The Hanging Gardens of Babylon

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon According to legend, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, considered one  of the  seven Ancient Wonders of the  World,  were built in the 6th century BCE by King Nebuchadnezzar II for his homesick wife, Amytis. As a Persian princess, Amytis missed the wooded mountains of her youth and thus Nebuchadnezzar built her an oasis in the desert, a building covered with exotic trees and plants,  tiered so  that it  resembled a mountain. The only problem is that archaeologists are not sure that the Hanging Gardens ever really existed. Nebuchadnezzar II and Babylon The city of Babylon was founded around 2300 BCE, or even earlier,  near the  Euphrates River just south of the modern city of Baghdad in  Iraq. Since it was located in the desert, it was built almost entirely out of mud-dried bricks. Since bricks are so easily broken, the city was destroyed a number of times in its history. In the 7th century BCE, Babylonians revolted against their Assyrian ruler. In an attempt to make an example of them, Assyrian King Sennacherib  razed the city of Babylon, completely destroying it.  Eight years later, King Sennacherib was assassinated by his three sons. Interestingly,  one of these sons ordered the reconstruction of Babylon. It wasnt long before Babylon was  once again flourishing and known as a center of learning and culture. It was Nebuchadnezzars father, King Nabopolassar, that liberated Babylon from Assyrian rule. When Nebuchadnezzar II became king in 605 BCE, he was handed a healthy realm, but he wanted more. Nebuchadnezzar  wanted to expand his kingdom in order to make it one of the most powerful city-states of the time. He fought  the Egyptians and the Assyrians and won. He also made  an alliance with the king of Media by marrying his daughter. With these conquests came the spoils of war to which Nebuchadnezzar, during the course of  his 43-year reign,  used to enhance the city of Babylon. He built an enormous ziggurat, the temple of Marduk (Marduk was Babylons patron god). He also built a massive wall around the city, said to be 80 feet thick, wide enough for four-horse chariots to race on. These walls were so large and grand, especially the Ishtar Gate,  that they too were considered one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World until they were bumped off the list by the Lighthouse in Alexandria. Despite these other awesome creations, it was the Hanging Gardens that captured  peoples imagination and remained one of the Wonders of the Ancient World. What Did the Hanging Gardens of Babylon Look Like? It may seem surprising how little we know about the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. First, we dont know exactly where it was located. It is said to have been placed close to the Euphrates River for access to water and yet no archeological evidence has been found to prove its exact location. It  remains the only Ancient Wonder whose location has not yet  been found. According to legend, King Nebuchadnezzar II built the Hanging Gardens for his wife Amytis, who missed the cool temperatures, mountainous terrain,  and  beautiful scenery of her homeland in Persia. In comparison, her hot, flat, and dusty new home of Babylon must have seemed completely drab. It is believed that the Hanging Gardens was a tall building, built upon stone (extremely rare for the area), that in some way resembled a mountain, perhaps by having multiple terraces. Located on top of and overhanging the walls (hence the term hanging gardens) were numerous and varied plants and trees. Keeping these exotic plants alive in a desert took a massive amount of water. Thus,  it is said, some sort of engine pumped water up through the building from either a well located below or directly from the river. Amytis could then walk through the rooms of the building, being cooled by the shade as well as the water-tinged air. Didthe Hanging Gardens Ever Really Exist? There is still much debate about the existence of the Hanging Gardens. The Hanging Gardens seem magical in a way, too amazing to have been real. Yet, so many of the other seemingly-unreal structures of Babylon  have been found by archaeologists and proven  to  have really existed. Yet the Hanging Gardens remains aloof. Some archaeologists believe that remains of the ancient structure have been found in the ruins of Babylon. The problem is that these remains are not near the Euphrates River as some descriptions have specified. Also, there is no mention of the Hanging Gardens in any contemporary Babylonian writings. This leads some to believe that the Hanging Gardens were a myth, described only by Greek writers after the fall of Babylon. A new theory, proposed by Dr. Stephanie Dalley of Oxford University, states that there was a mistake made in the past and that the Hanging Gardens were not located in Babylon; instead, they were located in the northern Assyrian city of Ninevah and were built by King Sennacherib. The confusion could have been caused because Ninevah was, at one time,  known as New Babylon. Unfortunately, the ancient ruins of Ninevah are located in a contested and thus dangerous part of Iraq and thus, at least for now, excavations are impossible to conduct. Perhaps one day, we will know the truth about the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

20 Christmas Quotes to Make You Feel Like a Kid

20 Christmas Quotes to Make You Feel Like a Kid As children, all of us believed in Santa. Christmas meant gorging on cookies, milk, and pudding, opening the gifts with gusto, and listening to grandpas stories around the Christmas tree. However, with time, innocence is replaced by skepticism. Christmas is now a time to let your hair down and party till the wee hours. If you miss those wonder years, read these cute Christmas quotes. Sometimes, it is fun to be a kid again...or at least feel like you are. Cute Christmas Quotes for Kids and Adults Hamilton Wright Mabie Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love. George W.Truett Christ was born in the first century, yet he belongs to all centuries. He was born a Jew, yet He belongs to all races. He was born in Bethlehem, yet He belongs to all countries. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow I heard the bells on Christmas Day; their old familiar carols play, and wild and sweet the word repeat of peace on Earth, good-will to men! Norman Vincent Peale Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful. Walter Scott A Christmas gambol oft could cheer; The poor mans heart through half the year. Charles Dickens I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. Larry Wilde Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree. In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall. Don Meredith If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, wouldnt it be a Merry Christmas? Washington Irving Christmas! Tis the season for kindling the fire of hospitality in the hall, the genial fire of charity in the heart. Bing Crosby Unless we make Christmas an occasion to share our blessings, all the snow in Alaska wont make it white. Dale Evans Christmas, my child, is love in action. Bob Hope My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that? Benjamin Franklin A good conscience is a continual Christmas. Edna Ferber Christmas isnt a season. Its a feeling. Mary Ellen Chase Christmas, children, is not a date. It is a state of mind. Dale Evans Christmas, my child, is love in action. Every time we love, every time we give, its Christmas. Jerry Seinfeld Thats the true spirit of Christmas; people being helped by people other than me. Peg Bracken Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas. Calvin Coolidge Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas. Margaret Thatcher Christmas is a day of meaning and traditions, a special day spent in the warm circle of family and friends.

Capital Investment decision making Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Capital Investment decision making - Essay Example Due to the nature of these services, the organization plans to purchase specialized facilities and to recruit several therapists who will be providing these services to outpatients at their homes (Baker & English, 2011). Among the decisions that the organization will have to make before the investment are the effects of this venture on the organization’s culture. The investment should work to motivate the organization’s staff. Another decision that the organization will need to make is how the desired quality of services will be achieved and be maintained. The organization will further have to make ethical considerations before commencing on the project. Among the main kinds of information needed to evaluate this project include capital budgeting models. The organization will have to choose a capital budgeting model that best suits its operations (Cumming, 2010). During this decision making process, the organization may experiences challenges when choosing on a capital budget model that works well for its operations. Deciding on methods of performance evaluation may also be challenging due to the wide variety of these methods. However, the organization can hire financial analysts who can assist in making these decisions (Serfas,

Criminal Behaviour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Criminal Behaviour - Essay Example [The Mental Health Act 1983, 2000] For example, most jurisdictions consider psychopathy to be an aggravating rather than a mitigating factor in determining criminal responsibility. In some states an offender convicted of first-degree murder and diagnosed as a psychopath is likely to receive the death penalty on the grounds that psychopaths are cold-blooded, remorseless, untreatable and almost certain to re-offend. But many of the killers on death row were, and continue to be, mistakenly referred to as psychopaths on the basis of DSM-III, DSM-III-R or DSM-IV criteria for ASPD. ASPD and psychopathy might now be more or less synonymous constructs. [Hare, 1999] Psychopaths generally are more violent than non-psychopaths, and are more likely to engage in a variety of different types of aggressive acts, but tend to engage in predominantly instrumental (calculated) violence, threaten strangers with weapons and to be motivated by vengeance, retribution, or money. [Hart S.D., Forth A.E., Hare R.D.; 1994] The psychopaths' profile includes such individual characteristics as sense of entitlement, disparate understanding of behaviour and socially acceptable behaviour; they are unremorseful, apathetic to others, unconscionable, blameful to others, manipulative and conning, affectively cold, disregardful of social obligations, non-conforming to social norms, irresponsible. Traditionally, affective and interpersonal traits such as egocentricity, shallow effect, deceit, manipulativeness, lack of empathy, selfishness, guilt or remorse are central individual characteristics in the conceptualization and diagnosis of psychopathy. [Cleckley,1976; Hare, 1993; Widiger & Corbitt, 1995] In 1980 psychopathy was renamed antisocial personal disorder and is now defined by persistent violations of social norms, including lying, stealing, truancy, traffic arrests and inconsistent work behaviour. These features appear to be visible through failure to make intimate relationships, impulsiveness, lack of guilt, not learning from adverse experience. [Harris G.T., Rice M.E., Quinsey V.L., 1993] Hare in his 'Without Conscience' (1999) defines that psychopaths charm and exploit others for their own gain, they lack empathy, sense of responsibility, they manipulate, lie and con others with no regard for anyone's feelings. Psychopathy is characterized by such traits as lack of remorse or empathy, shallow emotions, egocentricity, glibness, manipulativeness, parasitic lifestyle, episodic relationships, low frustration tolerance and persistent violation of social norms. [Hare, 1999] Dr.Hervey Cleckley in 'The Mask of Sanity' came up with 16 traits that formed a specific pattern of perspective and behaviour, and to see the 'symptoms' of psychopathy one should connect him with the circuit of a full social life. Psychopaths miss the qualities that people depend on for living in social harmony. [Cleckley, 1976] The psychopathic personality disorder items fall into two clusters: One cluster - Factor 1, reflects core interpersonal and affective characteristics; the other cluster - Factor 2, consists of items that reflect a socially deviant and nomadic

China and Europe during the Middle Ages Essay Example for Free

China and Europe during the Middle Ages Essay Globalisation is not new, though. For thousands of years, people and, later, corporations have been buying from and selling to each other in lands at great distances, such as through the famed Silk Road across Central Asia that connected China and Europe during the Middle Ages. Likewise, for centuries, People and corporations have invested in enterprises in other countries. In fact, many of the features of the current wave of globalisation are similar to those prevailing before the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. But policy and technological developments of the past few decades have spurred increases in cross-border trade, investment, and migration so large that many observers believe the world has entered a qualitatively new phase in its economic development. Since 1950, for example, the volume of world trade has increased by twenty times, and from just 1997 to 1999 flows of foreign investment nearly doubled, from $468 billion to $827 billion. Distinguishing this current wave of globalisation from earlier ones, author Thomas Friedman has said that today globalisation is further, faster, cheaper, and deeper. The current wave of globalisation has been driven by policies that have opened economies domestically and internationally. In the years since the Second World War, and especially during the past two decades, many governments have adopted free-market economic systems, vastly increasing their own productive potential and creating myriad new opportunities for international trade and investment. Governments have also negotiated dramatic reductions in barriers to commerce and have established international agreements to promote trade in goods, services, and investment. Taking advantage of new opportunities in foreign markets, corporations have built foreign factories and established production and marketing arrangements with foreign partners. A defining feature of globalisation, therefore, is an international industrial and financial business structure. Technology has been the other principal driver of globalisation. Advances in information technology, in particular, have dramatically transformed economic life. Information technologies have given all sorts of individual economic actors consumers, investors, businesses valuable new tools for identifying and pursuing economic opportunities, including faster and more informed analysis of economic trends around the world, easy transfers of assets, and collaboration with far-flung partners. Globalisation is deeply controversial, however. Proponents of globalisation argue that it allows poor countries and their citizens to develop economically and raise their standards of living; while opponents of globalisation claim that the creation of an unfettered international free market has benefited multinational corporations in the Western world at the expense of local enterprises, local cultures, and common people. Resistance to globalisation has therefore taken shape both at a popular and at a governmental level as people and governments try to manage the flow of capital, labour, goods, and ideas that constitute the current wave of globalisation. COCULSION: In sum, most distinctive conception sees globalisation as a fundamental transformation of human geography on the eve of the twenty-first century; world affairs have acquired a rapidly growing global dimension alongside the territorial framework of old. Of course and this point cannot be stressed too much it is not that territorial space has become wholly irrelevant in contemporary history. We live in a globalising rather than a completely globalised condition. Global spaces of the kind formed through telecommunications, transworld finance, and the like interrelate with territorial spaces, where locality, distance and borders still matter very much. Thus, for example, people have not while acquiring a global imagination discarded their affinities for particular territorial places. Similarly, global marketers have found on countless occasions that they need to tailor their products and promotions to local sensibilities. Globalisation is a process of interaction and integration among the people, companies, and the governments of different nations, a process driven by international trade and investment and aided by information technology. This process has effects on the environment, on culture, on political systems, on economic development and prosperity, and on human physical well being in societies around the world. BIBLIOGRAPHY: www.globalisationguide.org

Importance of Faith in Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne Essay

Importance of Faith in Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne In Young Goodman Brown, the main character, Goodman Brown has a bout with his own faith. He ends up losing this battle because of the wickedness in everyone else’s hearts. He begins by wanting to be the evil one, then progresses to be the faithful one as the night in the woods goes on. His name has a lot to do with the character in the story. The â€Å"Young† in his name is to symbolize innocence, and â€Å"GOODMAN† is pretty self-explanatory. He goes off in to the woods and comes with a lost faith in everyone else in the town. Goodman Brown decides he wants to go off into the woods for one last night of evilness before married life really kicked in. He says, †What a wretch am I, to leave her on such an errand!†¦Well; she’s a ...

Law and People Settings Essay

1.1 A duty of care in my own role is a legal obligation on me requiring me to adhere to a reasonable standard of care while performing acts of care. 1.2 I have a legal and professional duty of care. If I was to neglect someone and this caused them harm then a court of law could find me negligent and stop me working in care or impose sanctions on me and this is how duty of care contributes to safeguarding individuals. 2.1 There are a few potential dilemmas that can arise in care work for example individual’s rights, a person’s individual rights and dignity should be respected at all times so in a end of life situation I may wish to administer lifesaving support but can only do this with the individuals consent. Another example is if a carer does not believe in organ transplantation or blood transfusion because of their culture they would still be required to support a client who had been prescribed this type of treatment. 2.2 Conflicts and dilemmas should be dealt with by the most senior manager in charge at that time. The person in charge may delegate responsibilities to carers if appropriate but they will first identify and assess the issues and devise strategies to deal with them. 2.3 To get advice and support about conflicts and dilemmas you can talk to managers, senior carers, social workers, registering authority and other colleagues. CT236 Principles for implementing duty of care in health, social care or children’s and young people’s settings. 3.1 In the event of a complaint I would follow procedures and try and put the matter right. Ask for the complaint to be put into writing to help us avoid the same situation arising again and look into the complaint thoroughly, fairly and honestly. Dealing with it with confidentiality and politely. Give an apology if required and explain how the situation will be put right. 3.2 Agreed procedures for handling complaints are to deal with the complaint fairly, honestly, confidentially, promptly and resolve the issues effectively and appropriately.

Dutton, Donald G. Rethinking Domestic Violence. Essay

This book gives us the history about assault on spouses. Dutton talks of two major social phenomena that emerged in North American and the Western countries in Europe. Long and tedious struggle of women led their rights get recognized. It goes further to state the measures and incidences of violence including theories concerning women assault. The cycle of violence and people who possess abusive personalities are stated even assault on men.Ideas in this book are crucial for they teach about recognizing one another especially those who possess violent personalities. It is good for the society for it educates one to accept one’s rights and difference between marriage duties and rights. It also shows us that we can eliminate all odds in our society and try to make each and every person feel that he or she belongs to it fully without any intimidation or discrimination. Dutton’s ideas can be used to help those who possess abusive personality by attending psychiatrists and avoiding any abusive behavior. It can be used to educate spouses in a marriage so that they will evade future marriage problems. Also, in the current globalized world, the ideas in this book can help us socialize and live together in peace and harmony especially in the domestic setup. This book can help people who are married to other cultures to harmonize or leave those cultures and then live with the acceptance and respect of each other’s rights. Weiss, Elaine. Surviving Domestic Violence: Voices of Women Who Broke Free. Volcano: Volcano Press, 2004. Print. In this book, Surviving Domestic Violence: Voices of Women Who Broke Free, Weiss wrote about several stories of women who had been subjected to domestic violence. She got these stories by interviewing and later writing them down. The book talks of what they went through and how they later managed to escape it. It gives reasons as to why such incidences were happening. After escape, the women took a very long time finally to recover the psychological and wounds they got due to this violence. But also, some were yet to recover fully for the ordeal they went through changed their lives negatively. Those who managed to deal with stress after coming out say that they are stronger than ever. The different stories taught in this book are the true causes and effects of domestic related violence. They bring about what one goes through and how one feels while undergoing the violence. Also, it helps to understand what to do when such incidences happen. It also shows its effects and how they change one’s life, therefore, targeting those who abuse their partners. This book is a very good example as it shows us that those who have already freed themselves from the marital abuses can educate others like the youth and couples about domestic violence so that they refrain from them. The stories are very encouraging for they give people motivation to solve their problems and also how one can escape this. They can be used by those specialists in parental guidance and counseling to help them shape their marriage when such incidences are reported to them and even before couples get married. The ideas in this book can enable those undergoing abuses to get out and look for a better marriage partner. One only needs to accept that he or she is undergoing domestic violence and therefore if it cannot solve; one can boldly walk away and start life afresh. Marriage is not slavery, but it’s a path towards achieving your goals in life as one needs a partner who is willing to assist where possible so that they make all their dreams in life to happen. Abused Men: The Hidden Side of Domestic Violence Cook, Philip W. Abused Men: The Hidden Side of Domestic Violence. Westport: Praeger, 2009. Print. Phillip exposes how men goes through domestic violence silently. He talks of how real it is that men are going through domestic violence without the society suspecting. He brings several stories of men who have been undergoing through such violence from their wives for a long time. Then he goes further to give tips that can help one to find freedom from any form of abuse. He talks of resistance and acceptance for those who are abusing their spouses and how they come to realize that each and every person deserves respect. He also talks of new great approaches that can be used to reduce domestic violence. He then gives survey statistics of domestic violence in Canada and also how the relationship changes between the offenders to their victims. The story is helpful in realizing what some men undergo. It gives statistics of domestic violence that people are not ready to discuss. The society is helped to recognize men who are undergoing domestic abuses from their spouses. The statistics helps people to know how long they have been living with their friends undergoing abuses without even realizing it. It talks of acceptance that can help those who are yet to accept their spouse the way they are. It is helpful for it shows how much men can be subjected to torture with use of dangerous tools. Such tools include; knives, machetes and any other type of a life-threatening tool or machine so that one can force their partner to follow their commands. Philip’s ideas can be used to know the men who are undergoing abuses from their wives and enable us to help them come out of the problem. Also, it encourages courage especially those who are not courageous enough to come out and tell their ordeal to the society. This book can help men to free themselves away from any form of abuse and intimidation from their partners. This book is crucial as it can be used to tell the extent in which men undergo violence in real life situations. Men can also use this book to help them evade any other form of domestic violence against them and therefore reducing the number of men who die as a result of domestic violence. Howard, Louise, Louise Howard, Gene Feder, and Roxane Agnew-Davies. Domestic Violence and Mental Health. London: RCPsych Publications, 2013. Print. This book has been written collectively by different authors who specialize in domestic violence ideas. It is about prevalence and physical health impacts of domestic violence. It talks about types of abuses in marriage such as physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological abuse and coercive control and also it questions them and gives clues on their solution. It also tackles the effects of a person’s psychology which is deeply affected even in the future that may not get them out of his mind. It stresses on the survival strategies to evade such abuses and also how one can control his or her mind to avoid damaging his or her psychology. In addition, it states the methods of interventions and responses people can take after or when you suspect any form of violence. Advice from professionals on domestic violence is also written down.This text has directives on what causes mental problems after abuse. It also gives us ways on how to control ourselves and maintain a state of calmnes s so as not disturb our stressed mind. It educates us on different forms of domestic violence. Different qualified professionals wrote it, and each field is well represented. It is an important text for it has the advices on domestic violence from professionals. The story in this book can help us to evade mental problems due to domestic abuses. It can also be used by psychiatrists to know what causes a certain mental disorder, and they can use the ideas here to enable their clients who are undergoing this problem to get out of it. It can also be used to educate couples so that when they are not in good terms to try to their best solve the problem before it gets out of hand. The advices written in this book can also apply in the same way to advice people especially those undergoing domestic violence depending on the cause and the kind of violence. Kubany, Edward S, Mari A. McCaig, and Janet R. Laconsay. Healing the Trauma of Domestic Violence: A Workbook for Women. Oakland: New Harbinger The book, Healing the Trauma of Domestic Violence: A Workbook for Women, is directed to those who have been freed from domestic violence and especially women. Due to violent domestic situations, one may develop post-traumatic stress disorders which are not easy to get out of one’s mind and can negatively affect that person. It aims at giving programs known as cognitive trauma therapy which one undergoes to help him or her come back to normal. It gives the techniques one can use them to help himself or herself by identifying any form of trauma and distress. And by so doing it can enable one to deal with it to help control and change his or her life. This book is targeting those who have been affected by domestic violence so that they come back to normal for those who were traumatized. It is an educational tool for the society to understand the devastating effects of wife battering. Therefore, it makes us even to identify those who are going through post-traumatic stress. It contains technics, and procedures one can follow so that they make him deal any results brought by domestic violence. It is also helpful as it helps chase out any fears one has due to what they went through during that horrifying period of domestic violence. Psychiatrists can use this book to help traumatized people by helping them to come back to normal. The ideas here can help us even to identify those going through stress in their marriage so that they help before it’s too late. Parents who are not in good terms can use this book to read and understand what one may go through if such incidences happen. The techniques in this book about dealing with trauma after violence can be used by psychiatrists to help clients who underwent this ordeal. Therefore, they identify what the form of trauma is, and this can help them to accordingly better their lives. It can also be used individually as one can remember well what went wrong in that marriage and helped them better their lives. References Cook, Philip W. Abused Men: The Hidden Side of Domestic Violence. Westport: Praeger,  2009. Print. Dutton, Donald G. Rethinking Domestic Violence. Vancouver: UBC Press,  2006. Print. Howard, Louise, Louise Howard, Gene Feder, and Roxane Agnew-Davies. Domestic Violence and Mental Health. London: RCPsych Publications,  2013. Print. Kubany, Edward S, Mari A. McCaig, and Janet R. Laconsay. Healing the Trauma of Domestic Violence: A Workbook for Women. Oakland: New Harbinger Weiss, Elaine. Surviving Domestic Violence: Voices of Women Who Broke Free. Volcano: Volcano Press,  2004. Print. Source document

Angst in London essays

Angst in London essays The understanding of experienced pain has recently moved from the biological to the metaphorical. Detailed interviews with twelve Turkish and Kurdish patients in London who had been unsuccessfully investigated medically for chronic pain showed that their understanding reflected local, typically humoural, conceptions of self and body. However there was little to suggest interpretation of the illness as a more specific and grounded idiom for social or political experience. It is suggested that the current vogue for 'interpretation' in medical anthropology and social psychiatry may occasionally be, as Umberto Eco puts it, INTRODUCTION It is common in cultural and historical theorising to attribute changing social patterns to some 'deeper' transformation of self or society, such that fashionable hemlines or illnesses represent changing class relations, gender roles, social crises, or whatever (Littlewood, 1997). At its most sophisticated, this logic presumes an affinity between a wider social patterning and its individual cultural manifestation as an illness (eg. Kenny, 1980); sicknesses are taken as characteristic of their age or of shared social What actually constitutes a plausible interpretation of this sort is none too clear, and historians and social scientists rely on a number of rather different procedures (Littlewood, 1997): an identified similarity between illness experience and the presumed state of other individuals undergoing the same social experiences (the illness as a reified exaggeration of the everyday), a formal equivalence between an individual and the society which experiences change (the individual as an analogue of the body politic), an expressed interpretation given by the sick individual themselves (local motivation or exegesis) or a more tenuous connection ...

Self-Published is not a Dirty Word

Self-Published is not a Dirty Word Self-Published is not a Dirty Word Self-Published is not a Dirty Word By Maeve Maddox In the old days, publishing companies that catered to writers who were willing to pay to have their books printed were called Vanity Presses. Family historians aside, writers who paid to publish were assumed to have failed in selling their work to a real publisher because it wasnt good enough, but they were determined to see their words in print anyway; hence the word vanity. This perception has changed along with the publishing industry. Diversity suffered when the little houses were gobbled up by the big ones. Todays conglomerates are unwilling to buy a book unless they feel it will generate a huge readership. As a result, many books that would appeal to a significant number of readers are rejected because the house doesnt think theyll appeal to a large enough audience. William P. Youngs book is a case in point. Youngs novel The Shack has been on the NY Times best seller list since June. He wrote the book as a Christmas gift for his family. They passed it around and friends urged him to publish it. One of the friends, Brad Cummings, says that Christian publishers turned it down because it was too edgy, and secular publishers turned it down because it was too Jesus-y. The book didnt fit publishers guidelines, but it has certainly hit the spot with readers. Sales of The Shack have passed the million mark and show no sign of abating. Books that sell a million copies, no matter who publishes them, are rare. According to one estimate, a major publisher considers a book a success if it sells 20,000 copies, whereas a smaller publisher might be happy with sales of 7,500 copies. Writers who make the decision to self-publish need to know what theyre getting into. Theyll have to be managers and marketers as well as writers. Theyll have to watch out for publishing scams that prey on the inexperienced. Self-publishing isnt for everyone, but it is valid way to get your book into circulation. At the least, an energetic marketer can expect to cover expenses and earn a modest profit. And theres always the possibility that the book may grab the attention of a larger public. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Freelance Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Definitely use "the" or "a"List of 50 Great Word Games for Kids and AdultsRite, Write, Right, Wright

Global Political Economy Research Question Paper

Global Political Economy Question - Research Paper Example Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, the Cuba Assets Control Regulations of 1963, the Cuban Democracy Act of 1992, the Helms-Burton Act of 1996, and the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 20001. When the embargo reached its fiftieth anniversary, there are arguments both in favor of and against it. While some people claim that it is the only way for the U.S to bring Cuba to respect democracy and human rights, some others think that it only hinders Cuba from converting to democracy. This paper argues that lifting the embargo would promote democracy and free trade markets in Cuba. When Batista was overthrown in Cuba in the Cuban Revolution, the new revolutionary government, under the leadership of Castro, started seizing U.S properties in the island and nationalizing them. As a response, the U.S reduced the Cuban import quota of brown sugar through the Sugar Act of 1948. However, the revolutionary government of Cuba gained support from the Soviet Union, which offered to purchase sugar from Cuba2. The situation grew worse when Cuba supported the Soviet Union in the Cold War. Infuriated, the Kennedy government extended the embargo measures. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, travel restrictions to Cuba came into force in 1963 and as a response to the Cuban hosting of Soviet nuclear weapons, Cuban Assets Control Regulations came into force, freezing Cuban properties in the U.S. Though the restriction on the U.S citizens from visiting Cuba expired in 1977, it is still illegal for U.S citizens to spend money or receive gifts in Cuba without a U.S government issued license. That is, it is not possible for the U.S citizens to pay airfare ticket taxes at a Cuban airport. In essence, though the travel restriction was removed, it is not possible for U.S citizens to visit Cuba without breaking the monetary transaction rule. However, by the year 2009, a change came as the Obama administration eased the ban, allowing Cuban-Americans to travel freely to Cuba3. The

Financial Analysis of General Electric CO Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Financial Analysis of General Electric CO - Essay Example GE is investing in cleaner technologies and being recognized for the effort. GE Company is well managed. The data are mostly positive over the years. The company is showing growth in all the areas. It is also low geared and showing positive growth in profitability, liquidity, efficiency measurements. The company seems to be in the maturity phase. Analysts are positive about the growth of the company. So, the company has not topped its potential as yet. Appendix 1. Return on Investment (ROI) = {Profit before taxes (PBIT) / Investment (total assets - current liabilities)} 2006: {24,620 / (697,239 - 220,514)} x 100; 2005: {22,696 / (673,321 - 204,970)} x 100 2. Gross Profit Ratio = (Gross Profit) / Total Revenues) x 100 2006: (89,281 / 163, 391) x 100 ; 2005: (81,142 / 147,956) x 100 3. Return on Equity (ROE) = {Profit after taxes / Shareholder's Equity }x 100 2006: (20,666 / 112,314) x 100 ; 2005: (18,661 / 109,351) x 100 4. Earnings per share (given) 5. Working Capital = Current Assets - Current Liabilities 2006: (438,728 - 220,514) ; 2005: (378,269 - 204,970) 6. Current Ratio = Current Assets : Current Liabilities 2006: (438,728 / 220,514) ; 2005: (378,269 / 204,970) 7. Acid Test (or Quick) Ratio = Quick Assets : Current Liabilities (Quick Assets = Current Assets - Equity) 2006: (390,902 / 220,514) ; 2005: (336,121 / 204,970) 8. Total Asset Turnover = Revenue / Total Assets (fixed + current) (times) 2006: (163,391 / 697,239) ; 2005: (147,956 / 673,321) 9. Fixed Asset Turnover = Revenue / Fixed Assets (times) 2006: (163,391 / 258,511) ; 2005: (147,956 / 295052) 10. Cash Turnover Ratio = Total Revenues / Cash Balance s (times) (Cash Balances = Cash + Accounts Receivables) 2006: (163,391 / 28,229) ; 2005: (147,956 / 23,676) 11. Gearing ratio = {Total Debt Capital / (Total Debt Capital + Equity ) }x 100 2006: {432,957 / (432,957 + 112,314)}x100 ; 2005: {370,437 /