We Wear The Mask Essays - Fiction, The Mask, African Clothing, Mask

We Wear The Mask Essays - Fiction, The Mask, African Clothing, Mask We Wear The Mask Analysis of We Wear the Mask In one of Paul Lawrence Dunbars most famous poems We Wear the Mask, he describes the harsh reality of the black race in America and how they hide their grief, sadness, and broken hearts under a mask for a survival strategy towards whites. We wear the mask that grins and lies, It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes, This debt we pay to human guile; With torn and bleeding hearts we smile, And mouth with myriad subtleties. In the first verse, the mask is taken off. The We of the poem describes the black community that lives a double life, the masked and the unmasked. Dunbar included the word mask in his poem because historically it was a false deceptive role-playing that was acceptable for a survival strategy by blacks and it maintained a sense of empowerment in a racial society. The word lies is a simple word but the mask not only lies to the whites, but to the person who is wearing the mask that start to live by it. Dunbar uses the word mouth as a verb, which intensifies our expressive genuine facial features that never lies. In life, the mask is the concealment of those features that reveal tears that give quality to a smile. The masks when worn is always smiling but underneath are the torn and broken heart of ones soul and this debt we pay to human guile. The debt that the black community is paying dearly by wearing the mask everyday for the cunning white race with myriad subtleties, the black race that wants to speak out and be heard. Why should the world be otherwise, In counting all our tears and sighs? Nay, let them only see us, while We wear the mask. The second verse, the mask is replaced. The word overwise, Dunbar recognizes that the black people knew too much for their own good. They knew that if they were to speak out that they would be condemned for knowing too much in which they struggled for equality from the white race and peace within. In the last three lines of the second verse emphasis their hurt when they are not around the white race and how they are trapped under the mask. We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries To thee from tortured souls arise. We sing, but oh the clay is vile Beneath our feet, and long the mile; But let the world dream otherwise, We wear the mask! In the words We smile, it shows that they wear their smiling mask everyday with tortured souls beneath and that they pray to Christ to find peace in the awful world they live in. The words clay is vile sets the setting for slavery on a plantation in the south where clay is popular. The plantation is where they worked and lived. Which did whites that treated blacks with disgust own. The words world dream otherwise, says that the otherwise will turn their head the other way and think differently. Some of them will die with their mask on and never realizing the truth or some will wake up without the mask and reveal the truth that it is wrong. In Paul Lawrence Dunbars poem, he links it to the black race and uses extended metaphor to have a penetrating insight to the reality of the frowned upon race in America, that struggles for equality and peace within a racial society. Bibliography In one of Paul Lawrence Dunbars most famous poems We Wear the Mask, he describes the harsh reality of the black race in America and how they hide their grief, sadness, and broken hearts under a mask for a survival strategy towards whites.

Biography of Julián Castro, 2020 Presidential Candidate

Biography of Julin Castro, 2020 Presidential Candidate Julin Castro is a Democratic politician who has served as city councilman and mayor of San Antonio, Texas. Under President Barack Obama’s administration, he served as U.S. Secretary for Housing and Urban Development. In 2019, he announced his decision to run for president of the United States. Fast Facts: Julin Castro Occupation: Attorney and politicianBorn: September 16, 1974, in San Antonio, TexasParents: Rosie Castro and Jesse GuzmanEducation: Stanford University, Harvard UniversityKey Accomplishments: San Antonio mayor, San Antonio City Council, U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, 2020 presidential candidateSpouse: Erica Lira CastroChildren: Cristin Julin Castro and Carina Castro.Famous Quote: â€Å"Texas may be the one place where people actually still have bootstraps, and we expect folks to pull themselves up by them. But we also recognize there are some things we can’t do alone.† Early Years Julin Castro grew up in San Antonio, Texas, with his identical twin brother Joaquà ­n Castro, who is younger than him by just a minute. His parents never married but remained together several years after Castro and his brother were born. The couple took part in the Chicano Movement; Castro’s father, Jesse Guzman, was an activist and math teacher, and his mother, Rosie Castro, was a political activist involved in the political party La Raza Unida. She served as Bexar County chairwoman for the group, helping register people to vote and organizing political campaigns. She eventually launched her own failed bid for the San Antonio City Council in 1971. In an interview, Rosie Castro told the Texas Observer that as Julin and Joaquà ­n grew up, she spent most of her time trying to make enough money to raise them as a single mother. But she remained politically active. Aware of their mother’s sacrifices, both Julin and Joaquà ­n Castro excelled in school. Julin Castro played football, tennis, and basketball at Thomas Jefferson High School, where he graduated in 1992. He and his brother won admission to Stanford University and, later, Harvard Law School, graduating in 1996 and 2000, respectively. Julin Castro has credited affirmative action with helping him get into Stanford, pointing out that his SAT scores were not competitive. Political Career After Julin Castro completed his studies, he and his brother worked for the law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer Feld, and later left to start their own firm. Both brothers also pursued political careers, making Rosie Castro’s influence on them evident. Julin Castro won election to the San Antonio City Council in 2001, when he was just 26 years old, making him the youngest councilman to ever serve the city. Later he set his sights on a mayoral campaign, but lost his initial bid. Joaquà ­n Castro won a seat in the Texas House of Representatives in 2003. In 2007, Julin married Erica Lira, an elementary school teacher. The couple had their first child, a daughter named Carina, in 2009. That same year Castro was finally elected San Antonio mayor, serving until 2014, the year his son, Cristin Julin Castro, was born. During his tenure as mayor, Castro gave an inspiring keynote address at the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, that earned him comparisons to the speech Barack Obama, then a U.S. senator, had made at the convention eight years earlier. In his keynote, Castro discussed the American dream and the sacrifices his family had made to help him achieve it. â€Å"The American dream is not a sprint, or even a marathon, but a relay,† he said. â€Å"Our families don’t always cross the finish line in the span of one generation. But each generation passes on to the next the fruits of their labor. My grandmother never owned a house. She cleaned other people’s houses so she could afford to rent her own. But she saw her daughter become the first in her family to graduate from college. And my mother fought hard for civil rights so that instead of a mop, I could hold this microphone.† The speech helped draw national attention to Castro that grew when President Obama named him the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in 2014. The then 39-year-old was the youngest member of Obama’s cabinet. Serving as HUD secretary did not just thrust him into the national spotlight, though, it also landed him in the middle of a controversy. The HUD Controversy During his tenure at HUD, the department sparked concerns about its handling of mortgage loans. Specifically, HUD was accused of selling mortgages to Wall Street banks, causing lawmakers like U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren to call out the agency. Warren criticized HUD for selling off delinquent mortgages without first giving borrowers the opportunity to modify their loan terms. Rather than financial firms, Warren wanted nonprofit organizations to manage these mortgages and help struggling borrowers. Although Castro took the heat for HUD’s management of mortgage loans, the agency’s practices in this area predate his appointment as secretary. A 2015 Bloomberg analysis found that since 2010, HUD had sold 95 percent of such loans to investment firms. That’s four years before Castro came on board. Still, critics of Castro continue to hold him accountable for the problem, some arguing that it should disqualify him from serving as vice president or president. HUD’s stipulations for selling delinquent loans was subsequently changed. Presidential Run Since his keynote address at the 2012 Democratic National Convention, speculation that Castro would one day run for president has followed him. The speculation intensified when Castro’s memoir,  An Unlikely Journey: Waking Up From My American Dream, debuted in 2018. Many politicians write books to personalize themselves to the public and broadcast their political views. On Jan. 12, 2019, in San Antonio, Texas, Castro officially announced his presidential candidacy. During his speech, he provided an overview of the issues that have been important to him throughout his career, including early childhood education, criminal justice reform, universal healthcare, and immigration reform. â€Å"We say no to building a wall and say yes to building community,† Castro said. â€Å"We say no to scapegoating immigrants, and yes to Dreamers, yes to keeping families together, and yes to finally passing comprehensive immigration reform, Castro said to applause. Castro has also been a longtime supporter of LGBT rights and of Black Lives Matter. If Castro wins the Democratic nomination, he would be the first Latino to earn that distinction.   Sources Baugh, Josh.â€Å"From Political Matriarch Rosie Castro, the Sons Also Rise.† San Antonio Express-News, Sept. 30, 2012.Cirilli, Kevin. â€Å"Julian Castros 5 Notable Lines.† Politico.com, Sept. 4, 2012.Cranley, Ellen. â€Å"Heres how Julin Castro came to be a 2020 presidential contender and what might be next.† Business Insider, Jan. 13, 2019.Garcia-Ditta, Alexa. â€Å"The Interview: Rosie Castro.† Texas Observer. Merica, Dan. â€Å"Julin Castro Officially Announces 2020 Presidential Bid.† CNN, Jan. 12, 2019.â€Å"Elizabeth Warren Protests Sales of Distressed Home Loans to Wall Street.† Al-Jazeera America, Sept. 30, 2015.

International Trade Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

International Trade - Research Paper Example The competition effects in bestowing more reasonable goods or services to the customers. The trade of products and services also influences the global economic structure in relation to demand and supply, accessibility and availability of goods and services to the prospective customers around the globe (Grimwade 1-50). Thesis Statement The paper intends to briefly discuss about international trade and its historical background. The different problems, benefits and the present day standing with regard to international trade have also been highlighted within this study. History of International Trade With regard to the historical concept, international trade can be stated as the basic notion of trading which had been conducted by Great Britain in the early part of 15th century. The European commenced to explore the trading activities through seas to discover new trade ways to the Asian market. With the similar context, the Portuguese explored England, Spain, and France and Africa set ac ross the Atlantic Ocean and discovered colonies as the new market place for trade. During the 17th century, the industrial revolution had occurred in Great Britain and it facilitated it as a stronger trading nation through supplying goods to those targeted colonies and purchased valuable raw materials from those dependencies (Meier, â€Å"Theoretical Issues Concerning the History of International Trade and Economic Development†). During the period of 17th and 18th century, â€Å"mercantilism† emanated in Europe to perform trade in a systematic body involving consideration dedicated to explore the trade beyond the national boundaries. According to the concept of mercantilism, the trade should operate in a balanced way during the export and the import of goods or services. The favorable â€Å"balance of trade† consigns the equal value of exported and imported goods that are to be exchanged among the territories. However, trade among the regions was evaluated to be advantageous due to its capability to derive value to the domestic goods which surpassed the cost of imported goods, which is a key concept of â€Å"balance of trade†. With this concern of trade revolution, the theory of Adam Smith has fundamentally developed the economic thoughts with regard to international trade. According to the Smith’s economic theory, financial growth of a country highly depends upon proper categorization and distribution of workers. The categorization performed according to skill and experience which is effective for an organization to produce more products from the existing resources and it is one of the major influences for the company to attain higher standard of income. The division of workers is also important to allocate them according to the growth and the structure of the market. With this concern, the practice of such trading activities is more advantageous to increase national economic growth along with generating a feasible growth on the world’s economy as well (Irwin, â€Å"A Brief History of International Trade Policy†). Problems of International Trade International trade activity often brings with it certain difficulties. During the process of trade on a global basis, companies can face difficulties in terms of quality as well as international competitiveness with regard to their produced

MBA Application Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

MBA Application - Essay Example Surprisingly I have managed to come through with flying colours and that is what has motivated me to enrol for your management consultancy programme. Without sounding too flattering I feel I have strong analytical and problem solving skills and enjoy finding solutions to problems. It is my personal motivation that is driving me to work harder and to achieve my goals. Although several motivation theories have highlighted different motivation forces namely fear, self-interest, security, safety, ego etc, I agree that it is also supported by self-interest which plays an important role in achievement and it is one of the essential prerequisites for motivation. We notice that people around the world make goals and then work hard to achieve them but have we ever really focused on their reasons for achievement If we delve deeper into the reason or forces that motivate them to succeed, we notice that self-interest dominates all other factors. Even those who appear to be involved in some absolutely selfless goals are in some way serving their own interests.

Misogyny in Theogony Essay Example for Free

Misogyny in Theogony Essay In Theogony, Hesiod expresses misogynistic notions and shows the triviality of the creation of women. Hesiod portrays the insignificant role for women. He uses marriage as a light-hearted yet serious judgment and stereotypes against all women. Hesiod explains the most misogynistic attitudes in the story of Pandora. He works misogyny into female monsters and goddesses that use their tricks on men. Hesiod displays the dominance of the male sex in his poem, Theogony. Hesiod touches on his feelings toward the idea of marriage. Referring to Theogony, he states that the man who avoids marriage arrives at an old age with no one to look after him and distant relatives share out his living. The man who finds a good wife spends a life, that is balanced between evil and good, / A constant struggle.(393-394) While the man who gets an awful wife lives with, He lives with pain in the heart all down the line, / Pain in spirit and mind, incurable evil.(395-396) Hesiod’s idea of marriage is more of a teaching process with the man as dominant and the woman is to be controlled. The very creation of women was a punishment to mankind. Out of Zeus anger toward Prometheus, came Pandora, the first woman. Hesiod explains the thoughts of immortal gods and mortal men as they first glanced at the beautiful creation as â€Å"sheer deception, irresistible to men. / From her is the race of female women, / The deadly race and population of women, / A great infestation among mortal men.† (373-376) The only reason women live in this world is because of the sins of one male figure. Women have no other purpose in Hesiod’s words than to be the bad that upsets the good in the world. In Theogony, Hesiod mentions the monster Echidna stern of heart, who was half nymph with fair cheeks and curling lashes, and half a monstrous serpent, terrible and huge, glinting and ravening, down in the hidden depths of the numinous earth. This monster that Hesiod describes seems to parallel with his image of women: beautiful but deceiving. Theogony also describes Aphrodite as a modest and beautiful goddess. Although she is the goddess of intimacy, tenderness, and pleasure, she is also the goddess of deceptions. Aphrodite claims she is the most powerful because she can influence all other gods. Hesiod wrote this poem with a lot of misogynistic thoughts in mind. The idea of marriage is irrelevant except for the matter of reproduction of strong and courageous men in Theogony. The creation of women was originally a punishment to Prometheus but Hesiod shows that this is a punishment to all mankind. Women are also often compared to monsters and evil creatures. Hesiod states throughout his poem that women are often insignificant and trivial to the lives of men.

Graduation Speech: Enjoy the Journey :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Sitting in the backseat of the car, I used to bombard my family with these questions. On our summer road trips I was so anxious for the destination that I failed to appreciate the journey. However, as time passed and I grew older, I realized that it was the journey that was important and not the destination. For the past 13 years of our education we have been on a journey - a journey full of experiences, challenges and accomplishments. We have made it through elementary, middle and high school. It hasn't always been what we expected and certainly not easy, but as we progressed down the road, we stretched ourselves to reach across barriers and found ourselves in new and expanding roles. We were given the opportunity to explore our interests and discover what really excites us. We have become more independent and complete individuals. Our growth and self-discovery has placed us here tonight. Tonight we stand at a crossroad where each one of use will take a new direction in our life's journey. Walt Whitman said "Not I - not anyone else can travel that road for you. You must travel it for yourself." Where we end up isn't the most important decision, but instead it is the road we choose to take to get there. The road we take is what we will look back on and call our life. Life is a journey of everyday experiences, teaching us moment in, moment out, who we really are. It's important to remember these words "Happiness is to be found along the way, not at the end of the road, for then the journey is over and it is too late." And so we find ourselves ready and eager to move on. We take with us the strength and knowledge we've gained through our interactions, encounters, challenges and accomplishments at school and at home with parents, teachers and friends. Remember life is not a race but a journey to be enjoyed each step of the way. I leave you with these words from the mountain climber John Amatt: "Adventure isn't hanging on a rope off the sides of a mountain.

Modern Times by Charlie Chaplin Essay

Synopsis: A black and white comedy by Charlie Chaplin, Modern Times takes place in America during the Great Depression. It follows Little Tramp (Chaplin) while he struggles to survive as a factory worker in a modern and industrialized world. Though this movie does not take place during the Industrial Revolution, the problems and challenges faced by Americans during the Great Depression are similar to the ones faced by people in the Britain during the early 1900s. As mentioned, this movie is in black and white. It is also a predominantly silent film, and these two factors take this movie outside of most students’ comfort zones. Students tend to moan in disappointment when they learn what they are about to watch. However, the slap-stick, and physical humour wins high school students over and they seem to always enjoy the film. Activity After the Movie: Research Essay – Students are asked to take their knowledge of the Industrial Revolution and write a research paper comparing it to the Great Depression as depicted in Modern Times. Opinion Essay – Chaplin uses this movie to shed a negative light on Capitalism and modernization. Accordingly, students could write an opinion paper agreeing or disagree with Chaplin’s ideas of industrialization. Below are three examples of relevant scenes from the movie that correlate with both essay topics: The opening scene is of people marching to work and then it switches to a shot of a herd of sheep walking the streets. This is to portray Chaplin’s opinion that people are more like sheep in an industrialized society, losing their individuality. One may argue that this was also the case during Industrial Revolution with the switch from the cottage industry to factory work. After this opening scene the audience sees Chaplin in the factory, where he has a repetitive assembly-line job tightening screws together as products run by on a conveyor belt. Next his boss speeds up the machine, and it gets harder and harder for him to keep up. Eventually, this monotonous regime causes him to have a breakdown and lose his job. This scene is a great one to highlight to students because it is a clear example of an assembly line. Also, the fact that it gets harder and harder for Chaplin’s character to keep up, which then leads to a breakdown and consequent unemployment is a commentary on the quality of life that this assembly-line work creates and the risks and danger involved. There are many references to communism, which is an important ideology to know when learning about the Industrial Revolution. After Little Tramp becomes unemployed he ends up on the street where he finds a red flag and begins to wave it. This causes the police to believe that he is a communist and he is put in jail. There are also scenes where Little Tramp is seen dividing and sharing stolen necessities, such as food, with the working class. This may not be a direct connection to Communism, but is pointing out some of the disadvantages of Capitalism.

Bite Me: A Love Story Chapter 10

10. Unlikely Knights THE EMPEROR They called it Wine Country. What it was, in fact, was an area south of Market Street, adjacent to the Tenderloin, where liquor stores sold a high volume, yet small variety, of fortified wines like Thunderbird, Richard's Wild Irish Rose, and MD 20-20 (known in the wine world as Mad Dog, for the propensity of its drinkers to urinate publicly and turn around three times before passing out on the sidewalk). While Wine Country was technically the SOMA, or the â€Å"fashionable† South of Market Street neighborhood, it had yet to draw the young professional crowd that sprayed everything with a shiny coat of latte and money, as had its waterfront neighbor. No, Wine Country consisted mainly of run-down apartments, sleazy residence hotels, deeply skeezy porn theaters, and old industrial buildings, which now housed mini-storage units. Oh, and a huge Federal Building that looked like it was being molested by a giant steel pterodactyl, but evidently that was just the government trying to get away from their standard bomb shelter architecture to something more aesthetically appealing, especially if you liked Godzilla porn. It was in the shadow of that architectural abomination that the Emperor had taken his search for the alpha vampire cat. He and the men didn't spend much time in Wine Country, as he had lost a decade in a bottle somewhere and had since forsworn the grape. But it was his city, and he knew it like the cat-scratch scars on Bummer's muzzle. â€Å"Steadfast, gents, steadfast,† said the Emperor, throwing his shoulder against a Dumpster behind a hundred-year-old brick building. Bummer and Lazarus had commenced low, rumbling growls since they'd come into the alley, as if there were tiny semi-trucks idling in their chests. They were close. The Dumpster rolled aside on rusty wheels, revealing a basement window with a sheet of plywood loosely fitted into it. The building had once housed a brewery, but had long since been refitted for storage, except for the basement, half of which had been bricked off from the inside. But this window had been forgotten, and it led to an underground chamber completely unknown to the police, where William, and other people who succumbed to the Wine Country's charms, would seek shelter from the rain or the cold. Of course, you had to be drunk to think it was a good place to stay. Except for the spot by the window, the basement was completely dark, as well as damp, rat infested, and reeking of urine. As he pulled away the plywood, the Emperor heard a high sizzling sound, and the smell of burning hair came streaming out the window. Bummer barked. The Emperor turned away and coughed, fanned the smoke away from his face, and then peered into the basement. All over the visible parts of the floor, cat cadavers were smoldering, burning, and reducing to ash as the sun hit them. There were scores of them, and those were just the ones the Emperor could see from the window light. â€Å"This appears to be the place, gents,† he said, patting Lazarus's side. Bummer snorted, tossed his head, and ruffed three times fast, which translated to, â€Å"I thought I would enjoy the smell of burning cats more, but strangely, no.† The Emperor got on his hands and knees, then backed through the window. His overcoat caught on the window sill and actually helped him in lowering his great bulk to the floor. Lazarus stuck his head in the window and whimpered, which translated to, â€Å"I'm a little uneasy about you being in there by yourself.† He measured the distance from the window to the basement floor and pranced, preparing himself to leap into the abyss. â€Å"No, you stay, good Lazarus,† said the Emperor. â€Å"I fear I wouldn't be able to lift you out once you are down here.† With the ashes of burned cats crunching under his shoes the Emperor made his way across the room until he reached the end of the direct light that lay across the floor like a dingy gray carpet. To move farther he'd have to step on the bodies of the sleeping-well, dead-cats, as even in the shadows, he could see that the floor was covered with feline corpses. The Emperor shuddered and fought the urge to bolt to the window. He was not a particularly brave man, but had an overly developed sense of duty to his city, and putting himself in harm's way to protect her was something he was compelled to do, despite the acute case of the willies that was crawling up his spine like an enormous centipede. â€Å"There must be another entrance,† the Emperor said, more to calm himself than to actually impart information. â€Å"Perhaps not large enough for a man, or I would have known.† He tentatively nudged a dead cat aside with his toe, cringing as he did it. The vision of the vampire cats engulfing the samurai swordsman filled his head and he had to shake it off before taking another step. â€Å"A flashlight might have been a good idea,† he said. He didn't have a flashlight, however. What he had were five books of matches and a cheap, serrated-edged chef's knife that he'd found in a trash can. This would be the weapon he'd use to dispatch the vampire cat, Chet. In his younger, naà ¯ve days, last month, he'd carried a wooden sword, thinking to stake the vampires in the heart, movie style, but he'd seen the old vampire nearly torn apart by explosions, gunfire, and spear guns by the Animals when they'd destroyed his yacht, and none of it seemed as effective as had the little swordsman he'd seen in the SOMA. Still, a flashlight would have been nice. He lit a match and held it before him as he moved into the dark, working his foot between cat bodies with each step. When the match burned his fingers, he lit another. Bummer barked, the sharp report echoed through the basement. The Emperor turned and realized that he'd somehow made his way around a corner and the window was no longer visible. He reached inside his great overcoat and felt for the handle of the chef's knife, which was stuck in his belt at the small of his back. He pushed on, moving into another room, a large one as far as he could tell, but still, to the edge of the match light, the bodies of cats littered the floor, most of them lying on their sides as if they'd just dropped over, or in awkward piles, as if they'd been in the middle playing, or fighting, or mating when something suddenly switched them off like a light switch. Another distant bark from Bummer, then a deeper one from Lazarus. â€Å"I'm fine, men, I'll be finished with this and back out in no time.† Well into his third book of matches, the Emperor saw a steel door, partly ajar. He made his way to it; the dead cats thinned out and then there was a bit of a clearing in the carnage, although only for a foot or two, as if a path had been cleared, but a narrow one. He stood and caught his breath. He heard men's voices, but coming from back by the window, amid them more barking and now snarling from the men. â€Å"I'm in here!† the Emperor called. â€Å"I'm in here. The men are with me!† Then a distant voice. â€Å"Mo-fuckas need to cover this up. The City see it they brick this bitch up, then where we go when it rain?† There was a thump, then a grating noise, a rusty creaking, and the Emperor realized it was the sound of the plywood being fit back into the window and the heavy Dumpster pushed into place before it. â€Å"Block them wheels,† said the voice. â€Å"I'm here! I'm here!† called the Emperor. He gritted his teeth, preparing to run across the deep carpet of cat corpses to the window, but he hesitated, the match burned his fingers, and darkness fell upon him. THE ANIMALS â€Å"I'm pretty sure it's the Apocalypse,† said Clint, not even looking up from his red-letter King James Bible. The Animals were spread out in various positions around the basketball court, playing HORSE. Clint, Troy Lee, and Drew sat with their backs to the chain-link fence. Troy Lee was trying to read over Clint's shoulder, Drew was packing pot into the bowl of a purple carbon-fiber sports bong. Cavuto and Rivera made their way around the outside of the court. â€Å"What's up my niggas!† came a scratchy, wizened voice-totally out of place for the surroundings-like someone smacking a fiery fart out of a tiny dragon with a badminton racket. Rivera stopped and turned toward a small figure who stood at the foul line dressed in enormous sneakers and an Oakland Raiders hoody big enough for a pro offensive tackle. Except for the cat-rim glasses, it looked like Gangsta Yoda, only not so green. â€Å"That's Troy Lee's grandma,† said the tall kid, Jeff. â€Å"You have to give her a pound or she's going to keep saying it.† Indeed, she had a fist in the air, waiting for a pound. â€Å"You go ahead,† said Cavuto. â€Å"You're ethnic.† Rivera made his way to the tiny woman and despite feeling completely embarrassed about it, bumped fists with her. â€Å"Troot,† said Grandma. â€Å"Truth,† said Rivera. He looked to Lash, who had been the ad hoc leader of the Animals after Tommy Flood was turned vampire. â€Å"You okay with this?† Lash shrugged. â€Å"What are you gonna do? Besides, it's prolly the Apocalypse. No time to roll all politically correct up in this bitch when the world is ending.† â€Å"It's not the Apocalypse,† said Cavuto. â€Å"It's definitely not the Apocalypse.† â€Å"I'm pretty sure it is,† said Troy Lee, looking over Clint's shoulder at Revelation. They all gathered around the seated Animals. Rivera took out his notebook, then shrugged and put it back in his pocket. This wasn't going to be in any report. Drew sparked up the bong, bubbled a long hit, then handed it to Barry, the balding scuba diver, who inhaled the extra off the top. â€Å"We're cops, you know?† said Cavuto, not sounding that sure of it himself. Drew shrugged and exhaled a skunky blast. â€Å"S'okay, it's medical.† â€Å"What medical? You have a card? What's your condition?† Drew produced a blue card from his shirt pocket and held it up. â€Å"I'm anxious.† â€Å"That's not a condition,† said Cavuto, snapping the card out of Drew's hand. â€Å"And this is a library card.† † Reading makes him anxious,† said Lash. â€Å"It's a condition,† said Jeff, trying to look somber. â€Å"It's for arthritis,† said Troy Lee. â€Å"He doesn't have arthritis. It's not a thing.† Cavuto was pulling handcuffs out of the pouch on his belt. â€Å"She does,† said Troy Lee, pointing to his grandmother. The old woman grinned, held up her card, flashed an arthritic â€Å"West Coast† gang sign, and said, â€Å"What's up, my nigga?† â€Å"I'm not giving her a pound,† said Cavuto. â€Å"She's like ninety. You must. It is our way,† said Troy Lee in his mysterious ancient Chinese secret voice. From his sitting position, he bowed a little at the end for effect. Cavuto had to bend down to give the old woman a pound. â€Å"You know you'll never escape the killer cats in those giant shoes,† he said. â€Å"She doesn't understand,† said Barry. â€Å"No comprende English,† said Gustavo. â€Å"Cats?† said Rivera. â€Å"Your message.† â€Å"Yeah, you said to call if anything weird happened,† said Troy Lee. â€Å"Actually, we said not to call us,† said Cavuto. â€Å"Really? Whatever. Anyway, the Emperor came banging on the store windows last night all freaked out about vampire cats.† â€Å"Did you see them?† â€Å"Yeah, there were shitloads. And I don't know how you're going to take them down. That's why it's pretty obvious that it's the Apocalypse.† Clint, the born-again, now looked up. â€Å"I figure that the number of the beast is a number of how many. So, there were like six hundred sixty-six at least.† â€Å"Although it was hard to count,† said Drew. â€Å"They were in a cloud.† Rivera looked to Troy Lee for explanation. â€Å"It was like they'd all gone to vapor, like we saw the old vampire trying to do that night we blew up his yacht. Except they were all merged into one, big-ass vampire cloud.† â€Å"Yeah, it started coming into the store, even with the door locked,† said Jeff, now at the foul line, sinking his fourth swish in a row. â€Å"How'd you stop it?† Cavuto asked. â€Å"Wet towel under the door,† said Barry. â€Å"It's what you do when you're smoking weed in a hotel and you don't want everyone calling security. You're always supposed to have a towel. I read about it in a guide for hitchhiking through the galaxy.† â€Å"Skills,† said Drew, a little glassy-eyed now. â€Å"But, if not for the wet towel, it was the Apocalypse,† said Troy Lee. â€Å"Clint is looking in the book of Revelation for the part about the towel now.† â€Å"I hope it's like Thunder Dome Apocalypse,† said Jeff. â€Å"Not zombies trying to eat your brain Apocalypse.† â€Å"I'm pretty sure it's going to be, city-wiped-out-by-vampire-cats Apocalypse,† said Barry. â€Å"You know, just going on what we know.† â€Å"It's not the Apocalypse,† said Cavuto. â€Å"So, what happened?† Rivera asked. â€Å"The cloud just went away?† â€Å"Yeah, it sort of distilled to a big herd of cats and they went running every which way. But what do we do tonight if it comes back? The Emperor led it right to us.† â€Å"Where is the Emperor?† â€Å"He went off this morning with his dogs. Said he thought he knew where the prime vampire cat might be and that he and the men would dispatch it and save his city.† â€Å"And you let him?† â€Å"He's the Emperor, Inspector. You can't tell him shit.† Rivera looked at Cavuto. â€Å"Call dispatch to post a bulletin to call us if anyone sees the Emperor.† â€Å"We're not getting off work today, are we?† said Cavuto. â€Å"Take an Apocalypse day,† said Barry. â€Å"Woo-hoo! Apocalypse day!† Troy Lee's grandma fired off a barrage of Cantonese to her grandson, who replied with the same. The old woman shrugged and looked up at Cavuto and Rivera and spoke for about thirty seconds, then went and took the ball from Jeff, then shot a complete air ball, at which everyone cheered. â€Å"What? What?† said Cavuto. â€Å"She wanted to know what Barry was woo-hooing about, so I told her.† â€Å"What did she say?† â€Å"She said no big deal. They had vampire cats in Beijing when she was a girl. She said their shit is weak.† â€Å"She said that?† â€Å"The idiom is different, but basically, yeah.† â€Å"Oh good,† said Cavuto, â€Å"I feel better.† â€Å"We need to find the Emperor,† Rivera said. Cavuto pulled the car keys out of his jacket. â€Å"And pick up our Apocalypse jackets.† â€Å"What about us?† asked Lash. Rivera didn't even look back when he said, â€Å"You guys have more experience fighting vampires than anyone on the planet†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"We do, don't we?† said Troy Lee. â€Å"Oh, we are so fucked,† said Lash. â€Å"That's sad,† said Drew, repacking the bowl of the bong. â€Å"Really sad.† THE EMPEROR Darkness. He waited a moment, listening to his pulse beat in his ears before striking another match. â€Å"Courage,† he whispered to himself, a mantra, an affirmation, a sound to keep him from jumping out of his own skin at every creak or rustle in the dark. He lit the match, held it aloft. He pulled at the big steel door, throwing his weight, and it moved a few inches. Perhaps this was the other way out. It was clear that all these cats hadn't come in through the window, not with the plywood blocking it. He elbowed the door aside, feeling the resistance of a drift of dormant vampire cats piled up against it. When the opening was wide enough to squeeze through, he put his shoulder inside, then paused as the match went out from the movement. He was inside, and the floor seemed clear at his feet, although it felt as if he was standing on powder. As he lit the next match he hoped to see a stairway, a hallway, perhaps another boarded-up window, but in fact what he saw was that he was in a small storeroom fitted with wide metal shelves. The floor was indeed covered with a thick layer of dust, and among it, rumpled clothing. Ragged overcoats, jeans, and work boots, but also brightly colored satin garments, hot pants, and halter tops, tall platform shoes in fluorescent colors, dingy under the dust and darkness. These had been people. Homeless people and hookers. The fiends had actually dragged people down here and fed on them-sucked them to dust, as the little Goth girl had termed it. But how? No matter how strong or ravenous, the cats were still just housecats before they had turned. And they hadn't seemed cooperative. He couldn't imagine a pack of twenty vampire cats dragging a fully grown person down here. It didn't make sense. The match burned his finger and he tossed it aside, then pulled the knife from his belt before lighting the next. When the next match flared, he saw something on one of the high shelves at the far side of the room. Something quite a bit larger than a housecat. Perhaps it was one of their victims who had survived. He adjusted his grip on the knife and moved forward, trying not to cringe as the dusty clothing clung to his feet and ankles. No, not a cat. At least not a housecat. But it had fur. And a tail. But it was the size of an eight-year-old child, and it was snuggled up against something even larger. The Emperor raised the knife and stepped forward, then stopped. â€Å"Well, you don't see that every day,† he said. The cat thing was spooning the naked form of Tommy Flood.

Learn 10 Facts About Sendai, Japan

Learn 10 Facts About Sendai, Japan Sendai is a city located in the Miyagi Prefecture of Japan. It is the capital and largest city of that prefecture, and it is the largest city in Japans Tohoku Region. As of 2008, the city had a total population of over one million spread over an area of 304 square miles (788 sq km). Sendai is an old city - it was founded in 1600 and its known for its green spaces. As such it is called The City of Trees.On March 11, 2011, however, Japan was struck by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake that was centered in the ocean just 80 miles (130 km) east of Sendai. The earthquake was so powerful that it caused a massive tsunami to hit Sendai and surrounding regions. The tsunami devastated the citys coast and the earthquake caused severe damage in other areas of the city and killed and/or displaced thousands of people in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture and neighboring areas (image). The earthquake was considered to have been one of the five strongest since 1900 and it is believed that the main island of Japan (on which Sendai is located) moved eight feet (2.4 m) due to the earthquake. Geographic Facts About Sendai The following is a list of ten geographic facts to know about Sendai:1) It is believed that the area of Sendai has been inhabited for thousands of years, however, the city was not founded until 1600 when Date Masamune, a powerful landlord and samurai, relocated to the region and formed the city. In December of that year, Masamune ordered that the Sendai Castle be constructed in the citys center. In 1601 he developed grid plans for the construction of the town of Sendai.2) Sendai became an incorporated city on April 1, 1889, with an area of seven square miles (17.5 sq km) and a population of 86,000 people. Sendai quickly grew in population and in 1928 and 1988 it grew in area as a result of seven different annexations of nearby land. On April 1, 1989, Sendai became a designated city. These are Japanese cities with populations of over 500,000. They are designated by the cabinet of Japan and they are given the same responsibilities and jurisdictions as the prefecture level.3) In its ear ly history, Sendai was known as one of Japans greenest cities as it had a large amount of open space as well as a variety of trees and plants. However, during World War II, air raids destroyed many of these lands. As a result of its green history, Sendai has become known as the City of Trees and prior to the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, its residents were urged to plant trees and other greenery at their homes.4) As of 2008, Sendais population was 1,031,704 and it had a population density of 3,380 people per square mile (1,305 people per sq km). Most of the citys population is clustered in urban areas. 5) Sendai is the capital and largest city of the Miyagi Prefecture and it is divided into five different wards (a subdivision of Japanese designated cities). These wards are Aoba, Izumi, Miyagino, Taihaku, and Wakabayashi. Aoba is the administrative center of Sendai and Miyagi Prefecture and as such, many government offices are located there. 6) Because there are many government offices in Sendai, much of its economy is based on government jobs. In addition, its economy is heavily focused on retail and the service sector. The city is also considered to be the center of the economy in the Tohoku region. 7) Sendai is located on the northern part of Japans main island, Honshu. It has a latitude of 38Ëš1605 N and a longitude of 140Ëš5211 E. It has coastlines along the Pacific Ocean and stretches to the Ou Mountains inland. Because of this, Sendai has a varied topography that consists of relatively flat coastal plains in the east, a hilly center and mountainous areas along its western borders. The highest point in Sendai is Mount Funagata at 4,921 feet (1,500 m). In addition, the Hirose River flows through the city and it is known for its clean waters and natural environment. 8) The area of Sendai is geologically active and most of the mountains on its western borders are dormant volcanoes. There are however a number of active hot springs in the city and large earthquakes are not uncommon off of the citys coast due to its location near the Japan Trench - a subduction zone where the Pacific and North American plates meet. In 2005 a magnitude 7.2 earthquake occurred about 65 miles (105 km) from Sendai and most recently the massive 9.0 earthquake struck 80 miles (130 km) from the city. 9) Sendais climate is considered humid subtropical and it has warm, wet summers and cold, dry winters. Most of Sendais precipitation occurs in the summer but it does get some snow in the winter. Sendais average January low temperature is 28ËšF (-2ËšC) and its average August high temperature is 82ËšF (28ËšC). 10) Sendai is considered a cultural center and it is home to many different festivals. The most famous of these is the Sendai Tanabata, a Japanese star festival. It is the largest such festival in Japan. Sendai is also known as being the origin for several different Japanese food dishes and for its specialty crafts. To learn more about Sendai, visit its page on the Japan National Tourism Organizations website and the citys official website.Sources:Japan National Tourism Organization. (n.d.). Japan National Tourism Organization - Find a Location - Miyagi - Sendai.  https://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/regional/miyagi/sendai.htmlWikipedia.com. Sendai - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SendaiWikipedia.org. City Designated by Government Ordinance - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_designated_by_government_ordinance_%28Japan%29

Finding Time to Write in High School

Finding Time to Write in High School Finding Time to Write in High School Finding Time to Write in High School By Maeve Maddox I am still in high school and therefore (due to AP classes) have little or no time to write.   I have tried to make time to write at least half a page every day (not a continuing story, just whatever comes to mind at the time) and I cannot even find time to do THAT!   I really want to continue my writing and I want to improve, but I just cant find the time. Do you have any suggestions as to what I can do to improve my vocabulary, grammar, writing and my flow of ideas that will not take up too much time? NOTE: This reader is referring to Advanced Placement classes. AP courses are college courses made available to high school students. They are generally considered to be more rigorous than general high school courses and usually require more reading and writing. This note from a young reader made me think of the story about the young man who was in love with a young woman. Her family moved to another town a thousand miles away. Distraught, the young man went to the local sage and told him his sad story. The sage looked at him thoughtfully and then spoke. â€Å"How is it, young man, that you love this young woman and she is a thousand miles away?† Writing is like love. You go the distance. You find the time. High School Students Have More Time Than Adults One of my greatest regrets as I head into my retirement years is that I wasted so much time because of the petrifying notion that I had to wait to get serious about writing until after I’d met all my domestic responsibilities. Women caring for husbands and pre-schoolers, and men working two jobs to keep their children in clothes and school supplies are certainly at a disadvantage if professional writing is their goal. Nevertheless if the desire is strong enough, they’ll steal hours from their sleep to find the time to put words to paper. Unlike an adult caught up in the necessities of providing for the needs of others, a high school AP student has opportunities built into the work day. Every situation differs, I know, but it seems to me that an AP student would find plenty of opportunity to â€Å"improve vocabulary, grammar, writing and flow of ideas† in the process of doing the AP course work. Vocabulary A course in any discipline, even math, can provide vocabulary growth as the student learns the specialized terms of the subject. An AP English course is a gift for the budding writer. It provides the opportunity for close reading of serious literature. Not only will such reading add to the student’s vocabulary, it will do it in a way that cramming on vocabulary lists will never do because the words are presented in context. AP History will not only provide new vocabulary, it will furnish the student’s mind with ideas and information that one day can be distilled into fiction or personal essay writing. Nothing is lost to the writer. That’s where writers have it all over non-writers. Even a tedious wait in a doctor’s office provides material. Grammar Like vocabulary, grammar is better learned from reading than from doing isolated exercises. A common fault that I see in the writing of many young people is the uncertain grasp of prepositions. Many young native English speakers use prepositions as if English were their second language. If they read widely, they’d absorb the idioms. Writing and Flow of Ideas An AP English syllabus I pulled up on the web requires eleven essays. How is this not a built-in opportunity for writing practice? Some of the works of literature being studied for this class are The Canterbury Tales, The Inferno and All Quiet on the Western Front. Like I said, a gift. Courses other than AP English offer plenty of opportunity for improving writing and flow of ideas. For example, not all textbooks are well-written. Some seem designed to put the reader to sleep. Students of writing can read textbooks on any subject not just for information, but for style. They can compare the interesting parts with the soporific ones. What makes the writing slow down? Is it sentence length? Is it unnecessarily erudite vocabulary? What about transitions? What words does the writer use to get from one idea to the next? How could the writing be improved? Make Your Courses Work for You The young writer who set me this question is to be admired for recognizing the fact that writing must be cultivated. My advice, try to stop seeing the AP coursework as an impediment to writing and make it work for you. The practice of writing half a page a day was a great idea. Resume it if at all possible. If all you can find is ten minutes, write a few lines. If nothing else, take the time to write the words â€Å"I am a writer† before you drop off to sleep. 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 Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Great Similes from Literature to Inspire YouBroadcast vs Broadcasted as Past FormWords That Begin with Q

Scholarly Journal Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Scholarly Journal Review - Essay Example The paper also states that the definition of this model is highly evolving in response to the changing needs of our schools in the global education reforms. Introduction The emergence of the instructional leadership model is known to have brought about improved educational outcomes in schools in contrast to the earlier leadership models, which have been used in our schools today, that is, situational leadership, contingency theory, and trait theories. This model focuses on the manner in which teachers as well as the school administrators apply the educational leadership to improve performance in schools. Conceptualizing instructional leadership The instructional leadership model has been identified with a strong, effective, and directive leadership, which is focused on curriculum and instructions from the principal, as one of the characteristics of elementary schools, effective at teaching schoolchildren from the poor urban communities. The instructional leadership focuses mainly on the principal as the center of expertise, authority and power in any school. The importance of this role of the principal was inferred from studies that examined change implementation, schools improvement, school effectiveness, as well as program improvement. The two articles concludes that the â€Å"leadership skills† of the schools’ principal are one of the key contributing factors in explaining successful, school improvement and school effectiveness. After reading the above articles, the following are some of the areas I learnt about conceptualizing instructional leaders in our schools especially in secondary schools since this is where most principals apply (Cuban, 1997). Instructional leaders are goal oriented and they only focus on student academic outcomes. Their mission is to ensure that the curriculum is best for the students; they too ensure that the students’ performance can be assessed; hence, this has helped many students in performing better in the ir education. The instructional leaders are also seen as culture builders in the sense that they try to create an academic press which focus on high standards for students as well as for teachers. This ensures that the schools like other sectors have their own culture centered on their improved performance. This ensures that the students have set goals and objectives, hence, work towards achieving those goals. This makes the schools performances improve. The growing concerns on effective schools focusing on poor urban schools in need of a substantial change, then makes the instructional leaders to be conceived to be strong and directive leader. They have helped the poor urban schools in performing better; hence, students are in a position to achieve good grades than they did before. It is the principal’s role to work with staff in order to ensure that the school has clear and measurable goals, which are focused on academic performance of the students. The principal also ensur e that the above mentioned goals are widely known and also supported throughout the community. This statement does not mean that it is only the principal who defines the school mission alone but he/she ensures that the school has a clear academic mission and then communicates it to the staff The instructional leadership also focuses on coordination and control of the schools curriculum as well as monitoring the student’s progress in classrooms. Here, the leader is deeply engaged in the schools instructional