Physics of Rainbows Essay - 1751 Words

When the Suns light is refracted on passing through tiny rain droplets falling in the air a Rainbow is formed. Rainbows only need light from the sun or the moon and a large amount of spherical raindrops to form in the atmosphere. The rainbows can be compared to mini prisms. The light is refracted (bending of light as it passes from one medium to another) and it causes different wavelengths (or colors) of the white light to separate. Whether these wavelengths of light will pass through the raindrop or reflect depends on the angle the light strikes the back of the raindrop. If a wavelength of the light strikes the back of the raindrop at an angle less than 48 degree relative to the normal then the light will pass through the raindrop.†¦show more content†¦In fact a rainbow is made up of the entire spectrum of colors from red to violet and beyond to the ultraviolet and infrared sections of the spectrum, which the eye is not capable of detecting. The speed of the wavelength of white light before it hits the raindrop determines the color a raindrop will emit. If the wavelength of white light travels at a slow speed, then the wavelength of light will bend more when it enters the raindrop. Wavelength of the color violet is bent the most when it enters the raindrop.While red light is bent the least when it enters the raindrop. The violet light will emerge from the raindrop at an angle of 40 degrees relative to the observers line of sight. While red light will emerge at an angle of 42 degrees. Thus, violet light has the shortest wavelength. Red, being at the opposite edge, has the longest wavelength. Moving from the violet edge through the colors to red at the opposite edge the wavelength gets longer. Other colors of the spectrum can be seen in between 40 and 42 degrees relative to the observers line of sight. It is important to note that only one color of light is emitted from each raindrop. A large amount of raindrops produce a wide spectrum of colors of a rainbow. There are certain colors which cannot be seen by the eye.This is why the observer sees four to five solid colors of a rainbow. The color bands of a rainbow always have the same order since the shorter wavel engths of light are refractedShow MoreRelatedA Rainbow, By Rene Descartes1743 Words   |  7 Pagesbe able to really discuss rainbows we have to know the mechanics of them, which has been studied since ancient times. Greek philosophers were aware of the role of reflection in forming a rainbow and had some understanding of the role of refraction. In the 13th century, scientists produced theories on rainbow formation, and in the 17th century, Rene Descartes sketched out the conditions required to observe a rainbow (Douma). 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Last Sacrifice Chapter Eleven Free Essays

string(73) " my hair and then drew me close again, brushing a kiss against my cheek\." I BRACED MYSELF, EXPECTING TO see the Dashkov brothers appear again with some last minute â€Å"advice.’ Instead I saw– â€Å"Adrian!’ I ran across the garden I’d appeared in and threw my arms around him. He hugged me back just as tightly and lifted me off the ground. We will write a custom essay sample on Last Sacrifice Chapter Eleven or any similar topic only for you Order Now â€Å"Little dhampir,’ he said, once he put me down again. His arms stayed around my waist. â€Å"I’ve missed you.’ â€Å"I’ve missed you too.’ And I meant it. The last couple days and their bizarre events had completely unhinged my life, and being with him–even in a dream–was comforting. I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him, enjoying a small moment of warmth and peace as our lips met. â€Å"Are you okay?’ he asked when I broke away. â€Å"No one’ll tell me much about you. Your old man says you’re safe and that the Alchemist would let him know if anything went wrong.’ I didn’t bother telling Adrian that that probably wasn’t true, seeing as Abe didn’t know we’d gone freelancing with some backwoods vampires. â€Å"I’m fine,’ I assured Adrian. â€Å"Mostly bored. We’re holed up in this dive of a town. I don’t think anyone will come looking for us. I don’t think they’d want to.’ A look of relief spread over his handsome face, and it occurred to me just how worried he was. â€Å"I’m glad. Rose, you can’t imagine what it’s like. They aren’t just questioning people who might have been involved. The guardians are making all sorts of plans to hunt you down. There’s all this talk about â€Å"deadly force.† â€Å"Well, they won’t find me. I’m somewhere pretty remote.’ Very remote. â€Å"I wish I could have gone with you.’ He still looked concerned, and I pressed a finger to his lips. â€Å"No. Don’t say that. You’re better off where you are–and better not to be associated with me any more than you already are. Have you been questioned?’ â€Å"Yeah, they didn’t get anything useful out of me. Too tight an alibi. They brought me in when I went to find Mikhail because we talked to–‘ â€Å"I know. Joe.’ Adrian’s surprise was brief. â€Å"Little dhampir, you’ve been spying.’ â€Å"It’s hard not to.’ â€Å"You know, as much as I like the idea of having someone always know when you’re in trouble, I’m still kind of glad I don’t have anyone bound to me. Not sure I’d want them looking in my head.’ â€Å"I don’t think anyone would want to look in your head either. One person living Adrian Ivashkov’s life is hard enough.’ Amusement flickered in his eyes, but it faded when I switched back to business. â€Å"Anyway, yeah. I overheard Lissa’s †¦ um, interrogation of Joe. That’s serious stuff. What did Mikhail say? If Joe lied, that clears half the evidence against me.’ It also theoretically killed Adrian’s alibi. â€Å"Well, not quite half. It would have been better if Joe said you were in your room during the murder instead of admitting he’s a flake who doesn’t remember anything. It also would have been better if he hadn’t said all this under Lissa’s compulsion. Mikhail can’t report that.’ I sighed. Hanging out with spirit users, I’d started to take compulsion for granted. It was easy to forget that among Moroi, it was taboo, the kind of thing you’d get in serious trouble for. In fact, Lissa wouldn’t just get in trouble for illicitly using it. She could also be accused of simply making Joe say whatever she wanted. Anything he said in my favor would be suspect. No one would believe it. â€Å"Also,’ added Adrian, looking dismayed, â€Å"if what Joe said gets out, the world would learn about my mother’s misguided acts of love.’ â€Å"Im sorry,’ I said, putting my arms around him. He complained about his parents all the time but really did care about his mother. Finding out about her bribery had to be tough for him, and I knew Tatiana’s death still pained him. It seemed I was around a lot of men in anguish lately. â€Å"Although, I really am glad she cleared you of any connection.’ â€Å"It was stupid of her. If anyone finds out, she’ll be in serious trouble.’ â€Å"What’s Mikhail’s advice then?’ â€Å"He’s going to find Joe and question him privately. Go from there. For now, there’s not much more we can do with the info. It’s useful for us †¦ but not for the legal system.’ â€Å"Yeah,’ I said, trying not to feel disheartened. â€Å"I guess it’s better than nothing.’ Adrian nodded and then brushed away his dark mood in that easy way of his. Still keeping his arms around me, he pulled back slightly, smiling as he looked down at me. â€Å"Nice dress, by the way.’ The topic change caught me by surprise, though I should have been used to it with him by now. Following his gaze, I noticed I was wearing an old dress of mine, the sexy black dress I’d had on when Victor had unleashed a lust charm on Dimitri and me. Since Adrian hadn’t dressed me for the dream, my subconscious had dictated my appearance. I was kind of astonished it had chosen this. â€Å"Oh †¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ I suddenly felt embarrassed but didn’t know why. â€Å"My own clothes are kind of beat up. I guess I wanted something to counteract that.’ â€Å"Well, it looks good on you.’ Adrian’s fingers slid along the strap. â€Å"Really good.’ Even in a dream, the touch of his finger made my skin tingle. â€Å"Watch it, Ivashkov. We’ve got no time for this.’ â€Å"We’re asleep. What else are we going to do?’ My protests were muffled in a kiss. I sank into it. One of his hands slid down the side of my thigh, near the dress’s edge, and it took a lot of mental energy to convince myself that him pulling the dress up was probably not going to clear my name. I reluctantly moved back. â€Å"We’re going to figure out who killed Tatiana,’ I said, trying to catch my breath. â€Å"There’s no â€Å"we,† he said, echoing the line I’d just used on Victor. â€Å"There’s me. And Lissa. And Christian. And the rest of our misfit friends.’ He stroked my hair and then drew me close again, brushing a kiss against my cheek. You read "Last Sacrifice Chapter Eleven" in category "Essay examples" â€Å"Don’t worry, little dhampir. You take care of yourself. Just stay where you are.’ â€Å"I can’t,’ I said. â€Å"Don’t you get it? I can’t just do nothing.’ The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. It was one thing to protest my inactivity with Dimitri, but with Adrian, I needed to make him and everyone else at Court think I was doing the â€Å"right thing.’ â€Å"You have to. We’ll take care of you.’ He didn’t get it, I realized. He didn’t understand how badly I needed to do something to help. To his credit, his intentions were good. He thought taking care of me was a big deal. He wanted to keep me safe. But he didn’t truly get how agonizing inaction was for me. â€Å"We’ll find this person and stop them from doing whatever it is †¦ they want to do. It might take a long time, but we’ll fix it.’ â€Å"Time †¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ I murmured against his chest, letting the argument go. I’d get nowhere convincing him I needed to help my friends, and anyway, I had my own quest now. So much to do, so little time. I stared off into the landscape he’d created. I’d noticed trees and flowers earlier but only now realized we were in the Church’s courtyard–the way it had been before Abe’s assault. The statue of Queen Alexandra stood intact, her long hair and kind eyes immortalized in stone. The murder investigation really was in my friends’ hands for now, but Adrian had been right: it might take a while. I sighed. â€Å"Time. We need more time.’ Adrian pulled away slightly. â€Å"Hmm? What’d you say?’ I stared up at him, biting my lower lip as a million thoughts spun through my mind. I looked again at Alexandra and made my decision, wondering if I was about to set new records in foolishness. I turned back to Adrian and squeezed his hand. â€Å"I said we need more time. And I know how we can get it †¦ but †¦ well, there’s something you have to do for me. And you, uh, probably shouldn’t mention it to Lissa yet †¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ I had just enough time to deliver my instructions to Adrian–who was as shocked as I’d expected–before Dimitri woke me up for my shift. We switched off with little conversation. He had his usual tough face on, but I could see the lines of fatigue etched upon his features. I didn’t want to bother him–yet–with my Victor and Robert encounter. Not to mention what I’d just told Adrian to do. There’d be plenty of time for a recap later. Dimitri fell asleep in that easy way of his, and Sydney never stirred the entire time. I envied her for a full night’s sleep but couldn’t help a smile as the room grew lighter and lighter. She’d been inadvertently put on a vampire schedule after our all-night adventures. Of course, Lissa was on the same schedule, which meant I couldn’t visit her during my watch. Just as well. I needed to keep an eye on this creepy collective we’d stumbled into. These Keepers might not want to turn us in, but that didn’t make them harmless either. I also hadn’t forgotten Sydney’s fears about surprise Alchemist visits. When late afternoon came for the rest of the world, I heard stirring inside the house. I gently touched Dimitri’s shoulder, and he jerked awake instantly. â€Å"Easy,’ I said, unable to hide a smile. â€Å"Just a wakeup call. Sounds like our redneck friends are getting up.’ This time, our voices woke Sydney. She rolled over toward us, her eyes squinting at the light coming through the badly screened window. â€Å"What time is it?’ she asked, stretching her limbs. â€Å"Not sure.’ I had no watch. â€Å"Probably past midday. Three? Four?’ She sat up almost as quickly as Dimitri had. â€Å"In the afternoon? † The sunlight gave her the answer. â€Å"Damn you guys and your unholy schedule.’ â€Å"Did you just say â€Å"damn’? Isn’t that against Alchemist rules?’ I teased. â€Å"Sometimes it’s necessary.’ She rubbed her eyes and glanced toward the door. The faint noises I’d heard in the rest of the house were louder now, audible even to her ears. â€Å"I guess we need a plan.’ â€Å"We have one,’ I said. â€Å"Find Lissa’s sibling.’ â€Å"I never entirely agreed to that,’ she reminded me. â€Å"And you guys keep thinking I can just magically type away like some movie hacker to find all your answers.’ â€Å"Well, at least it’s a place to–‘ A thought occurred to me, one that could seriously mess things up. â€Å"Crap. Your laptop won’t even work out here.’ â€Å"It’s got a satellite modem, but it’s the battery we have to worry about.’ Sydney sighed and stood up, smoothing her rumpled clothes with dismay. â€Å"I need a coffee shop or something.’ â€Å"I think I saw one in a cave down the road,’ I said. That almost got a smile from her. â€Å"There’s got to be some town close by where I could use my laptop.’ â€Å"But it’s probably not a good idea to take the car out anywhere in this state,’ said Dimitri. â€Å"Just in case someone at the motel got your license plate number.’ â€Å"I know,’ she said grimly. â€Å"I was thinking about that too.’ Our brilliant scheming was interrupted by a knock at the door. Without waiting for an answer, Sarah stuck her head inside and smiled. â€Å"Oh, good. You’re all awake. We’re getting breakfast ready if you want to join us.’ Through the doorway, scents of what seemed like a normal breakfast drifted in: bacon, eggs †¦ The bread had gotten me through the night, but I was ready for real food and willing to roll the dice on whatever Raymond’s family had to offer. In the house’s main section, we found a flurry of domestic activity. Raymond appeared to be cooking something over the fireplace while Paulette set the long table. It already had a platter of perfectly ordinary scrambled eggs and more slices of yesterday’s bread. Raymond rose from the fireplace, holding a large metal sheet covered in crisp bacon. A smile split his bearded face when he spotted us. The more of these Keepers I saw, the more I kept noticing something. They made no attempts to hide their fangs. From childhood, my Moroi were taught to smile and speak in a way that minimized fang exposure, in case they were out in human cities. There was nothing like that here. â€Å"Good morning,’ said Raymond, carefully pushing the bacon onto another platter on the table. â€Å"I hope you’re all hungry.’ â€Å"Do you think that’s, like, real bacon?’ I whispered to Sydney and Dimitri. â€Å"And not like squirrel or something?’ â€Å"Looks real to me,’ said Dimitri. â€Å"I’d say so too,’ said Sydney. â€Å"Though, I guarantee it’s from their own pigs and not a grocery store.’ Dimitri laughed at whatever expression crossed my face. â€Å"I always love seeing what worries you. Strigoi? No. Questionable food? Yes.’ â€Å"What about Strigoi?’ Joshua and Angeline entered the house. He had a bowl of blackberries, and she was pushing the little kids along. From their squirming and dirty faces, they clearly wanted to go back outside. It was Angeline who had asked the question. Dimitri covered for my squeamishness. â€Å"Just talking about some of Rose’s Strigoi kills.’ Joshua came to a standstill and stared at me, those pretty blue eyes wide with amazement. â€Å"You’ve killed the Lost? Er–Strigoi?’ I admired his attempt to use â€Å"our’ term. â€Å"How many?’ I shrugged. â€Å"I don’t really know anymore.’ â€Å"Don’t you use the marks?’ Raymond scolded. â€Å"I didn’t think the Tainted had abandoned those.’ â€Å"The marks–oh. Yeah. Our tattoos? We do.’ I turned around and lifted up my hair. I heard a scuffling of feet and then felt a finger touching my skin. I flinched and whipped back around, just in time to see Joshua lowering his hand sheepishly. â€Å"Sorry,’ he said. â€Å"I’ve just never seen some of these. Only the molnija marks. That’s how we count our Strigoi kills. You’ve got †¦ a lot.’ â€Å"The S-shaped mark is unique to them,’ said Raymond disapprovingly. That look was quickly replaced by admiration. â€Å"The other’s the zvezda.’ This earned gasps from Joshua and Angeline and a â€Å"What?’ from me. â€Å"The battle mark,’ said Dimitri. â€Å"Not many people call it zvezda anymore. It means â€Å"star.† â€Å"Huh. Makes sense,’ I said. The tattoo was, in fact, kind of shaped like a star and was given when someone had fought in a big enough battle to lose count of Strigoi kills. After all, there were only so many molnija marks you could cram on your neck. Joshua smiled at me in a way that made my stomach flutter just a little. Maybe he was part of a pseudo-Amish cult, but that didn’t change the fact that he was still good- looking. â€Å"Now I understand how you could have killed the Tainted queen.’ â€Å"It’s probably fake,’ said Angeline. I’d been about to protest the queen-killing part, but her comment derailed me. â€Å"It is not! I earned it when Strigoi attacked our school. And then there were plenty more I took down after that.’ â€Å"The mark can’t be that uncommon,’ said Dimitri. â€Å"Your people must have big Strigoi fights every once in a while.’ â€Å"Not really,’ said Joshua, his eyes still on me. â€Å"Most of us have never fought or even seen the Lost. They don’t really bother us.’ That was surprising. If ever there was a Strigoi target, a group of Moroi, dhampirs, and humans out in the middle of nowhere would be it. â€Å"Why not?’ I asked. Raymond winked at me. â€Å"Because we fight back.’ I pondered his enigmatic statement as the family sat down to eat. Again, I thought about the entire community’s willingness to fight when we’d first arrived. Was it really enough to scare off Strigoi? Not much scared them, but maybe certain things were too much of an inconvenience to deal with. I wondered what Dimitri’s opinion would be on that. His own family had come from a community that separated itself somewhat from mainstream Moroi life, but it was nothing like this. All of this spun in my mind while we ate and talked. The Keepers still had a lot more questions about us and Tatiana. The only one not participating was Angeline. She ate as little as Sydney and kept watching me with a scowl. â€Å"We need some supplies,’ said Sydney abruptly, interrupting me in the middle of a gruesome story. I didn’t mind, but the others looked disappointed. â€Å"Where’s the nearest town that would have a coffee shop †¦ or any restaurant?’ â€Å"Well,’ said Paulette. â€Å"Rubysville is a little over an hour north. But we have plenty of food here for you.’ â€Å"Its not about food,’ I said quickly. â€Å"Yours has been great.’ I glanced at Sydney. â€Å"An hour’s not so bad, right?’ She nodded and then glanced hesitantly at Raymond. â€Å"Is there any way †¦ is there any way we could borrow a car? Ill †¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ The next words clearly caused her pain. â€Å"I’ll leave the keys to mine until we get back.’ He arched an eyebrow. â€Å"You’ve got a nice car.’ Sydney shrugged. â€Å"The less we drive it around here, the better.’ He told us we could take his truck and that he â€Å"probably’ wouldn’t even need to use the CR-V. Sydney gave him a tight smile of thanks, but I knew images of vampires joyriding in her car were dancing through her head. We set out soon after that, wanting to be back before the sun went down. People were out and about in the commune, doing chores or whatever else it was they did with their lives. A group of children sat around a dhampir reading a book to them, making me wonder what sort of education process they had here. All of the Keepers stopped whatever they were doing as we passed, giving us either curious looks or outright smiles. I smiled back occasionally but mostly kept my eyes ahead. Joshua was escorting us back to the â€Å"parking lot’ and managed to walk beside me when we reached the narrow path. â€Å"I hope you won’t be gone long,’ he said. â€Å"I’d wanted us to talk more.’ â€Å"Sure,’ I said. â€Å"That’d be fun.’ He brightened and chivalrously pushed aside a low-hanging branch. â€Å"Maybe I can show you my cave.’ â€Å"Your–wait. What? Don’t you live with your dad?’ â€Å"For now. But I’m getting my own place.’ There was pride in his voice. â€Å"It’s not as big as his, of course, but it’s a good start. It’s almost cleaned out.’ â€Å"That’s really, um, great. Definitely show me when we’re back.’ The words came easily to my lips, but my mind was pondering the fact that Raymond’s house was apparently â€Å"big.’ Joshua parted ways from us when we reached Raymond’s truck, a big red pickup with a seat that could just barely hold the three of us. Considering the Keepers didn’t leave the woods much, the truck seemed like it had seen a lot of miles. Or maybe just a lot of years of disuse. â€Å"You shouldn’t lead him on like that,’ Dimitri said, when we’d been on the road for about ten minutes. Surprisingly, Sydney had let him drive. I guessed she figured a manly truck deserved a manly driver. Now that we were moving, my mind had focused back on the task at hand: finding the other Dragomir. â€Å"Huh?’ â€Å"Joshua. You were flirting with him.’ â€Å"I was not! We were just talking.’ â€Å"Aren’t you with Adrian?’ â€Å"Yes!’ I exclaimed, glaring at Dimitri. His eyes were fixed on the road. â€Å"And that’s why I wasn’t flirting. How can you read so much into that? Joshua doesn’t even like me that way.’ â€Å"Actually,’ said Sydney, sitting between us, â€Å"he does.’ I turned my incredulity on her. â€Å"How do you know? Did he pass you a note in class or something?’ She rolled her eyes. â€Å"No. But you and Dimitri are like gods back at camp.’ â€Å"We’re outsiders,’ I reminded her. â€Å"Tainted.’ â€Å"No. You’re renegade Strigoi – and queen-killers. It might have all been southern charm and hospitality back there, but those people can be savage. They put a big premium on being able to beat people up. And, considering how scruffy most of them are, you guys are †¦ well †¦ let’s just say you two are the hottest things to walk through there in a while.’ â€Å"You’re not hot?’ I asked. â€Å"It’s irrelevant,’ she said, flustered by the comment. â€Å"Alchemists aren’t even on their radar. We don’t fight. They think we’re weak.’ I thought back to the enraptured faces and had to admit that a lot of the people there did have a weathered, worn-out look. Almost. â€Å"Raymond’s family was pretty good- looking,’ I pointed out. I heard a grunt from Dimitri who no doubt read this as evidence of me flirting with Joshua. â€Å"Yeah,’ she said. â€Å"Because they’re probably the most important family in town. They eat better, probably don’t have to work in the sun as much. That kind of stuff makes a difference.’ There was no more talk of flirting as we continued the drive. We made good time to Rubysville, which looked eerily similar to the first town we’d stayed in. When we stopped at what appeared to be the Rubysville’s only gas station, Sydney ran inside to ask a few questions. She came back, reporting that there was indeed a cafe of sorts where she could plug in her laptop and try to look up what we needed. She ordered coffee, and we sat there with her, too full from breakfast to order anything substantial. After a couple dirty looks from a waitress who seemed to regard us as loiterers, Dimitri and I decided to take a walk around town. Sydney looked almost as pleased as the waitress about this. I don’t think she liked having us hover around. I’d given Sydney a hard time about West Virginia, but I had to admit the scenery was beautiful. Soaring trees, full of summer leaves, surrounded the town like an embrace. Beyond them, mountains loomed, very different from the ones I’d grown up with near St. Vladimir’s. These were rolling and green, covered in more trees. Most of the mountains surrounding St. Vladimir’s had been stony and jagged, often with snowy peaks. A strange sense of nostalgia came over me, thinking back to Montana. There was a good possibility I’d never see it again. If I spent the rest of my life on the run, St. Vladimir’s was the last place I could go. If I was caught, well †¦ then I’d definitely never get to see Montana again. â€Å"Or any place,’I murmured, speaking out loud before I could catch myself. â€Å"Hmm?’ asked Dimitri. â€Å"I was just thinking about if the guardians find us. I never realized how much there was I wanted to do and see. Suddenly, that’s all at stake, you know?’ We moved off to the side of the road as an orange pickup came driving by. Children out of school for the summer screeched and laughed in the back of it. â€Å"Okay, suppose my name isn’t cleared and we never find the real murderer. What’s the next-best-case scenario? Me: always running, always hiding. That’ll be my life. For all I know, I will have to go live with the Keepers.’ â€Å"I don’t think it’ll come to that,’ said Dimitri. â€Å"Abe and Sydney would help you find some place safe.’ â€Å"Is there a safe place? For real? Adrian said the guardians are increasing their efforts to find us. They’ve got the Alchemists and probably human authorities looking for us too. No matter where we go, we’ll run the risk of being spotted. Then we’ll have to move on. It’ll be like that forever.’ â€Å"You’ll be alive,’ he pointed out. â€Å"That’s what matters. Enjoy what you have, every little detail of wherever you are. Don’t focus on where you aren’t.’ â€Å"Yeah,’ I admitted, trying to follow his advice. The sky seemed a little bluer, the birds a little louder. â€Å"I suppose I shouldn’t whine over the dream places I won’t get to see. I should be grateful I get to see anything at all. And that I’m not living in a cave.’ He glanced over at me and smiled, something unreadable in his eyes. â€Å"Where do you want to go?’ â€Å"What, right now?’ I glanced around, sizing up our options. There was a bait and tackle store, a drugstore, and an ice cream parlor. I had a feeling that last one would be a necessary trip before leaving town. â€Å"No, in the world.’ I eyed him warily. â€Å"Sydney’s going to be pissed if we take off for Istanbul or something.’ This got me full-fledged laughter. â€Å"Not what I had in mind. Come on.’ I followed him toward what looked like the bait and tackle store and then noticed a small building tucked behind it. Naturally, his sharp eyes had seen what I missed– probably because I’d been fixated on the ice cream. RUBYSVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY. â€Å"Whoa, hey,’ I said. â€Å"One of the few perks of graduating was avoiding places like this.’ â€Å"Its probably air conditioned,’ he pointed out. I looked down at my sweat-soaked tank top and noticed a faint pink tinge to my skin. With my tanned complexion, I rarely burned, but this was some serious sun–even so late in the day. â€Å"Lead on,’ I told him. The library was mercifully cool, though even smaller than the one at St. Vladimir’s. With some uncanny sense (or maybe just a knowledge of the Dewey Decimal System), Dimitri led us over to the travel section–which consisted of about ten books, three of which were about West Virginia. He frowned. â€Å"Not quite what I expected.’ He scanned the shelf twice and then pulled out a large, bright-colored one entitled 100 Best Places to Visit in the World. We sat down cross-legged on the floor, and he handed me the book. â€Å"No way, comrade,’ I said. â€Å"I know books are a journey of the imagination, but I don’t think I’m up for that today.’ â€Å"Just take it,’ he said. â€Å"Close your eyes, and flip randomly to a page.’ It seemed silly, considering everything else going on in our life, but his face said he was serious. Indulging him, I closed my eyes and selected a page in the middle. I opened to it. â€Å"Mitchell, South Dakota?’ I exclaimed. Remembering I was in a library, I lowered my voice. â€Å"Out of all the places in the world, that makes the top hundred?’ He was smiling again, and I’d forgotten how much I’d missed that. â€Å"Read it.’ â€Å"†Located ninety minutes outside of Sioux Falls, Mitchell is home to the Corn Palace.† I looked up at him in disbelief. â€Å"Corn Palace?’ He scooted over next to me, leaning close to look at the pictures. â€Å"I figured it’d be made of corn husks,’ he noted. The pictures actually showed what looked like a Middle Eastern–or even Russian–style building, with turrets and onion domes. â€Å"Me too.’ Reluctantly, I added, â€Å"I’d visit it. I bet they have great T-shirts.’ â€Å"And,’ he said, a sly look in his eyes, â€Å"I bet no guardians would look for us there.’ I made no attempts to conceal my laughter, imagining us living as fugitives in the Corn Palace for the rest of our lives. My amusement brought us a scolding from a librarian, and we quieted as Dimitri took his turn. Sao Paolo, Brazil. Then my turn: Honolulu, Hawaii. Back and forth we passed the book, and before long, we were both lying on the floor, side by side, sharing mixed reactions as we continued our â€Å"global tour of the imagination.’ Our arms and legs just barely touched. If anyone had told me forty-eight hours ago that I’d be lying in a library with Dimitri, reading a travel book, I would have said they were crazy. Almost as crazy was the realization that I was doing something perfectly ordinary and casual with him. Since the moment we’d met, our lives had been about secrecy and danger. And really, those were still the dominant themes in our lives. But in those quiet couple of hours, time seemed to stand still. We were at peace. We were friends. â€Å"Florence, Italy,’ I read. Pictures of elaborate churches and galleries filled the page. â€Å"Sydney wants to go there. She wanted to study there, actually. If Abe could have managed that, I think she would have served him for life.’ â€Å"She’s still pretty obedient,’ Dimitri remarked. â€Å"I don’t know her well, but I’m pretty sure Abe’s got something on her.’ â€Å"He got her out of Russia, back to the U.S.’ He shook his head. â€Å"It’s got to be more than that. Alchemists are loyal to their order. They don’t like us. She hides it–they’re trained to–but every minute with the Keepers is agony. For her to help us and betray her superiors, she owes him for some serious reason.’ We both paused a moment, wondering what mysterious arrangement my father had with her. â€Å"Its irrelevant, though. She’s helping us, which is what matters †¦ and we should probably get back to her.’ I knew he was right but hated to go. I wanted to stay here, in this illusion of tranquility and safety, letting myself believe I might really make it to the Parthenon or even the Corn Palace someday. I handed the book back to him. â€Å"One more.’ He picked his random page and opened the book. His smile fell. â€Å"Saint Petersburg.’ A weird mix of feelings entangled themselves in my chest. Nostalgia–because the city was beautiful. Sorrow–because my visit had been tainted by the awful task I’d gone there to do. Dimitri stared at the page for a long time, wistfulness on his face. It occurred to me then that, despite his earlier pep talk, he had to be experiencing what I did for Montana: our old, favorite places were lost to us now. I nudged him gently. â€Å"Hey, enjoy where you’re at, remember? Not where you can’t go.’ He reluctantly shut the book and dragged his eyes away from it. â€Å"How’d you get so wise?’ he teased. â€Å"I had a good teacher.’ We smiled at each other. Something occurred to me. All this time, I’d figured he’d helped break me out because of Lissa’s orders. Maybe there was more to it. â€Å"Is that why you escaped with me?’ I asked. â€Å"To see what parts of the world you could?’ His surprise was brief. â€Å"You don’t need me to be wise, Rose. You’re doing fine on your own. Yes, that was part of it. Maybe I would have been welcomed back eventually, but there was the risk I wouldn’t. After †¦ after being Strigoi †¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ He stumbled over the words a little. â€Å"I gained a new appreciation for life. It took a while. I’m still not there. We’re talking about focusing on the present, not the future–but it’s my past that haunts me. Faces. Nightmares. But the farther I get from that world of death, the more I want to embrace life. The smell of these books and the perfume you wear. The way the light bends through that window. Even the taste of breakfast with the Keepers.’ â€Å"You’re a poet now.’ â€Å"No, just starting to realize the truth. I respect the law and the way our society runs, but there was no way I could risk losing life in some cell after only just finding it again. I wanted to run too. That’s why I helped you. That and–‘ â€Å"What?’ I studied him, desperately wishing he wasn’t so good at keeping emotions off his face. I knew him well; I understood him. But he could still hide things from me. He sat up, not meeting my eyes. â€Å"It doesn’t matter. Let’s go back to Sydney and see if she found out anything †¦ although, as much as I hate to say it, I think it’s unlikely.’ â€Å"I know.’ I stood with him, still wondering what else he would have said. â€Å"She probably gave up and started playing Minesweeper.’ We headed back toward the cafe, stopping briefly for ice cream. Eating it while we walked proved quite the challenge. The sun was nearing the horizon, painting everything orange and red, but the heat lingered. Enjoy it, Rose, I told myself. The colors. The taste of chocolate. Of course, I’d always loved chocolate. My life didn’t need to be on the line for me to enjoy dessert. We reached the cafe and found Sydney bent over her laptop, with a barely eaten Danish and what was probably her fourth cup of coffee. We slid into seats beside her. â€Å"Hows it–hey! You are playing Minesweeper!’ I tried to peer closer at her screen, but she turned it from me. â€Å"You’re supposed to be finding a connection to Eric’s mistress.’ â€Å"I already did,’ she said simply. Dimitri and I exchanged astonished looks. â€Å"But I don’t know how useful it’ll be.’ â€Å"Anything’ll be useful,’ I proclaimed. â€Å"What did you find?’ â€Å"After trying to track down all those bank records and transactions–and let me tell you, that is not fun at all–I finally found a small piece of info. The bank account we have now is a newer one. It was moved from another bank about five years ago. The old account was still a Jane Doe, but it did have a next-of-kin reference in the event something happened to the account holder.’ I could hardly breathe. Financial transactions were lost on me, but we were about to get something solid. â€Å"A real name?’ Sydney nodded. â€Å"Sonya Karp.’ How to cite Last Sacrifice Chapter Eleven, Essay examples

Moral Development free essay sample

The biological perspective on moral development assumes that morality is grounded in the genetic heritage of our species, perhaps through prewired emotional reactions. Humans share many morally relevant behaviours with other species, and the ventromedial area of the frontal region of the cerebral cortex is vital for emotional responsiveness to others’ suffering. Nevertheless, human morality cannot be fully explained in this way, since morally relevant emotions require strong caregiving supports and cognitive attainments for their mature expression. Morality as the Adoption of Societal NormsDescribe and evaluate the psychoanalytic perspective on moral development. * Both psychoanalytic and social learning theories regard moral development as a matter of internalization: the adoption of societal standards for right action as one’s own. Internalization is not just a straightforward process of taking over externally imposedprescriptions. Instead, it is the combined result of factors within the child and the rearing environment. * According to Freud, morality emerges with the resolution of the Oedipus and Electra conflicts during the preschool years. Fear of punishment and loss of parental love lead children to form a superego through identification with the same-sex parent and to redirect hostile impulses toward the self in the form of guilt. Although guilt is an important motivator of moral action, Freud’s interpretation of it is no longer widely accepted. In contrast to Freudian predictions, power assertion and love withdrawal do not foster conscience development. Instead, induction is far more effective and seems to cultivate children’s active commitment to moral norms. Recent psychoanalytic ideas place greater emphasis on a positive parent-child relationship and earlier beginnings of morality. However, they retain continuity with Freud’s theory in regarding emotion as the basis for moral development. Describe and evaluate the social learning perspective on moral development, including the importance of modelling, the effects of punishment, and alternatives to harsh discipline. * Social learning theory views moral behaviour as acquired in the same way as other responses: through modelling and reinforcement. Effective models are warm and powerful and display consistency between what they say and what they do. By middle childhood, children have internalized many prosocial and other rules for good conduct. Harsh punishment does not promote moral internalization and socially desirable behaviour. Instead, it provides children with aggressive models, leads them to avoid the punishing adult, and can spiral into serious abuse. Alternatives, such as time out and withdrawal of privileges, can reduce these undesirable side effects, as long as parents apply them consistently, maintain a warm relationship with the child, and offer explanations that fit the transgression. * The most effective forms of discipline encourage good conduct. Parents who build a positive relationship with the child have children who want to adopt parental standards because they feel a sense of commitment to the relationship. Morality as Social UnderstandingDescribe Piaget’s theory of moral development, and evaluate its accuracy. * Piaget’s cognitive-developmental perspective assumes that morality develops through construction-actively thinking about multiple aspects of situations in which social conflicts arise and deriving new moral understandings. * Piaget’s work was the original inspiration for the cognitive-developmental perspective. He identified two stages of moral understanding: heteronomous morality, in which children view moral rules in terms of realism and as fixed dictates of authority figures; and autonomous morality, in which children base fairness on ideal reciprocity and regard rules as flexible, socially agreed-on principles. * Although Piaget’s theory describes the general direction of moral development, it underestimates the moral capacities of young children. Preschool and early school-age children take intentions into account in making moral judgments, although they interpret intentions in a rigid fashion. Furthermore, they have differentiated notions about the legitimacy of authority figures. With respect to nonmoral issues, they base authority on knowledge, not social position. When a directive is morally valid, they view it as important, regardless of whether an authority figure endorses it. Describe Kohlberg’s extension of Piaget’s theory, methods for assessing moral reasoning, and evidence on the accuracy of his stages. * According to Kohlberg, moral development is a gradual process that extends beyond childhood into adolescence and adulthood. Using moral judgment interviews, Kohlberg found that moral reasoning advances through three levels, each of which contains two stages: (1) the preconventional level, in which morality is viewed as controlled by rewards, punishments, and the power of authority figures; (2) the conventional level, in which conformity to laws and rules is regarded as necessary to preserve positive human relationships and societal order; and (3) the postconventional level, in which individuals define morality in terms of abstract, universal principles of justice. Besides Kohlberg’s clinical interview, efficient questionnaires for assessing moral understanding exist. The most recently devised is the Sociomoral Reflection Measure-Short Form (SRM-SF). * Kohlberg’s stages are strongly related to age and form an invariant sequence. In focusing on hypothetical moral dilemmas, however, Kohlberg’s theory assesses only the rational weighing of alternatives and overlooks other strategies that affect moral judgment. * Because situational factors affect moral reasoning, Kohlberg’s stages are best viewed in terms of a loose rather than strict concept of stage. Piaget’s cognitive and Selman’s perspective-taking stages are necessary but not sufficient conditions for each advance in moral reasoning. * Contrary to Gilligan’s claim, Kohlberg’s theory does not underestimate the moral maturity of females. Instead, justice and caring moralities coexist but vary in prominence between males and females, from one situation to the next, and across cultures. Describe influences on moral reasoning, its relationship to moral behaviour, and continuing challenges to Kohlberg’s theory, * A flexible, open-minded approach to new information and experiences is linked to gains in moral reasoning. Among experiences that contribute are peer interactions that resolve conflict through negotiation and compromise; warm, rational child-rearing practices; and years of schooling. * Cross-cultural research indicates that a certain level of societal complexity is required for Kohlberg’s higher stages. Although his theory does not encompass the full range of moral reasoning, a common justice morality is evident in individuals from vastly different cultures. * Maturity of moral reasoning is moderately related to a wide variety of moral behaviours. Many other factors also influence moral behaviour, including emotions, temperament, personality, history of morally relevant experiences and moral self-relevance-the degree to which morality is central to self-concept. * Moral judgment maturity appears to be achieved at Stages 3 and 4, as young people grasp ideal reciprocity. Because Kohlberg’s dilemmas are remote from the experiences of children and not clearly understood by them, his theory overlooks moral-reasoning capacities that develop in early and middle childhood. Moral Reasoning of Young ChildrenExplain how children separate moral imperatives from social conventions and matters of personal choice, and trace changes in their understanding from childhood into adolescence. * Even preschoolers have a beginning grasp of justice in that they distinguish moral imperatives from social conventions and matters of personal choice. From actively making sense of people’s everyday social experiences and emotional reactions, children in diverse cultures come to view moral transgressions as wrong in any context, regardless of whether rules or authorities prohibit them. Gradually, children clarify and link moral imperatives and social conventions, taking into account more variables, including the purpose of the rule; people’s intentions, knowledge, and beliefs; and the context of their behaviour. * The personal domain emerges with self-awareness in the early preschool years and strengthens from middle childhood into adolescence. It supports young people’s moral concepts of rights and freedom. Describe the development of distributive justice reasoning, noting factors that foster mature understanding. Children’s concepts of distributive justice change over middle childhood, from equality to merit to benevolence. Peer disagreements, along with efforts to resolve them, make children more sensitive to others’ perspectives, which fosters their developing ideas of fairness. Development of Self-ControlTrace the development of self-control from early childhood into adolescence, noting the implications of individual differences for cognitive and social competencies. * The emergence of self-control is supported by self-awareness and by the representational and memory capacities of the second year. The first glimmerings of self-control appear in the form of compliance. The ability to delay gratification increases steadily over the third year. Language development and sensitive, supportive parenting foster self-control. * During the preschool years, children profit from adult-provided self-control strategies. Over middle childhood, they produce an increasing variety of strategies themselves and become consciously aware of which ones work well and why, leading to a flexible capacity for moral self-regulation. Individual differences in delay of gratification predict diverse cognitive and social competencies. Development of self-control appears to be governed by two processing systems: an emotional, reactive hot system that eventually is dominated by a cognitive, reflective cool system. The Other Side of Self-Control: Development of AggressionDiscuss the development of aggression from infancy into adolescence, noting individual, family, community, and cultural influences, and describe successful interventions. * Aggression first appears in late infancy. Physical forms are soon replaced by verbal forms. Whereas instrumental aggression declines, hostile aggression increases over early and middle childhood. Two types of hostile aggression are evident: overt aggression, more common among boys, and relational aggression, more common among girls. * Although teacher- and peer-reported aggression decline in adolescence, delinquent acts increase, especially for boys. However, only a few youths sustain a high level of aggression from childhood to adolescence, becoming involved in violent crime. Impulsive, overactive children are at risk for high aggression, but whether or not they become so depends on child-rearing conditions. Strife-ridden family environments and power-assertive, inconsistent discipline promote self-perpetuating cycles of aggressive behaviour. Children who are products of these family processes develop social-cognitive deficits and distortions that add to the long-term maintenance of aggression. Widespread poverty, harsh living conditions, and schools that fail to meet students’ developmental needs increase antisocial acts among children and adolescents. Among interventions designed to reduce aggression, training parents in child discipline and teaching children alternative ways of resolving conflict are helpful. Social-cognitive interventions that focus on improving social information processing and perspective taking have yielded benefits as well. However, the most effective treatments are comprehensive, addressing multiple factors that sustain antisocial behaviour. | Learning Objectives| After completing Chapter 12, you should be able to: * Describe and evaluate the biological perspective on morality. * Describe and evaluate he psychoanalytic perspective on moral development. Describe and evaluate the social learning perspective on moral development, including the importance of modelling, the effects of punishment, and alternatives to harsh discipline. * Describe Piaget’s theory of moral development, and evaluate its accuracy. * Describe Kohlberg’s extension of Piaget’s theory, methods for assessing moral reasoning, and evidence on the accuracy of his stages. * Describe influences on moral reasoning, its relationship to moral behaviour, and continuing challenges to Kohlberg’s theory. Explain how children separate moral imperatives from social conventions and matters of personal choice, and trace changes in their understanding from childhood into adolescence. Describe the development of distributive justice reasoning, noting factors that foster mature understanding. * Trace the development of self-control from early childhood into adolescence, noting the implications of individual differences for cognitive and social competencies. * Discuss the development of aggression from infancy into adolescence, noting individual, family, community, and cultural influences, and describe successful interventions. |

Money Does Not Guarantee Happiness free essay sample

Possessing an enormous sum of money and fortune has become one of many people’s main goals and ultimate purpose in life, especially the younger generations, regardless their nationality. Many are convinced throughout their lives that happiness can be bought with the existence money. But does possessing a large fortune and being loaded really bring happiness to one’s life? To answer this question, one should know the meaning of the words ‘happiness’ and ‘money’. As quoted by the legendary Mahatma Ghandi, â€Å"Happiness is what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony†. A famous philosopher named Aristotle also quoted, â€Å"Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence. † The word ‘happiness’ itself is very hard to define as it has a different meaning in different context. Different people have different interpretations of what happiness means to them. In general, ‘happiness’ is success in life. We will write a custom essay sample on Money Does Not Guarantee Happiness or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Success in life cannot always be measured in material wise. It is achieved when one is satisfied with the achievements made, feeling at ease with his current life and enjoying life to the fullest. Most people dont spend much time wondering what money is. Their major concern is how much money they have, and how to get more. Money isnt just pieces of paper. It is a type of medium of exchange in transactions. Some people argue that without wealth you cannot be happy. Money can’t buy happiness directly as money alone does not guarantee happiness. In this written assignment, there will be some arguments supporting the statement ‘Money does not guarantee happiness’ and further clarifications on the statement. Arguments Lately there have been numerous articles written in the newspapers and magazines relating to the way how the rich and powerful live their lives. At first, it was a shock the whole world when articles are written about them taking drugs, being rehabilitated and some even took their own lives away. But nowadays, these types of news don’t really bother anyone anymore as it is a cliche already. It is now crystal clear that having thick wallets and many digits in their bank accounts does not guarantee one’s happiness in life. These could be seen when entertainers such as the beautiful and talented Lindsay Lohan was caught taking drugs. There are a few setbacks having a huge pile of money. These setbacks are the reasons why money does not guarantee happiness even if it could lead to happiness. Money cannot buy you everything Money turns people into materialistic creatures. Life consists of many important things that cannot be bought. For instance, you can purchase the best medicines and treatments, yet you cannot buy health. In this era of civilization, money can buy you fame and also a life. But there’s one thing in life that does not have a price tag to it and that is happiness. Happiness is not something that can be bought, but it is something that comes from within our heart and soul. Money does bring certain amount of happiness but the type of happiness won’t last. Money can’t buy happiness, but it will go a long way in helping you find happiness. As Easterlin puts it: â€Å"The problem is we dont realize that our material wants increase with the amount of money we make. †. Money brings â€Å"happiness† only up to a certain level that will end once it is over used. Money can never buy you love, family, and true friends which are the keys to happiness. Money can lead to more stress Stress is the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressure. It isn’t a disease. But if stress is intense and goes on for some time, it can lead to mental and physical ill health. Money and reputation always seem to dangle just outside of our reach, encouraging us to lean farther and farther over the edge, to study longer and longer, to work harder and harder. Life satisfaction is affected by salary and income, but only to a certain degree. The huge pay check you receive from your job may not buy you much happiness. Of course with your big income, you could buy a huge house and also a few classy vehicles. Having a large sum of money provide us some sense of security. And security is very desirable. People with money dont of course need to worry about their bill payments, but they often have significant sums of money invested and frequently needs to look out for their fortune and the rise and fall of the world stock markets and money value. Having a lot of money makes you more stressed out because you become worried about ow to manage, preserve, and grow the money. This is because once you have something you are afraid of losing it, but if you don’t have anything at all, there is no fear of losing it. To earn more money, people have to work very hard to finance their family. People nowadays end up doing jobs they despise, just for the sake of the thick pay check, working unbelievable hours and doing something they have no interest in. Higher salary equals to more responsibilities and more working hours per day. If responsibility and demands become too much, they can lead to work-related stress. The more responsibility you bare, the more stressful you are. These type of people were so busy living their lives in pursuit of something larger than themselves that they had no time to wonder, Am I happy? Money decreases the pleasures in life Usually a rich person will cut off most of his personal relationships as most of his time is spend to seek for money till he forgets to spend some quality time with others. Rich people also tend to splurge on lavish and extravagant items till they often forget how to enjoy the simple things in life. When you consume a luxury every day, it’s not a luxury any more. A super caramel triple-shot cappuccino with whipped cream and sprinkles is a luxury when you drink it once a month, making a little ritual out of it, sitting at your favourite table in the coffee shop and drinking in tiny sips with your eyes closed. If you do it every morning on your way to work, it’s just caffeine and calories. When a pleasure becomes ordinary, one tends to seek more and more sensation, something more and more luxurious till it gives the same payoff and satisfaction. People who earn more money dont spend their time enjoying themselves, they spend their time at work, in activities likely to cause them more stress and tension. This may be because of the focusing illusion. When people think about earning more money they probably imagine they would use the money on recreational activities. In fact, to earn the money, they have to spend more time at work, and commuting to and from work. Money invites pretentious group of people to come closer Owning a truck-load of money comes with a large of package. We often hear that lottery millionaires saying everyone suddenly love them once they hit the jackpot but in reality, those people only love their money. Spreading the word about one’s fortune could carry some negative consequences in relation to the people in the social network with the individual. Namely, if people love your money and not yourself, the closeness between you cant be genuine. Money can certainly not buy you friends or trust or relationships. Money creates a mirage of relationship with others that only leaves you dissatisfied because you didn’t have the interactions before you had the money. Rich people will never know for sure who their true friends are, and theyll always wonder. They might also have to spend the rest of their lives watching out for the huge numbers of pretenders who are just aiming for their money. Money makes you compare yourself with others The second reason why more money does not bring more happiness is the problem of rivalry. Since most everyone will likely find a relative, friend or an acquaintance making more money than them, they will certainly take it as a challenge and will do whatever it takes to earn more money than that individual. A great fortune means nothing if nobody knows about it. A research study made by Glenn Firebaugh, a sociologist at Pennsylvania State University in University Park and Laura Tach, a sociology graduate student at Harvard University supports this argument. Many think having a high position on the occupation ladder which obviously earns you bigger income, gains you more respect and will increase your level of happiness. Nowadays all adults are seemed to be bombarded with questions on what their careers are and the reason why these types of questions are often asked is because people are constantly comparing themselves with each other. When a child is born, parents tend to train their children that they have to become someone big and successful. Parents will try to scare their children by pointing out that some poor people who don’t have money are dying from hunger, some have no home to live. From that a fear, arise a conclusion in their minds that they will end up that way if they don’t have a lot of money. ? ? Conclusion As a whole, it is now proven that money does not guarantee one’s happiness. Despite money contributing to one’s happiness, money cannot buy pure and long term happiness. Acquiring money and status makes we feel satisfied with life. We convince ourselves that satisfaction equals to happiness. Unfortunately it doesnt. Even though rich people appear to have everything, they are left feeling that something is missing, but are unable to identify what that thing is. Obviously, money can fill up your belly and keep you dry when it rains, but money can certainly not fill up the emptiness in your heart. Being a truly happy person comes from within oneself as no amount of materialism and money in the world can grant you that feeling. Money can’t buy true happiness because happiness comes from within you, not from anyone or from anything else. Also, money can’t buy happiness because life really isn’t about who has the fastest car, the most money, the fanciest house, or other material things. Money does and can buy happiness but only for a short term of time, so it does not count as pure happiness. In short, money only gives one an illusion of security and satisfaction, and most of the time people tend to interpret this as happiness, but it isnt. Money can’t buy happiness directly but it is certainly one of the factors contributing to one’s happiness thus money alone does not guarantee happiness.

The Transportation System of Hong Kong and Sydney †Compare and Contrast Essay

The Transportation System of Hong Kong and Sydney – Compare and Contrast Essay Free Online Research Papers The Transportation System of Hong Kong and Sydney Compare and Contrast Essay Transport system is important to every modern city. A good transport system can bring convenience to everybody. On the surface at least, every city should have similar transport system. However, due to different factors and environment, there are differences between transport systems in different places. For example, Hong Kong and Sydney, both are famous modern city. Railway system is one of the most important parts in a good transport system. Railway makes transportation more efficient and easier. In Sydney, the City Rail is the main railway which brings people from north to south. Just because Sydney is so big that it takes a long time to travel every stop during the journey, in order to save time and make it more efficiency, the trains are divided into three types: â€Å"All Stops†, â€Å"Limited Stops† and â€Å"Express†. â€Å"All Stops† trains take people to every stop while â€Å"Limited Stops† and â€Å"Express† save time by not stopping at each station. On the other hand, Hong Kong is much smaller compared to Sydney. The main railway in Hong Kong is the Mass Transits Railway (MTR). Similarly, the MTR also makes transportation more efficient and easier to travel. The network of MTR nearly covers all the area of Hong Kong and Kowloon and south part of the New Territories. The MTR is fast, comforta ble and convenient railway in Hong Kong, just like the City Rail in Sydney. However, because Hong Kong is so small, it doesn’t take a long time to travel from one place to another. Therefore, the MTR can stop at every station it travelled through without a long time (probably less than an hour) to travel from the east to the west. Bus is also an important public transport in everywhere. In Sydney, the area is so big that it has to be several bus systems. For example, the Sydney Buses, which is the largest bus company in Sydney, travels many suburbs in Sydney, still not all. Sydney Buses provides regular bus services between the major interchanges of Sydney CBD, Wynyard, Circular Quay, Townhall, Central, North Sydney, St Leonards, Lane Cove, Epping, Macquarie Centre, Chatswood, Manly, Northern beaches, Burwood, Parramatta, Rockdale, Maroubra, Bondi Junction, Bondi Beach, Sydney Airport and many more.(Sydney Buses) The remaining parts have their own bus system to assist the transportation there. If someone is going to travel from one suburb to another suburb which is far away and if the Sydney Buses do not travel the destination, he/she has to travel by train. This makes the bus system in Sydney not as good as in Hong Kong. Compare to Sydney, Hong Kong has a much simpler bus system. There are just 3 bus companies in Hong Kong but they share the same system in Hong Kong. The routes are more or less the same. They all travel to every part in Hong Kong, even the parts that MTR does not cover. As mentioned above, Sydney is much larger than Hong Kong, it is better to have a car to travel. In Hong Kong, the roads are narrow but it is full-filled with buses, taxis, mini-buses, and private cars, which makes serious traffic jams everyday at the busy times. However in Sydney, the roads are much wider and there are fewer cars on the roads which make the traffic very thoroughly. There are also some differences and similarities in other transportations in Sydney and Hong Kong. An Example like the tram in Hong Kong, which is similar to the light rail in Sydney, both travels in a short distance and small area. There are mini bus in Hong Kong, which is like the bus in Hong Kong, while Sydney don’t have. In conclusion, even though there are similarities between the transport system in Hong Kong and Sydney, there are still some differences for example like the bus systems. The transport system in the two cites varies from each other due to different factors and environment. But it is sure that both of the systems bring efficient and convenience to each of them. Reference List: Sydney Buses: www.sydneybuses.info Research Papers on The Transportation System of Hong Kong and Sydney - Compare and Contrast EssayBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationCanaanite Influence on the Early Israelite ReligionLifes What IfsMind TravelNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceOpen Architechture a white paperThe Project Managment Office System19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraCapital Punishment

How to Work Full-Time and Fit in Vacations

How to Work Full-Time and Fit in Vacations Joanna Niles, a lifestyle and travel blogger, wrote about traveling while working full time over at the HuffingtonPost this week. I thought her tips were great- practical and strategic- and my husband and I used many of the same approaches when we plan travel a few  times a year. Look at the calendarSince I teach workshops and college-level courses, my schedule is bound by the academic calendar. This means I can travel a lot in early and late summer, I have a lot of time in January, and I always have a few 3- and 4-day weekends during the fall and spring.Chances are if you work for a corporate or government employer, you have a variety of paid and national holidays to make the most of, too. Not every trip is a week-long extravaganza- we’ve done weekend jaunts to San Francisco, Philadelphia, Portland, Maine, and have a trip to New Orleans coming up at the end of the month. It’s surprising how refreshing and enjoyable a brief visit can be. You can also be more efficient with your vacation days by adding on one before or after a long weekend.TelecommuteNormally, you’d be working during the day and perhaps socializing at night. Maybe you can work out an arrangement where you can take that format on vacation with you, too. Another option is to work after the family goes to bed or before they’re up in the morning.This tip has the potential to backfire since you can also be pursued by work long after you’re ready to unplug, but if you’re disciplined about allowing and restricting access (yours, and your coworkers!), a vacation where you spend an hour or two emailing and coordinating in the morning and then go about your day can be great for making your getaway productive.This summer I had to take a pile of grading to the beach, and the first two days of our trip were divided between lounging on the sand and marking up papers on the balcony. Sure, I wanted to be spending more of my time on the boardwalk, but the alternative w as postponing our much-anticipated vacation just for a deadline, so it turned out to be a worthwhile compromise.Plan AheadWhen my husband and I first got together, he hated the way I liked to plan six months or a year out, but now he appreciates that if you don’t get a head start on planning trips, you can miss out on awesome seasonal opportunities or experiences that sell out as soon as they become available to the public.Don’t forget to set aside some vacation time around the holidays! My first year of working full-time, I didn’t anticipate that my company wouldn’t just automatically close on important â€Å"eves.† If my boss hadn’t been generous about commuting my sick time, I would have had a sad solitary holiday weekend alone in my apartment instead of back in my hometown.Be FlexibleThat said, sometimes you have to just get that price alert in your inbox, click through, reserve your flight and grab a weekend bag. If budget is the most i mportant factor in your ability to travel, get yourself on the mailing list of sites like The Flight Deal and Airfare Watch Dog and stay tuned as rates rise and fall during the various tourist seasons.Where you go is more important than when you go anyway, and remember how nice a quick weekend can be- fly out Friday after work, enjoy Saturday and part of Sunday, and maybe go in a little late on Monday.How to Travel with a Full-Time JobRead More at Huffington Post

The Arab-Israeli Peace Process Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Arab-Israeli Peace Process - Essay Example The Oslo process made Israeli forces withdraw from West Bank territory that contained Palestine and was made to be under Palestinians. The treaty brought peace in Palestine. Both the countries had to ensure they provide maximum security to their citizens and prevent the terror attack. There was peace in Palestine because it was their responsibility to ensure that they avoid terror against the Israelis. The Oslo process had some shortcomings in it. The Oslo process broke down because of improper negotiation habits thus turning the peace that was created to the charade. This provided a much safe platform for the Israelis to keep on doing their projects in West Bank and go unpunished (Rothstein, Maoz & Shiqāqī, 2002). Some of these projects harmed the Palestine. The Oslo process led to loose of trust between the countries and there was no peace. The Palestinians are unsatisfied and grieve thinking of what was to yield a wave of peace in their country is bringing harm. The Palestinians lands have been taken because of a construction of roads and walls thus separating the Palestinians communities (Rothstein, Maoz & Shiqāqī, 2002). The number of deaths has increased evidently in the recent killing in Gaza strip and there were more than a thousand individuals killed in the process. After the Oslo process failed there was no room left for subsequent peace talk between the Israelis and Palestinians because of lack of trust, which is a foundation for establishing treaties. From the shortcoming, we see Oslo process as an inappropriate aid, which is falsely framed to bring peace to the

CASE STUDY Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Case Study Example The research objective is a set of goals you set for your marketing research. This is very important part of your research as it tells what do the researcher hope to achieve and why is s/he carrying out the research. (Koch) For our research problem, the specific objective is to find out what kind of customers shop at the store and what their preferences are, shopping style, shopping style, behavior and demographics. The outcome of this research will be used to design marketing strategy according to the needs of the customers, and providing them what best fits them. In this research, they should go for Primary as well Secondary research. Primary research will be of prime importance they actually need information on customers characteristics. This information can be found out with the help of detailed questionnaire, interviews, and mall intercepts. The use of Secondary sources is also important because researchers will need to look at the past researches done by the mall, and see a general buying behavior among the shoppers of the city or region. Once you have outlined the sources of your required information, you look into the details of how this information will be extracted. In this scenario, we need to find the characteristics of customers who come at the mall. The research conducted will be qualitative as well as quantitative. The quantitative research will involve questions that need use of words to express. There will be very few questions that can be answered in a quantitative manner. By qualitative analysis, the researcher can find out the answers for every unique customer, his/her beliefs, insights, opinion, preference, experience etc in words. These things cannot be measured in numbers, they are unique for every human

Abortion and Writing Professor Hyde Essay Example for Free

Abortion and Writing Professor Hyde Essay Technical and Business WritingProfessor Hyde The Advantages of Abortion? For many years, abortions have been performed and so has the controversy over abortion. Today, I have decided to write about the advantages of having an abortion. Some may argue that there are no advantages to having an abortion, but that’s what makes this topic such a debatable one. Abortions have been performed since the 1800’s. Not until the infamous decision of Roe v. Wade that abortions became legal medical procedures. It was also the year the United States Supreme Court recognized abortions as part of women’s civil rights. To the average person whether male or female, abortion should be against the law, but I beg to differ. Abortion gives couples the option to choose not to bring babies with severe and life-threatening medical conditions to full term. Aborted fetuses contribute to medical science through stem cell research that cure diseases and re-grow lost or damaged limbs. It’s almost like donating organs of the decease to someone alive in dire need. In cases of rape or incest, forcing a woman who was made pregnant by the violent act would cause further psychological harm to the victim. No child should be born into this world unwanted. Statistics show that unwanted children are raised in a home with no love or supervision. They become adults who commit crime and are sentenced to prison. Another reason women have abortions is they don’t have the financial resources needed to support a child. The majority of the population has Medicaid as health insurance coverage so termination of pregnancy can be free or low cost. If they decide to keep the baby and raise it, the cost to taxpayers could be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. I chose to title my paper â€Å"The Advantages of Abortions† because your life doesn’t have to stop because you chose to end your pregnancy. Women shouldn’t feel ashamed or embarrassed because they chose a different decision than most. An unplanned pregnancy may be a burden now, but years from now it may become a miracle or joy because you had a chance to grow and mature as a person. Before you can raise a child you need to finish raising yourself first.

Where Abortion Goes Wrong Essay -- Pregnancy Birth Papers

Where Abortion Goes Wrong Abortion is wrong. This is a bold statement for a twenty-one-year-old, white male raised in a middle class home, and one that I am not at all comfortable making. It is not just that the debate over abortion is so heated, or that I fear being labeled a Bible-beating fanatic. I am uncomfortable because the issue of abortion is mired in uncertainty. We all know that child abuse and rape are wrong. Under no condition can rape be justified. This is simply a fact that we all accept. The problem of abortion, on the other hand, is not nearly as straightforward. As pointed out by Frederick Turner in Abortion Can be a Moral Sacrifice, pro-life people can be sure that late-term abortions are murder. However, the same surety is not there when they consider two-day old embryos. A similar confusion can be seen by those in the pro-choice camp (Turner, 1992). Here lies the central question: With so much uncertainty surrounding abortion, can and should it ever be legislated? To answer this question, we must first understand the basis for both sides' positions. Misunderstandings have long been the major block to meaningful discussions. The pro-life camp's position is often thought to stem from a hidden agenda to suppress women, whereas the pro-choice position is often linked to loose morals and little emphasis on responsibility. These ideals or traits may be held by a limited number in each group, but they are not indicative of the majority. Most pro-life and pro-choice advocates sincerely believe in their convictions and have legitimate arguments to back up their beliefs. Actually, the arguments of both sides are rooted in the same key principles. The first is an understanding of the worth of the fetus, and, based... ...orn. New York: Delacorte Press/Seymour Lawrence. Thomson, J.J. (1971). A defense of abortion. In R.M. Baird & S.E. Rosenbaum (Eds.), The ethics of abortion: pro-life vs. pro-choice (pp. 29-44). New York: Prometheus Books. Tooley, M. (1972). Abortion and infanticide. In R.M. Baird & S.E. Rosenbaum (Eds.), The ethics of abortion: pro-life vs. pro-choice (pp. 45-59). New York: Prometheus Books. Turner, F. (1992). Abortion can be a moral sacrifice. In L. Bruno (Ed.), The abortion controversy. (pp. 55-58). Warren, M.A. (1973). On the moral and legal status of abortion. In R.M. Baird & S.E. Rosenbaum (Eds.), The ethics of abortion: pro-life vs. pro-choice (pp. 75- 82). New York: Prometheus Books. Zindler, F.R. (1985). Human life does not begin at conception. In C.P. Cozic (Ed.), Abortion: opposing viewpoints (pp. 17-22). San Diego: Greenhaven Press, Inc.

Using Cost Accounting Information to Enhance Firm’s Competitive Position and Performance

Cost Accounting in Theory The last two decades has seen a revolution in management accounting theory and practice due to the challenges of the competitive environment in the 1980s. Kaplan and Johnson (1987) identified the failings and obsolescence of existing cost and performance measurement systems, which led to the re-examination of traditional cost accounting and management control systems. Conventional financial and management accounting methods have developed primarily as a result of corporate legislation in the 1930s forcing companies to provide externally published financial accounts. Management accounting is primarily focused as a decision making tool for running a business, hence they require more flexibility. According to Kaplan, management accounts have become a subset of financial accounts and that they reflect more on the external rather than internal requirements of the company. Most of the managerial decision-making and control systems in use in the late 1980s were described by Johnson and Kaplan as stagnant. As a result, they went onto research in new accounting systems raising the profile of internal accounting systems by use of financial and non-financial measures. Although their work was at first seen as controversial, it is now considered of key importance for companies aiming to enhance their competitive position and performance. The purpose of cost accounting is to ascertain the costs of products and services. When properly implemented, the cost accounting function will provide necessary information for pricing decisions, identify the profitability of each product, service, or job, aid management in maximizing profits by detecting sources of wastages and excess capacity, and can influence management behaviour. In theory, cost accounting help managers make decisions to fulfill an organization’s goals. Cost Accounting in Practice However, according to a July 2003 study done by the Institute of Management Accountants and Ernst and Young, 98% of managers believe their cost data is distorted while almost 40% believe their cost data is significantly distorted. In practice, most companies still use the same cost accounting and management control systems that were developed decades ago in a competitive environment drastically different from today. In the many cases worked on throughout the semester in Accounting Planning & Control, for example Putz, Seligram Inc. and Zytec, there was an underlying problem of inaccurate costing information that failed management when making decisions. This was due to the traditional cost systems that these companies utilized despite the changing nature of their business environment. One of the main triggers that a company will need a new cost system is when changes occur in the organization and its environment. The article â€Å"You need a new cost system when†¦ † highlights the many signals in which a company needs to redesign or create a new cost system. This article proposes that a cost system must be up to date and functioning properly in order for the theory of cost accounting to be applied in practice. The problem with the state of the accounting profession is the skewed emphasis towards Financial Accounting, as identified by Kaplan. Financial Accounting is used to prepare financial statements for external users. These Financial Accounting reports are for outsiders to assess the business, but the reports focus on compliance with GAAP in broad totals and are not designed to support decision making. Despite this fact, 80% of organizations rely on the GAAP required Normal Costing method to provide management with reports (Sharman and Mackie 12). When management reports echo standard financial reports, management loses. These reports have no activity data and often require managers to prepare their own ad hoc reports when they require decision analysis. These financial reports are difficult to understand by non-accountants and do little to give managers the information they should have at their fingertips to run a company. The Management Accounting problem in this country does not seem to be as problematic in other countries. According to the Sharman and Vikas article in the December 2004 Strategic Finance German companies employ just as many Managerial Accountants as Financial Accountants; The U. S. employs one-tenth the number of practicing Management Accountants than the U. K. , Canada, and Germany. The weak emphasis on Management Accounting and providing information to managers to run a company is partly caused by the overwhelming requirements external parties place on corporations. Companies lose sight that the most important viewers of company feedback are people inside the company. State- of the Art Cost Accounting Information to Enhance Competitive Position Companies realizing the importance of internal reporting adopt state-of-the-art, or up to date cost accounting techniques, straying away from financial reporting and normal costing, in an attempt to accurately measure the costs of acquiring or using resources. This state-of-the- art cost accounting information enables management to add-value for the consumer, and to enhance their firm’s competitive position and performance. In order for a company to enhance their competitive position, they must have an effective competitive strategy. The competitive strategy describes how an organization will compete and the opportunities its managers should seek and pursue. There are two competitive strategies that companies can decide to implement: cost- leadership or product differentiation. When companies adopt the cost-leadership strategy, they decide to uphold a competitive advantage in the marketplace by providing the best value at the lowest price. When companies adopt the product differentiation strategy, they choose to uphold their competitive advantage by offering unique products or services at higher prices than their competitors. According to the confrontation strategy, competitive advantage is not sustainable. This is a realistic view of competition by recognizing that competitors will quickly bring out similar products and match price changes. The underlying argument of the confrontation strategy is that firms must compete in terms of the survival triplet. The survival triplet consists of three strategic dimensions that characterize a product: price/cost, quality, and functionality. These three dimensions are bounded by a minimum and maximum acceptable level which defines the survival zone. In order for firms to survive and remain competitive, firms must operate in their survival zone. With that being said, companies face continuous pressure to reduce the cost of the products or services they sell, or continuously improving the consumer’s perception of quality as related to their competitors. To successfully implement such strategies, managers must have state-of-the-art cost accounting information that will allow firms to adopt target costing to enhance their competitive position. Being that managers have little influence over pricing, (the central theme of economics states that prices are determined by supply and demand), management must monitor costs to receive desired profits. â€Å"Target costing is the allowable amount of cost that can be incurred on a product and still earn the required profit from that product† (Ansari, Bell, Klammer, Lawrence). The article â€Å"Target Costing† proposes that target costing is particularly important at the design stage, where â€Å"70-80 percent of the costs of a product are committed†. Hence, target costing is more than just a cost accounting technique; it is an integral part of the comprehensive management process that aids management in reducing the overall product’s life-cycle costs, helping an organization to survive in an increasingly competitive environment. Nonetheless, target costing is useful in pre-production as well as post production and has many advantages to allowing firms to uphold their competitive position. Target costing requires analysis on competitors’ products and the customer’s perception of their products, and uses this information to assess which particular customer segment of the market to target. This analysis done in target costing allows for companies to create products that adds value, in the eyes of the customer, while staying ahead of the competition by identifying areas of improvement based on the customers’ perceptions. Furthermore, target costing enhances a firm’s ability to uphold their competitive advantage. Target costing reinforces top-to-bottom commitment to process and product innovation and is aimed at identifying issues to be resolved, in order to sustain competitive advantage. Target costing helps to create a company’s competitive future with market-driven management for designing and manufacturing products to meet customer expectations and market price. Also, target costing identifies market opportunities that can be converted into real savings to achieve the best value rather than just simply the lowest cost. Target costing enhances competitive position in the ways aforementioned; however, without state-of-the-art cost accounting information, target costing is impossible to achieve. State-of-the-art Cost Accounting Information Enhancing Performance State-of-the-art cost accounting information can also enhance a firm’s performance in the marketplace. In measuring a firm’s performance, a state-of-the-art accounting technique was developed by Kaplan and Norton called the balanced scorecard. â€Å"The balanced scorecard translates an organization’s mission and strategy into a set of performance measures that provides the framework for implementing its strategy† (Hongren). The balanced scorecard uses financial and non-financial measures to evaluate short-run and long-run performance. Key strategic nonfinancial and operational indicators measure adjustments that a company is making for the long-run. For example, an improvement in quality, as measured by improvement in yields, signals a strong likelihood of higher sales and income in the future. By balancing the mix of financial and nonfinancial measures, the balanced scorecard brings management’s attention to short-run and long-run performance. In for profit companies, the main goal of the balanced scorecard is to improve a company’s financial performance. Non-financial measures simply serve as leading indicators for hard-to-measure long run financial goals. Kaplan and Norton developed four perspectives that firm’s should analyze to achieve performance levels that are necessary to meet customer needs, compete effectively, and achieve financial goal; the financial perspective, the customer perspective, the internal-business-process perspective, and the learning and growth perspective. The financial perspective focuses on increasing shareholder value. Measures of the financial perspective include ROI, ROCE, residual income, and EVA. By managing financial performance, managers are able to manage costs and unused capacity. This will enhance performance by increasing profitability of the firm. The customer perspective measures customer satisfaction and focuses on the importance of the customer on the business. This enhances performance by increasing the firm’s market share and overall customer satisfaction. This will enable firms to meet the future needs of customers and increase customer focus of sales on the organization. The internal-business process perspective focuses on the internal business processes that will meet the needs of customers. This area focuses on product design and innovation, improving efficiency and quality, and post-sales service. This perspective enhances performance by improving the customer-service process, identifying operational problems to improve quality, reducing delivery time, and improving manufacturing capabilities. The learning and growth perspective includes employee training, system capabilities, and employee motivation. Measures of learning and growth perspective include employee satisfaction, and employee training programs. This enhances performance by empowering the workforce, developing employee’s process skills, and enhancing system capabilities. By implementing an effective balanced scorecard, for-profit companies are able to motivate managers to take actions that result in improvements in financial performance. When financial and nonfinancial performance measures are properly linked, nonfinancial measures serve as indicators of lagging future financial performance. These indicators can aid management in improvements in future performance. Conclusion State-of-the-art cost accounting information allows for the implementation of modern cost accounting techniques. Such techniques include target costing and the balanced scorecard. Target costing enhances competitive position and uses state-of-the-art cost information to identify activities that do not add value to the customer. Without modern cost accounting information, there will not be a breakdown of activities and their respective costs to assist managers in analyzing non-value added activities. Target costing relies on state-of-the-art cost accounting information to identify these non-value added activities that managers will eliminate to reduce costs, and uphold their competitive position. The balanced scorecard uses state-of-the-art cost accounting information to motivate managerial behaviours and enhance performance. Managers’ rewards are based on the financial perspective, which metrics rely on cost accounting information. Analysis of operating income, a metric of the financial perspective, depends on modern cost account information that accurately separates material costs and conversion costs to identify spending variances and efficiency variances, which aid management in future financial performance. State-of-the-art cost accounting information enhances a firm’s competitive position as well as their performance in the future by allowing the implementation of modern techniques. Focusing on internal reporting, and not just financial reporting will allow companies to adopt continuous improvement in dynamic, highly competitive environments, through techniques such as target costing and the balanced scorecard. Works cited Sharman, Paul A. and Kurt Vikas. â€Å"Lessons from German Cost Accounting† Strategic Finance. 2004, December. 28-35. Cooper, Robin. You Need a New Cost System When†¦ † Harvard Business Review. 1989, January. 6 pages. Sharman, Paul and Brian Mackie â€Å"Grenzplankostenrechnung (GPK)† Notes from Institute of Management Accountants Annual Conference. www. imanet. org. 1-58. Ansari, Bell, Klammer, and Carol Lawrence. â€Å"Target Costing† Management Accounting, A Strategic Focus. McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. , 1997. Hongren, Datar, Foster, Rajan, and Christopher Ittner. Cost Accounting: A Managerial Emphasis. Thirteenth edition. Pearson Education, Inc. New Jersey 2009. 462-485. Print