The Book Thief By Michael Petroni Essay Example For Students

The Book Thief By Michael Petroni Essay The Power That Lies Within Words â€Å"One must always be careful of books, and what is inside them, for words have the power to change us.† (Clare 4) The importance of words and the impact that words can have on people is often underestimated. The power of words is demonstrated in the film, The Book Thief, a screenplay written by Michael Petroni based on the novel by Markus Zusak, produced by Karen Rosenfelt, and Ken Blancato. Words hold great power over people regardless of whether it is found in books, movies, or said verbally. Words also have the power to make a positive or negative difference depending on how the words are used. We will write a custom essay on The Book Thief By Michael Petroni specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now The power of words can be used to either make or break you, depending on whether you use them as tools or as weapons. The film revolves around Liesel Meminger, a young German girl who learns to read, steals books to read to others, and starts to write, which eventually plays a part in finding herself through words. The power of words, which is the theme of my memoir, is interconnected with the theme of The Book Thief, because of the books that impacted me through the words within them. The books incorporated in the memoir opened my mind and made me see the world and my life in a different light. Although people say that actions speak louder than words, in the film, The Book Thief, and the memoir that was created, the power of words is shown through the strength obtained through the struggles faced, the strong relationships between people, and the inspiration gained through the stories of life experiences. Words play an important part in helping people live meaningful lives even thro ugh the struggles that they face. The events of the Holocaust during WWII had the power to dehumanize Liesel, but instead it. .and the memoir that I created, the power of words was demonstrated through the affects that words had over Liesel, and through the way it opened my mind because of the important lessons learned from books; People say that actions speak louder than words, but they often forget the power that lies within words. With the power of words people are able to live meaningful lives, build beautiful relationships, and make a difference in our world. Words hold remarkable power over people and it often reflects the type of person that you are. You can either use words to create a positive or negative impact because words can change us for the better or worse. Words have the power to inspire people, but also discourage them. In both ways, the film that was watched, and the memoir that was created, shows that words are truly powerful; therefore we should choose our words wisely.

Symbolism of Keys in Bluebeard essays

Symbolism of Keys in Bluebeard essays The use of a key in a literary piece is an important element to symbolize a higher meaning within a story. A key could represent many different meanings. For instance, in the story Bluebeard, the key could represent life or death, knowledge, or the ability to open a whole new dimension within the story. The key signifies a very unique power in the story Bluebeard. When Bluebeard hands the key ring to his wife with the instruction to never utilize the small key to the cellar, he essentially gave her the power of life, knowledge, understanding, and the ability to open a new dimension within the story. In Women Who Run with the Wolves, Clarissa Estes states, The Bluebeard story is about a captor, the dark man who inhabits all womens psyches, the innate predator (pg. 43). Bluebeard ruled his wife from the beginning, he was essentially her captor. Bluebeard gave his wife the freedom to do anything her heart desires, but he still held her captive on his land. When he handed her the key ring and specifically told her not to use the small key he was utilizing his predator powers. It is ironic that in Bluebeard, the captor gives away the key that unlocks the wifes spirit. The key is a symbol of life for the wife and death for Bluebeard. If the woman obeyed her husband and ignored her intuition the key would have symbolized the opposite. The key represents the womans intuitive knowledge to revolt against her husband. If the woman had trusted her intuitive knowledge she wouldnt have freed herself from the arms of her predator. Finally, the key represents the ability to open a new dimension within the story. When the women open the door, the reader can envision a different side of Bluebeard, the dark side. As the story progresses, the reader experiences shifting feelings toward Bluebeard. In ...

The Guns or Butter Nazi Economy

The Guns or Butter Nazi Economy A study of how Hitler and the Nazi regime handled the German economy has two dominant themes: after coming to power during a depression, how did the Nazis solve the economic problems facing Germany, and how did they manage their economy during the largest war the world has yet seen, when facing economic rivals like the US. Early Nazi Policy Like much of Nazi theory and practice, there was no overarching economic ideology and plenty of what Hitler thought was the pragmatic thing to do at the time, and this was true throughout the Nazi Reich. In the years leading to their takeover of Germany, Hitler didn’t commit to any clear economic policy, so as to widen his appeal and keep his options open. One approach can be seen in the early 25 Point program of the party, where socialist ideas such as nationalization were tolerated by Hitler in an attempt to keep the party unified; when Hitler turned away from these goals, the party split and some leading members  (like Strasser) were killed to retain unity. Consequently, When Hitler became Chancellor in 1933, the Nazi Party had different economic factions and no overall plan. What Hitler did at first was to maintain a steady course which avoided revolutionary measures so as to find a middle ground between all the groups he’d made promises to. Extreme measures under extreme Nazis would only come later when things were better. The Great Depression In 1929, an economic depression swept the world, and Germany suffered heavily. Weimar Germany had rebuilt a troubled economy on the back of US loans and investments, and when these were suddenly withdrawn during the depression the Germany economy, already dysfunctional and deeply flawed, collapsed once more. German exports dropped, industries slowed, businesses failed and unemployment rose. Agriculture also began to fail. The Nazi Recovery This depression had helped the Nazis in the early thirties, but if they wanted to keep their hold on power they had to do something about it. They were helped by the world economy beginning to recover at this time anyway, by the low birth rate from World War 1 reducing the workforce, but action was still needed, and the man to lead it was Hjalmar Schacht, who served as both Minister of Economics and President of the Reichsbank, replacing Schmitt who had a heart attack trying to deal with the various Nazis and their push for war. He was no Nazi stooge, but a well-known expert on the international economy, and one who’d played a key role in defeating Weimar’s hyperinflation. Schacht led a plan which involved heavy state spending to cause demand and get the economy moving and used a deficit management system to do so. The German banks had tottered in the Depression, and so the state took a greater role in the movement of capital – borrowing, investments etc. – and put low interest rates in place. The government then targeted farmers and small businesses to help them back into profit and productivity; that a key part of the Nazi vote was from rural workers and the middle class was no accident. The main investment from the state went into three areas: construction and transportation, such as the autobahn system which was built despite few people owning cars (but was good in a war), as well as many new buildings, and rearmament. Previous Chancellors Bruning, Papen and Schleicher had started putting this system into place. The exact division has been debated in recent years, and it’s now believed less went into rearmament at this time and more into the other sectors than thought. The workforce was also tackled, with the Reich Labour Service directing the young unemployed. The resu lt was a tripling of state investment from 1933 to 1936, unemployment cut by two-thirds (Nazi faithful were guaranteed jobs even if they weren’t qualified and if the job wasn’t needed), and the near recovery of the Nazi economy. But the purchasing power of civilians had not increased and many jobs were poor. However, Weimar’s problem of a poor balance of trade continued, with more imports than exports and the danger of inflation. The Reich Food Estate, designed to co-ordinate agricultural produce and achieve self-sufficiency, failed to do so, annoyed many farmers, and even by 1939, there were shortages. Welfare was turned into a charitable civilian area, with donations forced through the threat of violence, allowing tax money for rearmament. The New Plan: Economic Dictatorship While the world looked at Schacht’s actions and many saw positive economic outcomes, the situation in Germany was darker. Schacht had been installed to prepare an economy with a large focus on the German war machine. Indeed, while Schacht didn’t start off as a Nazi, and never joined the Party, in 1934, he was basically made an economic autocrat with total control of the German finances, and he created the ‘New Plan’ to tackle the issues: the balance of trade was to be controlled by the government deciding what could, or couldn’t be imported, and the emphasis was on heavy industry and the military. During this period Germany signed deals with numerous Balkan nations to exchange goods for goods, enabling Germany to keep foreign currency reserves and bringing the Balkans into the German sphere of influence. The Four Year Plan of 1936 With the economy improving and doing well (low unemployment, strong investment, improved foreign trade) the question of ‘Guns or Butter’ began to haunt Germany in 1936. Schacht knew that if rearmament continued at this pace the balance of payments would go crippling downhill, and he advocated increasing consumer production to sell more abroad. Many, especially those poised to profit, agreed, but another powerful group wanted Germany ready for war. Critically, one of these people was Hitler himself, who wrote a memorandum that year calling for the German economy to be ready for war in four years’ time. Hitler believed the German nation had to expand through conflict, and he wasn’t prepared to wait long, overriding many business leaders who called for slower rearmament and an improvement in living standards and consumer sales. Quite what scale of war Hitler envisioned isn’t certain. The result of this economic tug was Goering being appointed head of the Four Year Plan, designed to speed rearmament and create self-sufficiency, or ‘autarky’. Production was to be directed and key areas increased, imports were also to be heavily controlled, and ‘ersatz’ (substitute)  goods were to be found. The Nazi dictatorship now affected the economy more than ever before. The problem for Germany was that Goering was an air ace, not an economist, and Schacht was so sidelined that he resigned in 1937. The result was, perhaps predictably, mixed: inflation had not increased dangerously, but many targets, such as oil and arms, had not been reached. There were shortages of key materials, civilians were rationed, any possible source was scavenged or stolen, rearmament and autarky targets were not met, and Hitler seemed to be pushing a system which would only survive through successful wars. Given that Germany then went head first into war, the failures of th e plan soon became very apparent. What did grow were Goering’s ego and the vast economic empire he now controlled. The relative value of wages fell, the hours worked increased, workplaces were full of the Gestapo, and bribery and inefficiency grew. The Economy Fails at War It’s clear to us now that Hitler wanted war, and that he was reformatting the German economy to carry out this war. However, it appears that Hitler was aiming for the main conflict to start several years later than it did, and when Britain and France called the bluff over Poland in 1939 the German economy was only partially ready for the conflict, the goal being to start the great war with Russia after a few more years building. It was once believed that Hitler tried to shield the economy from the war and not move immediately to a full wartime economy, but in late 1939 Hitler greeted the reaction of his new enemies with sweeping investments and changes designed to support the war. The flow of money, the use of raw materials, the jobs people held and what weapons should be produced were all changed. However, these early reforms had little effect. Production of key weapons like tanks stayed low, due to flaws in design negating speedy mass production, inefficient industry, and a failure to organize. This inefficiency and organizational deficit were in a large part due to Hitler’s method of creating multiple overlapping positions which competed with each other and jostled for power, a flaw from the heights of government down to the local level. Speer and Total War In 1941 the USA entered the war, bringing some of the most powerful production facilities and resources in the world. Germany was still under-producing, and the economic aspect of World War 2 entered a new dimension. Hitler declared new laws – the Rationalization Decree of late 1941 – and made Albert Speer Minister of Armaments. Speer was best known as Hitler’s favored architect, but he was given the power to do whatever was necessary, cut through whichever competing bodies he needed, to get the German economy fully mobilized for total war. Speer’s techniques were to give industrialists more freedom while controlling them through a Central Planning Board, allowing for more initiative and results from people who knew what they were doing, but still kept them pointed in the right direction. The result was an increase in weapons and armaments production, certainly more than the old system produced. But modern economists have concluded Germany could have produced more and was still being beaten economically by the output of the US, USSR, and Britain. One problem was the allied bombing campaign which caused massive disruption, another was the infighting in the Nazi party, and another was the failure to use the conquered territories to full advantage. Germany lost the war in 1945, having been outfought but, perhaps even more critically, comprehensively out produced by their enemies. The German economy was never functioning fully as a total war system, and they could have produced more if better organized. Whether even that would have stopped their defeat is a different debate.

Winslow Homer Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Winslow Homer - Research Paper Example (Downes, 2006) In this painting After the Hurricane, 1899, Winslow Homer tries to convey the idea in his painting (After the Hurricane, 1899) that a man is laid to stand against nature. During the early civilizations, when men had just started evolving, the painting relates that era to the modern World. Imagine a World with no technology and communication, the humans would have to rely on nature and that is what this painting depicts. The excellent technique adopted by Wilson Homer in doing such a great masterpiece painting is empathetic. He used human psychology to drive human mind on what happens after a man is competing against nature. As you can see that the man in the painting (After the Hurricane, 1899) is washed off on the shore of a beach after a hurricane. The man in the painting is helpless yet he has to find the courage to stand again and survive not for what he has lost but for what his future holds. You see life of a person doesn’t stop after losing a loved one. He still has to find the courage to survive and the nature will be its provider. The purpose it serves is of cherishing family. No one knows the point till they are alive so why not spend time with loved ones. In the painting (After The Hurricane, 1899) the man washed off on the shore might have lost his family, his loved one, anyone and now they are gone forever. Similarly, in this era, people are so busy within their lives to progress that they often forget to value the people that helped them. In the painting, hurricane is used as a metaphor where death can strike at any time to anyone and just like the man is washed off on the shore of a beach in the painting, the modern human will be mourning the loss in real life. His another masterpiece The Gulf Stream,1899 is influenced by the tale of a man from British Army who got robbed by pirates and sailed on a boat alone on the sea to reach the coast. The man later dies due to his

Ethical Dilemma Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Ethical Dilemma - Essay Example Clearly, those who remain in good standing achieve many benefits, including income and public recognition. These things are rewards for the achievement and maintenance of high moral and ethical standards. The esteem that derives from membership in an elite group makes professional status desirable. In order to choose the best solutions to the problems identified in two cases, it is important to apply ethical theories and moral standards. As a passenger in version 1, I would pull the lever and save lives of 5 people. This decision is based on utilitarianism referred to by some as the consequentialist ethical theory. It is expressed in the form that asserts that people should always act so as to produce the greatest ratio of good to evil for everyone. as the utilitarian, I believe that when choosing between two actions, the one that produces the greatest net happiness should be the one chosen (Donaldson et al. 2002). Where most of them disagree with one another is in the area of how this principle should be applied. There are also several stated weaknesses in this concept. It ignores actions that appear to be wrong in themselves; it espouses the concept that the end justifies the means; the principles may come into conflict with that of justice seems to associate justice with ef ficiency rather than fair play); and it is extremely difficult to formulate and establish satisfactory rules of application (Bentham 2000). I would pull the lever because it is ethical to save lives of people and choose the decision which benefits the majority. Utilitarianism manifests itself in two major forms. The stronger of the two is so-called act-utilitarianism. Under this system, the moral agent considers the consequences of only the action under consideration. The second system is called rule-utilitarianism. Here the moral agent considers a set of rules by which life should be lived. The basis of accepting or rejecting a rule is whether the consequences of everyone following the rule will result in the maximum probable good consequences. Rule-utilitarianism may be regarded as a weaker form of utilitarianism than act-utilitarianism. A rule-utilitarian, when confronted with a situation in which he believes that abiding by the rule will not in the present case be most beneficial, will simply modify the rule. Great disagreement may be generated over which consequences are in fact "good," which consequences should rec eive greater or lesser weight, and what probability should be assigned to different future consequences. Modern critics of utilitarianism also note that ultimately utilitarianism must seek non-utilitarian answers on assigning boundaries and values around the measurement of activities and values associated with the calculation of utilitarian systems. All these matters serve to cause what appears to be an exceptionally practical system to become less and less practical (Donaldson et al. 2002). As a passenger in version 2, I would not push the person and let him die. These actions would be considered as intentional killing of person and could lead to imprisonment. In terms of deontological ethics, actions should be based on rule-based morality. The approach considers an action as morally right if it conforms with a proper moral rule. An action that violates the rule but results in beneficial actions is still considered wrong. The

The Californian lifestyle Essay Example for Free

The Californian lifestyle Essay Having lived my entire life in California, I have always dreamed about expanding my horizons and experiencing a different lifestyle. As a teenager, online games and their model economies would spark my curiosity. This curiosity was the beginning of my interest in the driving force behind money and investments. As a senior year in high school, I was lucky to have my first professional position in charge of advertising, sales and customer service for a small company. In addition to professional experience, I also learned good business values and financial responsibility from working closely with the owner. Thus, when I was accepted to UC Riverside, my decision to be a Business Administration major seemed logical. But after reading a few books on investing and contemplating everything that my mother taught me about being smart with money, concentrating in Finance made perfect sense. But my world still felt enclosed. I had vague ideas of where a degree in business could take me, but nothing concrete. My life was too narrow and Californian. I wanted to see the world and how social interactions and motivations were different in a foreign culture. I needed to experience life away from home and meet new people from around the world to recognize what my career path would be. With these goals and dreams, I applied for the UC Education Abroad Program (EAP) to study abroad in Hong Kong. To say that I have discovered myself would be clichà © and a terrible understatement. The Californian lifestyle is often stereotyped as laidback and carefree but I never realized the merit of this stereotype until I experienced life in Hong Kong. The hustle on the crowded streets of Hong Kong is nauseating compared to even the busiest areas of Los Angeles or San Francisco. As a product of the competitiveness of getting into college, the students of HKUST are insanely driven and literally, the best of Hong Kong and China. The fast paced lifestyle and difficult competition adds crushing pressure and I love it; the pressure drives me towards success. The friends that I made in Hong Kong come from around the world and they broadened my perception on life, education and career. The bottom line of their outlook simply boils down to being passionate about who you are and  knowing what you want. Clichà ©, but what impressed me about my friends was that they all had set career paths, relevant internships and understood how everything that they were doing would help them achieve their goals. Upon broadening my views on the world in Hong Kong, I became motivated with a firey vigor to succeed in the finance world. I took my first finance class at HKUST which was both the worst and best course decision I made in Hong Kong: worst because HKUST is notorious for driving their finance majors insane and best because it solidified my decision in concentrating in finance. My passion and curiosity in the workings of money and investments motivated me to welcome the challenge of beating the curve against the the finance majors of HKUST. Deep conversations with different people such as my friend from UPenn about his internship with Morgan and Stanley, a local friend getting ready for an internship in Shanghai and even a stranger that I met at a rooftop steakhouse about her experiences in a law firm while investing on the side motivated me to walk my career path in finance. I am grateful for the opportunity to apply for the Bank of America Business Leaders Scholarship and Walter A. Henry Memorial Scholarship. Financially independent from my parents since my second year at UC Riverside, the financial aid of the scholarship will be a great support in finishing my college career. Rather than money however, what will truly impact my goals from winning this scholarship is the achievement. This achievement means that I have taken another step and standing that much closer to achieving my goal of a prestigious career in finance.

Questar Company Risk Analysis Essay -- essays research papers fc

INTEROFFICE REPORT Questar Corporation: Energy Company Three segments of Questar operations cover resources and regulated services. Follows is the risk assessment for Questar: Resources, Lack of internal control in estimating reserve(s) revenue, Financial analysis and the market, New land developments, and the Environment. Most of the company's operations are located in the Rocky Mountain region of Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana (5). Distribution is throughout the United States. QUESTAR OPERATIONS A multi-faceted holding company formed through reorganization in 1984 into an energy company to distinguish non-utility services (5). Crude resources from fossil fuels (oil, natural gas) are developed through drilling for interstate transmission, storage and distribution. The resource division involves gas, oil, natural gas for marketing, cost analysis of gas development, risk management, and distribution for the wholesale/retail industry (5). 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Market Resources is the major producer of income driving segments of the business. Natural gas (nonregulated) is 86% of its focal point on evaluating crude resources for process through â€Å"gas management† (5). 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Questar Pipeline (regulated) is responsible for transportation and storage. This includes the development of pipeline. Business is dependent on acquiring leases and the use of land. Operations at well sites can have a life of 20-40 years. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Questar Gas (regulated) involves retail distribution. Sales are based on seasonal usage and economic factors such as the market’s going rate (5). RISK ASSESSMENT Resources: Price Risk and Land Opportunity †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Crude resources are a distinct global market. Questar is a profitable and reliable enterprise with all three segments highly revenue driven, secured by federal and state government regulations. Wholesale figures fluctuate within the industry by a minimal amount for distribution nationwide, but this type of commodity requires prices to be set by the market nationwide and not the company. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Competition in this industry is the ability to secure land rights for drilling. Government regulations have restricted areas containing crude resources for development by 40% (7). 90% o... ...rve%20Valuation.pdf> (8 October 2004). Industry changes that may affect energy resources financial reporting. External 10)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Kieso, Donald E., Weygandt, Jerry J., Warfield, Terry D. Intermediate Accounting. Hoboken, NJ: Current Developments for Audit Committees 2002. Pricewaterhouse Coopers analysis on recognizing revenue. External 11)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"Natural Gas Market Prices.† California Energy Commission. 2 April 2003. http://www.energy .ca.gov/2003_price_spikes/2003-04-02_natgas_execsum.html> (8 October 2004). Executive summary on 180% increase within two days on the national spot market for natural gas. External 12)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"Questar Goes Live with the SPL Customer Care and Billing Solution.† Factiva Online September 2004. http://80-global.factiva.com.libproxy.sdsu.edu/en/arch/display.asp> (8 October 2004). Accounting changes in billing customers. External 13)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Standard & Poor’s. Register of Corporations, Directors and Executives. 2003 ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2003. The energy sector as a whole. External   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Cda Binders

Competency Goal 1: To establish and maintain a safe, healthy, learning environment Functional Area 1: Safe One of my goals is to promote safety and reduce all injuries in a preschool setting all day and every day. This is an important goal for the age group of children in my care because children aren’t aware of all the various types of things there are that might harm them. So childproofing something I do to promote safety for the children in my center.Another big safety precaution I follow is the never turn my back on children policy because if I am aware of what the children are doing more than likely no one will get hurt. Another safety precaution I take is to remind children to use walking feet, nice hands, listening ears, and indoor voices. These safety precautions will eliminate problems because if the children in a center listen and follow those simple rules things in the center will run smoothly. Separating different age groups will also help prevent safety issues wit hin a center.To secure the safety of the classroom it is locked from the inside . I am OSHA certified CPR and have Pediatric First Aid training to allow me to make good decisions in emergency situations. Our center practices safety drills regularly to familiarize the children with the routine. Functional Area 2: Healthy One of main goals in the functional area healthy is to prevent spread of germs in my child care center. This is an important goal for this age group children in my care because germs may cause serious illness. Hand washing is a practiced in our center.After playing in centers or eating, children and staff has to wash their hands. Staff follows a routine to clean and sanitize all the toys and surfaces in the center. Children in the center are fed nutritious snacks in order to keep them healthy and to keep the child from having too many sugars or fats in their diet. Another health precaution that is be used in my center is using non-latex gloves to change diapers. Empl oyees and babies could be allergic to latex and the gloves protect germs from employee’s hands from getting on child and keep germs from the child from getting on an employee.Gloves are a big health precaution in our center. In our center we have a nurse on staff to help if child isn’t feeling well. This will help other children from getting whatever the other student has. I do know how to complete an accident injury report if there is an incident because I received communicable disease recognition training. I also am aware of reporting that may be necessary to child protective services, because I have child abuse prevention training. Functional Area 3: Learning EnvironmentOne of my goals in the learning environment is to provide the kids with opportunities to play and learn something all at the same time. This is important to me because I remember dreading coming to school when I was younger because I got bored. We can all agree that lectures are boring so I want the kids in my center to have fun while learning. At the star table we have cassettes with fun stories for kids to read and follow along with to begin recognition of words.Play dough at the heart table from time to time to get their fine motor skills developed. At circle time we sing songs to learn patterns. Painting will help the teacher see what child is thinking. Also, coloring can help you see what child is thinking and how they feel. The art centers are to let the mind come alive it also is a great learning experience for children in our center it helps the creativity of a child and helps them learn on their own how to make objects over time. The learning environment is a very important part of a center.I offer plenty of space for large muscle and group activities, as well as, provide semi-secluded spaces for children to have down time. The shelving is low and serves as barriers to prevent toddling babies from interacting with crawling babies. I try to make the room as inviting as possible by using visuals, texture, and music, to create a soothing atmosphere for learning. My daily routine offers reading, movement, observation, sensory stimulation, creativity, and play to help young ones develop.

Aristotle and Aurelius Essay

Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics goes to show that he believes that the end goal of all human actions is eudaimonia, or happiness through success and fulfillment. Following this concept Aristotle goes on to explain that through virtuosity a human being can lead a happy life. He defines virtue as a disposition to make the correct decisions that lead to the chief good of happiness. A perfect example is when he describes someone who does an action well as being good, but they are only considered good because of their distinctive activity. The distinctive activity for human beings can be considered our rationale. This is where virtue comes into play in the matter, but this translation could also be deciphered as excellence. Human beings do every single thing they do for a reason and that reason is to help towards an end goal. Although it may seem like the end goal might be something good like eating lunch, it is actually a chain to the ultimate good which is being happy. Happiness in Aristotle’s view is not second-by-second or even minute-by-minute but an entire lifetime. This is because we view happiness as and end goal which we hope to achieve by death and that way you can look back on a person’s life to see if they succeeded in their goal, through virtuous moral character and virtuous intellectual character and through the act of temperance. A life-time of that act can guarantee a happy, fulfilling, and successful life. Being virtuous come through two different ways in our actions as said by Aristotle, â€Å"Excellence being of two sorts, then, the one intellectual and the other of character, the intellectual sort mostly both comes into existence and increases as a result of teaching whereas excellence of character results from habituation†¦ † (Nicomachean Ethics, 1103a15). Intellectual virtue comes from teaching, experience, and time while character virtue is formed through the habit of repeated virtuous actions and constant practice. This allows for every human being to potentially have a virtuous moral character for the fact that it cannot be learned but only practiced, and not one person can be born already virtuous. The only problem with this concept is that there is no exact guideline in which to follow in order to become virtuous and, ultimately, happy. Basically Aristotle explains that you can find virtue in the middle ground of your actions, for xample, he says â€Å"For to arrive at one of the two extremes is more erroneous, to arrive at the other less; so, since it is hard to hit upon intermediate with extreme accuracy, one should take to the oars and sail that way, as they say, grasping what is least bad of what is available†¦ † (Nicomachean Ethics, 1109a35) There is no teaching as to why, for example, courage is preferred over cowardice or rashness but that you need to practice being courageous in order to understand the reasoning for being courageous. This is true for all virtuous traits and merits of the human character and by combining the moral and intellectual teachings and habits can you start on the path of a virtuous disposition. The key to virtue is keeping within a balance between the vices. For an excessive vice there is excessive pleasure but also excessive pain and for the opposite there is no pleasure and no pain. The key is in a state of temperance in order to feel the correct amount of pleasure for a healthy lifestyle and choices. Aristotle’s views show that someone with a virtuous disposition should automatically or naturally choose the best action or behavior in any circumstances without having to rely on reason because the virtuous habit has been already learned. In response to someone arguing against an accidental choice, these views only perceive the deliberate and voluntary choices made by the person of virtue. Also a virtuous moral character will always aim for the good while unjust character will try to aim for what is their perception or the â€Å"apparent† good as said in â€Å"That wish is for the end, we have already said; but to some it seems to be for the good, whereas to others it seems to be for the apparent good. The consequence, for those who say that the object of wish is the good, is that what the person making an incorrect choice wishes for is not wished for.. † (Nicomachean Ethics, 1113a10). A virtuous person will always do the right thing and will never be surprised by their actions, nor will they do it the right thing with an ulterior motive. Though you cannot live a happy life just with a virtuous disposition because you still need to act within accordance to virtue, you absolutely cannot live a happy life without virtue. Having virtue in your actions will lead to the final goal of happiness because it far outweighs the happiness found in pleasure, awards or merits. II. Marcus Aurelius was a philosopher-king and emperor of the Roman Empire and was considered of of the most influential Stoic philosophers of all time. His greatest work Meditations is an honest portrayal of Aurelius’ thoughts as they were found in journal form, never meant to be publicized. He wrote these books for himself as a sort of guideline and thought-provoking inner voice. In his works of Meditations, Marcus Aurelius doesn’t use arguments as a way to get his point across but rather states his words as truths and seems to be very confident in his uses. It seems he is prying at the meaning of life, the why’s and how’s of it all on the idea of living. He is very blunt in his use of understating the human existence in the world and compares them to specks in the grand scheme, but the point of this is to provide a sort of carpe diem lifestyle. By letting yourself let go of the things you cannot control, you begin to gain a better understanding of the things you can control and act accordingly. â€Å"We were born to work together like feet, hands and eyes, like two rows of teeth, upper and lower. To obstruct each other is unnatural. To feel anger at someone, to turn your back on him: these are obstructions. † (Meditations, 17). This quote goes to show how you cannot allow yourself to get angry at another person for what they have done, but to continue your existence and recognize what you need to do. He advises in his writings â€Å"To shrug it all off and wipe it clean-every annoyance and distraction-and reach utter stillness. † (Meditations, 54) and once you can do that you can realize what is natural. Stoicism being a very popular philosophy in ancient Rome for it called for a â€Å"cosmic determinism† in relation to â€Å"human freedom† by a parallel will to that of Nature . Aurelius,himself, was a firm believer in the Logos, which can be identified as a principle a guiding force for the universe, human beings and all matter. In fact, it is one of the most important concepts in Stoicism for the ancient Romans of the time. The stark and â€Å"manly† belief that every single citizen had a duty, whether they were a king or a peasant, were expected to follow it to the best of their abilities. The term utter stillness is used to acknowledge the state of no distractions. By achieving this you can focus solely on appropriate actions and how to follow your own road by the way of Nature on an unconscious level. Not by thinking about it but by acting naturally should you continue to help others, work for yourself, never stopping but continuing to reply to Nature’s demands. To do this all under the Logos, in order to find our common sense and avoid the annoying distractions all the while by controlling these actions through your inner unconscious/conscious self. III. The Greek philosopher Aristotle and the Roman philosopher-king Marcus Aurelius can be compared and contrasted in their similar and different ways of thoughts. First you can compare Aristotle’s ideas on eudaimonia and Aurelius’ use of utter stillness to help follow the logos, also the final step of death as the end of one’s journey towards a life of fulfillment. Contrastingly, they have different outlooks on purpose of human life and how to lead to the fulfilling of that said life. Stoicism was developed within the framework of Greek theory and philosophies from Plato and Aristotle so obviously there are bound to be many similarities. Both of these men were truly brilliant and ground-breaking in their respective ways of thought and led centuries of intellectuals to search for more fulfillment and happiness’s in their lives. Some big differences between Aristotle and Aurelius were there views on mortality or death. While Aristotle concludes that our lives are given to us and as valuable as human beings want to make them, the Stoics view on life is that is shaped by death and that the thoughts, choices and actions are just based on the knowledge of death. Eudaimonia is a subject in which Aristotle and Aurelius were familiar with in their writings about philosophical life. Aristotle thought of eudaimonia as an activity done with virtue performed rationally and consciously. Aurelius and the other Stoics insist that the way for eudaimonia is to live a morally virtuous life, in regards to the fact that virtue is good, vices are bad and most everything else is neutral. A popular argument for this where a death in the family would be involved, according to Aristotle, that would rob the most virtuous person of their eudaimonia while the Stoics would consider that neutral. Another interesting fact about Aristotle is how he acknowledges how â€Å"dumb luck† can aid or block the journey for eudaimonia, for example being born beautiful or losing close friends and family. Basically, they agree that eudaimonia is self-sufficient; the chief goal in life and that eudaimonia is the most complete end result. Virtue is very important to both philosophers and their ways of thinking and considers it absolutely crucial for eudaimonia. Aristotle and Aurelius can agree that no one is born just virtuous as it must be an act learned. Virtue is believed to be how one can control their emotions for it helps them to stay stable and in moderation. Overall, living life virtuously is living a life full of dignity. Marcus Aurelius’s view is a much more justified view because it is more modern and more adaptable. As the stoicism wants people to better themselves within reasonable goals and change values into something that will bring upon an unconscious change so that they may make better decisions consciously. Aristotle instead relies too much on a proper upbringing and calls the loss of good and friends as a prevention of eudaimonia. Stoics learn to realize what is out of their control and move on to what they can control. Aristotelian views also say that if a person dies early that it is a tragedy and that they were taken away before they reached their prime which in the Stoics eyes, a virtuous person should never be afraid of death because their life is sufficient when living a virtuous life. The difference continues when viewing the topic of emotions for Aristotelian that emotions are not good nor bad, only bad when expressed inappropriately while the Stoics think the whole point of eudaimonia is to be free from emotion. Finally the stoics don’t see a difference between the rich, poor, slaves or free men, because in their views bodily and external things can no impact on their dignity, whereas Aristotle believes that a life based on virtues along with enough material and external goods like freedom, wellbeing, and close friends lead to a life of dignity. Overall, Aurelius and the Stoics have built upon and modified Aristotle’s view to be more realistic and to try and be more optimistic in leading the best possible life no matter the circumstances.

Ski Resorts and Their Impact on the Environment

Ski Resorts and Their Impact on the Environment Alpine skiing and snowboarding are great ways to spend time in the mountains relatively safely during the most unforgiving season of the year. In order to be able to offer this, ski resorts rely on a complex and energy-demanding infrastructure, with scores of employees and heavy use of water. The environmental costs associated with resort skiing come in multiple dimensions, and so do the solutions. Disturbance to Wildlife Alpine habitats above the tree line are already threatened by global climate change, and disturbance from skiers is one more stressor. These disturbances can come from scaring wildlife or harming their habitat by damaging vegetation and compacting soils. Ptarmigan (a type of grouse adapted to snowy habitats) in Scottish ski areas declined over several decades from collisions with lift cables and other wires, and from losing nests to crows, which had become common at the resorts. Deforestation, Land Use Change In North American ski resorts, most of the skiable terrain is located in forested areas, requiring a large amount of clear-cutting to create ski trails. The resulting fragmented landscape negatively impacts habitat quality for many bird and mammal species. One study revealed that in the forest remnants left between slopes, bird diversity is reduced due to a negative edge effect. There, wind, light, and disturbance levels increase near the open slopes, reducing habitat quality. A recent expansion of a ski resort in Breckenridge, Colorado, prompted concerns that it would damage Canada lynx habitat. A deal with a local conservation group was achieved when the developer invested in lynx habitat protection elsewhere in the region. Water Use As a result of global climate change, most ski areas experience winters of increasingly shorter duration, with more frequent thawing periods. To maintain services to their clients, ski areas must make artificial snow to have good coverage on the slopes as well as around the lift bases and lodges. Artificial snow is made by mixing large volumes of water and high-pressure air. The demands for water can be very high, requiring pumping from surrounding lakes, rivers, or purpose-built artificial ponds. Modern snowmaking equipment can easily require 100 gallons of water per minute for each snow gun, and resorts can have dozens or even hundreds in operation. At Wachusett Mountain Ski Area, a modest-size resort in Massachusetts, snowmaking can pull as much as 4,200 gallons of water a minute. Fossil Fuel Energy Resort skiing is an energy-intensive operation, relying on fossil fuels, producing greenhouse gases, and contributing to global warming. Ski lifts usually run on electricity, and operating a single ski lift for a month requires about the same energy needed to power 3.8 households for a year. To maintain the surface of the snow on the ski runs, a resort deploys nightly a fleet of trail groomers each operating on about 5 gallons of diesel per hour and producing carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate emissions. A complete estimate of the greenhouse gases emitted in association with resort skiing would need to include those produced by skiers driving or flying to the mountains. Ironically, climate change is affecting most ski regions. As global atmospheric temperatures go up, snowpacks are thinning, and the ski seasons are getting shorter. Solutions and Alternatives? Many ski resorts have made substantial efforts to minimize their environmental impacts. Solar panels, wind turbines, and small hydro turbines have been deployed to supply renewable energy. Improved waste management and composting programs have been implemented, and green building technologies have been employed. Forest management efforts have been planned to improve wildlife habitat. It is now possible for skiers to gather information about a resort’s sustainability efforts and make informed consumer decisions. Where to start? The National Ski Area Association gives out yearly awards to the resorts with outstanding environmental performances. Alternatively, Nordic (or cross-country) skiing provides opportunities to enjoy the snow with a much lighter impact on land and water resources. Some Nordic skiing resorts do, however, make use of snowmaking technology and fossil-fueled powered trail grooming equipment. An increasing number of outdoor enthusiasts seek snowy slopes by practicing lower-impact forms of skiing. These backcountry skiers and snowboarders use specialized equipment that allows them to make their way up the mountain on their own power, and then to ski down natural terrain that has not been logged or groomed. These skiers have to be self-sufficient and able to mitigate a multitude of mountain-related safety risks. The learning curve is steep, but backcountry skiing has a lighter environmental impact than resort skiing. Alpine areas are very sensitive, though, and no activity there is impact free: a study in the Alps found that black grouse showed elevated stress levels when frequently disturbed by backcountry skiers and snowboarders, with direct consequences on reproduction and survival. Sources Alettaz et al. 2007. Spreading Free-riding Snow Sports Represent a Novel Serious Threat for Wildlife.Laiolo and Rolando. 2005. Forest Bird Diversity and Ski Runs: A Case of Negative Edge Effect.MNN. 2014. Snowmakers Are Saving Ski Resorts†¦For Now.Wipf et al. 2005. Effects of Ski Piste Preparation on Alpine Vegetation.

The Indispensable Interjection Oh

The Indispensable Interjection Oh The Indispensable Interjection â€Å"Oh† The Indispensable Interjection â€Å"Oh† By Mark Nichol An interjection is one or more words uttered or written as an exclamation or an expression of emotion. I already provided a lifetime supply of them in a previous post, but here are some additional notes about one of the most ubiquitous of them all: oh. Whether this all-purpose exclamation is followed by a comma or not depends on its purpose. â€Å"Oh, my† and the like are expressions of any one of a variety of emotions or comprehensions, including pain or repulsion, or surprise or wonder. Oh is also a placeholder that signals dismissiveness (â€Å"Oh, don’t mind me†) or indicates an approximation (â€Å"He was, oh, about this tall†). Say is employed in a similar usage (â€Å"What if I were to offer you, say, twice as much?†). Its poetic equivalent, known as the vocative O a stylized form of direct address meant to evoke a classical lyricism, is rarely followed by a comma: â€Å"O Lord!† is the utterance of someone asking for attention from a deity; â€Å"Oh, Lord† might be a more mundane request for consideration from a nobleman, though it often serves simply as an oath or a variant of â€Å"Oh, my.† Some usage guides omit the comma when oh is used for the latter constructions, but the punctuation is a pertinent marker for a slight pause in this case and for similar utterances like â€Å"Oh, right† or â€Å"Oh, crap.† Likewise, a comma separates oh from a lengthier phrase: â€Å"Oh, where did I put it?† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:70 "Home" Idioms and ExpressionsHang, Hung, Hanged30 Words Invented by Shakespeare

Islamic banking in the GCC in the Next ten Years Essay

Islamic banking in the GCC in the Next ten Years - Essay Example These Islamic banks neither charged any interest nor paid it. The functioning of these banks was limited to the industries and trade in which they made investments either as the depositors’ partners, or using their own capital. Considering the functionality of these banks, they were more of financial institutions than the commercial banks we see today. The first commercial bank was opened in 1971 in Egypt with the name Nazir Social Banks. The charter of this bank did not refer to Shariah. The first bank that was entirely and overtly based on the principles of Shariah was made in the year 1974 by the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC). The name of this bank was Islamic Development Bank (IDB). The function of this bank was to engage in the intergovernmental activities to provide funds to the member countries for developmental projects. The business model of IDB included fees for the financial services as well as financial assistance for the developmental projects through pr ofit sharing. During the 1970s, numerous Islamic banks were established across the world which included but were not limited to the Dubai Islamic Bank established in 1975, the Faisal Islamic bank of Sudan established in the year 1977, followed by the Bahrain Islamic bank established in the year 1979. Several Islamic banks were also successively opened in the Asia Pacific region. The basic foundation of Islamic banking and how it differs from other banking conventions. â€Å"The basic principles of Islamic banking originate in the axioms of justice and harmony with reality and the human nature† (Kahf, Ahmad, and Homud 7). The simplest and the most fundamental definition of financing is the provision of goods, services, or any kind of production factors without the demand of an immediate counterpart on the part of the receiver. For example, employees in an organization deliver their services throughout the month and get paid at the end of the month. Islamic banking in its direc t sense is very much based on the same principle. Islamic financing means provision of production factors for which payment is rescheduled. â€Å"Real-life exchange and production processes have, as part of their components or forms, the provision of goods to consumers as well as equipment, materials and other means of production to producers† (Kahf, Ahmad, and Homud 8). This lays the foundations of the practices of Islamic banking. Islamic baking provides funds in terms of goods, machinery, or equipment for payments that are deferred. Islamic banking also provides the option of profit sharing. Such financing is based on justice as both parties share the profit made from a productive project according to their investment ratio along with sharing the risks involved. Comparison between Islamic Banking and Other Banking Conventions It is odd to draw comparison between the Islamic banking practices and the conventional banking practices because of the immensity of difference betw een the two. The most fundamental difference between Islamic banking and other banking conventions is that the former is based on the Shariah foundation whereas the latter are not. Islamic baking is characterized by non-existence of transactions that are interest-based. Islamic baking is devoid of any economic activity that involves oppression or speculation. There is imposition of Islamic tax called as â€Å"zakat† in Islamic banking. Islamic banking does not allow production of such goods and services that are considered Haram in