Kitchen

Kitchen By: Banana Yoshimoto Mikage Satsuki Growing up is tough; especially when you are alone and young. It forces you to fend for yourself against the world. Instead of playing with your friends, you spend your time figuring out where your next meal is coming from. Which is a sad and scary truth; few stop to think of these poor souls that get such an unfortunate fate. In Banana Yoshimoto’s Kitchen, the character Mikage undergoes many of changes, but one thing throughout this book that does not change is her love of kitchens.Her parents passed away when she was young and her grandmother raised her. When her grandmother also passed away, she became depressed, listless, and orphaned. In the beginning of the book she is lonely, since none of her blood relatives are still alive. After she moves in with the Tanabe's, however, she finds the courage to face life again. She has a strong bond with kitchens; they seem to give her a calming feeling and help to ease her loneliness. Kitch ens serve as a comfort for her.Throughout the course of this novel Kitchen, Banana Yoshimoto depicts Mikage as a person of great morals, who loves kitchens, and is incredibly strong-willed. In this novel Mikage appears to be an individualist who keeps her morals intact; her grandparents brought her up to be an accepting, gracious person. Mikage is a person of great temperance, although she is a little touchy about her relationship with Yoichi. She is also courageous for a person who lost her entire family, and, because she doesn't want to get hurt again, she distanced herself from other people. When was it I realized that, on this truly dark and solitary path we all walk, the only way we can light is our own? † (Yoshimoto, pg. 21). Her moral stature is apparent when Yoichi tells her that Eriko is a transgender, and instead of getting upset about it, she accepted it because she feels she can trust them. Her dominant traits are her love of cooking and her love of kitchens. These traits originate when her grandmother passes away; the hum of the refrigerator keeps her from feeling lonely.So each night until she moves in with the Tanabe's she curls up beside the refrigerator in her kitchen and goes to sleep. â€Å"Why do I love everything that has to do with kitchens so much? It's strange. Perhaps because to me a kitchen represents some distant longing engraved on my soul† (Yoshimoto, pg. 56). She teaches herself to cook, the summer after her grandmother passed away, at the Tanabe's house. She buys three books and studies them, following all the directions in them.Subsequently, she becomes good at cooking and gets the job she has now as an assistant to a famous cooking teacher. Mikage is more of a rational person who knows her limits. At times, she can be emotional, but overall she thinks well on her feet and is a capable person. â€Å"However! I couldn't exist like that. Reality is wonderful. I thought of the money my grandmother had left me-just eno ugh. The place was too big, too expensive, for one person. I had to look for another apartment† (Yoshimoto, pg. 5). Mikage handles change well; she might not like some things but she gets through them.For instance, her grandmother’s death was a great tragedy, but she got through it rationally, and she adapted very well to the Tanabe's and their kindness. The author wants readers to know how tough Mikage is. She has had a rough go at life, but she still manages to stay strong; reading about her really appeals to the reader’s sympathetic side. Mikage appears to be a nice girl who has just been unlucky lately. Fortunately, when Yoichi comes into her life, she starts to open up more and realize that she is not alone. He struck just the right note, neither cold nor oppressively kind. It made me warm up to him ;†( Yoshimoto, pg. 11). Another thing about Mikage is that she is a fighter, and readers see that towards the end of the story, she fights for what she wan ts. At the beginning of this book Mikage is very guarded and lonely, but as the book progresses she becomes less guarded and more open to people who care about her. At the end of the book, Mikage becomes the one who comforts Yoichi, when his mom passes away. She becomes the center of his support system.

College exam Essay

There has always been an arousing debate on whether all students are required to take college entrance exams in order to be accepted into a desired university. The standardized tests are currently used all over the United States in order to enroll or decline certain students based on a minimum score according to the college. The most common tests taken by high school students is the ACT and the SAT, both covering basic curriculum involving all major subjects studied throughout grade school, in order to test overall knowledge. Because of the benefits that oppose strictly relying on grade point averages as opposed to having the college entrance exams used in order to accept students, they are a good idea and should continue being used because they are much more routine and fair. Although the tests have proven successful, some might say that the tests don’t accurately score students ability to be successful in college universities. The people that refer to the exams as an insufficient way of accepting and declining hopeful students into college have many reasons to believe so. The first issue with these tests is that some people would argue that they don’t cover certain material that students may possibly excel in, or further a career in. Fields such as the arts, music, sciences, and other specialty subjects are all not included on these entrance exams. Not including these areas takes away from students being recognized for their true talents that could be of further use to the university, but the college registers could never get the chance to see those talents. Another reason why one would argue that the tests are a negative thing would be that not all the tests are equal in difficulty, being a reason why some students could score significantly better than another. Since the exams are not the same in content, it isn’t fair for one person to be accepted into a college, and another not be accepted. The final reason why people prefer for them to not be mandatory is because of the discrimination for people who score badly on the test, but have very good grades throughout high school. Some people aren’t good test takers, and their good GPA reflects their skills more accurately. These views against students being required to take college entrance exams all are very valid points, but the positives outweigh the negatives when it comes to this. There are many reasons why colleges currently require students to take college entrance exams. The positives definitely contribute to the success in this method of accepting students into college based on their scores. One reason why the tests are a good idea is because of how fair standard the process is when the determining who’s admitted into college. There isn’t an issue between accepting certain students because their scores on the ACT or SAT are self explanatory. Another reason the test scores are necessary is because grades cannot be a main decider. This is because a lot of students in high school are not honorable when it comes to work ethic and doing their own hard work, in other words cheating is an issue. If a college is looking to admit a student based on GPA this could be a mistake, the good grades won’t reflect work ethic and test taking skills that are essential to success in college. The final reason that ties to why the college exams are a good method is because these tests cover all important subjects that will be studied in college. The core subjects are really important to be tested over because it shows pure intelligence in a students learning throughout grade school. When choosing students to admit, they will obviously choose the person that scored the highest on an exam that covers basic studies. There are debating topics on whether college entrance exams are a good idea or not. When deciding students to admit into further schooling, there has to be a standard and fair way to determine. Exams like the ACT and SAT all cover core classes and knowledge that was studied all through grade school. This way, the deciding is based on the required minimum scores of students so the elimination process has moral reasoning and fairness. Although there are negative views on the limited material being tested, the fact that not all the tests are equal in difficulty and that people who do poorly on the test are automatically discriminated and declined. These may be real issues, but the reasons why it’s a good idea definitely shine through. The fairness and standardization makes it easy to analyze the students, grades are not a good reference for intelligence and potential success in college, and finally the tests show a prediction of how knowledgeable students are with core subjects and test taking skills that are used every day in college. Standardized college entrance exams should continue being used to decide whether or not one should be admitted into a certain college.

Whitney Museum of American Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Whitney Museum of American Art - Essay Example creasingly understood that the context of the museum setting and the principles upon which it is built must be known in order to understand the potential approach taken. This knowledge can be gained in a variety of ways such as multiple visits over a period of time through which a ‘feel’ for the museum and its philosophical approach might be developed. More practical means of discerning the particular approach a museum has adopted may include discovering the history of the museum, the distinguishing characteristics of it, the philosophies of the people who helped to build the museum to its present incarnation and an understanding of the people who govern, to some degree, the museum’s direction – the board of directors and donors. Therefore, before looking into the way the Whitney Museum of American Art treats its patrons through member benefits or the type of exhibitions they present, it is helpful to investigate some of these more practical conceptions of history, uniqueness, foundational principles and current influences. This museum was founded in 1931 based largely around the American art objects either previously collected by the museum’s founder Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney or purchased specifically for the museum by Mrs. Whitney. The original collection featured 700 paintings, sculptures and other art objects. Operating on a relatively tight budget, the museum quickly established a custom of purchasing works from living artists who were on the cusp of making themselves known in the general art world. These artists were often discovered through regularly scheduled exhibitions that showcased recent American art. Inspired pieces were often acquired through these exhibitions as well as future works by these grateful artists. Although these exhibits started as annual events, as soon as the museum could afford expansion, the events were scheduled biennially instead, a custom the museum continues to practice today. According to the museum’s

Women Rights Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Women Rights - Research Paper Example Before 1877, it was unthinkable for a woman to leave her house and cater to issues concerning work or politics. Women’s roles were strictly those of taking care of their families at home. It has taken along battle characterized with hard work and determination for the women of today to enjoy the same rights as men. Since the beginning of the contemporary world, a woman has had a unique role in society: that of being a source of human life. Nonetheless, historically, women have been seen as inferior to men, intellectually, physically, sexually, and otherwise. In addition, women are always associated with evil and temptation, a notion possibly derived from the biblical scriptures of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. For instance, early Roman laws viewed women as children, while the Greek mythology suggests that it was a woman (Pandora) who brought unhappiness and plague to humankind by opening the forbidden box1. Before 1800s, women could not own property, vote, get equal educ ation as men, or get involved in political issues. Some of the early female philosophers include Olympe de Gouges with the publication ‘declaration of women rights’ protesting against the failure of revolutionists in mentioning women in their declaration of human rights. There was Margret Fuller, a female reporter who wrote the article ‘Women in the Nineteenth century’ around 1845. The leader of women rights in America, Elizabeth Candy Stanton, was a major figure in the women rights movement. In addition, there was also Charlotte Perkins Gilham, Clara Barton among others2. The first known women rights movement began in 13, July 18483. A tea conversation between Elizabeth Candy Stanton and other four women friends turned to women issues, with emphasis on women’s roles in the American Revolution and their then lack of freedom4. This afternoon conversation was the first group of women fighting for their rights, and the first to organize specific, extens ive programs that called for review of women rights in America. Two days after the formation of the small group, they had set a date for their first convention. The location of choice was the Wesleyan Chapel in Seneca Falls, setting the date to 19 and 20, July 1848. The Seneca County Courier carried the announcement for the convention. This was the first ever-public meeting of its king in western civilization. According to these women, they were patriotic members of the society trying to share the ideas that would improve the new republic by heeding the promise of providing a more egalitarian life for all its citizens. As the women were preparing and waiting for the first convention, Elizabeth Candy Stanton was applying the Declaration of Independence framework to design the â€Å"Declaration of Sentiments† for the women rights movement. In complete resemblance to the important American symbol of liberty, Stanton was able to connect the Declaration of Independence to the figh t for women’s rights. Stanton’s draft carefully listed a number of areas where women were most treated unjustly, eighteen in number. The words that Stanton used to express women grievances were strong words expressing large grievances but nonetheless filling the American atmosphere with the hope of a bright future for women. The two days convention began on July 19, 1848, and was successful. The discussions at the convention resulted in several major endorsements of the declarations of sentiments and twelve resolutions with a few amendments. Among the resolutions were the rights to equal laws, and equal job and education opportunities. The only two resolutions that failed to pass were the women’s right to vote in elections and their enfranchisement. Despite their grievances and achievements on the convention,

Is a mandatory moment of silence in public schools constitutional Term Paper

Is a mandatory moment of silence in public schools constitutional - Term Paper Example formulation. This effort is intended to give students reflection time without the influence of any specific religious orientation. The supporters of this position argue that this moment can be used by students to pray, meditate or study. Unfortunately, the result of this effort has served to obfuscate the matter rather than to clarify and set guidelines. Many argue that the mandatory moment of silence is nothing more than state-sanctioned prayer in disguise. Atheists and other â€Å"non-religious† advocates argue that there are other time periods in the course of a student’s day that can be set aside for this silence and, in fact, since personal prayer is something that can be done by students on their own time and without anyone knowing, why set aside a time during the official day for this purpose? Since the 1962 Engel vs. Vitale ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, different state courts have ruled in very different ways on the constitutionality of a public school’s mandatory moment of silence. For example, in 1976, the state of Virginia passed a law that allowed public schools to practice a one minute moment of silence. However, in 1985, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the case of Wallace vs. Jaffree that the moment of silence was unconstitutional. Despite this, in 2000, the state of Virginia passed another law requiring public schools to observe a moment of silence every day. Since the 2000 action by the state of Virginia, other states have also enacted laws that allow students the opportunity to observe a moment of silence. To date, 12 states require that students be given the opportunity to exercise a moment of silence in public school classrooms. Further, in 20 other states, teachers are given the option to allow a moment of silence in their classrooms. In October 2000, the U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton, ruled that a â€Å"moment of silence†

Oceans and climate change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Oceans and climate change - Essay Example However, these changes are not taking place uniformly. In fact, the poles have already experienced the greatest warming, and are expected to continue to warm more intensely as compared to other areas. This has resulted to loss of ice in the arctic regions. Consequently, this has resulted to increase of ocean volume and thus affecting the entire planet. The ocean has experienced an increase in temperatures due to climate change and this has affected the already existing conditions of the living things negatively. On the other hand, El Nià ±o and La Nina have contributed to changes in the oceans. The ocean is an essential aspect of understanding how climate change is affecting the planet. This is due to frequent fluctuation of the climate from cold to warm weather. This paper seeks to focus on the effects of climate changes and how this will affects or has affected the oceans and the people. Firstly, it is essential to note that about 71% of the land surface is covered with the oceans (New England Aquarium 1). These include Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic and Southern oceans. An ocean acts as the planet largest heat absorber (New England Aquarium 1). This means that as the ocean absorb, store and deliver large quantities of heat, the ocean buffer the climate of the planet (New England Aquarium 1). This means the change in the ocean has irreversible outcomes in future. The first impact of climate change on the ocean is the increase in the oceans levels. This is due to warming of water that in turn results to increased water volume. This is commonly known as thermal expansion. This expansion and warm temperature have resulted to sea rise due to extra water generated from the melting glaciers. Moreover, increased melting has been reported at the ice caps in Greenland and west Antarctica (New England Aquarium 1). This is projected to change one to two feet by 2100 (New England Aquarium 1). The

Statistics case memo Project Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Case memo - Statistics Project Example This data represent 21 New Jersey counties. This report will examine correctness of the charge that New Jersey banks have been withdrawing from urban areas with a high percentage of minorities. For this, I will use Asbury Park Press compiled county by county data and summarize this data set using scatter diagram and the descriptive statistics and presents findings in this memo. The importance of this study is to test whether banks serve their own communities. A scatterplot is created taking â€Å"x† as the percentage of the population within each county that is minority and â€Å"y† as people in each county per branch bank within the county. Figure 1 shows the scatter diagram of minority percentage (independent variable x) against the number of people per bank branch (dependent variable y). There appears a strong direct positive relationship between the number of people in county per branch bank and the percentage of minority population in county. The R2 value of 0.5265 indicates that about 52.65% of the variation in the number of people in county per branch bank is explained by the percentage of minority population in county. This is a strong effect. However, the other 47.35% of the variation in the number of people in county per branch bank remains unexplained. The slope coefficient of regression of 35.89 suggests that for every percent increase in minority population in the county, the number of people per bank branch increases by about 36 on average. The intercept coefficient of regression of 2082 suggests that for no minority population in the county, the number of people per bank branch will be about 2,082 on average. The p-value for â€Å"x† variable the percentage of minority population in the county is 0.0002, which is less than 0.01. Therefore, the percentage of minority population in the county significantly predicts the number of people in county

Semiotic OR discourse analysis of a magazine advertisement OR TV Essay

Semiotic OR discourse analysis of a magazine advertisement OR TV advertisement - Essay Example Semiotic OR discourse analysis of a magazine advertisement OR TV advertisement It can develop ergonomic design in circumstances where it is vital to make certain that individuals can work together more efficiently with their surroundings, whether it is on a big magnitude, as in structural design, or on a small extent, for instance, the arrangement of images and colours in images. Semiotic Analysis of the Dark Knight’s Advertisement This advertisement has the villain of the movie, rather than the hero. The viewers can easily recognize the Joker through his trademarks - his dark trench coat, the bright red lipstick, his mystifying and concealed face, the worn hang gloves, plus his seaweed green hair. However, the most prominent indicator that this is the Joker is that he has shown scribbling his catchphrase, â€Å"Why So Serious?† in the advertisement. By further exploring the picture, one gets the impression that he is inside or around the city. It is quite a dull day, with immense fog that makes visibility difficult. The townscape in the backdrop is hardly noticeable, and it appears to be very far away. The focus drops directly on the Joker himself. His body posture as well as the position of his fingers appears disorderly and strange. The smile that he is drawing with the red paint - or maybe blood - connotes that the Joker might not be a completely normal person. The fog in the image is an apparent indicator. It smudges and alters the vision, making it tougher to make out something or to recognize somebody (Leeuwen & Jawet, p. 94). The fog in the advertisement is a sign of the Joker’s lack of identity. Despite the fact that the fog is helpful in bringing the Joker into focus, it also helps in smudging his facial features, as well as a great deal of his coat. It makes the Joker appears as if he is a part of the fog; and as a result, the indicator draws attention to the reality that the Joker lacks identity. Advertisers use fog to highlight another point, which is gloominess. The shadowy, grumpy colours along with the fog bordering the image imply that it is a dull and murky situation (Mitry, p. 104). This is rather simple to observe. The gloominess itself is the sign of the personality of the Joker. There is a murkiness that encloses him, a sense of malevolence. Exactly similar to the time when something does not look correct on a dull day, something does not look normal with the Joker. It can be assumed that the gloominess itself is a representation for the Joker. The dull shade of blue in addition to foggy depiction is a sign of a threatening feeling of trouble (Lacey, p. 72). This is mainly because of the connotation of the â€Å"shower scene† that has publicized in various horror movies showing a barely visible hand behind the shower curtain or fogged glass surrounded by the mist. At some point, the picture of the Joker standing there connotes that he is in fact waiting outside a window, or even in your own house. He seems to be a psychopath who has been coming up for you. Another in dicator in this advertisement is the utilization of the Joker’s hands. His fingers are crooked and twisted. This depicts two things. First, he is not totally in control of his personal behaviour. This is a representation that he is psychological instable. Secondly, it reveals that he is suspicious as well as unreliable. It seems that his hands as well as fingers

Brand Impact and Popular Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Brand Impact and Popular Culture - Essay Example This paper illustrates that Matthew McConaughey is an American actor well known for his role in films like Dazed and Confused  (1993), Amistad  (1997), and Failure to Launch (2006). In recent years, McConaughey has featured in small, independent films and has featured in some exigent roles. Toyota Corolla was launched in 1966 primarily as a family car. It was positioned as a progressive and friendly vehicle. The newest version of the Corolla is focused on providing an instantaneous good feeling to the customer. There is a picture of a sleek, attractive Toyota Corolla zooming along the river side on the first slide of the theme board. The photograph of a smiling, friendly brand endorser on the same slide is used to encode the feeling of goodness. The Brand Typology model suggests that brands can be classified into eight categories namely Clean Slates, Weak Brands, Little Tigers, Defenders, Olympic, Classic, Specialist and Fading Stars by analyzing their momentum and familiarity in the marketplace. Olympic brands are illustrious and have a large customer base. These brands are usually the talk of the town and serve as benchmarks for other brands. At present Toyota Corolla is an Olympic brand. The car was launched in 1966 and is now pegged as the ‘World’s Most Popular Car’. The Japanese company has manufactured more than 40 million Toyota Corolla cars since its launch. The model is sold in more than 150 countries and regions around the world. McConaughey too is recognized worldwide. The experienced actor has staged a remarkable mid-career comeback and his popularity has increased tremendously in recent times. Good looks, humility, and award-winning performances have made McConaughey an admirable person.

About the workplace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

About the workplace - Essay Example This first impression clearly explains the culture of this organization. As an English teacher, my role in this organization is to perk up the standards of English in Alrashad elementary school, act as a mentor, counselor and team builder. This is inclusive of my other roles apart from that of being a teacher in the classroom setting. With the departure of the manager, there has been perceptible communiquà © breakdown in the school for about two weeks. The environment, in this case, plays a huge role in communication and co-existing behaviour among individuals. In this case, the absence of the school manager has resulted to communication failure since the orders do not come from a central organ as before. Field analysis can be applied for managing change in the school. This entails assigning various actions to various people in the school, since field theory has been termed as a change tool. The dynamic field of the usual Alrashad elementary school is experiencing some minuses in terms of loyalty to the bosses. Change in the school can be achieved through the acting managers chairing meetings and briefs to constantly remind the staff that they are obliged to perform their roles effectively. There is a need to sign lesson attendance sheets by the educators whilst the support staff will be required to sign in on the roles performed. Assigning each field a role to play means that they will have an objective to meet at the end of the day; thus, field theory allows for implementation of the goals and mission of Alrashad elementary school even without the manager’s command. Group dynamic theory can be applied in the case of Alrashad elementary school with the absence of the manager for two weeks. On the other hand, it is evident that Alrashad elementary school is a social group that encompasses group dynamics. An application of the group dynamic theory would be useful

This House believes dumbing down Essay Example for Free

This House believes dumbing down Essay Is harming children. It is my belief that television has overstepped its boundaries. It is my belief that children are becoming desensitised towards violence. It is my belief that this is to stop. What if I was to tell you that there are, today, half as many art programmes as there were in 1992? What if I was to tell you that current affairs programmes have fallen by more than a third? The truth is that all television executives want to do is make money, they do not want to provide a service, and they do not want to make the world a better place. And the reason that these programmes do not make money is the change of our childrens cultures. They no longer want to watch a programme that is educational; they would rather watch meaningless rubbish that caters for the intellectually challenged. I know this because I am guilty of it. I would much rather watch the ninth series of friends than watch the news, and I would much rather watch the Simpsons than watch an art programme. Let me describe to you a period. In this time period television is useful; shows provide a public service whilst still maintaining good ratings. In this time television has a purpose, which it lacks in this modern time. This time was when television was first produced. Its maker intended it to inform the masses about day-to-day events and problems, but this ideal has spiralled out of control. Your children are becoming desensitised, not only to sex, regularly displayed before the watershed, but to violence as well. Children growing up will become young men, and these young men will copy what theyve seen on television. You all know what impressionable young children are capable of. It has happened recently; a trio of gangsters, barely twenty, gunned down two innocent girls at a New Year party as a result of gang warfare. These people have to get their ideals somewhere, and if they are not in a strong family they will look to other mediums for guidance, like television, like videogames, and they will think the things are idols do are alright. Let me tell you this is not the case! Just recently there has been a story running in Coronation Street of a murderer and a drug dealer, and in the final episode two people were graphically murdered with a crowbar! And this was at seven thirty, well before the watershed. We are in the year of the couch potato. 78 % of people under sixty in the United Kingdom watch more television than read books. And if this television is of the aforementioned quality then this disturbs me. What about the literary skills that will be wasted? TV Quiz shows such as the weakest link and Who wants to be a millionaire, which value, random factual knowledge over, deeper understanding are creating a generation of vacuous teenagers, according to a leading Headmaster. Dr Giles Mercer, head of Prior park College in Bath believes that unless teenagers are fed a more demanding diet by the media they will become cynical about politics and apathetic about voting. So television is actually harming your children. So think of the children brought up to watch soaps rather than read a good book, which provides entertainment whilst also benefiting the child involved. But as long as we are entertained, right? Wrong! Television has pushed its limits; certainly there have been some events worthy of recognition, but in the main the programmes shown are demolishing our morals, they are making us complacent about the world around us. Not many people could argue Jerry Springer has a positive impact on our nations youth. If we were to believe everything television told us then we would all be certain that bombing Iraq is the right thing to do. The remaining factual programmes are often biased and do not show the big picture, e. g. what about the refugees, what about the children, are they part of Saddams regime? There are people who believe, as I do, that television could be beneficial for us; Tess Alps, deputy chairman of the media agency writes, I believe that the recent dumbing down of programmes and relaxation of censorship is wrong. Television could be successful, and informative but Television chiefs just dont want to see it.

Composite Performance framework (CPF) Application

Composite Performance framework (CPF) Application The scope of this dissertation is; To diagnose issues within a division, project or company within the mining and allied industries. To give guidelines on assessing the nature of the issues. To provide guidelines on corrective actions for those perceived issues. To take steps to prevent it from reoccurring. To embrace continuous improvement in all aspects of the operations and where possible to extend this continuous improvement to employees personal lives. This research has limitations, in that the research of literature is taken from all over the world with much of the literature coming from the USA, and the heuristic component is harvested through local Australian and Africa experience. Whilst these limitations are not all encompassing, they are nonetheless limitations. A research dissertations such as this: Does not guarantee outcomes Only addresses identified issues Does not guarantee access to replacement of personnel Does not guarantee Management driven solutions Does not instantly cure a culture that may be weak Works within the confines of the operational dynamics of that site Research done mostly on coal mines and associated industries This dissertation is based on the application and implementation of the Composite Performance framework (CPF). This research is derived from the experience of this researcher and is harvested from the mining and related industries. The outcomes of this research are intended to benefit the mining industries in its future endeavours, especially management at all levels. Appendix E demonstrates the application of the CPF. Chapter 6 introduced case studies using the CPF and these chapters will introduce the implementation of the composite performance framework (CPF) as well as managerial practices within the mining industry in more detail. This current chapter will address some issues as they are seen by this researcher and methodologies to restrain them. The nature of the mining industry calls for a different and in some cases a unique set of managerial skills and tools, such as a succession and training plans, due to the high attrition rates, discussed in earlier chapters of this dissertation. Implementation practices using the CPF in the mining industry. As demonstrated in Ch 6, management is not a passive function, but rather an ongoing active and proactive function. Ignoring issues and not dealing with them in a prompt and decisive manner will cause issues to morph into potentially larger issues that could be even more difficult to resolve. This dissertation has focused on implementing change in the mining industry. Change merely for the sake of change, and change without gain are of no benefit to the organisation. By the same token; the absence of change is static, and will not help a company progress or take advantage of new technology and possibilities. All change to be implemented must be evaluated to assess the change that will benefit the organisation. As mentioned in Ch 2 of this dissertation, it is not good enough to do things correctly; the correct factors need to be established, and they must be implemented correctly. Management and planned change must be programmed according to the changing and growing objectives of the organisation and its people. All changes must be able to be measured, and based on the continuous improvement philosophy; must show measured change, on track and in accordance with the scheduled objectives of the company or operations. Previous chapters of this dissertation raise various issues within the mining industry including aspects and issues within the management of the mining industry. The mining industry has taken steps to resolve some managerial issues in the mining industry and to this end have introduced some training courses which are mandatory for anyone that will supervise another mine worker in any way. Any intended change must be preceded by a operational process plan, a basic idea of what a broad operational process will look like, when implementing change in accordance with the CPF philosophy. RQ1: What are the elements of a framework that can be used to address mine operational problems and issues? In answer to RQ1 this researcher is convinced that all five aspects of the CPF are valid frames to re-engineer a company or organisation within the mining or allied industries. The five elements can be seen in chapter 4 and also within the case studies presented in chapter 6. The five elements of the CPF were developed to cover all aspects of change management and to be flexible and to deliver sustainable change by way of the continuous cycle of assessment. RQ2: What are the appropriate strategies to initially identify mining operational problems and issues? In answer to RQ2 this researcher states, that by assessing the operation to be re-engineered the manager assigned to implement change, will be made aware of problems and issues within that organisation. His role is to find areas where change will be rejected and how to best deal with that situation as and when it arises. Communication is vital at all stages of the change implementation process. Chapter 4 and the case studies in chapter 6 demonstrate this effectively. RQ3: What is the efficacy of the CPF in mining operations? In answer to RQ3, this researcher is comfortable that the CPF is a highly efficacious tool to re-engineer organisations within the mining industry. Chapter 6 of this dissert Introduction When projects are conceived, they are costed out and a cost is assessed. This cost is invariably a budget cost to complete the project. The next stage is to assess whether that cost can be negotiated down and cost savings to be sought. This is usually done by value improvement processes. This stage is commonly known as a value improvement process (VIP), and assembles a team of experienced managers within the field at assess each cost and see where savings can be gained. A normal project function with any large project in the mining industry is that of Value Improvement Process (VIP); Value Engineering (VE) forms a part of VIP Process. Value Engineering is a methodology where the best possible engineering or process practices are employed to gain a value advantage to ensure that the project remains viable. This is initially achieved by a VIP project using a series of workshops, usually facilitated by an independent facilitator. The primary objective of a VIP project it to gain cost reductions, without losing value or functionality project wide, in order to reduce costs and improve the net present value (NPV) as well as improve operating costs into the future. This researcher uses a number of specific strategies when implementing the CPF. These are briefly considered: Brain storming. This is used in group situations with relevant team members as well as the VIP team. Identification of local champions. Local champions are usually selected in conjunction with supervisors and management meetings, and team leaders that know the team structure better. Identification of local champions s detailed below. As with so many professionals; in developing a VIP project, the VIP project manager will discover that professional single mindedness prevails and can cost the project dearly if not handled correctly. In order to address the above, this researcher in using the CPF uses the workshops as an idea generation methodology. In short it is a Brainstorming exercise. This researcher considers that the usual form of Brainstorming is counter-productive rather than conducive to the idea generation. This is because of some team members that may be experienced but silent during the brain storing sessions. This researcher will introduce a more beneficial manner of generating ideas and concepts in section 7.5 of this chapter. The objective is more than to generate ideas; it is to generate the best quality of new ideas. Another area of integration effectiveness can be derived from self-managed work teams. Of equal importance is the need for local champions (normally leading hands or supervisors) among current work teams†¦they become information gatherers and disseminators, coaches and mentors, teachers, consultants and facilitators. Identification of local champions Local champions at times, are just one of the team members. However, they are crucial because they are usually respected and their peers carefully consider their views. Local champions in the mining industry are quite often the Leading Hands or the Supervisors. When placing champions in work teams, through positive problem solving and conflict management strategies, they may help various group representatives to confront existing conflict. It is the conviction of this researcher that the Leading Hands and Supervisors are the quintessential managers on a mine site or mining project. Enhance / promote problem solving behaviour The effectiveness of each organisation in achieving integration or administering change management programmes is directly related to the extent that its members rely on problem-solving behaviour to resolve conflicts. In order to implement problem-solving behaviour and at the same time establish commitment to work teams, champions need to be competent in their: skills in human interaction ability to form quick and functional relationships deciding priorities among goals ensuring decisions are fair and equitable Some of the conditions, which foster integration within an organisation, are: external communications internal communications empowerment team training and team learning Team work Team work is when a team works in harmony with each other to reach certain goals and objectives for the company, but also to a lesser degree for each member of that team. During the implementation process of change it is critical that teams work together with each member as well as other teams and management. Meet regularly with teams and discuss the planned as well as completed organisational changes and what outcomes are expected. Recognise that teams will understand that you may not have the answers to everything, but it is important for them to feel the communication is candid. Regularly communicate agreed goals and the vision of the new situation Encourage teams to discuss fears and concerns in teams Open suggestion boxes for employees to raise questions in anonymity Whenever possible, assign roles and responsibilities in line with teams interests Obtain individual team member buy-in Obtain commitment from the team members to the change Minimise any resistance that is suspected Reduce team anxiety Ensure total clarity of objectives Share the information and the goals Challenge the current situation and allow the team members to do the same Obtain clarity from the senior management as well as the team members Minimise uncertainty

Cryptography With Biometrics For Secure Key Exchange

Cryptography With Biometrics For Secure Key Exchange Biometrics is the application of biometry techniques to the authentication and automatic identification of people in security systems. The traditional concept of biometry addresses the application of mathematical and statistical techniques to biological sciences. Biometrics on the other hand can be said to be the science of recognizing the identity of a person based on the physical or behavioural attributes of the individual such as face, fingerprints, voice and iris (Jain et al). In Modern society, Biometrics has been important to large scale identity management systems whose functionality relies on the accurate determination of an individuals identity in several different applications context (). Traditional methods of establishing a persons identity includes knowledge based (e.g., passwords) and token based (e.g., ID cards) mechanisms, but these substitute representations of identity can be lost easily, shared, manipulated or stolen thereby compromising the intended security. By using biometrics it is possible to establish an identity based on who you are, rather than by what you possess, such as an ID card, or what you remember, such as a password (Poli et al, 2009). Biometrics is not recommended for every application and user, and in some cases biometric authentication is simply the wrong solution. Defining those environments in which biometrics offers the strongest benefit to individuals and institutions is one of the major challenges facing the biometric industry As time goes by, the increasing success and affordability of biometric technologies has continually broadened the range of applications in which biometrics operate effectively (). Cryptography is the science of writing in secret code and is an ancient art. The goal of cryptography extends beyond merely making data unreadable. In this project it also extends into user authentication. The security of a cryptographic system is dependent relatively on the secrecy of the cryptographic key and not causing inconvenience when it falls in the hand of the enemy. Therefore, the key issue in cryptography is key management (Dong et al, 2008). Biometrics can be used to protect the key in cryptography, while cryptography and data hiding can be used to protect biometric templates (). Combining biometrics and cryptography together will have the potential to offer higher assurance of the legal information holder. Key management is an important issue in cryptographic systems. There are several ways to combine biometrics with a cryptosystem, namely: Biometrics key release Biometrics key generation Biometrics key binding In a key release mode, biometrics plays a predetermined role in a cryptosystem. The key would be released to users only if biometric matching is successful. A key generation mode requires the key of a cryptosystem being derived directly from a biometric template, hence the unique biometrics provides a unique key for the security system based on some transform or feature extraction. In the key binding mode, the system binds a cryptographic key with the users biometrics at the time of enrolment. The key would be retrieved only upon a successful authentication. The key generation/binding modes seem to be more secure than the key release mode because in key release mode, the user authentication and key release are two separate parts (Dong et al, 2008). The conventional cryptography systems do not need any complex pattern recognition strategy as in biometric systems. They almost always depend on an accurate key matching process. That is, it requires that keys are exactly correct and does not tolerate a single bit error. However, as biometric characteristics are known to be variable and noisy and each new biometric sample is always different, only an approximate match under a threshold between the input biometric data to a corresponding stored template would lead the authentication successful. Aim and Objectives Integrating only biometric authentication on systems exposes new problems. This project investigates how to enhance biometrics security using cryptographic encryption and attempts to present an overview of an up to date research in this increasingly important topic by putting biometrics, cryptography and data hiding in the same context of security enhancement. The Objectives in this project are to: Identify the main characteristics of Biometrics. Identify the main security characteristics of Cryptography and Biometrics. Identify threats and attacks towards Biometrics. Propose countermeasures for securing Biometric Templates. Evaluate attack techniques against Crypto-Systems. Research Question The following research questions have been identified after some initial investigation and going through the initial literature review. Will the combination of biometrics and cryptography secure a system from attacks and produce a secured channel to exchange data. Hypotheses The hypotheses below have been created by extensive research into biometric systems, cryptographic encryption and the security. The hypotheses created in this project are the initial reviews and may change throughout the project. The identification of threats and attacks in biometrics and cryptographic systems security. The information collected will be used to create attack scenarios to conduct an experiment on the different threats faced by biometric systems and cryptographic encryption then identify any countermeasures that can be used to secure the system. Rationale Section 2 Methods 2.1. Secondary Research Method (Literature Review) The literature review will give a detailed insight into the combination of biometrics and cryptography for the purpose of securing data exchanges. By looking at the wider topic before the development will allow the study to take a more furnished approach to a useful answer to the research question. The main objectives of the literature review will be to: Identify the main characteristics of Biometrics. Identify the main security characteristics of Cryptography and Biometrics. Identify threats and attacks towards Biometrics. Identify threats and attacks towards Cryptographic Encryption. Countermeasures for securing Biometric Templates. Evaluate attack techniques against Crypto-Systems. Identifying suitable data gathering techniques for the project. Identifying suitable data analyse techniques for the project. 2.1.1 Literature Sources Books Journals Journal of Applied Security Research, 2010 International Journal of Computer Science and Network Security, 2009 Information Forensics and Security, 2010 Conferences Science and Technology for Humanity (TIC-STH), 2009 IEEE Toronto International Conference, 2009 Computer Security Applications Conference, 2008 Websites IEEE/IEE Electronic Library (IEL) via IEEE Xplore http://www.ieee.org/ieeexplore ProQuest http://proquest.umi.com Springerlink www.springerlink.com 2.2. Primary Research Method (Experiment) Section 3 Resources and Risks 3.1. Required Resources Throughout this project, many resources are required for carrying out the experiment and the initial literature review. 3.1.1. Literature based resources Access to Glasgow Caledonian University library: To gain access to computers to research literature on the internet, Athens, or access books which have been published by authors that may be relevant to Cryptography and Biometrics. Internet connectivity for any other research such as Google scholar: Home and university based internet connectivity will be needed to further research any literature that may be needed. 3.1.2. Experiment based resources 3.2. Risks Section 4 Project Plan The main tasks which have to be completed during the project, the estimated time to complete and any deliverables that may be available at that time of the project are shown below. A Gantt chart will be produced to show the tasks to be done in parallel rather than in sequence to manage time effectively and avoid delays. 4.1. Project Task

Cookies & Privacy :: essays research papers fc

Data Communications â€Å"Cookies and their Impact on Privacy†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In today’s fast paced world of internet commerce it would be hard to accomplish many of the tasks without the creation of â€Å"cookies.† Since their advent, cookies have been given a bad name and associated immediately with a loss of privacy. In April of 2001 a newspaper article defined cookies as, â€Å"†¦programs that Web sites put on your hard disk. They sit on your computer gathering information about you and everything you do on the Internet, and whenever the Web site wants to it can download all of the information the cookie has collected.† (www.howstuffworks.com) This article could not be any farther from the truth. Cookies are not programs and do not perform any actions as they sit on your hard drive. According to Netscape, â€Å"Cookies are a general mechanism which server side connections (such as CGI scripts) can use to both store and retrieve information on the client side of the connection. The addition of a simple, persist ent, client-side state significantly extends the capabilities of Web-based client/server applications.† As cookies have emerged to the forefront their association with their user’s privacy has become more of an issue as time progresses.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Even though cookies serve an important role in today’s e-commerce and advertising industries, it is impossible not to think of them as a breach in user security. There is something about a seemingly forced piece of information being saved on your computer for the use of a computer hundreds or even thousands of miles away. One can only think of one word. Privacy. Who’s to say that company’s are using the information gathered by these cookies and using them for good. How do I know that you are collecting cookies for your own advertising or e-commercial purposes rather than probing me as a candidate for the ever-present adware? Do I want vendors to know exactly what it is I usually shop for when I get online? Do I really need to save my shopping time by one or two clicks with the sacrifice of decreased privacy? These are questions that each user asks themselves when we look at our internet security settings or when we are denied access to a site based on our cookie settings. Many companies have been labeled with improper actions concerning cookies. A company named DoubleClick was forced to reach a settlement in 2002 for improper conduct concerning cookies.

Entering International Markets Essay -- GCSE Entering A Foreign Market

Entering International Markets Measuring a potential business venture has many aspects which the international manager must be aware of in order to convey the correct information back to the decision makers. Being ignorant to any of the aspects can lead to a false representation of the project, and hence an uninformed decision being passed. In order for a business to survive it must grow. For growth to be optimal, management must first be able to identify the most attractive prospective leads. The country as a whole, specifically geography, government, and financial aspects must be looked at in order to yield the best possible picture of the market a company wishes to enter. Concentration should be placed on gathering reliable facts that are backed up by more than one source. It is to be hoped that after creating "a picture" of the market, management's analysis of the potential business venture and plan of action will be structured as to avoid losses and to find the most profitable scenarios. The success of the multinational corporation lies on the shoulders of it's management. International management and organization-design expert Henry Mintzenberg says every CEO has three essential duties: direct supervision, development of the organization's strategy, and management of the organization's boundary conditions. Top management's responsibility at and beyond the organization's boundaries is largely a communication responsibility; however, no commonly accepted model exists for decision, execution, and assessment of communication opportunities. Within even some of the largest and most venerable organizations, the process used is haphazard and inconsistent. The Wyatt Company's survey of communications professionals showed that just 58.1 percent agreed that their organization's communication objectives are linked to business objectives, and 83.3 percent reported that their organizations conduct no formal review of return on communications investment. CEOs must establish and re inforce an organization's image in public by viewing each target public as a client; by doing research, looking at trends, and talking to experts, a CEO focuses on selling what the client wants to buy.1 Finding a country to conduct business in can be a very easy task depending on if the organization's top management follows the advice of Mr. Mintzenberg. The way a company normally d... ...atistics on market for your product (internal production plus imports less exports) * Source: Penetrating the International Market, p.27-8. Bibliography: 1 McGrath, John J. Sell Your CEO! Vital Speeches of the Day. vol. 61-14. May 1, 1995: 444-7. 2 Stuart, Robert Douglas. Penetrating the International Market. American Management Association. New York 1965: 25-39. 3 Haner, F.T. Multinational Management. Merrill. Columbus, Ohio 1973: 43-58. 4 Ewing, John S. and Meissner, Frank. International Business Management; Readings and Cases. Wadsworth. Belmont, California. 1964: 146-70. 5 Robinson, Richard D. International Management. Holt, Reinhart and Winston. New York. 1967: 71-85. 6 Morden, Tony. International Culture and Management. Management Decision. vol. 33-2. 1995:16-21. 7 Harris, Philip R. and Moran, Robert T. Managing Cultural Differences. Gulf. Houston, Texas. 1979: 12-24. 8 Fayerweather, John. International Business Management; A Conceptual Framework. McGraw-Hill. New York. 1969: 51-64. 9 Haner, F.T. Multinational Management. Merill. Columbus, Ohio. 1973: 60-64.

Ronald Regan :: essays research papers

Reagan, Ronald Wilson (1911- ), 40th president of the United States (1981-1989) Ronald Reagan was born in Tampico, Illinois. In a family of 3 boys he was the youngest. His father was a traveling shoe salesman. Reagan's mother taught Reagan how to read at an early age, which heavily influenced him positively. Most of Reagan's childhood was spent in Dixon, Illinois. Reagan attended and graduated from Eureka College a small religious school around Peoria, Illinois. He majored in economics, and he was president of the student body, a player on the football team, and captain of the swimming team. He also looked toward acting, but when Reagan graduated the only available related to show business was a local radio sportscaster. In 1936 Reagan became a sportscaster for station WHO in Des Moines, Iowa. 1937 Reagan went to Hollywood and began to work as an actor he starred in more then 50 films like Knute Rockne-All American, king’s Row, and Bedtime for Bonzo. He married actress Jane Wyman and they had two children. After eight years of marriage they got divorced and Reagan remarried Nancy Davis. They had two children. Reagan's first political activities were associated with his responsibilities as a union leader. As union president, Reagan tried to remove suspected Communists from the movie industry. When the U.S. House Committee on Un-American Activities began an investigation in 1947 on the influence of Communists in the film industry, Reagan took a strong anti-Communist stand testifying before the committee. As governor or California, Reagan became one of several widely known conservative politicians who wanted to slow down government involvement in the economy and society. In 1968 Reagan’s first term as governor, he decided to run for presidency. He lost to Nixon. After completing his term as governor, Reagan decided to run for president again. This time he challenged Gerald Ford for the 1976 presidency.

A Game of Thrones Chapter Twenty-two

Arya Her father had been fighting with the council again. Arya could see it on his face when he came to table, late again, as he had been so often. The first course, a thick sweet soup made with pumpkins, had already been taken away when Ned Stark strode into the Small Hall. They called it that to set it apart from the Great Hall, where the king could feast a thousand, but it was a long room with a high vaulted ceiling and bench space for two hundred at its trestle tables. â€Å"My lord,† Jory said when Father entered. He rose to his feet, and the rest of the guard rose with him. Each man wore a new cloak, heavy grey wool with a white satin border. A hand of beaten silver clutched the woolen folds of each cloak and marked their wearers as men of the Hand's household guard. There were only fifty of them, so most of the benches were empty. â€Å"Be seated,† Eddard Stark said. â€Å"I see you have started without me. I am pleased to know there are still some men of sense in this city.† He signaled for the meal to resume. The servants began bringing out platters of ribs, roasted in a crust of garlic and herbs. â€Å"The talk in the yard is we shall have a tourney, my lord,† Jory said as he resumed his seat. â€Å"They say that knights will come from all over the realm to joust and feast in honor of your appointment as Hand of the King.† Arya could see that her father was not very happy about that. â€Å"Do they also say this is the last thing in the world I would have wished?† Sansa's eyes had grown wide as the plates. â€Å"A tourney,† she breathed. She was seated between Septa Mordane and Jeyne Poole, as far from Arya as she could get without drawing a reproach from Father. â€Å"Will we be permitted to go, Father?† â€Å"You know my feelings, Sansa. It seems I must arrange Robert's games and pretend to be honored for his sake. That does not mean I must subject my daughters to this folly.† â€Å"Oh, please,† Sansa said. â€Å"I want to see.† Septa Mordane spoke up. â€Å"Princess Myrcella will be there, my lord, and her younger than Lady Sansa. All the ladies of the court will be expected at a grand event like this, and as the tourney is in your honor, it would look queer if your family did not attend.† Father looked pained. â€Å"I suppose so. Very well, I shall arrange a place for you, Sansa.† He saw Arya. â€Å"For both of you.† â€Å"I don't care about their stupid tourney,† Arya said. She knew Prince Joffrey would be there, and she hated Prince Joffrey. Sansa lifted her head. â€Å"It will be a splendid event. You shan't be wanted.† Anger flashed across Father's face. â€Å"Enough, Sansa. More of that and you will change my mind. I am weary unto death of this endless war you two are fighting. You are sisters. I expect you to behave like sisters, is that understood?† Sansa bit her lip and nodded. Arya lowered her face to stare sullenly at her plate. She could feel tears stinging her eyes. She rubbed them away angrily, determined not to cry. The only sound was the clatter of knives and forks. â€Å"Pray excuse me,† her father announced to the table. â€Å"I find I have small appetite tonight.† He walked from the hall. After he was gone, Sansa exchanged excited whispers with Jeyne Poole. Down the table Jory laughed at a joke, and Hullen started in about horseflesh. â€Å"Your warhorse, now, he may not be the best one for the joust. Not the same thing, oh, no, not the same at all.† The men had heard it all before; Desmond, Jacks, and Hullen's son Harwin shouted him down together, and Porther called for more wine. No one talked to Arya. She didn't care. She liked it that way. She would have eaten her meals alone in her bedchamber if they let her. Sometimes they did, when Father had to dine with the king or some lord or the envoys from this place or that place. The rest of the time, they ate in his solar, just him and her and Sansa. That was when Arya missed her brothers most. She wanted to tease Bran and play with baby Rickon and have Robb smile at her. She wanted Jon to muss up her hair and call her â€Å"little sister† and finish her sentences with her. But all of them were gone. She had no one left but Sansa, and Sansa wouldn't even talk to her unless Father made her. Back at Winterfell, they had eaten in the Great Hall almost half the time. Her father used to say that a lord needed to eat with his men, if he hoped to keep them. â€Å"Know the men who follow you,† she heard him tell Robb once, â€Å"and let them know you. Don't ask your men to die for a stranger.† At Winterfell, he always had an extra seat set at his own table, and every day a different man would be asked to join him. One night it would be Vayon Poole, and the talk would be coppers and bread stores and servants. The next time it would be Mikken, and her father would listen to him go on about armor and swords and how hot a forge should be and the best way to temper steel. Another day it might be Hullen with his endless horse talk, or Septon Chayle from the library, or Jory, or Ser Rodrik, or even Old Nan with her stories. Arya had loved nothing better than to sit at her father's table and listen to them talk. She had loved listening to the men on the benches too; to freeriders tough as leather, courtly knights and bold young squires, grizzled old men-at-arms. She used to throw snowballs at them and help them steal pies from the kitchen. Their wives gave her scones and she invented names for their babies and played monsters-and-maidens and hide-the-treasure and come-into-my-castle with their children. Fat Tom used to call her â€Å"Arya Underfoot,† because he said that was where she always was. She'd liked that a lot better than â€Å"Arya Horseface.† Only that was Winterfell, a world away, and now everything was changed. This was the first time they had supped with the men since arriving in King's Landing. Arya hated it. She hated the sounds of their voices now, the way they laughed, the stories they told. They'd been her friends, she'd felt safe around them, but now she knew that was a lie. They'd let the queen kill Lady, that was horrible enough, but then the Hound found Mycah. Jeyne Poole had told Arya that he'd cut him up in so many pieces that they'd given him back to the butcher in a bag, and at first the poor man had thought it was a pig they'd slaughtered. And no one had raised a voice or drawn a blade or anything, not Harwin who always talked so bold, or Alyn who was going to be a knight, or Jory who was captain of the guard. Not even her father. â€Å"He was my friend,† Arya whispered into her plate, so low that no one could hear. Her ribs sat there untouched, grown cold now, a thin film of grease congealing beneath them on the plate. Arya looked at them and felt ill. She pushed away from the table. â€Å"Pray, where do you think you are going, young lady?† Septa Mordane asked. â€Å"I'm not hungry.† Arya found it an effort to remember her courtesies. â€Å"May I be excused, please?† she recited stiffly. â€Å"You may not,† the septa said. â€Å"You have scarcely touched your food. You will sit down and clean your plate.† â€Å"You clean it!† Before anyone could stop her, Arya bolted for the door as the men laughed and Septa Mordane called loudly after her, her voice rising higher and higher. Fat Tom was at his post, guarding the door to the Tower of the Hand. He blinked when he saw Arya rushing toward him and heard the septa's shouts. â€Å"Here now, little one, hold on,† he started to say, reaching, but Arya slid between his legs and then she was running up the winding tower steps, her feet hammering on the stone while Fat Tom huffed and puffed behind her. Her bedchamber was the only place that Arya liked in all of King's Landing, and the thing she liked best about it was the door, a massive slab of dark oak with black iron bands. When she slammed that door and dropped the heavy crossbar, nobody could get into her room, not Septa Mordane or Fat Tom or Sansa or Jory or the Hound, nobody! She slammed it now. When the bar was down, Arya finally felt safe enough to cry. She went to the window seat and sat there, sniffling, hating them all, and herself most of all. It was all her fault, everything bad that had happened. Sansa said so, and Jeyne too. Fat Tom was knocking on her door. â€Å"Arya girl, what's wrong?† he called out. â€Å"You in there?† â€Å"No!† she shouted. The knocking stopped. A moment later she heard him going away. Fat Tom was always easy to fool. Arya went to the chest at the foot of her bed. She knelt, opened the lid, and began pulling her clothes out with both hands, grabbing handfuls of silk and satin and velvet and wool and tossing them on the floor. It was there at the bottom of the chest, where she'd hidden it. Arya lifted it out almost tenderly and drew the slender blade from its sheath. Needle. She thought of Mycah again and her eyes filled with tears. Her fault, her fault, her fault. If she had never asked him to play at swords with her . . . There was a pounding at her door, louder than before. â€Å"Arya Stark, you open this door at once, do you hear me?† Arya spun around, with Needle in her hand. â€Å"You better not come in here!† she warned. She slashed at the air savagely. â€Å"The Hand will hear of this!† Septa Mordane raged. â€Å"I don't care,† Arya screamed. â€Å"Go away.† â€Å"You will rue this insolent behavior, young lady, I promise you that.† Arya listened at the door until she heard the sound of the septa's receding footsteps. She went back to the window, Needle in hand, and looked down into the courtyard below. If only she could climb like Bran, she thought; she would go out the window and down the tower, run away from this horrible place, away from Sansa and Septa Mordane and Prince Joffrey, from all of them. Steal some food from the kitchens, take Needle and her good boots and a warm cloak. She could find Nymeria in the wild woods below the Trident, and together they'd return to Winterfell, or run to Jon on the Wall. She found herself wishing that Jon was here with her now. Then maybe she wouldn't feel so alone. A soft knock at the door behind her turned Arya away from the window and her dreams of escape. â€Å"Arya,† her father's voice called out. â€Å"Open the door. We need to talk.† Arya crossed the room and lifted the crossbar. Father was alone. He seemed more sad than angry. That made Arya feel even worse. â€Å"May I come in?† Arya nodded, then dropped her eyes, ashamed. Father closed the door. â€Å"Whose sword is that?† â€Å"Mine.† Arya had almost forgotten Needle, in her hand. â€Å"Give it to me.† Reluctantly Arya surrendered her sword, wondering if she would ever hold it again. Her father turned it in the light, examining both sides of the blade. He tested the point with his thumb. â€Å"A bravo's blade,† he said. â€Å"Yet it seems to me that I know this maker's mark. This is Mikken's work.† Arya could not lie to him. She lowered her eyes. Lord Eddard Stark sighed. â€Å"My nine-year-old daughter is being armed from my own forge, and I know nothing of it. The Hand of the King is expected to rule the Seven Kingdoms, yet it seems I cannot even rule my own household. How is it that you come to own a sword, Arya? Where did you get this?† Arya chewed her lip and said nothing. She would not betray Jon, not even to their father. After a while, Father said, â€Å"I don't suppose it matters, truly.† He looked down gravely at the sword in his hands. â€Å"This is no toy for children, least of all for a girl. What would Septa Mordane say if she knew you were playing with swords?† â€Å"I wasn't playing,† Arya insisted. â€Å"I hate Septa Mordane.† â€Å"That's enough.† Her father's voice was curt and hard. â€Å"The septa is doing no more than is her duty, though gods know you have made it a struggle for the poor woman. Your mother and I have charged her with the impossible task of making you a lady.† â€Å"I don't want to be a lady!† Arya flared. â€Å"I ought to snap this toy across my knee here and now, and put an end to this nonsense.† â€Å"Needle wouldn't break,† Arya said defiantly, but her voice betrayed her words. â€Å"It has a name, does it?† Her father sighed. â€Å"Ah, Arya. You have a wildness in you, child. ‘The wolf blood,' my father used to call it. Lyanna had a touch of it, and my brother Brandon more than a touch. It brought them both to an early grave.† Arya heard sadness in his voice; he did not often speak of his father, or of the brother and sister who had died before she was born. â€Å"Lyanna might have carried a sword, if my lord father had allowed it. You remind me of her sometimes. You even look like her.† â€Å"Lyanna was beautiful,† Arya said, startled. Everybody said so. It was not a thing that was ever said of Arya. â€Å"She was,† Eddard Stark agreed, â€Å"beautiful, and willful, and dead before her time.† He lifted the sword, held it out between them. â€Å"Arya, what did you think to do with this . . . Needle? Who did you hope to skewer? Your sister? Septa Mordane? Do you know the first thing about sword fighting?† All she could think of was the lesson Jon had given her. â€Å"Stick them with the pointy end,† she blurted out. Her father snorted back laughter. â€Å"That is the essence of it, I suppose.† Arya desperately wanted to explain, to make him see. â€Å"I was trying to learn, but . . . † Her eyes filled with tears. â€Å"I asked Mycah to practice with me.† The grief came on her all at once. She turned away, shaking. â€Å"I asked him,† she cried. â€Å"It was my fault, it was me . . . â€Å" Suddenly her father's arms were around her. He held her gently as she turned to him and sobbed against his chest. â€Å"No, sweet one,† he murmured. â€Å"Grieve for your friend, but never blame yourself. You did not kill the butcher's boy. That murder lies at the Hound's door, him and the cruel woman he serves.† â€Å"I hate them,† Arya confided, red-faced, sniffling. â€Å"The Hound and the queen and the king and Prince Joffrey. I hate all of them. Joffrey lied, it wasn't the way he said. I hate Sansa too. She did remember, she just lied so Joffrey would like her.† â€Å"We all lie,† her father said. â€Å"Or did you truly think I'd believe that Nymeria ran off?† Arya blushed guiltily. â€Å"Jory promised not to tell.† â€Å"Jory kept his word,† her father said with a smile. â€Å"There are some things I do not need to be told. Even a blind man could see that wolf would never have left you willingly.† â€Å"We had to throw rocks,† she said miserably. â€Å"I told her to run, to go be free, that I didn't want her anymore. There were other wolves for her to play with, we heard them howling, and Jory said the woods were full of game, so she'd have deer to hunt. Only she kept following, and finally we had to throw rocks. I hit her twice. She whined and looked at me and I felt so ‘shamed, but it was right, wasn't it? The queen would have killed her.† â€Å"It was right,† her father said. â€Å"And even the lie was . . . not without honor.† He'd put Needle aside when he went to Arya to embrace her. Now he took the blade up again and walked to the window, where he stood for a moment, looking out across the courtyard. When he turned back, his eyes were thoughtful. He seated himself on the window seat, Needle across his lap. â€Å"Arya, sit down. I need to try and explain some things to you.† She perched anxiously on the edge of her bed. â€Å"You are too young to be burdened with all my cares,† he told her, â€Å"but you are also a Stark of Winterfell. You know our words.† â€Å"Winter is coming,† Arya whispered. â€Å"The hard cruel times,† her father said. â€Å"We tasted them on the Trident, child, and when Bran fell. You were born in the long summer, sweet one, you've never known anything else, but now the winter is truly coming. Remember the sigil of our House, Arya.† â€Å"The direwolf,† she said, thinking of Nymeria. She hugged her knees against her chest, suddenly afraid. â€Å"Let me tell you something about wolves, child. When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives. Summer is the time for squabbles. In winter, we must protect one another, keep each other warm, share our strengths. So if you must hate, Arya, hate those who would truly do us harm. Septa Mordane is a good woman, and Sansa . . . Sansa is your sister. You may be as different as the sun and the moon, but the same blood flows through both your hearts. You need her, as she needs you . . . and I need both of you, gods help me.† He sounded so tired that it made Arya sad. â€Å"I don't hate Sansa,† she told him. â€Å"Not truly.† It was only half a lie. â€Å"I do not mean to frighten you, but neither will I lie to you. We have come to a dark dangerous place, child. This is not Winterfell. We have enemies who mean us ill. We cannot fight a war among ourselves. This willfulness of yours, the running off, the angry words, the disobedience . . . at home, these were only the summer games of a child. Here and now, with winter soon upon us, that is a different matter. It is time to begin growing up.† â€Å"I will,† Arya vowed. She had never loved him so much as she did in that instant. â€Å"I can be strong too. I can be as strong as Robb.† He held Needle out to her, hilt first. â€Å"Here.† She looked at the sword with wonder in her eyes. For a moment she was afraid to touch it, afraid that if she reached for it it would be snatched away again, but then her father said, â€Å"Go on, it's yours,† and she took it in her hand. â€Å"I can keep it?† she said. â€Å"For true?† â€Å"For true.† He smiled. â€Å"If I took it away, no doubt I'd find a morningstar hidden under your pillow within the fortnight. Try not to stab your sister, whatever the provocation.† â€Å"I won't. I promise.† Arya clutched Needle tightly to her chest as her father took his leave. The next morning, as they broke their fast, she apologized to Septa Mordane and asked for her pardon. The septa peered at her suspiciously, but Father nodded. Three days later, at midday, her father's steward Vayon Poole sent Arya to the Small Hall. The trestle tables had been dismantled and the benches shoved against the walls. The hall seemed empty, until an unfamiliar voice said, â€Å"You are late, boy.† A slight man with a bald head and a great beak of a nose stepped out of the shadows, holding a pair of slender wooden swords. â€Å"Tomorrow you will be here at midday.† He had an accent, the lilt of the Free Cities, Braavos perhaps, or Myr. â€Å"Who are you?† Arya asked. â€Å"I am your dancing master.† He tossed her one of the wooden blades. She grabbed for it, missed, and heard it clatter to the floor. â€Å"Tomorrow you will catch it. Now pick it up.† It was not just a stick, but a true wooden sword complete with grip and guard and pommel. Arya picked it up and clutched it nervously with both hands, holding it out in front of her. It was heavier than it looked, much heavier than Needle. The bald man clicked his teeth together. â€Å"That is not the way, boy. This is not a greatsword that is needing two hands to swing it. You will take the blade in one hand.† â€Å"It's too heavy,† Arya said. â€Å"It is heavy as it needs to be to make you strong, and for the balancing. A hollow inside is filled with lead, just so. One hand now is all that is needing.† Arya took her right hand off the grip and wiped her sweaty palm on her pants. She held the sword in her left hand. He seemed to approve. â€Å"The left is good. All is reversed, it will make your enemies more awkward. Now you are standing wrong. Turn your body sideface, yes, so. You are skinny as the shaft of a spear, do you know. That is good too, the target is smaller. Now the grip. Let me see.† He moved closer and peered at her hand, prying her fingers apart, rearranging them. â€Å"Just so, yes. Do not squeeze it so tight, no, the grip must be deft, delicate.† â€Å"What if I drop it?† Arya said. â€Å"The steel must be part of your arm,† the bald man told her. â€Å"Can you drop part of your arm? No. Nine years Syrio Forel was first sword to the Sealord of Braavos, he knows these things. Listen to him, boy.† It was the third time he had called her â€Å"boy.† â€Å"I'm a girl,† Arya objected. â€Å"Boy, girl,† Syrio Forel said. â€Å"You are a sword, that is all.† He clicked his teeth together. â€Å"Just so, that is the grip. You are not holding a battle-axe, you are holding a—† â€Å"—needle,† Arya finished for him, fiercely. â€Å"Just so. Now we will begin the dance. Remember, child, this is not the iron dance of Westeros we are learning, the knight's dance, hacking and hammering, no. This is the bravo's dance, the water dance, swift and sudden. All men are made of water, do you know this? When you pierce them, the water leaks out and they die.† He took a step backward, raised his own wooden blade. â€Å"Now you will try to strike me.† Arya tried to strike him. She tried for four hours, until every muscle in her body was sore and aching, while Syrio Forel clicked his teeth together and told her what to do. The next day their real work began.

A Wrinkle in Time Chapters 1-2 Questions and Answers

Chapter 1 (Q)List all of Meg’s problems. Which one do you think is the most important? Why? (A) Meg has many problems such as she is too effusive. Another one of her problems is that she has much trouble at school. A few examples of this would be that her teachers threaten to hold her back for her poor academic grades, she is teased very often of acting like a baby at lunch, and she fights when she or a family member of hers is insulted all this lowering her position in school. Meg’s family is also gossiped about. She has a â€Å"dumb baby brother† who is actually very intelligent but considered insane. Her father is also talked about. Using context clues I can infer that Meg’s father is not home. Meg is also unpresentable, she has unattractive mouse brown hair and revolting braces stuck on her teeth. Another problem is the setting, Meg is in the attic at night-while everyone is sleeping and there have been several hurricane warnings. What makes the situation even worse is that there is a tramp (sometimes called hobos) out on the loose. Personally, I think that Meg’s most important problem is that she is too hard on herself. I feel this way because not only is she a poor student, with terrible facial looks, and overemotional she makes herself believe that she is all these things. She even tells her cat that she is a monster. The worse she feels the worse she acts around people and the more people talk bad about her. (Q) How is Charles Wallace different from most 5 year olds? (A) Charles Wallace is different from most five year olds in many ways. For starters, he is terribly shy and doesn’t talk around unfamiliar people-giving him the reputation as a â€Å"dumb baby brother†. His shyness is not the only reason he is considered unintelligent but his lack of language until he was 4. Charles is also different because he is very fluent in English and talks like an adult. He also has a gifted sixth sense to be able to read his sister’s and mother’s minds. For example, when Meg was getting up to have some cocoa he already knew and was warming some up for her. Chapter 2 (Q) What do you think happened to Meg’s father? What clues from the book support your opinion? (A) I think Meg’s father was working on an experiment or trying to create a medicine while something went wrong and he never came home. Using clues from the book I can also infer that he is alive and that some people are thinking that he has left the Murray family. My evidence from the book is that Mr. Jenkins is asking if they had head from his father. So that assures me that Mr. Murray is alive. Mr. Jenkins also makes it clear that Mr. Murray was a scientist rising my thoughts that he may have been working on something when

Betrayal and Manipulation in the Accidental Billionaires Essay

In the Accidental Billionaires, the motif of manipulation and betrayal is prevalent. Mark Zuckerburg is the prime embodiment of manipulation and betrayal throughout the course of the work. Another character also attributed with such qualities is Sean Parker. Mark and Sean are similar in this aspect; manipulating their own world to achieve their goals. In the first few chapters of the book, the reader is introduced to the Winklevoss twins. The twins turn to Mark to aid them in their social networking idea, the HarvardConnection. After trusting Mark with their program, Mark begins to manipulate the idea into his own. In a very subtle way, Mark delays the twins in time to sire his own program. This action reveals to the reader that Mark is a lone wolf. Mark, told to us in the book, is not interested in money. For example, â€Å"†¦Microsoft had offered Mark between one and two million dollars to go to work for them-and amazingly, Mark had turned them down† (Mezrich 15). This action should be noted as the aspect of working alone seems to be, to Mark, the most efficient way to achieve fame. Mark is highly influenced by Bill Gates, a man who rose out of the very same school Mark attends and manipulated his way throughout his pursuits of Microsoft, and in Mark’s point of view, individual. With his displeasing physique and social incompetence, it is easy to see why people underestimate Mark and are taken advantage of. Another character to note is Sean Parker. Sean Parker is a foil to the protagonist, Mark. Mark pairs up with Sean after he launches ‘thefacebook’. Sean has a history of manipulating his way through major companies with the agenda of getting rich only, quite the opposite of Mark. Sean is extremely energetic, whereas Mark seems to be lazy as represented by his lack variety in his attire- flipflops, jeans, etc. Sean, however, was betrayed by those companies he used to work for, but, ironically, he pursues yet another company that betrays him in the end. Betrayal, through manipulation, is in the subtitle of the book, â€Å"A tale of sex, money, genius, and betrayal. † Betrayal is mentioned last in this climax because that is to show the most important motif and a symbol of the book’s overall structure- It goes from Eduardo and Mark seeking attention to ‘get laid’, then pursue money with genius innovation of modern social networking, and finally, Mark’s betrayal is concluded when he removes Eduardo and Sean from his life because they threatened his brainchild, Facebook. The motif of betrayal is very subtle to the reader. Even after reading the subtitle that Mezrich so blatantly states before the beginning chapter, I was manipulated into completely forgetting about betrayal and instead was focused on the pursuit to fame. Even the title fools the reader in stating the plural form of billionaire, but only one billionaire is spawned at the conclusion of the book. Just as the twins, Eduardo, and Sean, Mark’s real agenda was cloaked to me, until it finally dawned in the closing chapters.

John Donne’s poems: Holy Sonnet 10 and Meditation 17 Essay

Donne’s view of death is not one of a cynic. He is a man who regards death not as the final battle of life, but rather in the Christian sense, of it being just a transfer of the soul from the earthly plain to its final destination. He considers death not to be an event to be held in fear, but one that is to be understood. He believes so strongly in this philosophy that in Sonnet 10, he instructs people not to fear death. He insults death, personifying it as a person who has a far greater reputation than he has earned. He tells death not to pride itself in its reputation of a â€Å"mighty and dreadful† horror even though regarded so by some, as it is nothing more than an extended sleep. He reduces death to a very low level, associating it with poison, war and sickness. He further insults it by commenting on how it does not operate with free will. It is confined to the boundaries set by fate, chance, Kings, and desperate men. Moreover, drugs of poppy and simple charms can provide the same sleeping effect , if not better; and sleep is such a great source of pleasure, why would anyone be reluctant to embrace it? Death is not something to be feared or to be held in awe. â€Å"One short sleep past, [humanity wakes] eternally† to the beauty of afterlife, which is far better a life than any huma n is experiencing presently. In contrast, In Meditation 17, Donne does not imply that death is feared by some, or that it is thought to have monumental power. He comments more on the effect it has on humanity. He compares life to a book, comparing each person to a chapter in this great book of life. Again, he regards death not as the end of life, but a beginning of a new one. He parallels it to the translation of each chapter to a different language, the language of the afterlife, with each chapter awaiting the inevitable translation. And since death is just a translation, wisdom can, and must be gained from it. Donne regards death not as a loss to the person afflicted by it, but as a loss to humanity as a whole, who have lost a small, but vital part of the community. Therefore, the burden of death must be shared by all, and by sharing this grief, it is Donne’s opinion that a treasure of God’s goodwill and knowledge will be gained. Donne thinks that death is not that great of a hurdle. It is a mere stepping-stone in the process of eternal happiness. God uses death only as the transition from Earth to heaven, so it is something to be awaited and to strive to prepare for by all.

International Trade and Globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words - 1

International Trade and Globalization - Essay Example The paper will analyze the globalization of international business, for instance, in regard to market entry techniques and the importance of multi-national global brands and corporations, from different perspectives. Comparative advantage determines international trade. Theory of comparative advantage argues that the common rate of profit and the standard of wages are not at equilibrium internationally as they are in a domestic market. The assumption of comparative advantage theory is that capital cannot be moved from less profitable to more profitable sectors of production. If this is the case, it would lead to an equalization of the profits rates like in the domestic market. Consequently, the wage rates are not equalized in the international market due to lack of labor movement. A nation is said to be at a comparative advantage in the production of commodities if the opportunity cost of generating the product is lower compared to other countries. The comparative advantage theory is concerned with a trade of homogeneous products. On the other hand, new trade theory focuses on intra-industry and inter-industry trade. Intra-industry trade is the exchange of similar products within a common industry for example goods at various levels of production. Intra-industry trade is the exchange of similar products within a common industry for example goods at various levels of production. Inter-industry trade is the exchange of goods from various industries, for instance, trading agricultural products for equipment and machinery.

The Gender Roles Portrayed by Science Fiction Essay

The Gender Roles Portrayed by Science Fiction - Essay Example According to the research "The Gender Roles Portrayed by Science Fiction" findings society visualizes man as having the potential to exercise power and control more than the woman has. Darwin explained that conditions in nature compel men to develop such traits. According to Darwin, women have a relatively small brain capacity compared to men. This explains why the imagination of man can only allow him to create a being that has masculine traits and advanced intelligence. In addition, the last part of the fiction [portrays how Bowman enters into a different form of life. On entering stargate, Bowman displayed a rare sense of courage and did not let fear carry him over to the next world. Bowman plunges into the new world with expectation and excitement. He does not hesitate to gain the new form of energy to control the world. Kubrick portrays the story as Darwin elaborated. He implies that just as Darwin indicated, men have a greater potential of intelligence than women do (121). In h is fiction, he gives men all the chances of discovering the world and excludes the women. The view he projects to society is that technology and scientific advances are masculine adventures. In the first part of the film, Kubrick presents to us Moonwatcher, who is huge and gigantic compared to his tribesmen. Moonwatcher advances slowly as environmental conditions change from ape-like nature to humanity. He is the first human being to experience bravery and a sense of leadership. He discovers how man can use traditional tools to hunt animals for food. He developed emotions within him as time elapses. Kulbrick draws the picture of man having a higher social standing that a woman right from the start. This picture compares positively to Darwin’s theory. Space odyssey projects masculine superiority in science and technology. This view is evident in our society. Interestingly, Kulbrick displays that some women can work together with men in scientific ventures. He brings in women like Elena who travels to the moon with other women. This only makes one point clear that Kulbrick has realized that both men and women can work together to bring about scientific breakthroughs. In a different fiction story, Alien, then director brings out his perspective of gender roles and traits. In his story line, he reverses what society considers the norm. A crew is out to explore the space with the goal of collecting samples of an alien creature.

Marketing Heineken Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Marketing Heineken - Case Study Example The company focuses on continuous improvement of the environment in which it operates its business. When it expanded the business in different countries, it has made it sure that the business of the company should not hamper the environment factors of the nation. Thus it improved the effect of the business in the environment. Under this factor it tries to take the initiative to introduce the green brewer and green commerce. It means the company focuses on the fact that brewing should not affect the environment and it increases the employment levels of the country. It has empowered the people who work with the company by providing them a quality lifestyle and it has also improved the society and communities in which it operates through its various corporate social responsibilities. It has started to engage local people as the employees to increase the level of employment. This strategy has helped many people to find jobs and a way of living and has also reduced the unemployment level of the countries. Especially in developing countries like India, Africa and east Asia, brewing has improved the level of employment. It has also implemented some healthcare policy to take care of the health of its employees and their families. It has always tried to enhance the positive impact of beer in the society because in many developing countries Beer is seen as alcohol and is prohibited. But Heineken improved the positive impact of Beer in society through responsible consumption.

Saving the Environment and the Bottom Line Essay - 1

Saving the Environment and the Bottom Line - Essay Example Environmental Protection Agency which seeks to protect the future of our nations water supply by offering people a simple way to use less water with water-efficient products, new homes and other related services. In this case, a good example can be draw from Xavier Hotel. It can save 15 gallons per person per day implementing various improvements. With our operations including 375 rooms and if it’s occupied 70% of the time with 1.4 people, our yearly annual saving in gallons will be 2,015,895. This means that about $ 115,309.194 is saved a year. In order to purchase water sense labeled products such as toilets, showerheads and sinks from â€Å"www.lowes.com/† it will cost Xavier Hotel approximately $ 134,617.50 for all 375 rooms without any kind of industrial discounts and employee costs. Electricity consumption is a big problem in hospitality business. Guests and other staff members might waste electricity without knowing it. There are a couple of solutions that can be implemented in order to prevent extra electricity usage. For guest rooms, the hotel should use guest room key as an electric power by placing the room card into an electric source so it can save electricity usage while guests are not inside the rooms which is called key activated guest room energy management system. Also, the hotel management could use magnets for windows that is, if windows are open, it can directly turn off the air conditioning system. There are so many guests that leave windows open while they are sleeping and they also do not turn of the air conditioning system without knowing it this can lead to extra consumption of electricity. Hotels also consume electricity in the hallways. Hotel management could place motion sensors in order to prevent electricity usage. So if there is not an yone walking in the hallways, motion detectors can save

Burkes Key Ideas in Shelleys Work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Burkes Key Ideas in Shelleys Work - Essay Example Similarly pleasure is something, which can be created from void, which can felt by its own origin or by the serenity of observing and sensing small and delicate joys. Pain can be visualized as it exists from 'nothing' but infinity. That infinity which resides deep inside human soul, and can only be felt by going through different channels of exploration, these channels actually reside within human existence and it is only possible to activate these channels, if one is aware how it feels to investigate things. How to feel fear, how to feel pain, and similarly how to overcome pain with pleasure. This obscurity can be identified in P.B. Shelley's work as it is the human mind, which creates obscurity, which creates and even beautifies its creation, sometimes in small and tiny things, those things that are often assumed as 'meaningless' to the world, might be of great importance to someone's imagination. It is actually what one perceives, how he perceives and in which way he perceives The refore, the vastness lies not in the nature, as a matter of fact the nature is still, possess some kind of serenity, but it lies within the limitations we set to our imagination. To some people nature has its own language, own way of conveying messages. Messages that can be understood not by everyone, but only those who know the way of feeling things, things that bring small joys, small delicacies with small breezes of tranquility. It is the silence of the nature, which can be felt, vastness lies within us, within our perception. Shelley has used the word 'dark' and 'glittering', so the abstract is our imagination, which leads to our approach in identification. It is the imaginative dilemma through which we can judge the degree of obscurity of our human nature. Our nature when compared to the 'landscape' reveals many hidden aspects to us. Like, the natural beauty or we can say the natural landscapes, is austere to human. It entirely depends upon us to how we take perception of it. E ither we feel it obscure, beautiful or we feel a painful experience. If we regard it as beautiful, to what extent we are skeptical about it, and how we are affected physically by the nature of its awesomeness. To Burke the concept of 'sublime' is the most powerful and effective degree of human experience, which can be felt by the natural factors of fear, pain and joy. A particular feeling of passion, which is caused by the sublime, leads human towards darkness or light. These conditions always exist in their true forms; they are pure without any obstacles of external environmental factors. Their purity can be assessed by the fact as to what extent they occupy the mind when they are present in any form. The same influence can be seen in Shelley's 'Mont Blanc' part 2 as 'My own, my human mind, which passively Now renders and receives fast influencings, Holding an unremitting interchange With the clear universe of things around;' -Percy Bysshe Shelley So, the influences when intercept themselves with clarity or obscurity, they have a strong influence on human mind or a strong hold on human mind. That influence can be seen in its highest form in the presence of pain or fear. Pain is more influential than