Compare and Contrast: ‘Always a Motive’ and ‘Gentlemen, Your Verdict’ Essay

Recently I’ve read two very good short stories: Always a Motive (by Dan Ross) and Gentlemen, Your Verdict (by Michael Bruce). Always a Motive is about a young man, named Joe Manetti, who is accused of kidnapping. Gentlemen, Your Verdict is about five men who are questioned about the murder of sixteen crewmembers. While both Always a Motive and Gentlemen, Your Verdict are written in third person and pull at the readers emotions, Always a Motives theme is how people tend to see things only from one perspective and things can change in an instant while Gentlemen, Your Verdicts theme focuses on the justification of murder in certain circumstances. Gentlemen, Your Verdict is a story that teaches us that sometimes in life we have to kill, or let someone die to ensure the survival of others. In this story Lieutenant-Commander Oram (who’s in charge of the submarine) is forced to play god when his submarine goes down. There is only enough air for two days and rescue won’t come until five days after their oxygen supply will run out. Lieutenant-Commander Oram would rather let some of his crew survive than have them all die. But he has a hard choice to make: who will be the ones to survive, which I believe is also a part of the theme. He makes a solemn choice to kill sixteen men, including himself, to save the lives of the five married men on-board; because they have a wife and possibly even children that would live sorrowfully if their father was gone. This statement is turned around in Always a Motive, where a father loses his son and wife and is forced to live a miserable life alone. Joe Manetti was a father to a little boy and a happy husband, but tragedy struck when his son was ran over and killed by a truck. After that Joe’s life fell apart; his wife left him, he doesn’t work anymore, he barely eats, and he runs away from his problems by driving , driving for however long until he feels okay. One day during one of his driving ‘spells’ he comes back from getting groceries and finds a baby on his backseat. He finds a note on the baby saying he belonged to the Millers. Joe takes care of the babe and brings him home to a worried father; but he suddenly finds himself getting questioned about kidnapping the Miller boy. Now, the inspector who questions him finds out Joe’s story and he feels for Joe; but he knows that when there’s â€Å"[people] like [Joe] involved† (Tigers of the Snow p109), people who  have lost their children, they usually are the culprits. Abruptly an expressway toll station worker comes bearing an alibi for Joe, saying that at the time the Miller boy was kidnapped Joe was at the toll. This reveals the themes of the story: how people tend to see things only from one perspective and things can change in an instant. The inspector only saw the side of Joe that made him a kidnapper and suddenly Joe is an unsuitable kidnapper. But there is one thing that lacks from Joe’s story, his motive for returning the Miller boy without the help of the police. But the man who lost his boy only wanted to see the man who found his. The moment that Joe says this is one of the most heartbreaking pieces of literature that I have read. Both Always a Motive and Gentlemen, Your Verdict have their moments where, as a reader, you feel for the characters. However different these stories are, they both pull at the readers heartstrings.

What Was Life Like for People Living in Nazi Germany?

What was life like for people living in Nazi Germany? In Nazi Germany life for the Germans was terrible. You had to know who you could trust, as trusting the wrong person may cause you to loose your life. The Nazis and mainly Hitler really disliked Jews and anyone else that was not their perfect ‘Aryan'. Hitler and the Nazis came up with the Nazi Racial Policy, in 1933 to try and persuade Jews to emigrate there was the Boycott of Jewish shops.Shop windows got Jewish symbols painted on them, members of the SA would stand outside to threaten shoppers and anyone who did go in the shops would have their name put on a list so the Nazis would know who was using the Jewish shops. Jews were banned from all state jobs such as civil servants, teachers, journalists, lawyers and even radio announcers. Jewish and non-Jewish children were not allowed to play together. All of this made life hard and not pleasant for the Jews, this is what Hitler wanted so that Jews would leave his beloved Ger many.The Nuremburg Laws was an important part to the way that Jews ran their life during Nazi Germany, the Nuremburg Laws consisted of things such as; Jews could not marry or have sex with non-Jews, all Jews lost German Citizenship; Jews were not allowed to own radios, typewriters or bicycles; Jews were not allowed to own their own buisnesses and were banned from going places such as the cinema, theatres or concert halls. They were not allowed to buy newspapers or magazines, nor were they allowed to attend school or college.Male Jews were forced to add the name ‘Israel' and female Jews the name ‘Sarah', to their first names. These Nuremburg Laws restricted what Jews were allowed to do, a lot. Homosexuals were effected by the Nazis as well, they were seen as not fitting into ‘normal' families, they were savagely persecuted. About 15,000 were arrested and sent to concentration camps. Many were used in medical experiments or they were castrated. Himmler was shocked to discover several homosexuals in the SS, they were sent to concentation camps and shot ‘whilst trying to escape'.Political opponents were ‘undesirable' to the Nazis because they were seen as a threat who shouldnt be here, habitual criminals were also ‘undesirable' because they were seen as a burden and socially useless. In the Nazis eyes Jehovahs witness's were ‘undesirable' because their beliefs were different to the Nazis. Gypsy's and Jews were also seen as ‘undesirable' as they did not fit the Nazis ‘Aryans' (blonde hair, blue eyes etc) Anyone who had more than one grandparent who themself was Jewish ou too were considered Jewish. This made life very restricted, if you were ‘undesirable' then you were sent to a concentration camp, for anyone who was lucky enough not to be sent there but to be able to live in their home but by the Nazis rules. There was lots of violence in the streets and so much fear in the air. People were dragged out of their homes and taken away violently. Many people were beaten and sometimes killed in the streets.This was a terrible ordeal for people living in Nazi Germany, even if you were not the ones being beaten, seeing your friends and neighbors being beaten would be torrible. Over 6 million Jews were killed by the Nazis during Hitlers years in power. In conclusion life was terrible for people living in Nazi Germany, after Kristallnacht in November 1938 Jews were treated terribly and many were killed. Nazi Germany was a very dark time for the civilians. This was Hitlers aim; to make life hell for Jews and any ‘undesirables'.

Conduct Disorder and it's affect on African American Males Research Proposal

Conduct Disorder and it's affect on African American Males - Research Proposal Example Until the society adopts a new orientation about the basic problem and undertake modern therapy to invite all African Americans males in the mainstream, give respectful understanding and let them feel self esteemed the problem can't be solved for good. Over the last ten years, young Africans American males have been over represented in virtually every negative social conditions of American society. These include incarceration, crime victimization, poverty and unemployment. Currently, nearly one of three or 32.2 percent of African Americans numbering 8, 17400 are under criminal justice supervision such as incarceration, probation, and parole. They have the strongest likelihood of being victims of perpetrator of murder, robbery and aggravated assault. (IvoryAchebeToldson, Esoteric group therapy: Counseling African American adolescent males with conduct disorder remarks in the journal of African American studies) This is a dismal picture of African Americans adults in USA. Approximately five percent of all children in the United States, ages 4-17, suffer from conduct disorder, which involves chronic, serious anti-social behavior problems. Likely symptoms that are found in such boys are frequent and persistent lying, physical cruelty, sexual activity fire-setting, vandalism forcible or stealing that begins much earlier than normal juvenile delinquency and is much more severe. African American males between 15 years to nineteen years die from homicides, which is as high as 46 times compared to the white counterparts. During 1980-1995 the rate of suicide among this age group had increased from 5.6 to 13.8 per hundred thousand of population. This is reverse trend compared to the earlier trend when European American youths had more suicide rates than the African American. "These figures should not be surprising since adolescent African-American males in contemporary American society face major challenges to their psychological development and well-being. In addition to dealing with the physical, mental and emotional issues typically experienced during adolescence, adolescent African-American males are confronted with unique social and environmental stressors. They must frequently cope with racism and its associated stressors, including family stressors, educational stressors, and urban stressors," said Dr. Xanthos. Conduct disorder is a psychiatric diagnosis defined as "a repetitive and persistent pattern of behavior in which the basic rights of others and major age-appropriate societal norms or rules are violated," Rolf Loeber, Ph.D., of the University of Pittsburgh, and colleagues investigated the relationship between Conduct disorder (CD) in young men and carrying a concealed gun with him. He showed how gun carrying is associated with crime in adulthood. He asserts that using weapons is also a symptom of CD, but he is not certain about how many boys with CD illegally carry concealed guns before the age of 18 and

Quantitative Methods Individual work 2 wk4 Assignment

Quantitative Methods Individual work 2 wk4 - Assignment Example Glenn believes that a referendum could be placed on the voting ballot in time for the November election. Passage of the referendum would change the zoning of the property and permit construction of the condominiums. The sealed-bid procedure requires the bid to be submitted with a certified check for 10% of the amount bid. If the bid is rejected, the deposit is refunded. If the bid is accepted, the Deposit is the down payment for the property. However, if the bid is accepted and the bidder does not follow through with the purchase and meet the remainder of the financial obligation within six months, the deposit will be forfeited. In this case, the county will offer the property to the next highest bidder. In the case study above, a decision tree was used to analyze the possible scenarios that took place. Decision trees are used to clearly define the process in which a problem is solved and the possible outcomes which will result into the solution being formulated (Mian & Mian, 2002, P. 198).In the decision, tree below, D1 represents the point where the solution is made. This point is referred to as a decision node. (Mian & Mian, 2002, P. 199).Chance circles are points within the decision nodes which reveal the possible outcomes which are out of the control of the decision maker.C1 represents these chance circles (Mian & Mian, 2002, P. 199). C3-after the bid has been accepted, and they do not follow through with the purchase and also fail to meet the financial obligations in 6 months, the deposit will be forfeited and the property will automatically be taken to the next highest bidder. The concept of expected value assists to determine the worth of an investment after analyzing possible outcomes and probability of each scenario as it occurs. Once all these scenario and probabilities have been brought together along with each scenario, the expected return is found after each outcome is multiplied by each probability. Before

Financial Markets And Corporate Governance Essay

Financial Markets And Corporate Governance - Essay Example The business managers of Enron would definitely have put in to practice of whatever they have been taught or trained in their schools of Law, business, management and accounting, to protect the shareholders’ interests of the corporation. However the pertinent question is what went wrong and where? Considering the various maneuverings that happened in Enron in the guise of protecting the shareholders interest, it may also be said that the same managers would have acted more aggressively in enhancing the shareholders wealth, had Enron been a successful business venture. â€Å"The catastrophe caused by the failure of Enron could not compare with the damage this company would have caused if it had succeeded. The relentless emphasis on the importance of shareholder value in recent times has created the conditions for the disconnection of corporations such as Enron form their essential moral underpinnings, encouraging them to concentrate exclusively on financial performance, and to neglect not just the wider stakeholder interests of customers and employees, but the essential interests of the economies and communities in which they operate. The problem with established corporate governance is that they misconceive the irreducible core of corporate governance, at the same time as underestimating the complexity of the phenomenon.† This paper attempts to make a presentation on the style and working of the two models of business ventures one working in the direction of protecting exclusively the shareholders interests and the other which works to protect the stakeholders’ interest and the relative conflicts and issues that may emanate in pursuing both the interests, in the light of the With a proper understanding and adherence to all of the above parameters, a team of management can take the corporate they are governing to greater heights for sure. Even though all of these aspects stand equally important, respecting

The early 20th century USA, Latin America, and Africa Essay - 1

The early 20th century USA, Latin America, and Africa - Essay Example le, there three distinctive trends that they had; there was a tendency to be less and less accessible to the average person, a tendency to glorify art itself as well as to undercut traditional standards and values. A period before the 20th century, music was pretty easy for the average person to understand because they followed common harmonic patters that one could find to frequently popular tunes. (Hoffer, Charles pg. 67) However in the 20th century, composers began to move away from these patters toward what is called atonal music, that which has a pattern not easy to recognize. The century brought with it new freedom and wide experimentation with new musical styles and forms that challenged the accepted rules of early periods. Industrialization led to the inventions of electronic instruments and synthesizer that revolutionized popular music and speeded up the development of new form of music. A good case study is a Latin American music, which has a variety of styles that arrived in America and eventually become influential from the early Spanish and European Baroque to the different beats of the African rhythms.( Gopal, Sarvepalli pg. 102) On the other hand, in visual arts too, the three tendencies could be seen; artists could combine a multiple of perspectives, looking at an object from different points of view and sometimes at different times. It was not easy for an average person to interpret a simple piece of art rather than simply appreciating the art’s use of color, line, composition, as well as the artist’s feelings. They were also influenced by the various movements that fought for the people’s rights and freedom. Africans used various songs to mobilize their members against imperialisms; they also drew diagrams that could only be interpreted by them. But in the 20th century pieces of art have been used to give us, not unfamiliar images, but images that are as familiar as they can possibly be. People have been able to express their feelings in

Analytical Essay Using Realist Theory Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Analytical Using Realist Theory - Essay Example The recent past has revealed that countries like China have consequently developed strong economy that has threatened your country’s stability at the helm of super power. In addition to this, convergence by European countries to form the European Union is also a sign of power struggle in the world. In addition to this, there has been considerable rise in uprisings in many countries in the Middle East leading to what is commonly known as the Arab Spring. Mr. President, I would also wish to bring to your attention about the current Ukraine crisis with Russia not forgetting that Russia is the largest supplier of oil and gas in the world. The recent outbreak of Ebola disease in Africa that has also seen the spread of the disease in your country Mr. President is also an indication that there is a lot of power imbalance in the current world according to realists. Moreover, Mr. President, I would like also to draw your attention to the recent conflict in Syria that indicates the concept of statism that simply implies that the State is premier and hence any other actors involved in world politics are of no significance. I would also like to bring into your attention the manner in which the Syrian conflict was resolved. China and Russia influenced in a huge amount on UN sanctions that a imed at reducing violence in Syria. From the scenario, it is evident that Russia and China can greatly influence UN decisions hence illustrating that no international bodies may govern sovereign countries.

Communication Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Communication - Assignment Example Dr. Stern proposes opposite view by advocating the marriage institute. She delivers authentic reports from reliable sources Such as Harris polls report. Both of them are very much accurate in providing factual information about traditional and non-traditional marriages in America. Observation comes under the category of qualitative research whereas inference is more associated with quantitative research. Both of their points have a strong platform of observations and inferences. The observation of Prof. Weiss is presented through the example of Adam & Rachael, a couple living together without marriage. The insurance company denied combined policy to them just because they were not married couple. Weiss advocates the theory of individualism with this example, and further points out the same traditional values applied in changing circumstances. The inference is presented by him with legal system of America, Germany and Netherlands. When Dr. Stern propagates her viewpoints, her arguments also are supported by strong evidences and observations. Through her observations she talks about the adverse effect of domestic partnership of society. She also gives the authentic report of Harris Poll about same sex marriages. (57% Americans are against same sex marriage) First person is Prof. Weiss. His observation is based on the case study of a couple living together without marriage and how the law and social system do not legalize their relationship. Second persons observation is naturalistic which is based on the behavioural pattern of individual in natural context. The arguments propounded by both speakers come under deductive arguments. A deductive argument is intended by the arguer to be valid. It provides an assurance of truth in its conclusion. The conclusion made by the two speakers is very strong which has a strong base of evidences of observations and inferences. Prof. Weiss has an

Renewable versus Non Renewable Sources of Energy Coursework - 2

Renewable versus Non Renewable Sources of Energy - Coursework Example The researcher states that we want a life of comfort and ease for our citizens and as little a percentage of our population under the poverty line as possible. Economic development of nations has only been possible when one converts from an agrarian to an industrial nation. But doing so also requires making more and more use of the Earth’s resources. In fact, we are stripping the Earth of its natural resources at three times the rate of its replenishment. The consequences are disastrous and it is estimated that we shall run out of the available supply in the next 50 years or so. That is why it is necessary to both conserve our present resources of fuel and other natural resources as well as make as small a carbon footprint as possible. This is the only way that we can ensure that the present resources last for our next generation and beyond. Energy can be classified into two types- renewable and nonrenewable. Renewable energy includes the natural resources that are in abundant supply like the sun, the oceans and the wind from which we can get solar, water and wind power. Nonrenewable sources of energy are those like the fossil fuels the world is consuming at a hectic pace. These nonrenewable sources also power most of the world’s machinery and power plants, especially in developing nations that do not have the means to use better and cleaner fuels and technology. It is no wonder that as we run out of these non-renewable sources of energy, they are going to cost more too. The best alternative is to switch to one or other source of renewable energy as soon as possible. In this regard, each and every member of our society and our neighborhood can play an effective role in conserving and helping the environment. One thing is to be aware of the many ways in which we are wasting the available resources. (1)Switching off all lights and fans that are not being used; (2) turning off the tap water as soon as we have finished, and (3) using a carpool or publ ic transport to commute to and from work rather than our own vehicles will result in less energy being demanded and used. We should adopt conservatism rather than consumerism as a way of life.

Film Theory Outline Essay Example for Free

Film Theory Outline Essay From the very beginning of film, theorists have tried to dissect or understand the nature of the new medium of art. As a result various theories of film have emerged, such as feminist, auteur, psychoanalytical, Marxist, Editing and Structuralist. This essay attempts to give an outline of these various theories. One of the first theories to emerge is Editing theory, coming from the context of early Russian cinema. A key event in this regard is the experiment carried out by the film-maker Lev Kuleshov in 1918, in which he demonstrated that what the viewer perceives depends on how images are juxtaposed with each other through inter-cutting. See more: essay apa format Thus, when a human close-up is juxtaposed with a bowl of soup, the perception is of hunger, but when juxtaposed with a shot of a coffin the same close-up is perceived to express grief. Kuleshov concluded that juxtaposition was crucial towards the effect, and thus advocated the use montage in film-making. Other film-makers like Sergei Eisenstein played close attention to these findings, and made use of them in his masterpieces of montage, such as Battleship Potemkin and October. He also spelled out a comprehensive film theory based on editing in a highly influential essay from the late twenties. In it he outlined he various categories of editing, such as metric, rhythmic, tonal, overtonal, and intellectual. For example, with intellectual montage a scene may be inter-cut with something immediately unrelated, but which nevertheless works as metaphor is a more profound sense. The above came to constitute soviet montage theory, which was in contrast to the Hollywood system of continuity editing. Montage is a very visible component of film, whereas continuity editing aims to make inter-cutting invisible, so that the viewer may concentrate on the flow of the narrative in an easy way. Since the fifties a parallel theory of editing has emerged in the West which embodies the Hollywood ethos. In the same essay Eisenstein proposed a Hegelian interpretation of film montage, and which came to form the basis of Marxist film theory. He suggested that montage worked by the principle of the Hegelian dialectic, where thesis is said to beget antithesis, and are resolved in the end through synthesis. For example, when human close up is inter-cut with a glass of water, the viewer interprets this as thirst. If the face is the subject, then its antithesis is the object of vision, i. e. the glass of water. ‘Thirst’ is merely the synthesis of the two. It is present in neither of the two shots in consideration, yet emerges form the inter-cutting of the two. Of course, it was through the Hegelian dialectic that Marx had derived his famous concept of the proletariat revolution, and Marxism was the avowed principle of the Bolshevists. Therefore, it is not surprising that Eisenstein’s theories found a favorable audience in the Soviet Union. Indeed, it was instrumental in forming of Socialist realism, which became the state sponsored ideology in art. Marxist film theory soon found itself as defined in opposition to capitalistic and bourgeoisie art, in which the narrative of the protagonist finds prominence. Eisenstein’s films attempt to obliterate the presence of the protagonist, concentrating instead on the clash of images towards creating a larger ideological narrative. Even then he was accused by the authorities for not championing the workers, and for indulging in the internal mechanics of film, which was deemed to be a kind of formalism. Marxist theory held that the purpose of art is to overcome all ‘forms’ towards dialectical purification. Formalism was felt to be a bourgeoisie component. Marxist theory, as it has flourished both in the East and the West, concerns itself with dissecting films in order discredit bourgeoisie forms, usually those emerging from the Hollywood system. A native western theory of film was late in developing, and a crucial starting point was the theories developed by Andre Bazin, as editor of the French film magazine Cahiers du cinema. Up to that point films were seen as merely commercial vehicles, and Hollywood had evolved into a mighty and well groomed machine that churned films for the pleasure of the masses. Analyzing these films Bazin came to the conclusion that it was the director who left the most characteristic stamp, and as illustration he held up the work of directors like Alfred Hitchcock and Howard Hawks. He advocated that directors infuse their personal vision into the films under their charge, in order that they become the complete authors, which is the ideal state. This came to be known as the Auteur theory of film, which was given a more formal presentation by Francois Truffaut. Directors were described as using the camera as a pen towards composing their films. Another significant idea of Bazin’s was that film should aim for â€Å"objective reality†. This was in opposition to prevalent theory based on montage, which said that object of film is to manipulate reality. This instrumental approach led to the formulation of Structuralist film theory, which examines the structure of the components of film as they come together meaningfully. Instead of the dialectical approach of Eisenstein, the analysis takes into account conventional devices that have come to acquire meaning. The components that come into play are camera angle, lighting, juxtaposition, shot duration, cultural context etc. Meaning is usually accounted for by convention, and conventions change according to social and economic circumstances. For example, the highly commercial nature of Hollywood films has created the Institutional Mode of Representation, in which cinematic devices are used that make film viewing easy and exciting. For this reason it incorporates the established ideology with little departure from the norm. Other interpretations overlook the mechanics of production and instead considered the viewer as the focus of study. Psychoanalytic film theory offers such an interpretation. It is largely influenced by the views of the French philosopher Jacques Lacan regarding the child’s ‘mirror stage of development’. According to this theory the developing child endeavors to see a reflection of itself in all the objects it encounters. Psychoanalytic film theory replicates this situation with the viewer of film. The viewer is always looking for self-identification in the process of watching a film, and in this sense uses the medium as a mirror. It is usually the male protagonist who provides the focus of this identification, and functions as a conduit by which the desires of the viewer are played out. The film is said to have constructed a ‘gaze’ for the benefit of the viewer. Sometimes the gaze is simply the viewpoint of the protagonist; at other times, in the more graphic sequences, the viewer is allowed to gaze directly. Psychoanalytic theory is careful to point out that such identification is merely illusion, and therefore it differs from the identification of the child growing up, whose identifications come to form tangible character. Feminist film theory takes psychoanalytical theory a step further, in that it interprets the gaze as scopophilia, or ‘the desire to observe in secret’, which is also known as voyeurism. Such desire is sexual in origin, and feminist theory is framed in the context of the man wanted to gaze at the woman. Such a theory provides a ready explanation of the objectification of woman in film, a phenomena that has been noticed from the very beginnings of the medium. As in psychoanalytical theory, the male protagonist provides the focus of identification, but his specific desire is to objectify the women in the film, a desire which is vicariously shared by the viewer. There are three levels of objectification. First there is the camera’s point of view, then that of the protagonist, and finally that of the viewer himself, who is allowed to gaze at the women directly. Critics of this theory point out that the female viewer is not taken into account, for women also go to see the same films, and they enjoy them too. However Laura Mulvey has given convincing arguments to explain female enjoyment. She says that it is either through a masochistic identification, or a transsexual one. In the first the female takes secret pleasure in male domination. In the second, the female identifies with the male protagonist, and thus shares in the pleasure that men take. However, she is also continuously slipping back into her female identity, which is said to be a mask that she wears. Identification with the male pushes her uncomfortably close to the image of the subjected women, and the masquerade allows her to maintain a distance from it. Feminist film theory is a harsh criticism of the norms of cinema, which is also blamed on the patriarchal norms of society. The advocacy is to make films that overcome the norms, and therefore to make films that are free from female objectification.

Causes of Different Country Rates of Development

Causes of Different Country Rates of Development Kaitlyn Kanaly Guns, Germs, and Steel Summary In Guns, Germs, and Steel, Jared Diamond is trying to answer his friend, Yali’s, question. Yali asked Diamond in New Guinea, â€Å"Why is it that you white people developed so much cargo, but we black people had little cargo of our own?† (Diamond, 1998, p. 14). Yali was referring to all of the different advantages certain societies had that resulted in prosperous populations, while others failed. Diamond centers Guns, Germs, and Steel around answering Yali’s question. Throughout the semester, we were set out to define the â€Å"big idea† of each chapter individually. The first half of this book’s â€Å"big idea† is to show how food production, domesticating plants and animals, and most importantly, how geography itself are the main factors that determined which societies became more powerful than another. Diamond supports his thesis through evidence that he reveals in each chapter. Diamond’s search for an answer to Yali’s question started off by looking at the biology of when and how the first humans evolved. Then, he concentrated on more specific societies to further support his research. During his research, Diamond still could not explain why Eurasia became the most advanced continent even though Africa had a head start. What Diamond came to find out, however, is that a society is not successful because of the color of one’s skin or how intelligent one may or may not be, but it is the geography that allows a society to either flourish or diminish. To further defend his geographic explanation, Diamond suggests that the events that took place on the Chatham Islands was, in fact, due to a geographic stand point of the Maori and Moriori people. The technologically advanced Maori society successfully conquered the considerably weaker Moriori society. Further justifying this explanation, he points out that race could not have been a factor between these two groups because the two cultures had come from the same origin and were just separated within an unmindful time frame. Diamond also looked at factors, other than genetics, that determined the differences between the two societies. He then concluded that the Moriori were unable to provide an abundance of food due to the cold climate. The lack of food put the Moriori at a disadvantage because their society was significantly weaker than the Maori’s. Aside from the production of food, the Maori people were advanced in other areas that were not possible for the Moriori because o f their geographic location. Because the Moriori were isolated on an island, they did not have the means for communication with other people, and technological ideas were unable to spread to their society. Thus, only the Maori people were rich in food production, technology, and communication because of their geographic location. Geography also has had a major effect in which parts of the world developed food production over others. Areas such as deserts or high mountains are simply not suited for agriculture, while others may support some crops, but not others. Another factor is that there are only a limited number of plants suitable for domestication. According to Diamond, being able to successfully produce food was the start for societies to also develop of guns, germs, and steel. There are a few components that influenced the adoption of food production: the decline in wild foods, an increase in plants, the development of technology, and change in population density. With less wild food available, people did not have much of a choice but to grow their own. Technology also allowed food to be produced at a quicker pace. Acquiring an abundance of food meant that societies could reach a higher population density that would, in turn, lead to many more advantages. People were able to settle in one place because of farming, which allowed more complex and advanced food production. These more densely populated societies were able to create technology, invent writing, and became immune to epidemic diseases. All three of these remarkable factors is what Diamond found to be the reasons why one society was able to conquer another. Still, there were additional factors that Diamond set out to examine. Animals also played a key role in certain parts of the world developing quicker than others: the distribution of animals around the world was also a result of geography. Eurasia was home to the most domesticated mammals, which put the people there at an advantage. These domesticated animals not only helped as an additional food source, but also provided many other services for societies. Farming was completed much easier and at a quicker pace because animals were able to pull plows and also serve as fertilizer. Animal fur was used to keep warm, and the bones were converted into various handy tools. Diamond also analyzed the way plants, food, and ideas were able to spread from continent to continent. Food production spreads most easily if one is moving east to west, because plants and animals didn’t have to adapt to a drastic change like you would going north and south, as the climate will be either the same or similar going east or west as opposed to north and south. For example, because Eurasia is spread further east and west, it was almost effortless to haul crops and animals from one location to another, which made Eurasia more successful and subsequently advanced than other parts of the world. In conclusion, there are many reasons why certain societies prospered compared to others; and it all boils down to the geography of the land. Diamond proves that beneficial aspects of geography allows societies to effortlessly grow food than others. On the other hand, there are also geographical explanations as to why food production failed in some parts of the world. Diamond confidently insists that it does not matter who is smarter than who, but rather, that the most prosperous society was blessed by the more dominant environment. In essence, those who lived in more fertile areas had a much greater chance of success. Reflection I strongly believe that Diamond does an amazing job at dissecting how and why certain continents prevailed over others. He manages to go into detail, but not too much detail that would confuse his readers. I like the fact that he keeps his findings slightly broad because it makes the story line easier to follow. The way he presents how geography plays such a major role in history is extremely powerful and intriguing. There are many critics, however, who do not agree with Diamond’s message that geography is the ultimate factor for advanced continents, rather than racial or intelligence reasons. For example, York and Mancus are more concerned with the social aspects that contributed to the rise of certain continents over others. As quoted from the Human Ecology Review: His position would be strengthened if he more fully recognized that different types of societies have different internal dynamics, and that each era has its own particular processes and contradictions (York Mancus, 2007, p. 160). I think that this is too critical of an opinion for Diamond’s work. I do not think that Diamond intended his book to be overly specific, but rather a more broad, overall explanation of how and why the world evolved the way it did. Another critic focuses on the chapter in Diamond’s book where latitude is discussed. James Blaut, a geography professor, suggests that Diamond supplies â€Å"hardly an explanation† of the development and westward spread of technology and food. According to The Geographical Review: His description fails to mention that diffusion eastward and southward from the Near East via the Indian Ocean, and southward from China through the South China Sea, was as important and as easy, as was diffusion west-ward (Blaut, 1999, p. 400). I agree with this critic that Diamond should have explored all options for the spread of technology and food before he had stated that east-west movement was the easiest way to do it successfully. However, I do not recall Diamond saying that east-west diffusion was the one and only way. Although there are critics that do not fully agree with everything that Diamond has found in his research in Guns, Germs, and Steel, I think that this book is exceptionally educational. The book has an outstanding story line that is easy to follow and is packed with intriguing information that truly gets you thinking. I can’t wait to finish the rest of the book to see what else Diamond has to say about the establishment of our world. Sources Blaut, J. M. (1999). ENVIRONMENTALISM AND EUROCENTRISM.Geographical Review,89(3), 391. Diamond, J. (1998).Guns, Germs, and Steel. New York: W.W. Norton Company. York, R., Mancus, P. (2007). Human Ecology Review. Diamond in the Rough: Reflections on Guns, Germs, Steel, 14(2). http:/www.humanecologyreview.org/pastissues/her142/yorkandmancus.pdf

Which EU institution is the most powerful? Essay -- Economics

Which EU institution is the most powerful? The European Union (EU) is currently made up of 25 countries, known as Member States, which together form the largest voluntary and peaceful block of countries in the world. Many people mistakenly view the European Union as a single body whilst in fact; the EU consists of a number of different institutions that together carry out activities on behalf of the Member States. There are many institutions but the main five being the Commission, the Council of Ministers (also called the Council of the European Union), the European Council and the European Parliament and the European Court of Justice. In this essay I am going to focus on these institutions and discuss which is to be considered more powerful. I will firstly look at each one individually and how it is organised then analyse its powers and responsibilities before comparing them and drawing up my conclusions. However I would like to note that there are many different interpretations and parameters of ‘powerful’ which make it difficult to answer the question. The EU was established in 1992 by the Maastricht Treaty. It comprises what are known as three ‘pillars’. Firstly the EC; secondly, inter-governmental co-operation (i.e. between national governments) in foreign and security policy and the third pillar being inter-governmental co-operation in justice and home affairs. In the second and third pillars policy decisions are made by unanimous cooperation between members and cannot be enforced. Therefore for the most part, the governing institutions of the EC pillar have limited input in these pillars. The European Commission does much of the day-to-day work in the European Union and is the driving force in the Union's institutional system. Their main responsibility is to initiate and implement new programs, and they form a permanent executive that supervise the work of the EU, much in the way that a national cabinet operates. This power is displayed in article 211 of the Treaty Establishing the European Community, which states that, the Commission: 'Shall formulate recommendations or deliver opinions on matters dealt with in this treaty, if it expressly so provides or if the commission considers it necessary.' The Commission is made up of a President and the College of Commissioners (the political arm), and the Direc... ...------------------------------------- [1] The Presidency of the Council is the driving force in the legislative and political decision-making process, organising and chairing all meetings and working out compromises to resolve any difficulties. The Presidency rotates among the Member States every six months and is used as a mechanism through which Member States can advance specific priorities. The UK will next hold the Presidency in the second half of 2005. [2] The European Council's far reaching and dramatic decisions have helped propel their meetings into the public spotlight where they have become the focal point for media coverage of the EU, which increases their power [3] During the political, economic and institutional weakening of the European Community (EC) in the 1960s and 1970s the ECJ persisted and struggled on to create an extensive and powerful mass of case law that continued the process for deeper integration. The outcome of this was extremely positive. The work of the ECJ developed not just a new legal order but also assisted in the EC's resurgence during the 1980s. (Dinan 2000: p301)

The Importance of Voice in Writing :: Essays on Writing

For my first paper I'll talk about voice, and how it affects the conversations that we have with other people, and how we perceive certain voices to sound in stories, and other works that we read. I think that in general voice is a type of mystery, and that it is one of those things that we really can't understand. When looking at a piece of writing I think that a clear and concise voice is one of the things that makes a piece work. This is my own feeling, and it might not agree with others, but when I'm reading a story, and it is full of good stuff like conversation, and heart felt feelings, I feel that the author is able to tell me what he/she is trying to say, I think that it has a better impact on the reader compared to the writing that goes on about nothing, and seems to only have one monotone voice. I think that one of the best ways to create a clear voice while writing is to pretend that you are talking to a friend, and having a conversation about what happened in one of your most hated classes. For me this is an easy way to create a voice that isn't to dull, and with any luck will hold the attention of the reader all the way to the end of my work. This type of voice isn't all that hard to create, but using it at the right time might be a little tricky. According to what Morgan said in class the last time we met, voice isn't used all that often in technical writing. This would explain why some of the texts that we are forced to read are so boring. The authors of these books aren't looking to entertain, they are looking to educate, and get a point across to the reader. This is true foe the most part, but wouldn't it be nice if we could pick up a text, or a manual for a new computer, and understand what is being said? I think that in the near future many of the books, and manuals that will be coming out will have a new voice of their own. I think that in general people find it easier to understand what is being said if the writing or instructions that they are reading seem to make sense, and don't sound like the author is trying to make them feel like an idiot.

A fine White Dust :: essays papers

A fine White Dust Facets of Religion The novel was very interesting. It caused me to think of many ideas of religion and of the many processes of conversion. The book portrays religion and conversion to religion in many ways. It uses the various characters to show the many different possibilities that you can have in your religion. Pete is a very interesting character. He has some interesting quirks; he first is strangely religious for his young age for no obvious reason. His parents seem to be very nonreligious so a possibility for his disproportionate spirituality is as a reaction to his parents’ lack of religious zeal. â€Å"I started simmering inside because they wouldn’t go to church with me, because they didn’t seem to care about heaven or hell or their boy’s need for religion.† Pete’s impression of the Preacher Man at first before he is swayed by the preacher’s skills seems to be very accurate. He believed the â€Å"hitchhiker†, who was actually the Preacher Man, to be a member of the shadier element. Some of the possibilities he thinks of are an axe murderer or some kind of violent criminal. This at the end of the story appears to be the most accurate picture of the Preacher Man. The negative image of the Preacher Man is the most correct of all the impressions that Pete has toward the Preacher Man. Pete finally sees through the Preacher Man’s fake facade. Especially After he has had time to allow the effects of his religious experience to abate. Pete is the main character of the story; the story is his discovery of a hero and his subsequent betrayal by this his new hero. Pete is an innocent and naà ¯ve character he is easily taken by the powerful preaching about salvation and heaven by the Preacher Man. The Preacher Man shows him religion that is an escape from the horror and pain of hell. It appears that it is mainly a technique of salvation by fear; if you are afraid enough you will convert and be saved from the dangers of hell. This is a very two-dimensional religion it only is about you not about God. A truly loving God would not want his people to be afraid continually of hell. He would want us to be thinking of him and heaven.

Peel’s Policies Toward Irealnd Essay

Peel’s policies towards Ireland seem to swing backwards and forwards over the period 1829-46; he supported Catholic emancipation in 1829, yet his policy of coercion seems distinctly repressive, and this was then followed by conciliation, which could be considered reforming. Peel had to tread a thin line between firmness and assertion of authority without alienating any potential Catholic support. However, on balance we can consider that his policies were more reforming than repressive. Peel’s support of Catholic emancipation in 1829 shows the reforming side of his policy. He supported it against a huge amount of scepticism from his own party and did it in the belief that it was for the good of the union – he thought it was a greater risk to refuse to satisfy their demands than to grant them. However, the restriction that Catholic emancipation placed on the franchise meant that it carried with reform an element of repression. Peel’s Tamworth Manifesto of 1834 showed moderate support for reform, but did not commit the Tory party to anything and certainly didn’t advocate anything on the scale of Catholic emancipation. Peel’s early reformist attitude had all but disappeared by the 1841 election, where his party emphasised their traditional position as the defenders of the established Church. During his second ministry, Peel’s policy of Coercion was clearly quite repressive. Faced with a problem in Ireland that he considered a greater threat to British Authority than Chartism had ever posed, he made an announcement in parliament that he would ‘crush any attempt to break the union with armed force.’ This aggressive statement was the start of Peel’s more repressive policy in Ireland. The Irish Arms act of 1843, which gave the Authorities in Ireland greater powers and banned Catholics from owning guns, was very stringent and can therefore be considered repressive, but it can be seen that it was a necessary move in order to prevent more violence in Ireland. Peel’s decision t ban the meeting at Clontarf can also be seen as repressive. O’Connell had organised many large scale demonstrations before which had not been seen to pose a significant threat, but the British government interpreted it as an incitement to illegality. Over half a million people were expected to turn up and the government knew about it well in advance; however by banning it just the day before it was due to take place, Peel dealt a heavy blow to O’Connell. Thousands of Irish people were already on their way to the demonstration and O’Connell had to tell them all to turn back. On top of this, despite not having done anything illegal, O’Connell was then arrested for sedition, tried and found guilty by an all protestant jury. This is perhaps the most openly repressive thing that Peel did in the period. This incident proved to be the turning point in O’Connell’ political career; despite later being released from prison he never regained his full authority and subsequently his repeal movement began to fall apart. This was a clear victory for Peel’s defence of the union, and gave him great support within the Conservative Party. However, Peel was convinced that a population that was more than 80% Catholic could not be coerced indefinitely and in early 1844 asserted that whilst the union itself was still the overriding objective, ‘Equality of treatment for Protestant and Catholic Citizens was necessary’ so that the Irish middle classes could be persuaded of the benefits of it. Peel’s plan of conciliation sought to improve relations and win this crucial support within Ireland. The first step that showed Peel taking a more reforming line was to remove the staunch protestant defender de Gray as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. He was replaced by Lord Heytesbury, who was happy to follow Peel’s policy of giving Catholics equal opportunities in government. This showed not just willingness for change, but also would eventually lead to more Catholics in the civil service and magistracy; thereby lessening the chance that disaffected Irishmen would turn to the Nationalist cause instead. This willingness for change was shown again in the setting up of the Devon Commission. Setting it up in the first place was an act of great courage – the opinion of the time was that it was a landlord’s right to do as he wished without interference – and therefore shows a real attempt at reform by Peel, although it never came to fruition. Peel further tried to win over the Irish Catholics with the charitable bequests bill of 1844. It plainly displayed the goodwill of Peel’s administration to the Catholic Church. Peel saw the support of the Irish Catholic Church as something incredibly important; it had an essentially conservative nature and there was no ideological reason why its support should be blocked, as it wasn’t linked to the nationalists or revolutionaries, and therefore Peel thought it important for them to be ‘on-side’. This religious aspect was further tackled in the Maynooth Bill. He was convinced that in its current state, Maynooth was attracting the wrong sort, and by giving money for its improvement and increasing its annual grants, he was not only showing a positive attitude to the Catholic Church, but also ensuring that the new priests were not likely to support the revolutionaries or nationalists. Peel’s Irish Colleges Bill continued this programme of reform by setting up un-sectarian colleges, with the aim of ensuring that there would be more educated Catholics who would be eligible for the newly available jobs in the Civil service. However, this was in the face of requests for Catholic colleges from the priests, something that Peel flatly refused to consider. With the coming of the potato famine in 1845, Peel found even greater problems in Ireland, which lead to further reform. Peel’s worry about the dependency on the potato was justified, and many people in Ireland were starving. Peel made the decision to try and repeal the Corn Laws. He faced huge opposition from his own party at the suggestion, yet the Bill was passed with Whig support. This is the most reforming one of Peel’s policies towards Ireland; however, there is the suggestion that his hand was forced politically. Overall, the evidence suggests that although there were some repressive elements to Peel’s Irish policy, namely the period of Coercion, the majority of his policy can be considered as more reforming, as he acted to try and change and improve the conditions in Ireland and the relationships between Britain and Ireland. This is shown by Peel’s reasoning that in order to preserve the Union (which was to him the most important matter), the Irish would have to be treated fairly and be shown the benefits of it.

The Problem of Thor Bridge

Other conventions are used in the text yet the previously sites will be discussed in this essay. All of these conventions are evident through Dole's literary features. These crime writing features ensure the text directly conforms to the great detective style of the genre. The text begins with, Watson the central character, detective Sherlock Holmes loyal assistant narrating the previous case they had tackled. This convention of Watson narration is demonstrated in the first line â€Å"there is a travel-worn and battered tin dispatch-box with my name, John H.Watson, M. D†. He then goes on to tell of the achieving of a letter from a clearly distressed male asking for help to protect his girlfriend, reflecting on the convention of a man in distress begging for help with a case. â€Å"l can't explain things-I can't even try to explain them, but I know beyond all doubt that Miss Dunbar is innocent. † The literary technique, first person perspective is used throughout the let ter to describe the situation so that it becomes apparent to the reader that a real man is pleading for help from the talented detective.The story continues as Holmes begins to use his incredible skills of observation to covers clues, when he notices a mark on Thro Bridge, this alone demonstrates the distinctive characteristics of the great detective. The description in the quote â€Å"The stonework was grey, but at this one point It showed white for a space not larger than a sixpence,† it draws attention to his superior surveillance talent. Nearing the conclusion of the story Holmes communicates his discoveries to those partaking In the Incident.This convention Is demonstrated In the final paragraph of the short story â€Å"Then she took one of her husband's revolvers-there was, as you saw, n arsenal In the house-and kept It for her own use. A similar one she concealed that morning In Miss Dunbar wardrobe after discharging one barrel, which she could easily do In the woods without attracting attention. She then went down to the bridge where she had contrived this exceedingly Ingenious method for getting rid of her weapon. When Miss Dunbar appeared she used her last breath In pouring out her hatred, and then, when she was out of hearing, carried out her terrible purpose.Every link Is now In Its place and the chain Is complete† Each convention used and discussed In this essay, demonstrate the style of crime writing written at the time. Closer analysis of salary texts from different periods also begin to show the evolution of the genre over time. The Problem of Thro Bridge By catty case. â€Å"l can't explain things-I can't even try to explain them, but I know beyond all stonework was grey, but at this one point it showed white for a space not larger than partaking in the incident. This convention is demonstrated in the final paragraph of an arsenal in the house-and kept it for her own use.A similar one she concealed that morning in Miss Dunbar wa rdrobe after discharging one barrel, which she could easily do in the woods without attracting attention. She then went down to the bridge where she had contrived this exceedingly ingenious method for getting rid of her weapon. When Miss Dunbar appeared she used her last breath in pouring out her Every link is now in its place and the chain is complete† Each convention used and discussed in this essay, demonstrate the style of crime writing written at the time. Closer analysis of similar texts from different periods also

Conventional Morality Essay

Lawrence Kohlberg: â€Å"Physical consequences of an action determine its goodness or badness regardless of the human meaning or value of these consequences. Avoidance of punishment and unquestioning deference to power are valued in their own right, not in terms of respect for an underlying moral order supported by punishment and authority. † (Duska, R. and Whelan, M. , 1975) Summary: The concern is for self – â€Å"Will I get into trouble for doing (or not doing) it? † Good behaviour is associated with avoiding punishment. Inadequacy of Stage 1 reasoning: Avoidance of punishment regardless of the ethical value of the actions is unhealthy especially under â€Å"bad† authorities such as Adolf Hitler. * Stage 2: Instrumental Relativist Orientation Lawrence Kohlberg: Right action is â€Å"that which instrumentally satisfies one’s own needs and occasionally the needs of others. † â€Å"Human relations are viewed in terms like those of the marketplace; elements of fairness, reciprocity and equal sharing are present, but they are always interpreted in a physical or pragmatic way. Reciprocity is a matter of ‘you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours,’ not of loyalty, gratitude or justice. † (Duska, R. and Whelan, M. , 1975) Summary: The concern is â€Å"What’s in it for me? † It is still egocentric in outlook but with a growing ability to see things from another person’s perspective. Action is judged right if it helps in satisfying one’s needs or involves a fair exchange. Inadequacy of Stage 2 reasoning: Where the needs of different individuals conflict, can there ever be a fair exchange? Doesn’t this conflict call for sacrifice from one of the parties? Level 2 – Conventional Morality People at this stage conform to the conventions / rules of a society. * Stage 3: Good Boy-Nice Girl Orientation Lawrence Kohlberg: â€Å"Good behavior is that which pleases or helps others and is approved by them. There is much conformity to stereotypical images of what is majority or ‘natural’ behaviour. Behavior is frequently judged by intention. ‘He means well’ becomes important for the first time. One earns approval by being ‘nice. ‘† (Duska, R. and Whelan, M. , 1975) Summary: The concern is â€Å"What will people think of me? † and the desire is for group approval. Right action is one that would please or impress others. This often involves self-sacrifice but it provides the psychological pleasure of ‘approval of others. ‘ Actions are also judged in relation to their intention. Inadequacy of Stage 3 reasoning: * Same person, different roles OR Different groups, different expectations * Different people, different roles * People not living up to their duties or roles * Stage 4: Law and Order Orientation Lawrence Kohlberg: â€Å"Right behavior consists in doing one’s duty, showing respect for authority and maintaining the given social order for its own sake. † A person in this stage â€Å"orients to society as a system of fixed rule, law and authority with the prospect of any deviation from rules as leading to social chaos. † (Duska, R. and Whelan, M. , 1975) Summary: The concern now goes beyond one’s immediate group(s) to the larger society †¦ to the maintenance of law and order. One’s obligation to the law overrides one’s obligations of loyalty to one’s family, friends and groups. To put it simply, no one or group is above the law. Inadequacy of Stage 4 reasoning: * Unquestioning obedience toward authority is unhealthy. * Accepted social order may not be the best possible order. The laws of society may even be bad. Level 3 – POSTConventional Morality The moral principles that underline the conventions of a society in this level are understood. * Stage 5: Social Contract Orientation Lawrence Kohlberg: â€Å"Generally with utilitarian overtones. Right action tends to be defined in terms of general individual rights and in terms of standards which have been critically examined and agreed upon by the whole society †¦ with an emphasis upon the possibility of changing law in terms of rational consideration of social utility (rather than rigidly maintaining it in terms of Stage 4 law and order). † (Duska, R. and Whelan, M. , 1975) Summary: The concern is social utility or public interest. While rules are needed to maintain social order, they should not be blindly obeyed but should be set up (even changed) by social contract for the greater good of society. Right action is one that protects the rights of the individual according to rules agreed upon by the whole society. Inadequacy of Stage 5 reasoning: How do we arrive at a consensus on the rules that are good for society? Should a majority group impose their preferences on a minority group? What if you disagree with the decision of the majority? * Stage 6: Universal Ethical Principle Orientation Lawrence Kohlberg: â€Å"Right is defined by the decision of conscience in accord with self-chosen ethical principles appealing to logical comprehensiveness, universality and consistency. These principles are abstract and ethical (the golden rule, the categorical imperative) and are not concrete moral rules like the Ten Commandments. At heart, these are universal principles of justice, of the reciprocity and equality of human rights, and of respect for the dignity of human beings as individual persons. † (Duska, R. and Whelan, M. , 1975) Summary: The concern is for moral principles †¦ an action is judged right if it is consistent with self-chosen ethical principles. These principles are not concrete moral rules but are universal principles of justice, reciprocity, equality and human dignity. Inadequacy of Stage 6 reasoning: Our conscience is not an infallible guide to behaviour because it works according to the principles we have adopted. Moreover, who or what determines these universal principles? Although moral reasoning does not necessarily lead to moral action, the latter is based in part on one’s capacity to reason about moral choices. Kohlberg was more concerned with the reasoning of the action than the action itself. And that reasoning when acted upon becomes our motivation. II – ETHICAL RELATIVISM * Cultural Relativism (sociological relativism): The descriptive view that different groups of people have different moral standards for evaluating acts as right or wrong. A. Hence, it is not an ethical doctrine–it’s a sociological or observational conclusion–even so; the view is somewhat ambiguous. B. For example, different groups might have the same basic moral principle, but apply the principle in radically different situations. 1. A second sense of cultural relativism is less obvious. I. e. , that different cultures differ on basic moral principles. 2. A possible reason for the observation of cultural relativism is shown by the example of basic moral principles which could be said to support different moral rules according to the interpretations of different cultures. In the following diagrams, there are two vastly different interpretations listed for each moral principle. * Ethical Relativism: the prescriptive view that (1) different groups of people ought to have different ethical standards for evaluating acts as right or wrong, (2) these different beliefs are true in their respective societies, and (3) these different beliefs are not instances of a basic moral principle. A. The ethical relativist often derives support for his position by two basic mistakes: 1. The relativist confuses cultural (or sociological) relativism with ethical relativism, but cultural relativism is a descriptive view and ethical relativism is a prescriptive view. (E. g. , cultural relativismdescribes the way the way people actually behave, and ethical relativism prescribes the way people ought to behave. 2. The ethical relativist often argues as follows: â€Å"An absolute ethical standard has never been proved beyond doubt in the history of thought. Thus, an absolute ethical standard does not exist. † This argument is an instance ad ignorantiam fallacy. p is unproved; not-p is true. From the fact that a statement has not been proved, we can logically draw no conclusion. B. Objections to ethical relativism. 1. The Differing Ideals Objection (or, as it is sometimes called, the linguistic objection): it is inconsistent to say that the same practice is considered right in one society and considered wrong in another. (If â€Å"right† and â€Å"wrong† are to have consistent meaning, then the terms must be used in the same manner. ) Possible counter-objections (by the ethical relativist): a. The relativist sometimes states that â€Å"right† and â€Å"wrong† have no consistent meaning. These words reflect only emotion or perhaps the ceremonial use of language. In other words, this defense shades into ethical subjectivism. Counter-counter-objection (by ethical absolutist): The problem with believing that â€Å"right† and â€Å"wrong† have no consistent meaning is the ordinary use of words in this case results in meaninglessness. What would happen if people used the same word in different situations to refer to different things? Communication would not take place. b. Some ethical relativists believe ethical words are reducible to non-ethical values; e. g. , these words have to do with recommendations for survival or well-being. Counter-counter-objection (by ethical absolutist): the problem here is just the difficulty of understanding the nature of a non-ethical value. Would a non-ethical value be an aesthetic value? c. Some relativists believe we can justify relativism by intuition, revelation, authority, etc. Counter-counter-objection (by ethical absolutist): these attempts are subjectively based; they differ from time to time and place to place. 2. Mental Health Objection to ethical relativism (from the definition or criterion of a group): If â€Å"what is right in one group is wrong in another,† where exactly does one group end and another begin? Counter-objections to the Mental Health Objection (by the relativist): * Right and wrong are to be determined in the situation. * Right and wrong are to be determined by what the majority determine at the time and place. * Right and wrong are ultimately established by power or authority. 3. Ad Populum Objection to the relativist’s belief that ethics is established by what most people believe: Simply because most people think something is right does not thereby make it right. Simply because most people think a statement is true does notmake that statement true Counter-objections to the ad populum objection (by the relativist): a. The same difficulty of establishing the meaning of â€Å"right† and â€Å"wrong† exits for the absolutist, pari passu. The absolutist has been unable to state a universally agreed upon meaning to the terms. (Notice that this response is a variant of the ad hominem—tu quoque.) b. Other solutions to the questions of the meaning of key ethical terms according to the relativist are possible by appealing to survival value, consensus gentium, and so on 4. Moral Progress Objection: If ethical relativism were correct, there could be no such thing as moral improvement or purpose in cultures or a person’s life. To have improvement, we must have a standard by which to judge the difference in moral values. Counter-objections (by the relativist): a. That’s correct–we can make no such judgment that one society is better than another. We could only judge by our own values. b. If something like â€Å"survival value† is used to ground moral beliefs, then moral improvement might be identified with â€Å"increased knowledge concerning survival of the society. † * Ethical Absolutism: the prescriptive view that there are basic or fundamental ethical principles which are true without qualification or exception as to time, condition, or circumstance. * Ethical Nihilism: the view that ethical terms such as â€Å"right† and â€Å"wrong† have no meaning or are nonsense. A. Objection: but something is meant when we say, â€Å"X is wrong. † Counter-objections (by the nihilist): 1. If there is no empirical meaning to the terms, they have no â€Å"cash value. † (Q. v. , positivism. ) 2. â€Å"Whatever can be said, can be said clearly. † The burden of proof that the terms have meaning is on the non-nihilist. * Ethical Skepticism: the view that ethical terms such as â€Å"right† and â€Å"wrong† might have meaning but their meaning cannot be established. A. Objection to skepticism at this point is methodological. Ethical skepticism should not be held a priori at the beginning of an investigation but should only be a possible outcome after a thorough study.

Unemployment Inflation And Gdp In The Us Economics Essay

Three cardinal elements qualify the growing of an economic system. They include rate of unemployment, rising prices and assorted figures that define the Gross Domestic Product ( GDP ) . A reappraisal of these issues is indispensable in order to give the reader some good apprehension of economic growing. Harmonizing to the Bureau of Statistics, unemployment rate in the United States seems to lifting somewhat than expected. The agency maintains that 8.8 % of grownup work forces and 7.9 % of their female opposite numbers autumn under the unemployed class. In add-on, the rate of rising prices as indicated by latest study from the agency seems to on the rise. This has resulted in the overall addition of consumer monetary value index by up to 1.6 % before any signifier of seasonal accommodation. Finally figures from the Bureau of economic analysis indicate that the GDP for the 4th one-fourth of 2010 rose by 3.2 % . This is largely attributed to high demand of labour and additions in belong ings monetary values. This information is indispensable for family, investors and policy shapers towards the growing and development of the economic system.FamiliesInflation is the most pertinent issue that affects many families in the United States. Phil ‘s Stock World ( 2011 ) on his remark in the double authorization morass asserts that, harmonizing to informations from assorted transcripts, the Federal Reserve is still unconcerned about rising prices, in malice of important grounds to the contrary. In fact, the Fed is so unconcerned about rising prices that, it needed to advert â€Å" rising prices † 49 times in its study. Phil et Al ( 2011 ) goes on to add that, due to the merely passed planetary economical crisis, families should non anticipate a speedy reprieve. In fact the Fed expects the idle rate to stay â€Å" elevated † at the terminal of 2012 ; even though it claimed a lifting existent GDP might easy cut down unemployment. A study conducted on 60000 families indicates that rising prices does non offer any signifier of alteration aimed at change by reversaling the downward tendency in unemployment degrees. Morgan Stanley is of the position that although employment was reported to hold fallen by 622000, this information is still nonmeaningful. No uncertainty, monetary values of natural stuffs have risen. There are some basic grounds for this upward tendency. The planetary growing phenomenon is partially to fault. Increased demand from China, India, and Africa among others will set upward force per unit area on trade good monetary values. It is overriding to observe that trade good monetary values are besides a map of involvement rates. Low involvement rates cause a comparative addition in the value of low ended merchandises ( due to take down discounting ) , making less incentive for extraction, and cut downing the cost of keeping stock lists ( Phil et al 2011 ) .InvestorsInflation influences investor â €˜s determinations in more luxuriant ways as compared to families. With an addition in inflationary force per unit area, involvement rates will be high and hence decrease in investing. Phil et Al ( 2011 ) notes that, sing the relentless travel up in stocks, â€Å" Our market marks, breakout two degrees, and major jailbreak degrees are supplying more bullish fuel to our market thesis. † He further points out that, the U.S. bond markets were responding to inflationary concerns, ensuing in Treasury- bond outputs lifting and bond monetary values falling. Phil et al farther argues that, â€Å" It all comes back to rising prices. The Fed merely does n't believe it exists or, if it does, believes it wo n't last. It ca n't reallyA lose. The Fed can merely be incorrect this meeting and so make nil and delay until following meeting and so ‘reevaluate. ‘ Morgan et al 2011, in contrast argues that harmonizing to the FOMC proceedingss, â€Å" many participants expect that , with important slack in resource markets and longer-term rising prices outlooks stable, steps of nucleus rising prices would stay near to current degrees in coming quarters † . This means that rising prices is likely to impact investors ‘ determinations particularly in relation to short term investings.Policy MakersThe policy shapers play a major function in the running of the economic system. Morgan et Al reiterates that with the strong economic recoil, policy-makers are now following a somewhat anti-cyclical stance. The primary balance ( runing gross less entire outgo ) is expected to travel from a shortage of 0.3 % of GDP in F2010 to a excess of 0.3 % in F2011. Meanwhile, the overall budget balance ( which takes into history particular transportations, top-ups and net investing returns part ) is expected to travel from a shortage of 0.1 % of GDP in F2010 to a excess of 0.03 % in 2011. Specifically, the swing from a little shortage place to a more or less balanced bu dget is chiefly due to the addition in particular transportations being offset by cutbacks in development outgo. In add-on to that in order to hike g.d.p the Fed has a figure of tools ( such as contrary rest and clip sedimentations for depositary establishments ) to take militias from the banking system when appropriate. However, a crisp tightening in pecuniary policy is improbable. The Fed will finally hold to take the pes off the gas pedal ( non needfully â€Å" hitting the brakes † ) as a â€Å" standardization † of pecuniary policy. Removing the conditional committedness to maintain short-run involvement rates near nothing for â€Å" an drawn-out period † will depend on a alteration in the Fed ‘s declared conditions: low rates of resource use ( equivalently, an elevated unemployment rate ) ; a low implicit in tendency in rising prices ; and well-anchored rising prices outlooks ( Morgan et al 2011 ) .

The film Solaris Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The film Solaris - Essay Example The film unsettles the audience in very many ways. The first instant where it does this is the part where Kelvin gets to the station and discovers that Gibarian has committed suicide (Solaris, 2002). This is unsettling because death or the visualization of a body is very uncomfortable. Moreover, it is unsettling as it signs to show that the film would have many such scary scenes and thus they become uncomfortable due to uncertainty. The next unsettling is seen not long after this as Kelvin goes around the station and sees many bodies. This is bound to make the audience even more uncomfortable to the site. The techniques used to achieve this unsettling is through the use of visual effects. In such a site where there are many bodies, dim light is used with several flashes of maximum light to show the large amount of bodies in the station. The lights dim again and this is used to instill some form of rush on the viewer because a dim light in an area with many bodies is bound to scare the ordinary human. Another element included in order to enhance such an uneasy scene is by zooming. As the movie progresses, parts where there are bodies present are zoomed in and this is quite uncomfortable for the site of a body is not appealing. This zooming is also used to frighten young children watching the movie for children fear death. Sound is the vastly used technique in the achievement of unsettling the audience. There are parts of the film that are calm, and even some soft music is played in the background. However, other sections of the film there exists suspense and the audience is anxious to understand what will happen next. During such times, the type of music played is quite high toned and fast. Combination of the two makes the section even scarier. At the scene Kelvin and Gordon found the stashed away body of Snow, they are surprised and shocked. Prior to finding the body, the sound produced is quite calm as a signaling of

Tax & Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Tax & Ethics - Essay Example This paper will evaluate the role of companies, their professionals, and HM Revenue and Customs and will discuss whether ethical principles should be applied to the payment of tax. The four major sources used for drafting this paper are BBC, The Guardian, KPMG, and HMRC, because these sources were found potential for providing analytical information about the topic under consideration. However, only facts and figures have been mainly taken from such sources, for news reports tend to be biased depending on the reporters’ personal outlook. A BBC report dated on 21st November 2012 reflects that UK lost billions in lost revenues as a result of corporate tax avoidance by multinational corporations. The report points out that new tax avoidance schemes are emerging each year and the situation makes it difficult for HM Revenues and Customs (HMRC) to curb this issue. According to National Audit Office, taxation authorities identified nearly 2,300 avoidance schemes between 2004 and 2011 (ibid). Since the actual figures of tax avoidance are not available, the UK government cannot estimate the accurate amount of loss. It has been identified that specialist tax advisers suggest best tax avoidance schemes for their clients; and this practice significantly contributes to the issue. Recently, Margaret Hodge walloped the big four accounting firm for helping companies avoid corporate taxes (as cited in Toynbee 2011). According to another BBC report dated on 3rd December 2012, some leading multinational companies including Starbucks, Amazon, and Google were severely criticised by UK government authorities for paying little or no tax. The UK government officials point that it is unfair for these companies to practice different schemes to avoid corporate taxes despite the fact that their UK operations account for hundreds of millions of pounds (BBC 2012). UK Prime Minister David Cameron states that international co-operation is necessary to tackle this issue because some for ms of tax avoidance are very difficult to address (David Cameron). In order to publicly express UK’ stance on tax avoidance, the HM Revenue & Customs publicly named top tax dodgers for the first time (as cited in King). Reportedly, Starbucks, Google, and Amazon are the three major multinational corporations that have practiced schemes to avoid corporate taxes. In addition, small businesses including Cheshire wine merchant, Menemis, and Brian Clifford Tattersall were also criticised for tax avoidance. Yet another BBC report says that Starbucks sold goods worth ?400m in UK in 2001 but paid nothing in corporate taxes (BBC news Business 2012). Starbucks managed to avoid corporate taxes by transferring some of its funds to a sister company in the form of royalty payments, buying coffee beans from Switzerland, and paying high interests rates other parts of the business in the account of borrowing (ibid). Similarly, on the strength of some well structured schemes, Google also notabl y reduced the amount paid in corporate taxes. As per reports, Google could trim down its tax bill by approximately $1bn a year by transferring profits to subsidiaries having low tax rates (O’Carroll 2011). A subsidiary located in Bermuda assisted Google to save nearly $3.1bn over a period of three years because corporate tax rate is zero in Bermuda (ibid). In response to this criticism, a Google spokesperson said: â€Å"we have an obligation to our shareholders to set up a tax-efficient

Sam 488 unit 5 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sam 488 unit 5 - Assignment Example As argued by Fay (2011), the mechanism that defines the user access control is based on the elements that are necessary for an effective visitor access control system. Some of these elements include the access control directory, specific users, specific locations, and AICs principles. It is also important to note that these elements directly operate under the access control principles. In this case, the authentication provided by the user in the bind operation, when the security server receives a request that is defined in the server, allows or deny access to directory information. The Selection, purchase, installation, and operation of security devices that promote restricted security for safety are very critical to the security system. In this case, the purchase and installation of the locking devices for security purposes also depends on a number of factors. Some of these factors include the security cameras to be used, type of the locking devices, card readers, and a proper response protocol (Fay, 2011). Motion detectors are employed to successfully guard an in-house perimeter that has proven highly unpredictable for a circuit alarms. Using the reflective effects of certain waves, the motion detector is a device that seeks a disturbance situation in the room when an intruder enters the parameter, and the reflection pattern is disturbed. The sensor sends a signal, when this happens, and the door opens to send an alarm signal ultimately (Fay, 2011). The ultrasonic motion detectors work or s employed efficiently using the sound waves. When the movements disrupt the air and the sound waves, the sensors sound alerts of intrusion. Automatically, the waves strike objects within the field of detection and as long as there is no movement, the waves are not disrupted. Otherwise, the sound waves become interrupted and are reflected back to the receiver of the security system. The principle

Stress is a social construct. Discuss Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Stress is a social construct. Discuss - Essay Example What stress does to the psyche of man is something to gain comprehension from. This has put the different manifestations of mankind under quite a lot of worry since criminal issues have come to the fore due to stress and its different predicaments. This paper will outline the ways and means through which stress could be seen from a psychological perspective and under the auspices of the criminological fields. Research within the related domains of psychology has revealed that stress causes quite a number of problems for the people who are in authority positions. These people seem to experience stress when they are denied their due rights by the people who are senior to them or have more commanding dignity than them. Then there are other issues within these positions like gender harassment, inequality in wages, non-payment of dues, denial of leaves, etc which makes them feel even more stressed than they were before. Thus it would not be wrong to suggest that stress is one such tangent that negatively reinforces one’s energy levels to do something wrong or one that is ethically unacceptable. Having said that criminology takes its basis from similar settings of stress, and therefore the fact that criminology has been highlighted as a significant aspect in the studies related with psychology of stress and anxiety has all the more bearing on the subject at hand. Stress makes the worker s feel disjointed from their work regimes; they lack the alertness when it comes to their respective performance levels and have an overall feel of dizziness and boredom on the job (Desmond 2001). They want to do something different but the daily grind of work starts to take its toll on their bodies. The fact that they are not given the room to exploit their true strengths and just concentrate upon getting the job at hand done for the sake of meeting the deadlines, makes them feel itchy and irritated. Thus stress starts triggering them for

Exploring Song Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Exploring Song - Essay Example This paper is an analysis of the poem, â€Å"Dear March, Come In!† in a musical setting. It will explain the choices made in order to place the song in a musical setting. It will then compare the poem with a recorded version of the song, â€Å"Dream Variations† and finally draw conclusions on whether there were any effects of the recorded version of the song to the poem. Part I: Poem Analysis in a Musical Setting The poem, â€Å"Dear March, Come In!† is a cheerful song, one in which the author expresses joy and happiness in the arrival of the month of March. In the poem, the speaker, while expressing his joy to the arrival of March, uses different expressions and words to explain his feelings. In a musical setting, I would use the through-composed form of music in order to express these feelings of the speaker. Since through-composed form contains different music for every stanza, and the poem has different ideas and mixed feelings in the various stanzas, then, t his would be the best way to go about the song. In a musical setting, using the correct singers, combined with the right instruments is the best way of creating the best record song. In a musical setting, due to the high range of the poem, I would use singers with a high range of voice, signifying the mood of the song, which is cheerful. As the song starts, I would use baritone, which is the voice falling between tenor and bass. Coupling this with tenor, which is the highest male voice, I would get a good combination expressing the speaker’s feelings in the song. The entire sing would then have a rich tenor. However, there would be the harmony in the singer’s voices in the last stanza. These, combined with the piano, a saxophone and a violin would blend well enough to make a great piece. While creating a musical setting of the poem, I would use a number of musical elements in order to get the right combination and come up with a great piece. Texture in a song, often re garded as the density, thickness, range, or width between the lowest and the highest pitches, determines the relationship between the various voices in a particular song (Stein 64). A song texture comprises of the monophony, homophony or polyphony. While monophony describes a clear text setting, polyphony describes a less clear setting. Since the poem, â€Å"Dear March, Come In!† has a clear text setting, I would use monophony in the first and second stanzas, but later switch briefly to homophony at the beginning of the third stanza to the line, â€Å"As soon as you have come†, but pick up homophony from the line, â€Å"That blame is just as dear as praise.† Tone in a song describes the system or the language of music, describing the hierarchical relationship between the pitch, based on the key centre. Tone in a song could be either happy or sad (Rumery web). In a musical setting of the poem, â€Å"Dear March, Come In†, there are tonal variations in the v erses, as the singer expresses his emotions to March. At the beginning, the author indicates a cheerful tone, one that shows delight and the happiness of the singer, in celebration of March. However, after the stay and April knocks on the door, the author shows reluctance in opening the door. This shows some of sadness, after realizing that match is about to leave. Analysis and Comparison After listening to the recorded version of the song, it is possible to draw a number of conclusions.

How an ideal life is to be led by men Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

How an ideal life is to be led by men - Essay Example Ultimately, Aristotle's Nichomachean Ethics provide different discourses on the different kinds of love, and through Socrates' conversation with Diotima, it is concluded that through love, in the purest and most powerful form, men may arrive at the highest good. In Plato's symposium, different speeches in praise of Eros was given about how great a god he is. Phaedrus began by saying how Eros was a great god, and went on to explain that love, above everything else, is the driving force of man in living a good life. He goes on to justify that love in its superior form, is one wherein a lover is willling to die for another, citing the case of Alcestis, the daughter of Pelias, who was willing to die to be able to gain entrance to the underworld to be with her lover (Plato 179c). Pausanias spoke about love of the "common" and "heavenly" kind. The common love is that which falls on ove with the body rather than the mind, and is concerned with merely the sexual act, while the heavenly love is that is free from lust, and is based on friendship and a lifetime together (Plato 180e). Pausanias also claimed that open love is better than secret love. He concludes by saying that love does not come in only one form, and love is neither right nor wrong as well, but only depends on how it is done. Eryximachus approves the dualities presented by Pausanias yet he attempts to reconcile the physical and spiritual kind of love, and in respect to his profession, cites the human anatomy and physiology as an example. He claims that just like the body, there are good and healthy elements that need to be satisfied, while there are bad and unhealthy elements that need to be kept away from (Plato 186c). Aristophanes, on the other hand, relates love to the myth that says that originally, the human being had four legs, four hands, two heads, etc. and that it was just then divided into male and female, that is why in love, two people would come together and unite as one body and one soul (Plato 190). Agathon, however, argued that love is from where all things are created. All these arguments eventually lead to the summation of all their arguments that are better said in the encounter of Socrates with Diotima. What Diotima basically preaches is that as there are many forms of love, it is neither beautiful nor good, and is neither ugly nor bad. As such, it does not really follow that what is not beautiful is ugly and that what is not bad is good (Plato 202b). In a nutshell, true happiness is found in true beauty, which is, as the clich goes, in the eyes of the beholder, and is recognized only by the mind. This powerful and purest form of love, according to Diotima, is the highest form of happiness that which man aims for. If Plato's Symposium speaks about happiness in the pursuit of love, Arostitle's Nicomahcean Ethics discusses ethics and virtue in the pursuit of happiness. The Nichomachean Ethics of Aristotle begins with the premise that "every art and every inquiry, and similarly every action and choice, is thought to aim at some good; and for this reason, the good has rightly been declared to be that at which all things aim." (Aristotle 363) Aristotle poses that there are different goods for which different people aim for, yet at the end of it all, it is happines that is being pursued. Furthermore, Aristotle focuses his Nichomachean ethics on virtues and that for a person to be able to succeed in his aims to

Battle of art and science Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Battle of art and science - Research Proposal Example Richard Dawkins, a British ethologist, evolutionary biologist and an accepted science writer was also a professor at New College, Oxford. In 1982, his prominence was further accepted due to his contribution to the field with the theory described in his book The Extended Phenotype, that the phenotypic impact of a gene isn’t restricted to just the body of the organism, but was capable of spreading out into the environment, influencing other organisms as well. Dawkins, an atheist, cynic, methodical rationalist, and an advocator of the Darwin’s theory of natural selection was a loud critic of religion. Dawkins argued that a paranormal creator was non-existent and that belief meets the criteria of a delusion, a permanent misbelieve. Dawkins has established the foundation theory which was presented in the volume Adaptation and Natural Selection authored by George C. Williams's. He presented the term selfish gene as a means of articulating the gene-centric theory of evolution, which give out the idea that evolution, was best observed as acting on genes and that selection at the organism level almost never dominates selection based on genes. Dawkins was of the opinion that organism tries to evolve to capitalize on its inclusive fitness i.e., the numerous replicas of its genes passed on globally rather than by a certain individual. This led to populations being headed towards an evolutionarily stable approach.

The Sinking of the Aragon Essay Example for Free

The Sinking of the Aragon Essay With the outbreak of world one war the royal mail moved its home port to Newport, South Wales. However the Brittish government was in dire need of battle ships to strengthen their naval force. Many ships were converted from simply postal delivery vessels into war ready troop carrying ships. One of these ships was the Aragon The Aragon built in harland and wolf in Belfast was 9588 tons and could carry 306 first class 66 second class and 632 third class passengers. It was launched on the 23rd of Febuary 1905. The following information was gathered from an unsigned letter written by an officer of the Aragon to a Mr.  John William Hannay the father of a VAD on board the Aragon on her way to serve in palestine and Egypt. For two weeks the Aragon laid at anchor in the shelter of the harbour at Marseilles. Every day they would await sailing orders. At last they recieved orders and the ship, set sail. It set of in company with another transporter ship called the Nile and also with an escort of destroyers. On board there was 160 nursing sisters, 150 military officers, 2200 troops and the ships own officers and crew. In total there was 2700 poeople on board the Aragon. One of these men was my great grand uncle Thomas Cassin who was an Irish man and inlisted as a British solider. Along with the thousands of people on board ready to serve there was also 2500 bags of Christmas destined for Egypt. From Marseilles they set sail to Malta in safety. However There was some fierce weather and the sea became quite heavy. Many became sick. Miss Hannay the VAD nurse being sick for just one day. They arrived at the windy bay in Malta on the 23rd of December where they remained for four days until the 27th. They spent their Christmass holidays here in safety. On the fourth day they set out to sail again still in the company of the NIle and a fresh escort of destroyers. There were three destroyers in number, two of which were Japanese and the other British. They arrived near their destination, Alexandria Egypt, on the 30th of December in the morning. The port was just becoming visible to the naked eye on the horizion. Everyone was very excited to reach shore and every vantage point on the boat was filled with eager passengers looking on ward at the port. Many had packed their luggage and were already attired for disembarkation. It was heard that many were congradulating themselves on a safe voyage. The Aragon with the British destroyer Attack was entering the channel that leads to the port. They were already past the first buoy which indicated entrance into the channel. At this point a wireless message was intercepted from trawlers in the channels that there were mines further on. The Attack, being the senior ship, imediately signalled to the Aragon to follow them as they turned seawards. The trawelers which were there to direct the ships through the channel were doing the same and retreating. The Aragon had to keep well away from the buoy that they had already passed by when entering the port. Unkown to both the Aragon and the Attack there was a German submarine lurking in the depths of the waters right beside the buoy. It was unable to fire before because of the close proximity of the ship, if they did they would have endangered their own submarine. However now that the Aragon was turning seawards, she presented a perfect target for the Germans who took full advantage. The officers of the Aragon on duty on the bridge saw the periscope of the submarine and at the next instant the wake of a torpedo which was heading straight for the ship. In a desperate effort for surrvival the passengers and crew tried to turn the ship to avoid the torpedo but this was to no avail as the ship was quite slow. The explosion was a dull crashing blast and the ship shuddered violently. An officer who was on duty at the time was covered in glass as all the windows on the boat shattered. In the next instant the ship became aware to the fact that they had all been dreading. Everyone on board was at their sations in record time, orders were obeyed with precision. The first order given was the rescue of every sister. They were lowered into the rescue boats before doing anything else. This only took a few minutes and was carried out without a hitch. The boats they got on were the best in the ship and in a position to afford greatest possible facility for getting off. The Aragon sent a call for assitance to the shore and recieved a reply within seconds. By the time the sisters ships had got clear, the ship had taken a heavy list to starboard and had sunk deep astern. It remained like this for a few minutes. The Destroyer took this time to run up along side and the remaing passengers were ordered to get off. They managed to do this by attaching ropes from the Aragon to the Destoryer Attack. On other parts of the ship troops were ordered to take water as the rafts were let loose. In just moments the sea was full of struggling men. Many of the officers and troops were trying to get the remaining life boats into the water but they had become jammed by the list. The crew could now feel her sinking fast. It had become impossible to stand upon the deck. It was about fifteen minutes after the inicial explosion. The commander gave the order every man for himself! . There was a rush to get over the side of the boat but nowhere was there any sign of panic. The discipline was astounding as the troops clung on to each other, singing and cheering until they reached the water level. Then they broke into struggling masses. Then it was heard shes going and the Aragon began to sink rapidly astern. The Destroyer was still at rescue work but only one rope remained. One officer was trying to cross when they finally cut the remaining rope. He was thrown into the water between the two ships. He sank like a stone because his full uniform restricted him to swim. However he still managed to get to the surface and make his way onto the Destroyer. The Attack was full of both injured and dying. The Aragon was sinking rapidly, one could hear a roar of rushing water and smashing of internal fittings. Dozens of men still clung to the decks and at the last moment jumping into the water rather than be sucked under along with the ship. Many of their efforts for survial were futile as with the height that the bow had been raised because the ship had turned whilst it was sinking, they died on impact with the water. With a great surge, a roar of rushing water and the explosion of the ships boilers the Aragon was no more and it went beneath the surface. There was now silence over the men. The place where the ship once was, was now replaced by struggling men clinging to upturned boats and wreckage. The Destroyer was now alive with activity. As they attempted to move ahead to the safety of the harbour with all their injured on board, one man shouted and screamed and next instant there was a terrible explosion. The Destroyer was hit by another torpedo. The middle of the Destroyer had been smashed sending men flying into the air. OIl, fumes, splinters of wood and steel were sent in every direction. She broke into two halves and began to sink immedietly. Both the bow and the stern rising into the air as the middle(wher the torpedo hit) sank rapidly. Everyone jumped for the water. It was chaos around the remains of the destroyer. The only hope left for survival was two trawlers which were near at hand. Except for the trawlers the only rescue boats were the rafts from the Aragon which were already on their way to shore. Only wreckage and struggling men remained in the water, everything else had disappeared. However the rafts did an ecellent job, bringing hundreads to the trawlers near by. Other trawlers became visable on the horizon as the rushed at full speed towars the wreckage. However as the port was 80 miles away it took them some time to arrive and many men perished in this time. The temperature of the water was very cold and this contributed to some of the deaths. It took the trawlers an hour to reach the men but without them few would have survived. The VAD sisters who were the first to leave the Aragon arrived on shore at arround 2:30pm. It wasnt untill 4:30pm when the trawlers with the wounded and survivours arrived. The people on the shore were ready for them when they arrived and the wounded were rushed to hospital. In conclusion the Aragon was torpedoed 8 miles from Alexandria Egypt at 11am on Sunday December 30th 1917 and sank in twenty minutes. The escort for the Aragon the British Destroyer The Attack was also torpedoed about 5 minutes later. It took between 5 to 7 minutes to sink. The other transport ship The Nile with two Japanese destroyer escorts left the Aragon at day break, the day of the attack. They also came under submarine attack but managed to reach their destination safely. My great uncle unfortunately perished that day. It was hard for an Irish man to join the Brittish army. I imagine he would have recieved a lot of criticism for doing so, but he did what he thought was right. He fought with the allies and aggainst evil and for that my family is very proud of him.