christ's sake. We're talking top dollar here. If you wait until after Helen's Promise is published, I can't guarantee that the same offer ‘ ‘I know you can't,' I said. ‘I don't want guarantees, I don't want offers, I don't want to talk contract.' ‘You don't need to shout, Mike, I can hear you.' Had I been shouting? Yes, I suppose I had been. ‘Are you dissatisfied with Putnam's? I think Debra would be very distressed to hear that. I also think Phyllis Grann would do damned near anything to address any concerns you might have.' Are you sleeping with Debra, Harold? I thought, and all at once it seemed like the most logical idea in the world that dumpy, fiftyish, balding little Harold Oblowski was making it with my blonde, aristocratic, Smith-educated editor. Are you sleeping with her, do you talk about my future while you're lying in bed together in a room at the Plaza? Are the pair of you trying to figure how many golden eggs you can get out of this tired old goose before you finally wring its neck and turn it into pat? ¦? Is that what you're up to? ‘Harold, I can't talk about this now, and I won't talk about this now.' ‘What's wrong? Why are you so upset? I thought you'd be pleased. Hell, I thought you'd be over the fucking moon.' ‘There's nothing wrong. It's just a bad time for me to talk long-term contract. You'll have to pardon me, Harold. I have something coming out of the oven.' ‘Can we at least discuss this next w ‘ ‘No,' I said, and hung up. I think it was the first time in my adult life I'd hung up on someone who wasn't a telephone salesman. I had nothing coming out of the oven, of course, and I was too upset to think about putting something in. I went into the living room instead, poured myself a short whiskey, and sat down in front of the TV I sat there for almost four hours, looking at everything and seeing nothing. Outside, the storm continued cranking up. Tomorrow there would be trees down all over Derry and the world would look like an ice sculpture. At quarter past nine the power went out, came back on for thirty seconds or so, then went out and stayed out. I took this as a suggestion to stop thinking about Harold's useless contract and how Jo would have chortled the idea of nine million dollars. I got up, unplugged the blacked-out TV so it wouldn't come blaring on at two in the morning (I needn't have worried; the power was off in Derry for nearly two days), and went upstairs. I dropped my clothes at the foot of the bed, crawled in without even bothering to brush my teeth, and was asleep in less than five minutes. I don't how long after that it was that the nightmare came. It was the last dream I had in what I now think of as my ‘Manderley series,' the culminating dream. It was made even worse, I suppose, by unrelievable blackness to which I awoke. It started like the others. I'm walking up the lane, listening to the crickets and the loons, looking mostly at the darkening slot of sky overhead. I reach the driveway, and here something has changed; someone has put a little sticker on the SARA LAUGHS sign. I lean closer and see it's a radio station sticker. WBLM, it says. 102.9, PORTLAND'S ROCK AND ROLL BLIMP. From the sticker I look back up into the sky, and there is Venus. I wish her as I always do, I wish for Johanna with the dank and vaguely smell of the lake in my nose. Something lumbers in the woods, rattling old leaves and breaking a branch. It sounds big. Better get down there, a voice in my head tells me. Something has taken out a contract on you, Michael. A three-book contract, and that's the worst kind. I can never move, I can only stand here. I've got walker's block. But that's just talk. I can walk. This time I can walk. I am delighted. I have had a major breakthrough. In the dream I think This changes everything! This changes everything! Down the driveway I walk, deeper and deeper into the clean but sour smell of pine, stepping over some of the fallen branches, kicking others out of the way. I raise my hand to brush the damp hair off my forehead and see the little scratch running across the back of it. I stop to look at it, curious. No time for that, the dream-voice says. Get down there. You've got a book to write. I can't write, I reply. That part's over. I'm on the back forty now. No, the voice says. There is something relentless about it that scares me. You had writer's walk, not writer's block, and as you can see, it's gone. Now hurry up and get down there. I'm afraid, I tell the voice. Afraid of what? Well . . . what if Mrs. Danvers is down there? The voice doesn't answer. It knows I'm not afraid of Rebecca de Winter's housekeeper, she's just a character in an old book, nothing but a bag of bones. So I begin walking again. I have no choice, it seems, but at every step my terror increases, and by the time I'm halfway down to the shadowy sprawling bulk of the log house, fear has sunk into my bones like fever. Something is wrong here, something is all twisted up. I'll run away, I think. I'll run back the way I came, like the gingerbread man I'll run, run all the way back to Derry, if that's what it takes, and I'll never come here anymore. Except I can hear slobbering breath behind me in the growing gloom, and padding footsteps. The thing in the woods is now the thing in the driveway. It's right behind me. If I turn around the sight of it will knock the sanity out of my head in a single roundhouse slap. Something with red eyes, something slumped and hungry. The house is my only hope of safety. I walk on. The crowding bushes clutch like hands. In the light of a rising moon (the moon has never risen before in this dream, but I have never stayed in it this long before), the rustling leaves look like sardonic faces. I see winking eyes and smiling mouths. Below me are the black windows of the house and I know that there will be no power when I get inside, the storm has knocked the power out, I will flick the lightswitch up and down, up and down, until something reaches out and takes my wrist and pulls me like a lover deeper into the dark. I am three quarters of the way down the driveway now. I can see the railroad-tie steps leading down to the lake, and I can see the float out there on the water, a black square in a track of moonlight. Bill Dean has put it out. I can also see an oblong something lying at the place where driveway ends at the stoop. There has never been such an object before. What can it be? Another two or three steps, and I know. It's a coffin, the one Frank Arlen dickered for . . . because, he said, the mortician was trying to stick it to me. It's Jo's coffin, and lying on its side with the top partway open, enough for me to see it's empty. I think I want to scream. I think I mean to turn around and run back up the driveway I will take my chances with the thing behind me. But before I can, the back door of Sara Laughs opens, and a terrible figure darting out into the growing darkness. It is human, this figure, and yet it's not. It is a crumpled white thing with baggy arms upraised. There is no face where its face should be, and yet it is shrieking in a glottal, loonlike voice. It must be Johanna. She was able to escape her coffin, her winding shroud. She is all tangled up in it. How hideously speedy this creature is! It doesn't drift as one imagines ghosts drifting, but races across the stoop toward the driveway. It has been waiting down here during all the dreams when I had been frozen, and now that I have finally been able to walk down, it means to have me. I'll scream when it wraps me in its silk arms, and I will scream when I smell its rotting, bug-raddled flesh and see its dark staring eyes through the fine weave of the cloth. I will scream as the sanity leaves my mind forever. I will scream . . . but there is no one out here to hear me. Only the loons will hear me. I have come again to Manderley, and this time I will never leave. The shrieking white thing reached for me and I woke up on the floor of crying out in a cracked, horrified voice and slamming my head repeatedly against something. How long before I finally realized I was no longer asleep, that I wasn't at Sara Laughs? How long before I realized that I had fallen out of bed at some point and had crawled across the room in my sleep, that I was on my hands and knees in a corner, butting my head against the place where the walls came together, doing it over and over again like a lunatic in an asylum? I didn't know, couldn't with the power out and the bedside clock dead. I know that at first I couldn't move out of the corner because it felt safer than the wider room would have done, and I know that for a long time the dream's force held me even after I woke up (mostly, I imagine, because I couldn't turn on a light and dispel its power). I was afraid that if I crawled out of my corner, the white thing would burst out of my bathroom, shrieking its dead shriek, eager to finish what it had started. I know I was shivering all over, and that I was cold and wet from the waist down, because my bladder had let go. I stayed there in the corner, gasping and wet, staring into the darkness, wondering if you could have a nightmare powerful enough in its imagery to drive you insane. I thought then (and think now) that I almost found out on that night in March. Finally I felt able to leave the corner. Halfway across the floor I pulled off my wet pajama pants, and when I did that, I got disoriented. What followed was a miserable and surreal five minutes in which I crawled aimlessly back and forth in my familiar bedroom, bumping into stuff and moaning each time I hit something with a blind, flailing hand. Each thing I touched at first seemed like that awful white thing. Nothing I touched felt like anything I knew. With the reassuring green numerals of the bedside clock gone and my sense of direction temporarily lost, I could have been crawling around a mosque in Addis Ababa. At last I ran shoulder-first into the bed. I stood up, yanked the pillowcase off the extra pillow, and wiped my groin and upper legs with it. Then I crawled back into bed, pulled the blankets up, and lay there shivering, listening to the steady tick of sleet on the windows. There was no sleep for me the rest of that night, and the dream didn't fade as dreams usually do upon waking. I lay on my side, the shivers slowly subsiding, thinking of her coffin there in the driveway, thinking that it made a kind of mad sense Jo had loved Sara, and if she were haunt anyplace, it would be there. But why would she want to hurt me? Why would my Jo ever want to hurt me? I could think of no reason. Somehow the time passed, and there came a moment when I realized the air had turned a dark shade of gray; the shapes of the furniture in it like sentinels in fog. That was a little better. That was more it. I would light the kitchen woodstove, I decided, and make strong coffee. Begin the work of getting this behind me. I swung my legs out of bed and raised my hand to brush my sweat-hair off my forehead. I froze with the hand in front of my eyes. I must have scraped it while I was crawling, disoriented, in the dark and to find my way back to bed. There was a shallow, clotted cut across the back, just below the knuckles.

Impact of gold on Victoria essays

Impact of gold on Victoria essays The gold rush was the catalyst for the unprecedented development of Victoria. The first discoveries of Gold made at Clunes, 90 miles north of Melbourne, functioned as a magnet to thousands of prospectors in the hope of striking it rich. Consequently, the influx of foreigners and the displacement of population from the Australian colonies to the Victorian gold fields, as emphasized by the Bathurst Free Press, A complete mental madness appears to have seized almost every member of the community. There has been a universal rush to the diggings; the phenomenal impact of migration was evident in the subsequent years of Gold discovery in Victoria. The economy was injected with thousands more consumers and the need for increased services was heightened with the news of additional gold findings. Thousands of children in the colony required education, which at the time was gravely inadequate to cater for the large numbers of children flooding into the colony as their families migrated for n ew opportunities. Furthermore, the diverse inhabitants of the goldfields were the ingredients of a sweltering pot of culture, creating a cosmopolitan feel to the goldfields. The need for communications were obvious by the mid 1850s as electric telegraphing wires formed an intricate system of communications across the Victorian countryside and the development of roads and railway lines reflected the need for effective transportation. Another consequence of the gold rushes was the Eureka Stockade that effectively ignited a campaign for equal rights and fair treatment, which lead to the emergence of a democracy in Victoria and Australia. In ten years gold had transformed Victoria from a minor pastoral settlement to the most celebrated British colony and consequently transformed Melbourne into a thriving metropolis, many historians look back at this period as the defining moment in Australias history, this view was shar...

5 Types of Problems with Parenthetical Punctuation

5 Types of Problems with Parenthetical Punctuation 5 Types of Problems with Parenthetical Punctuation 5 Types of Problems with Parenthetical Punctuation By Mark Nichol Introducing additional but nonessential information into a sentence complicates the reader’s task when punctuation is misused. Here are five sentences that illustrate various punctuation problems associated with creating parenthetical elements in a statement. (Note that parenthetical, here and in other posts on this site, does not refer literally to the use of the punctuation marks called parentheses; it applies to the use of any punctuation to set off any amplifying or explanatory word, phrase, or sentence, such as this phrase you are reading right now, or â€Å"here and in other posts on this site.†) 1. Nextdoor, the popular neighborhood social-networking site that people use to share neighborly news too often reflects the racial biases and prejudices of its users. When an appositive of a noun or a noun phrase- an appositive is a word or phrase equivalent in meaning to the noun- precedes or follows the noun, the description must be treated as a self-contained phrase bracketed by punctuation: â€Å"Nextdoor, the popular neighborhood social-networking site that people use to share neighborly news, too often reflects the racial biases and prejudices of its users.† 2. Six objects in the icy Kuiper Belt, or Twilight Zone at the far reaches of the solar system, appear to be influenced by an as-yet-undiscovered planet. Here, the punctuation erroneously identifies â€Å"Twilight Zone at the far reaches of the solar system† as the appositive of â€Å"Kuiper Belt,† but only â€Å"Twilight Zone† serves that function; â€Å"at the far reaches of the solar system† is merely another parenthetical phrase, which must also be set off from the rest of the sentence: â€Å"Six objects in the icy Kuiper Belt, or Twilight Zone, at the far reaches of the solar system, appear to be influenced by an as-yet-undiscovered planet.† Better yet, diminish the interruption of the alternate name of the Kuiper Belt by using actually parentheses: â€Å"Six objects in the icy Kuiper Belt (also known as the Twilight Zone), at the far reaches of the solar system, appear to be influenced by an as-yet-undiscovered planet.† (Retain both commas bracketing â€Å"at the far reaches of the solar system.†) 3. He discovered one of these six objects more than a decade ago, Sedna, a large minor planet way out there on the solar system’s frontier. This sentence’s punctuation suggests that Sedna is a parenthetical. However, the phrase following Sedna is an appositive, a type of parenthetical. To give readers a sense of relative importance, one of the two commas should be changed to another punctuation mark to erase the implication that they have the same organizational weight. The clearest solution is to use a colon in place of the first comma to set up the description of what â€Å"one of these six objects† is: â€Å"He discovered one of these six objects more than a decade ago: Sedna, a large minor planet way out there on the solar system’s frontier.† 4. Twitter’s product head Kevin Weil, media head Katie Jacobs Stanton, senior vice president of engineering Alex Roetter, and Vine head Jason Toff are all leaving the company. To associate the series of appositives in this sentence, all names should be set off with commas, but that more than doubles the number of punctuation marks, which clutters the sentence. Better yet, simply change the possessive form of the company name to its base form, so that â€Å"Twitter product head† and the subsequent equivalent titles become simple descriptive phrases, thus eliminating the need for parenthetical pairs of commas: â€Å"Twitter product head Kevin Weil, media head Katie Jacobs Stanton, senior vice president of engineering Alex Roetter, and Vine head Jason Toff are all leaving the company.† 5. Engineering- figuring out how to do something- is the motivation, while repetition- making the same type of components over and over again- slows him down. Using more than one set of dashes to bracket parenthetical comments in one sentence may confuse the reader, so use parentheses instead when two or more parallel parenthetical elements are involved: â€Å"Engineering (figuring out how to do something) is the motivation, while repetition (making the same type of components over and over again) slows him down.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:75 Synonyms for â€Å"Angry†Among vs. Amongst10 Terms for the Common People

How Is Emotion Expressed in Chinese Opera Essay - 1

How Is Emotion Expressed in Chinese Opera - Essay Example However, the vocal techniques and speech skills of performers begin to affect the audience in a unique way as the performance continues. Musical progressions and costumes of Chinese actors are different from anything witnessed in European opera. The Chinese counterpart stands distinguished in the respect that vocal techniques are used primarily in songs. Research claims that these techniques form a core principle because they help to express emotion in Chinese opera by enhancing â€Å"the aesthetic qualities of sound in the language of the pihuang musical system† (Wichmann 267). The musical system employed in Chinese opera is called Pei Huang. Musical progressions hold extreme importance in Chinese opera in terms of expressing emotion which is why Chinese opera is also sometimes called pihuang theatre. The pihuang system comprises of many elements like modal system and modes which are arranged according to requirements of a specific play to demonstrate â€Å"the fundamental p sychology of its major characters† (Wichmann 53). Discuss the debate about Nandan performance in the first several decades of the twentieth century. What were the arguments for and against men playing female roles on the Chinese opera stage? Give a brief historical overview of cross-gender performance in Chinese opera. The debate about Nandan performance poses fatal questions to Chinese opera. People still argue if it is right to abolish Nandan or not. Nandan performance is about female impersonation in Chinese opera. The early Republican era or the first several decades of the 20th century are considered the best of times for Nandan performers who are male actors entrusted with the controversial job of portraying women. The Republican stage in the early 20th century promoted the popularity of Nandan stars like Mei Lanfang and Cheng Yanqiu. These Nandan performers surpassed other male actors who played roles of idealistic macho type men.  Ã‚