Deadly Cartoons

Deadly Cartoons FREE SPEECH ZONES The recent #garlandshooting was allegedly provoked by controversial cartoons of Prophet Mohammed displayed in a community center in Texas, U.S. As shown here, these award-winning artistic expressions according to news report are religious sensitive and provoking materials that made some people in the Islamic world very angry. Similar to Charlie Hebdo magazine’s satirical cartoons of Prophet Mohammad that later led to the killing of 12 people in Paris early this year, these cartoons also received a deadly response. Clearly, our inherent freedom to voice or express one’s opinion has lethal consequences when abused or intended to ridicule a leader of a major religion. Academic institutions recognized the right to free speech but similar to artistic expression; it must be restricted to a safe level. The purpose of Free Speech Zones is to restrict student protest, activism, and free speech to certain places on campus to avoid disruption of classes and other educational activities. However, although the constitutionality of this content-neutral conduct restrictions rule is strongly criticized, it had reduced occurrence of derogatory comments that stigmatizes individual on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, sex, and others. VIOLENT VIDEO GAMES AND SCHOOL VIOLENCE The content-based restriction is a law that restricts free speech on the basis of content, subject matter, or speaker’s viewpoint. For instance, a school may allow public speeches supportive of school-board policies but prohibit protester’s speech opposing critical school board policies as it such constitutes a viewpoint restriction. U.S. Courts according to study, normally allow schools to apply reasonable restrictions on oral, written, or symbolic expression such as banners promoting violence (read Fraternity Violence), use of illegal drugs, and others. Overall, schools can apply reasonable restriction on speech or expression that is likely to affect public safety. ARTISTIC CENSORSHIP Censuring work of art (see Art Essay) is made difficult by controversies associated with the term â€Å"objectionable content†. The appropriateness of artistic work, for instance, varies from person to person thus a student’s sculpture of a nude female torso that received an A+ from his art teacher may be displayed draped under a cloth if the old and conservative female school principal strongly objects to nudity. In the same manner, cartoons depicting and making fun of a highly respected religious leader are appropriate and display-worthy artistic expressions for some, may be so humiliating to others. In fact, these offensive works of art and creation of individuals enjoying the freedom of expression already frustrated millions of people and recently took a number of lives. SEXUAL CONTENT ON TV HAS A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON TEENAGERS It is, therefore, critical to apply content-based restrictions on similar artistic expressions to avoid further conflict and deadly responses from the affected side. Satirical artistic expressions undoubtedly constitute artist’s personal viewpoint, promote violence, jeopardize public safety, and therefore deserving of reasonable restrictions. Some major U.S. publications already imposed self-regulation and avoiding publishing of offending cartoons or provocative images. Along with news media’s total restriction on provoking cartoons, free speech zones and artistic censorship in educational institutions, there is a strong possibility that anger of tens of millions of Muslims caused by previously unrestricted satirical artistic expressions will be reduced to a level that a deadly response is no longer necessary.

Print Directly to Printer With JavaScript

Print Directly to Printer With JavaScript One query that turns up a lot in the various Javascript forums asks how to send the page directly to the printer without first displaying the print dialog box. Rather than just telling you that it cant be done perhaps an explanation of why such an option is not possible would be more useful. Which print dialog box displays when someone presses the print button in their browser or the Javascript window.print() method runs depends on the operating system and what printers are installed on the computer. As most people run Windows on their computer, lets first describe how the printing setup works on that operating system. The *nix and Mac operating systems differ slightly in the details but overall are set up similar. Print Dialog There are two parts to the print dialog box on Windows. The first of these is part of the Windows API (Application Programming Interface). The API is a set of common code pieces that are held in the various DLL (Dynamic Link Library) files that are part of the Windows operating system. Any Windows program can (and should) call the API to perform common functions such as displaying the Print Dialog box so that it will work the same way in all programs and not have different options in different places the way the print option did back in DOS program days. The Print Dialog API also provides a common interface allowing all programs access to the same set of printer drivers rather than printer manufacturers having to create driver software for their printer for each individual program that wanted to use it. The printer drivers are the other half of the print dialog. There are several different languages that different printers understand that they use to control how the page prints (eg. PCL5 and Postscript). The printer driver instructs the Print API as to how to translate the standard internal print format that the operating system understands into the custom markup language that the specific printer understands. It also adjusts the options that the Print dialog displays to reflect the options offered by the specific printer. Operating the Printer An individual computer may have no printers installed, it may have one local printer, it may have access to several printers over a network, it may even be set up to print to PDF or preformatted print file. Where more than one printer is defined one of them is designated the default printer which means that it is the one that displays its details in the print dialog when it first appears. The operating system keeps track of the default printer and identifies that printer to the various programs on the computer. This allows the programs to pass an extra parameter to the print API telling it to print directly to the default printer without displaying the print dialog first. Many programs have two different print options - a menu entry that displays the print dialog and a toolbar fast print button that sends directly to the default printer. When you have a web page on the internet that your visitors are going to print, you have next to no information about what printer(s) they have available. Most printers around the world are configured to print out on A4 paper but you cant guarantee that the printer is set up to that default. One North American country uses a non-standard paper size that is shorter and wider than A4. Most printers are set up to print out in portrait mode (where the narrower direction is the width but some may be set to the landscape  where the longer dimension is the width. Of  course, each and every printer also has different default margins at the top, bottom, and sides of the page even before the owners go in and change all of the settings to get the printer the way that they want. Given all of these  factors, you have no way to tell whether the default printer with its default configuration will print out your web page on A3 with negligible margins or on A5 with huge margins (leaving little more than a postage stamp sized area in the middle of the page). You can probably assume that most will have a print area on the page of approximately 16cm x 25cm (plus or minus 80%). Printing Needs Since printers vary so much between your potential visitors (did someone mention laser printers, inkjet printers,  color  or black and white only, photo quality, draft mode, and lots more) you have no way to tell what they will need to do to print out your page in a reasonable format. perhaps they have a separate printer or a second driver for the same printer providing totally different settings specifically for web pages. Next, comes the matter of what they may want to print. Do they want the whole page or have they selected just a part of the page that they want to  print?  If your site uses frames do they want to print all of the frames the way they appear on the page, do they want to print each frame separately, or do they just want to print a specific frame? The need to answer all of these questions makes it just about essential that the print dialog  appears  whenever they want to print something so that they can make sure that the settings are all correct before they hit the print button. Most browsers also provide the ability to add a fast print button to one of the browser toolbars to allow the page to be printed to the default printer using default browser settings as to what is to be printed and how. Javascript Browsers do not make this multitude of browser and printer settings available to Javascript. Javascript is primarily concerned with modifying the current  web page  and so web browsers provide minimal information about the browser itself and next to no information about the operating system available to  Javascript  because Javascript doesnt need to know those things to perform  those  things that Javascript is intended to do. Basic security says that if something like Javascript doesnt need to know about the operating system and browser configuration in order to manipulate the web page then it should not be provided with that information. It is not like Javascript ought to be able to change the printer settings to appropriate values for printing the current page because that is not what Javascript is for - that is the job of the print dialog. Browsers  therefore  only make available to Javascript those things that Javascript needs to know such as the size of the screen, the  available space in the browser window  to display the page, and similar things which help Javascript work out how the page is laid out. The current web page is  Javascripts  one and only concern. Intranets Intranets are of course an entirely different matter. With an  intranet,  you know that everyone  accessing the page  is using a specific browser (usually a recent version of Internet Explorer) and has a specific screen resolution and access to specific printers. This means that it makes sense on an intranet to be able to print directly to the printer without displaying the print dialog because the person writing the web page knows which printer it will be printed on. The Internet Explorer substitute for Javascript (called JScript) therefore has slightly more information about the browser and operating system that Javascript itself does. The individual computers on the network running the intranet may be able to be configured to allow the JScript  window.print()  command write directly to the printer without displaying the print dialog. This configuration would need to be set up individually on each client computer and is well beyond the scope of an article on Javascript. When it comes to web pages on the internet there is absolutely no way that you can set up a  Javascript command  to send directly to the default printer. If your visitors wish to do that they will have to set up their own fast print button on their browser toolbar.

Consumer behaviour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Consumer behaviour - Essay Example efines what constitutes marketing, explores the dynamics of consumer motivation, and then links these conceptions with consumer behaviour, using relevant examples, to understand how marketers respond to consumer behaviours and serve to influence them. Personal self-reflections by the researcher involving two consumption scenarios, with focus on the Tu clothing line by Sainsbury’s and the smartphone company, Blackberry, are explored in order to justify or refute theories of motivation, consumer behaviour and marketing that are investigated in the report’s review of literature. The explorations of theory versus real-world experiences in consumer behaviour and marketing underpin a relevant discussion about the relevancy of various motivational and behavioural models. By evaluating theory and then applying it to real-life consumption decisions, it provides a framework by which to critique various theoretical models or provide ample support for their viability and relevancy in what drives consumption decision-making. Exploration of secondary research underpins the investigation of primary research reflection and establishes a conceptual framework of best practice for today’s marketers that are marketing products to consumers fitting my personal target market profile. Marketing is a set of activities within an organisation that attempt to communicate a product or service’s value to potential or existing customers, with the intention of ensuring sales of these goods or services. Marketing is a series of different processes which assist in satisfying the needs of important target customers that effective describe the benefits that customers will receive by selecting one company’s products over a competitor (Kotler and Keller 2009). There are many techniques involved in an organisation’s marketing process, including selection of desirable target markets through segmentation and analyses of consumers and other market conditions. A firm must understand consumer

How Nintendo is left brained Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

How Nintendo is left brained - Essay Example This part of the brain controls the right side of the body. (Edward) CERTAIN FEATURES OF NINTENDO GAMES WITH EXAMPLES: A number of Nintendo games are available for purchase in the market. These games incorporate techniques that require analytical and logical approaches to be embedded by the player. Examples of Nintendo games involving the brain activity of the player from the left side of the brain include Donkey Kong, numerous puzzle related games such as Repton, Knights Lore, Cantlequest. Puzzle solving games involve the embedding of decision making techniques. Thompson writes about traditional puzzle games in his book â€Å"Video Games Design Revealed† in the following words: â€Å"The general format for traditional puzzle games often includes a problem that needs to be solved, followed by some kind of subtle scenario change, followed by another puzzle that needs to be solved in order to gain points or move up a hierarchy of levels.† (31). Each puzzle game introduced by the Nintendo game introduces a different decision making perspective to the player. This results in even more brainstorming on the Player’s end. In addition to puzzle solving games there are also few brain games in the Nintendo Series of video games. These games are named as the ‘Brain Training Series’ by their developer Professor Kawashima and Nintendo.

Convention on Prohibition of Biological Weapons Essay Example for Free

Convention on Prohibition of Biological Weapons Essay The ‘Biological Weapons Convention’ (BWC, for short) is an international treaty aimed at stopping the production and use of biological agents that multiply the diseases among people. This treaty is officially termed as the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on Their Destruction. It came into effect in 1975, and by 2000, nearly 150 nations had signed the treaty. By virtue of clauses of the treaty, countries have been prohibited to possess big amounts of biological agents or toxins, and all the systems of weaponry to pass them on. Also all the member nations or the signatories may not trade into biological weapons or help other countries to develop them. It was also made obligatory for the United States and the Soviet Union who conducted experiments to produce biological weapons during the Cold War, a period of non-active hostility between nations after World War II (1939-1945), were called upon to ratify the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) in 970s. But since the treaty did not provide for the means of verifications or inspections, nations had merely agreed to stand by it in good faith. And it was as early as 2000, when some of the governments had tried to figure out methods to carry out inspection and verification. (Biological Weapons Convention, 2007) Efforts to Avert Germ-warfare through BWC are Proving Hopeless The US has assessed a number of programs through the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for her defense against probable biological, chemical, and radiological attacks, but the approach is basically aimed at protecting the troops and military equipment. Nearly 100 of the signatories of the Biological Weapons Convention made a review of the progress of BWC in 2002, but to their dismay and worry all of them found the situation quite deplorable and disappointing. Another survey conducted by Amy Smithson of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Washington, found that more than 80% of the senior government officials, and congressmen thought that a biological attack in the near future was very likely, especially in view of Al-Qaeda’s revealed rudimentary experiments with ricin and anthrax. And it is also very well known that nearly all antidotes for anthrax do not suffice. Besides, 40% of members had never submitted the required report, which is an utter violation of the BWC rules. Ms Amy Smithson added that had there were more emergent and serious efforts, the things might have moved ahead into Bio-safety and Bio-security. The director of UNIDIR (UNs disarmament research institute in Geneva), Patricia Lewis, commented that although apparently the progress of work over the past few years has proved useful, yet to be more efficient and systematic, there is an ardent need of a foolproof action plan, which, she feared, may not be due until 2008. Is America Safe from Biological Attack? Although huge spending has been made on her bio-defense, the US appears as vulnerable as ever to a concerted terrorist attack. Therefore development of a better strategy and a much stronger defense is simply inconceivable without a change in the policy of federal government. It is also a part of hard American history nearly seven years back when the nation had hardly recovered from the wounds of 9/11, than someone sent Anthrax Spores to reputed Journalists and famed politicians through the US mail. The result was that five people died and more than seventeen got sick, and it was painful to observe that none of the culprits was ever caught. This attack added to the already growing fears in the US, about the hard-liners and bio-terrorists being so determined to spread disease and mayhem across the nation. To combat the threat, the Bush administration launched an unparalleled bio-defense plan, and until today almost $44 billion has been spent by the US federal government for providing protection to the civilians, organizations, and for buying the latest remedies such as the classic smallpox vaccine. â€Å"But the pertinent question is whether this colossal spending has made Americans any safer? † The veterans at the Center for Bio-security at the University of Pittsburgh say that the answer is a big No. â€Å"Denouncing the government efforts as insufficient they hold that the US remains unable to defend itself against any anthrax attack involving more than a few envelopes. So where is the big success†? (Biological Weapons Convention, 2007) One of the many bio-defense efforts made by the administration is the Bio-Shield project, which was launched in 2004, and was aimed at turning drug companies into defense entrepreneurs, delivering products to fight against a potential bio-weapons threat. Although there is much in store for the Project Bio-Shield like a $5. 6 billion package to be spent by 2014 on drugs, yet the pharmaceutical companies, much against expectations haven’t done enough that could accomplish the Bio-Shields objectives. The lukewarm response by these companies has been a cause of perpetrating a bill in the US Congress, in order to make the Bio-Shield a more effective and more viable a project. Has Project Bio-Shield Proved Sufficient for US Bio-defense Needs Apparently the Bio-Shields strategy appears quite prudently designed. â€Å"But companies normally do not cater for remedies for the unique kind of diseases thought most likely to be used as weapons, simply because there are no profits in it†. Resultantly the Project Bio-Shield promises companies to buy them only the special drugs and vaccines that would counter threats of bio-weapons, giving them an option and a free hand to do the rest of job. If such is the case then why there has so far been a very sluggish response is a question which must be answered with firmness if not with finality. (New Scientist, 2003) â€Å"In fact Project BioShield has awarded contracts for 7 products, worth $2 billion. They are: 1. Two for antibody-based therapies for botulism and anthrax. 2. One for 10 million doses of the militarys existing anthrax vaccine. 3. One biggest funding of $878 million has been guaranteed to VaxGen of Brisbane, California, for 75 million doses of a purer, new-generation anthrax vaccine. 4. One order is for 20 million doses of an improved smallpox vaccine from the Danish firm Bavarian Nordic, and 5. Project BioShield has provided $4 million to universities to fund basic pathogen research. Brad Smith of the Center for Bio-security said, The government has never done anything like this before, He also asserted that the department of Homeland Security must first decide what designated threats really are, and only then should the Department of Health commissions drugs or vaccines be designed to protect against them. He added that the diseases it picked so far pertain only to anthrax, botulism and smallpox. However, the targeted one bug, one drug approach has been seen by some experts as basically wrong. A better approach, they say, would be to aim for broad-spectrum remedies that work against many different bacteria or viruses. But then it would be more cost-effective; would offer mere defense blanket against terrorists with whatever their choice of bio-weapon be, and would also come with additional advantage of protection against natural diseases. Tucker remarked, if something works for flu and for bio-weapons as well, why not do that? † (New Scientist, 2003) A recent research by think tanks like Tucker and Andrew Grotto shows that much more effort is yet required. Only seven states and four cities have the capability to administer stockpiled vaccines on a large scale, Tucker said. He added that most Americans live in states that have no plans for dealing with large numbers of casualties caused by contagious diseases. The new bill that was presented before the Congress attempted to address some of these problems i. e. to appoint a new health secretary for public health; to improve the quality of equipment for medical emergencies, and to provide $1 billion as annual funding. But this would not have been enough to solve the delivery problem, or give hospitals the capacity to deal with a surge in patients. Although the bill, presented before Congress, mandated research into new tools and methods for developing drugs and vaccines, yet it did not go ahead in the way to taking Project Bio-Shields focus away from the one bug, one drug strategy and on to a broader spectrum of remedies. But this newest Bio-Shield Project certainly did no go any further to solve the problems of how to get remedies out to any probable and potential victims of the bio-weapons attack. (MacKenzie and Debora, 2006) References Academic Research Premier Can the line against bio-terror hold? 2006 (Economist, 00130613, Vol. 381). Biological Weapons Convention 2007 http://www. worldbookonline. com/wb/Article? id=ar726514st=biological+warfare Accessed, July 7, 2007 Bob. B. 2007 ‘WMD Antidotes Still Go to Iraq’ (National Journal, 03604217, Vol. 39, Issue Lussier, Frances M. 2007 Gas mask. http://www. worldbookonline. com/wb/Article? id=ar217900 Accessed, July 7, 2007 MacKenzie, Debora. 2006. â€Å"Fortress America† (New Scientist: Vol. 191, p18-21) Ross. S. ‘America the Beautifuls Germ Warfare Rash’, Jul/Aug2007 (Humanist, 00187399 Vol. 67, Issue 4)

Og Mandino (For the Rest of My Life) :: essays research papers

For the Rest of My Life . . .   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For the rest of my life there are two days that will never again trouble me. The first day is yesterday with all its blunders and tears, its follies and defeats. Yesterday has passed forever bye my control. The other day is tomorrow with its pitfalls and threats, its dangers and mystery. Until the sun rises again, I have no stake in tomorrow, for it is still unborn. With God’s help and only one day to concentrate all my effort and energy on, this day, I can win! Only when I add the burden of those two frightening eternities, yesterday and tomorrow, am I in danger of faltering under the load. Never again! This is my day! This is my only day! Today is all there is! Today is the rest of my life and I resolve to conduct myself through every waking hour in the following manner. . . . For the rest of my life, this very special day, God help me . . . to heed the wise advice of Jesus and Confucius and Zoroaster and treat me. To maintain a rein on my tongue and my t emper, guarding against foolish moments of faultfinding and insults. To greet all those I encounter with a smile instead of a frown, and a soft word of encouragement instead of disdain or even worse, silence. To be sympathetic and attentive to the sorrows and struggles of others, realizing that there are hidden woes in every life no matter how exalted or lowly. To make haste to be kind to all others, understanding that life is too short to be vengeful or malicious, too soon ended to be petty or unkind. For the rest of my life, this very special day, God help me. To keep reminding myself that in order to harvest more ears of corn in the fall, I must plant more kernels in the spring. To understand that life always rewards me on the terms that I establish, and if I never perform or deliver more than that for which I am paid, never will I have reason to demand or expect and additional gold. To always deliver more than is expected of me, whether at work, at play, or at home. To labor wit h enthusiasm and l9ove, no matter what the task at hand may be, realizing that if I cannot secure happiness out of my work I will never know what real happiness is. Og Mandino (For the Rest of My Life) :: essays research papers For the Rest of My Life . . .   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For the rest of my life there are two days that will never again trouble me. The first day is yesterday with all its blunders and tears, its follies and defeats. Yesterday has passed forever bye my control. The other day is tomorrow with its pitfalls and threats, its dangers and mystery. Until the sun rises again, I have no stake in tomorrow, for it is still unborn. With God’s help and only one day to concentrate all my effort and energy on, this day, I can win! Only when I add the burden of those two frightening eternities, yesterday and tomorrow, am I in danger of faltering under the load. Never again! This is my day! This is my only day! Today is all there is! Today is the rest of my life and I resolve to conduct myself through every waking hour in the following manner. . . . For the rest of my life, this very special day, God help me . . . to heed the wise advice of Jesus and Confucius and Zoroaster and treat me. To maintain a rein on my tongue and my t emper, guarding against foolish moments of faultfinding and insults. To greet all those I encounter with a smile instead of a frown, and a soft word of encouragement instead of disdain or even worse, silence. To be sympathetic and attentive to the sorrows and struggles of others, realizing that there are hidden woes in every life no matter how exalted or lowly. To make haste to be kind to all others, understanding that life is too short to be vengeful or malicious, too soon ended to be petty or unkind. For the rest of my life, this very special day, God help me. To keep reminding myself that in order to harvest more ears of corn in the fall, I must plant more kernels in the spring. To understand that life always rewards me on the terms that I establish, and if I never perform or deliver more than that for which I am paid, never will I have reason to demand or expect and additional gold. To always deliver more than is expected of me, whether at work, at play, or at home. To labor wit h enthusiasm and l9ove, no matter what the task at hand may be, realizing that if I cannot secure happiness out of my work I will never know what real happiness is.

The Return: Midnight Chapter 37

Then Meredith saw something that was not smoke or fire. Just a glimpse of a door frame – and a tiny breath of cool air. With this hope to sustain her, she scuttled straight for the door to the backyard, dragging Isobel behind her. As she passed the threshold, she felt blessedly cold water somehow showering down onto her body. When she pul ed Isobel into the spray, the younger girl made the first voluntary sound she had during the entire journey: a wordless sob of thanks. Matt's hands were helping her along, were taking away the burden of Isobel. Meredith got up to her feet and staggered in a circle, then dropped to her knees. Her hair was on fire! She was just recal ing her childhood rehearsal of stop, drop, and rol , when she felt the cold water turned on it. The hose water went up and down her body and she turned around, basking in the feeling of coolness, until she heard Matt's voice say, â€Å"The flames are out. You're good now.† â€Å"Thank you, Matt. Thank you.†Her voice was hoarse. â€Å"Hey, you were the one who had to go al the way to the bedrooms and back. Getting Mrs. Saitou out was pretty easy – there was the kitchen sink ful of water, so as soon as I cut her free from the kitchen chair we just got al wet and dashed outside.† Meredith smiled and looked around quickly. Isobel had become her responsibility now. To her relief, she saw that the girl was being hugged by her mother. And al it had taken was the nonsense choice between a thing – however precious it was – and a life. Meredith gazed at the mother and daughter and was glad. She could have another stave made. But nothing could replace Isobel. â€Å"Isobel said to give this to you,†Matt was saying. Meredith turned toward him, the fiery light making the world crazy, and for one moment didn't believe her eyes. Matt was holding the fighting stave out to her. â€Å"She must have dragged it with her free hand – oh, Matt, and she was almost dead before we started†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Matt said, â€Å"She's stubborn. Like someone else I know.† Meredith wasn't quite sure what he meant by that, but she knew one thing. â€Å"We'd al better get to the front yard. I doubt the volunteer fire department is going to come. Besides – Theo – â€Å" â€Å"I'l get them moving. You scout the gate side,†Matt said. Meredith plunged into the backyard, which was hideously il uminated by the house, now ful y engulfed in flames. Fortunately, the side yard was not. Meredith flicked the gate open with the stave. Matt was right behind her, helping Mrs. Saitou and Isobel along. Meredith quickly ran by the flaming garage and then stopped. From behind her she heard a cry of horror. There was no time to try to soothe whoever had cried, no time to think. The two fighting women were too busy to notice her – and Theo was in need of help. Inari was truly like a fiery Medusa, with her hair writhing around her in flaming, smoking snakes. Only the crimson part burned, and it was that part that she was using like a whip, using one snake to wrest away the silver bul whip from Theo's hand, and then another to wrap around Theo's throat and choke her. Theo was desperately trying to pul the blazing noose from her neck. Inari was laughing. â€Å"Are you suffering, petty witch? It wil al be over in seconds – for you and for your entire little town! The Last Midnight has final y come!† Meredith glanced back at Matt – and that was al it took. He ran forward, passing her, al the way up to the space below the fighting women. Then he bent slightly, cupping his hands. And then Meredith sprinted, putting everything she had left into the short run, leaving her just enough energy to leap and place one foot into Matt's cupped hands, and then she felt herself soaring aloft, just within distance for the stave to slice cleanly through the snake of hair that was choking Theo. After that Meredith was in free fal , with Matt trying to catch her from below. She landed more or less on top of him and they both saw what happened next. Theo, who was bruised and bleeding, slapped out a part of her gown that was smoldering. She held out a hand for the silver bul whip and it flew to meet her outstretched fingers. But Inari wasn't attacking. She was waving her arms wildly, as if in terror, and then suddenly she shrieked: a sound so anguished that Meredith drew in her breath sharply. It was a death-scream. Before their eyes she was turning back into Obaasan, into the shrunken, helpless, dol -like woman Matt and Meredith knew. But by the time this shriveled body hit the ground it was already stiff and dead, her expression one of such unrepentant malice that it was frightening. It was Isobel and Mrs. Saitou then who came forward to stand over the body, sobbing with relief. Meredith looked at them and then up at Theo, who slowly floated to the ground. â€Å"Thank you,†Theo said with the faintest of smiles. â€Å"You have saved me – yet again.† â€Å"But what do you think happened to her?†Matt asked. â€Å"And why didn't Shinichi or Misao come to help her?† â€Å"I think they al must be dead, don't you?†Theo's voice was soft over the roar of the flames. â€Å"As for Inari – I think that perhaps someone destroyed her star bal . I'm afraid I was not strong enough to defeat her myself.† â€Å"What time is it?†Meredith abruptly cried, remembering. She ran to the old SUV, which was Stillrunning. Its clock showed 12:00 midnight exactly. â€Å"Did we save the people?†Matt asked desperately. Theo turned her face outward toward the center of the town. For nearly a minute she was Still, as if listening for something. At last, when Meredith felt that she might shatter from tension, she turned back and said quietly, â€Å"Dear Ma ma, Grand mama, and I are one, now. I sense children who are finding themselves holding knives – and some with guns. I sense them standing in their sleeping parents'rooms, unable to remember how they got there. And I sense parents, hiding in closets, a moment ago frightened for their very lives, who are seeing weapons dropped and children fal ing onto master bedroom floors, sobbing and bewildered.† â€Å"We did it, then. You did it. You held her off,†Matt panted. Stillgentle and sober, Theo said, â€Å"Someone else – far away – did much more. I know that the town needs healing. But Grand mama and Ma ma agree. Because of them, no child has kil ed a parent this night, and no parent has kil ed a child. The long nightmare of Inari and her Last Midnight is over.† Meredith, grimy and bedraggled as she was, felt something rise and swell inside her, bigger and bigger, until, for al her training, she couldn't contain herself any longer. It exploded out of her in a yel of exultation. She found that Matt was shouting too. He was as grubby and unkempt as she was, but he seized her by the hands and whirled her around in a barbarian victory dance. And it was fun, whirling around and yel ing like a kid. Maybe – maybe in trying to be calm, in always being the most grown-up, she had missed out on the essence of fun, which always felt as if it had some childlike quality to it. Matt had no trouble in expressing his feelings, whatever they were: childlike, mature, stubborn, happy. Meredith found herself admiring this, and also thinking that it had been a long time since she'd real y looked at Matt. But now she felt a sudden wave of feeling for him. And she could see that Matt felt the same way about her. As if he'd never real y looked at her properly before. This was the moment†¦when they were meant to kiss. Meredith had seen it so often in movies, and read about it in books, that it was almost a given. But this was life, it wasn't a story. And when the moment came, Meredith found herself holding Matt's shoulders while he held hers, and she could see that he was thinking exactly the same thing about the kiss. The moment stretched†¦ Then, with a grin, Matt's face showed that he knew what to do. Meredith did too. They both moved in, and hugged each other. When they drew back, they were both grinning. They knew who they were. They were very different, very close friends. Meredith hoped that they always would be. They both turned to look at Theo, and Meredith felt a pang in her heart, the first since she had heard they'd saved the town. Theo was changing. It was the look on her face as she watched them that gave Meredith the pang. After being young, and while watching youth at its peak, she was once again aging, wrinkling, her hair going white instead of moonlit silver. At last, she was an old woman wearing a raincoat covered with bits of paper. â€Å"Mrs. Flowers!† This person, it was perfectly safe and right to kiss. Meredith flung her arms about the frail old woman, lifting her off her feet in excitement. Matt joined them, and they boosted her above their heads. They carried her like this to the Saitous, mother and daughter, who were watching the fire. There, sobered, they put her down. â€Å"Isobel,†Meredith said. â€Å"God! I'm so sorry – your home†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Thank you,†Isobel said in her soft, slurred voice. Then she turned away. Meredith felt chil ed. She was even beginning to regret the celebration, when Mrs. Saitou said, â€Å"Do you know, this is the greatest moment in the history of our family? For hundreds of years, that ancient kitsune – oh, yes, I've always known what she was – has been forcing herself upon innocent humans. And for the last three centuries it has been my family line of samurai mikos that she has terrorized. Now my husband can come home at last.† Meredith looked at her, startled. Mrs. Saitou nodded. â€Å"He tried to defy her and she banished him from the house. Ever since Isobel was born, I have feared for her. And now, please forgive her. She has trouble expressing what she feels.† â€Å"I know about that,†Meredith said quietly. â€Å"I'l go have a little talk with her, if it's All right.† If ever in her life she could explain to a fel ow traveler what fun having fun was, she thought, it was now.

“The King of Torts” by John Grisham

Clay Carter is a public defender doing boring, low-paid, through which every beginning lawyer is to go through. Carter has been there for too long, and this job does not bode anything to Carter†¦ up to the point, when he takes up the case of Tequila Watson, a 20-year-old youth who has committed a murder seemingly without any reasons†¦ Up to the point, when Carter realizes that beneath a hackneyed case there is a real case, which is difficult and dangerous, boding a huge amount of money. This case can become the start of a dazzling legal career – if Carter takes the risk and stakes his all†¦This is the entanglement of the legal suspense thriller â€Å"The King of Torts† (2003) by John Grisham. The novel has a fast-pace and dynamic plot, which takes Carter from the mundane post of public defendant to the pecuniary cream of the society. John Grisham, a former lawyer and now a successful novelist, is known for his penetrating insights into the American legal system, made in his numerous earlier novels like â€Å"A Time to Kill†(1989) and â€Å"Runaway Jury† (1996).This time Grisham takes on the â€Å"torts†, lawyers who lead suits against large corporations in the name of many people, who suffered from the actions or products of this company; the attorney receives a considerable percent from all payouts of all plaintiffs and his payout can be measured in billions. As Clay Carter engages into the case of Tequila Watson, he discovers an enormous conspiracy, where the big pharmaceutical company is involved. Tempted by the mysterious stranger Max, he plunges into tort business and is soon dubbed â€Å"king of torts† for his success.He starts leading a luxurious life, living in a luxurious house and driving a black Porsche; however, everything has its price. The price of success for Carter is his moral and professional principles, which he eagerly sells in exchange for fame and fortune.In this novel, Grisham makes a grim commentary on the American legal system, which has turned into a machine for earning money for attorneys. Apart from the exciting plot, the most gripping suspense lies in the attitude of the reader to the protagonist. Carter is evidently degrading, but will the reader find â€Å"extenuating circumstances† to justify him or at least to understand his downfall? This is a question, which you can answer only after turning the last page of this gripping thriller.ReferencesGrisham, J. (2003). The King of Torts. New York: Doubleday.

Car Audio essay essays

Car Audio essay essays Transportation, usually by the form of an automobile is essential. We probably could not live without the automobile. When most people get an automobile, they feel the need to personalize it to their tastes. It could be many different things such as better wheels, interior items, stereos, and a lot of other stuff. Now in my car, I got a little carried away. I have put many different things into my car such as a sound system, alarm, tinted windows, fog lights, and much more. Now I didnt buy this at all one time. I bought all the items as soon as I paid my parents off for them and that included interest. When I first got a car, I wanted to buy a c.d. player for it. At first I just wanted a simple c.d. player that was low cost. Well after talking to my mom about it, she convinced me to get a little bit higher model then what I was going to get. The first c.d. player I got was a Sony Xplod. It was pretty nice for the cost. I used it for a year and a half and then sold it to my friend. Before I sold it, I became interested in Alpine c.d. players. I had heard one of them and the sound was so clear from it. I also liked the design of them. I then decided what model to get and bought it this past summer. Now about a year after I started driving, I wanted to buy subwoofers for my stereo. At first, I wanted a single subwoofer. Now each time I get an idea to buy something for my car, it usually changes and probably costs more. I ended up getting 2 12 JBL subwoofers and a Sony Xplod Amp. They were loud compared to the factory speakers. A few months after I had gotten those, I got an offer for the JBL subs so I sold them. I then bought 2 12 Sony Xplod subwoofers. I have had those since. Now that I had put some money into my car, I decided I should get an alarm. I looked online and found this really cheaply priced alarm that had tons of features. It has a remote pager that goes off if someone sets off youre ala ...

Genealogical Historical Documents at Footnote

Genealogical Historical Documents at Footnote The Bottom Line Important historic documents from the U.S. National Archives are now making their way online due to an agreement with Footnote.com. Digitized copies of documents such as Revolutionary War pension records and Civil War service records can be viewed and even annotated through what is possibly the best image viewer Ive seen on the Web. You can also create free personal story pages to track your research or share your documents and photos. Search results are also free, although youll have to subscribe to view, print and save most of the actual document images. In my opinion, Footnote.com is a bargain for the money. Pros One of the best image viewers Ive seen for accessing images onlineOffers access to millions of historic documents previously unavailable onlineThe ability to annotate and/or add comments to any individual document page7-day free trial available Cons Requires the lastest version of Flash. In some cases, the site wont even load without it.No soundex search. Some advanced search features are available, but not obvious.No FAQ or easy answers to support questions such as the Flash issue.Many document series are still in progress Description Over 5 million images of historical American documents and photos from the 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th centuries.Records include: Revolutionary Civil War pension service records, state naturalization records and case files of the FBI.Annotate, comment, print and save digital document images.Story pages allow you to create a simple Web page with point and click editing.Upload and post your own historical documents for free.Under the nonexclusive agreement, Footnotes images will be available on the National Archives Web site after five years. Guide Review - Footnote.com Footnote.com allows you to search and view over 5 million digitized documents and photos from American history. Members can view, save and print the documents they find. A nifty feature allows you to highlight a name, place or date and add an annotation. Comments can also be added to post corrections or add additional information for anyone else who views the same image. The image viewer works as quickly and seamlessly as any Ive seen, and the jpeg images are of very high quality. Since many of the titles are in progress, I recommend that you use the Browse by Title feature to view the full description of the each document series, as it includes a nice completion status feature. Titles and documents are being added quickly and regularly, however. If you have a problem with the site loading slowly, be sure you have downloaded the latest version of Flash player for your browser. This usually fixes many such problems. Simple search is just that - simple. You enter search terms and then choose whether to search across all documents, or within a specific document set, such as PA Western Naturalizations. There is presently no soundex search, but you can narrow the search by document type, such as across all naturalization records, or within a particular title (first browse to the document subset you wish to search, and then enter your search terms). Advanced search hints can be accessed by clicking on the ? next to search. Footnote.com has the framework in place to be one of the most flexible and user-friendly sites on the Web for American genealogists. Once they add more records (and there are many in the works), upgrade the search feature, and do some tweaking, it has the potential to be a 5 star site. Despite being a newcomer to the world of digitized historic documents, Footnote has definitely risen the bar.

Acid Mine Drainage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Acid Mine Drainage - Essay Example In such it discusses all the possible avenues with which AMD can emerge and gives in depth analysis with regard to the chemical composition, reaction and eventual production of the AMD. This paper also strives to give in summary different sources of the AMD and the appropriate remedies that can be put into practice to quench the lethal problems associated with AMD. In the same breadth, it discusses the health related problems associated with AMD as well as those of ecological. This paper can be of meaningful help to those who work in the mines and risk contracting the problems linked with the site. When the precautionary measures that are discussed in this paper are stringently followed by the concerned individuals with the appropriate technology and man power, there is no doubt the problem of the AMD will be a thing of the past. 2.0 Introduction Acid mines drainage (AMD) is one of the major environmental threats that comes as a result of extraction of minerals for economic purposes. If these mines are not properly managed, then the exercise of extraction results into a serious environmental menace. Essentially acid mines drainage is a peculiar kind of a wastewater that that results from the continuous processes of weathering as well as leaching of coal and metalliferrous compounds that contain sulphur as an element in them. The various activities of mining for example, strip and underground mining exposes the sulfide (pyrite) and other metallic compounds that incorporate sulphur to a level of oxidation given the availability of oxygen and water. The oxidation process will increase the acidity level i.e. low P.H value, as the value of the P.H decreases, the oxidation process of the metals equally increases increases and this significantly reduces the water quality and culminate into water pollution (Drever 133). The formatio n of the acid mines drainage process can also be facilitated by through biological processes. The microorganism thiobaccillus ferroxidants is an acid tolerant microbe and is known to be associated with acid mines drainage sites as it enhances the oxidation of the compounds that contain sulphur compounds (Drever 147). . The resultant water in the acid mines drainages are very hazardous to health, in that the acidity and the components of water from the mines contain lethal chemicals. As stated above, without the buffering processes of the process, the acidity level will exponentially increase accelerating weathering process and subsequent development and continuation of the acid mines drainages (Drever 151). 3.0 Origin of Acid Mine Drainage Several factors can bring about development of the acid mines drainages, coming into contact between the surface water (oxygenated) with the pyritic ores is one of the ways that largely contribute to the formation of the acid mines drainage. This interaction takes place in three different ways; when the mining processes change the direction of flow of the water pattern to areas endowed with rocks that have been in constant touch with the ground water that is anoxically stagnant (Berner and Berner 98). The other possibility is when the spoils form the pyritic mining is disposed in an area of percolating oxygenated water, and when the pyritic minerals waste materials are directly discharged into the aquatic environment. 4.0 Results The formation of the acid mines drainages results into several environmental degradative processes that are vey detrimental to the survival biological life, in such, measures are always put into place as precautionary obligation to ensure