An Argument Against Racial Profiling Essay -- Black Lives Matter Essays

"I don't want to talk about whether or not racial profiling is legal. Racial profiling is not an effective law enforcement tool." -- Eric Holder, 82nd Attorney General of the United States Before any argument can be made against racial profiling, it is important to understand what racial profiling is. The American Civil Liberties Union, defines racial profiling as "the discriminatory practice by law enforcement officials of targeting individuals for suspicion of crime based on the individual's race, ethnicity, religion or national origin"(Racial Profiling: Definition). Using this definition we can determine that racial profiling excludes any evidence of wrong-doing and relies solely on the characteristics listed above. We can also see that racial profiling is different from criminal profiling, which uses evidence of wrong-doing and facts which can include information obtained from outside sources and evidence gathered from investigation. Based on these definitions, I will show that racial profiling is unfair and ineffective because it relies on stereotyping, encourages discrimination, and in many cases can be circumvented. There have been many studies and case reports involving racial profiling, particularly racial profiling issues involving traffic stop and seizures. In a study done of reports on the stop-and-searches done on Interstate 95 in Maryland, it was found that 28.4 percent of black drivers and passengers and 28.8 percent of white drivers and passengers stopped were found with illegal contraband. (U.S. Department of Justice) The disparity between the two statistics is a mere .4 percent and shows that race is not an issue. Further reading into the seventy one page report written by the U.S. Department of Justice sho... ...ng: Definition." The American Civil Liberties Union. Web. 18 June 2015. https://www.aclu.org/racial-profiling-definition Derbyshire, John. "In Defence of Racial Profiling." 2001. Web. 18 June 2015. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/viewSubCategory.asp?id=133 Nomani, Asra Q. "Is racial or religious profiling ever justified?" 18 April 2011. Web. 18 June 2015. http://www1.ccs.k12.in.us/teachers/downloads/cms_block_file/83851/file/139411 Schneier, Bruce. "Will Profiling Make a Difference?" 2010. New York Times: Room for Debate. Web. 18 June 2015. http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/04/will-profiling-make-a-difference/?_r=0 U.S. Department of Justice. "A Resource Guide on Racial Profiling Data Collection Systems." December 2000. U.S. Department of Justice. Web. 18 June 2015. http://justice.utah.gov/Documents/Research/Race/DOJResourceGuide.pdf

Contributions of Bill Gates Essay

Bill Gates was born on Oct. 28, 1955. He grew up in Seattle with his two sisters. Their father, William H. Gates II, is a Seattle attorney. Their late mother, Mary Gates, was a schoolteacher, University of Washington regent, and chairwoman of United Way International. Gates attended public elementary school and the private Lakeside School. There, he discovered his interest in software and began programming computers at age 13. In 1973, Gates entered Harvard University as a freshman, where he lived down the hall from Steve Ballmer, now Microsoft’s chief executive officer. Gates dropped out of school for one year to work for TRW in computing, earning $30,000 (Microsoft, 2010). In 1974, Bill was attending Harvard University when Allen spotted an advertisement for a $350 assemble-at-home computer called the Altair 8800, manufactured by MITS, a company headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Bill and Allen worked nonstop for six weeks to devise a simple version of BASIC, a programming language, for the Altair. They demonstrated their finished product to the company’s engineers with great success, and the following year, Bill and Allen founded Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft had entered the personal computer (PC) industry at an opportune time. In 1980 Microsoft won a contract with IBM to operate personal computers using Microsoft’s system, commonly known as MS-DOS. By 1983 the IBM PC had become the industry standard and MS-DOS was its operating system. In 1995, Microsoft introduced Windows 95 which again revolutionized the PC market, and became an industry standard (Master of Business, 2010). Bill Gates has accomplished so much beginning at age 13, starting with the creation of Traf-o-Data, then starting Microsoft, on to writing books, and finally becoming one of the richest and most giving philanthropist in the world. In 1970, Bill Gates and Paul Allen had been involved in some impressive software projects by then, most recently at TRW working on software to control the Northwest power grid. Traf-O-Data was a little different. Traf-O-Data was a computerized machine for processing paper tapes from traffic counters, those black hoses most of us have driven over on roads throughout the United States. It was an early example of a microprocessor-controlled â€Å"embedded system,† not really a computer as we  know it, but computerized. It began with the idea of automating the processing of traffic tapes for the local road department, which a group of students at Gates’s and Allen’s Lakeside School was doing by hand at the time and it would also require special hardware. Neither of the two had much hardware experience, so they enlisted the help of a friend, Paul Gilbert, to construct the machine while they wrote the software. The plan was to manufacture the Traf-O-Data and sell it to state and local governments, but their one demo was a failure. The tape reader malfunctioned and the sale was lost. They repaired and debugged the machine, but it never became a product—which was fortunate. Success would have distracted Gates and Allen at a crucial moment. As it was, by the time the lone Traf-O-Data began processing traffic tapes in 1975, the two had turned the operation over to Gilbert and moved on to form Microsoft (Startup – Albuquerque and the Personal Computer Revolution, 2006). Gates eventually sold this system to the city for $20,000 when he was only fifteen years old (Master of Business, 2010). Microsoft is founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in 1975. With annual revenues of more than $32 billion, Microsoft Corporation is more than the largest software company in the world. The company’s core business is based on developing, manufacturing, and licensing software products, including operating systems, server applications, business and consumer applications, and software development tools, as well as Internet software, technologies, and services. Led by Bill Gates, Microsoft has succeeded in placing at least one of its products on virtually every personal computer in the world, setting industry standards and defining markets in the process. Microsoft’s big break came in 1980 as IBM began developing its Personal Computer, or PC. While IBM contracted Microsoft to develop languages for the PC, IBM’s first choice to provide an operating system was the leader in the field, Digital Research. However, IBM and Digital Research were unable to agree on terms, so the contract for the operating system was awarded to Microsoft. As Microsoft was under a tight deadline and did not have an operating system of its own, the company purchased the rights to one from Seattle Computer Products for $75,000. The year 1980 also saw the arrival of Steve Ballmer, a close friend of Gates from Harvard, who was hired to organize the  non-technical side of the business. Ballmer later recalled the company’s stormy beginnings under Gates’s leadership: â€Å"Our first major row came when I insisted it was time to hire 17 people. He claimed I was trying to bankrupt him.† Conservative in his spending, Gates dictated th at the company must always have enough money in the bank to operate for a year with no revenues. Nearly 20 years later that policy still stood–in 1999 Microsoft had cash reserves of more than $13 billion and no long-term debt–while Ballmer, who had by then become Microsoft president, remained Gates’s closest friend and adviser. In March 1986 Microsoft held an initial public offering (IPO) of 2.5 million shares which raised $61 million. Within a year the stock had risen from $25 to $85, making Bill Gates a billionaire at the age of 31. Before 1990 Microsoft was primarily a supplier to hardware manufacturers, but after 1990 the bulk of the company’s revenues came from sales to consumers. That year Microsoft became the first software company to reach $1 billion in revenues, closing the year with 5,600 employees. Before 1990 Microsoft was primarily a supplier to hardware manufacturers, but after 1990 the bulk of the company’s revenues came from sales to consumers. That year Microsoft became the first software company to reach $1 billion in revenues , closing the year with 5,600 employees. In 1998, the U.S. Department of Justice and a group of 20 state attorneys general filed two antitrust cases against Microsoft alleging violations of the Sherman Act. While the antitrust suit against Microsoft showed threats of a forced breakup of Microsoft, innovations in the company continued. In 2000, Microsoft invested $135 million in the software publisher Corel. Apparently, Corel negotiated the investment, offering to drop â€Å"certain legal actions† it had against the company, even as it had no legal claims filed against Microsoft. The Department of Justice ruled that they would not enforce a breakup of Microsoft. By the end of 2002, the U.S. District Court approved the settlement Microsoft reached with the Justice Department. The settlement included preventing Microsoft from benefiting from exclusive deals that could hinder competition; uniform contract terms for computer manufacturers; the required ability of customers to remove icons from certain Microsoft features; and a requirement that Microsoft release specific innovational technical information to its rivals, in order to enforce competition. By 2004, with more than 56,000 employees and anticipated year-end revenues of  up to $38 billion, Microsoft continued to hold a strong lead in the computer software industry. (Funding Universe, 2004). Microsoft’s revenues this year will be around $36 billion, or $100 million a day (Overview of Microsoft Today, 2010). While at Microsoft, Gates started to write a series of books. His first book was published in 1995, The Road Ahead. The book was at the top of the â€Å"New York Times† bestseller list for seven weeks. In the edition of The Road Ahead, Microsoft Chairman and CEO Bill Gates laid out his vision of an interconnected world built around the Internet. Based on the premise that life will be transformed by the convergence of inexpensive computing and inexpensive communications, Gates drew from his experience at the center of the personal computer revolution to give insights on the growth, evolution and impact of technology. (Microsoft, 2010). In 1999, Gates wrote â€Å"Business @ the Speed of Thought†, a book that shows how computer technology can solve business problems in fundamentally new ways. The book was published in 25 languages and is available in more than 60 countries. â€Å"Business @ the Speed of Thought† has received wide critical acclaim, and was listed on the best-seller lists of the â€Å"New York Times†, â€Å"USA Today†, â€Å"The Wall Street Journal† and on Amazon.com. Gates has donated the proceeds of both books to non-profit organizations that support the use of technology in education and skills development (Microsoft, 2010). Gates has written so many other great books that have been translated into Spanish, German and other languages. Bill Gates has accumulated a huge personal fortune over the years. In 2005, Gates committed himself to donating $750 million to the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation charity. The Gates foundation, which (at the time) is worth $30 billion, is now the largest charity to have been created by a single benefactor or private company, following a previous $3 billion gift from its founder last July. Mr Gates has stated that he intends to give away 90 per cent of his fortune, which is currently valued at about $50 billion (Bill Gates, Saviour of the World?, 2005). As of December 31, 2009, the total grant commitments since inception has came up to, $22.61 billion. The Gates foundation has given to several charities and organizations around the world (Foundation Fact Sheet, 2010). Works Cited (2010, January 26). Retrieved 2010, from Microsoft: www.microsoft.com/presspass/exec/billg/?tab=biography (2010). Retrieved 2010, from Microsoft: www.microsoft.com/presspass/exec/billg/writing/default.mspx Bill Gates, Saviour of the World? (2005, March 17). Retrieved 2010, from Marxist: www.marxist.com/bill-gates-capitalism-170305.htm Foundation Fact Sheet. (2010). Retrieved 2010, from Gates Foundation: www.gatesfoundation.org/about/pages/foundation-fact-sheet.aspx Funding Universe. (2004). Retrieved 2010, from Funding Universe: http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/microsoft-corporation-company-history.html Master of Business. (2010). Retrieved 2010, from Bill Gates Microsoft: www.billgatesmicrosoft.com/history.htm Overview of Microsoft Today. (2010). Retrieved 2010, from Acedemic Earth: http://acedemicearth.org/lectures/overview-of-microsoft-today Startup – Albuquerque and the Personal Computer Revolution. (2006). Retrieved 2010, from Startup Gallery: http://www.s tartupgallery.org/gallery/story.php?il=45

The Host Chapter 28: Unenlightened

It was disorienting to wake in the absolute dark. In the past months, I'd gotten used to having the sun tell me it was morning. At first I thought it must still be night, but then, feeling the sting of my face and the ache of my back, I remembered where I was. Beside me, I could hear the sound of quiet, even breathing; it did not frighten me, because it was the most familiar of sounds here. I was not surprised that Jamie had crept back and slept beside me last night. Maybe it was the change in my breathing that woke him; maybe it was just that our schedules had become synchronized. But seconds after I was conscious, he gave a little gasp. â€Å"Wanda?† he whispered. â€Å"I'm right here.† He sighed in relief. â€Å"It's really dark here,† he said. â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"You think it's breakfast time yet?† â€Å"I don't know.† â€Å"I'm hungry. Let's go see.† I didn't answer him. He interpreted my silence correctly, as the balk it was. â€Å"You don't have to hide out here, Wanda,† he said earnestly, after waiting a moment for me to speak. â€Å"I talked to Jared last night. He's going to stop picking on you-he promised.† I almost smiled. Picking on me. â€Å"Will you come with me?† Jamie pressed. His hand found mine. â€Å"Is that what you really want me to do?† I asked in a low voice. â€Å"Yes. Everything will be the same as it was before.† Mel? Is this best? I don't know. She was torn. She knew she couldn't be objective; she wanted to see Jared. That's crazy, you know. Not as crazy as the fact that you want to see him, too. â€Å"Fine, Jamie,† I agreed. â€Å"But don't get upset when it's not the same as before, okay? If things get ugly†¦ Well, just don't be surprised.† â€Å"It'll be okay. You'll see.† I let him lead the way out of the dark, towing me by the hand he still held. I braced myself as we entered the big garden cavern; I couldn't be sure of anyone's reaction to me today. Who knew what had been said as I slept? But the garden was empty, though the sun was bright in the morning sky. It reflected off the hundreds of mirrors, momentarily blinding me. Jamie was not interested in the vacant cave. His eyes were on my face, and he sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth as the light touched my cheek. â€Å"Oh,† he gasped. â€Å"Are you okay? Does that hurt bad?† I touched my face lightly. The skin felt rough-grit crusted in the blood. It throbbed where my fingers brushed. â€Å"It's fine,† I whispered; the empty cavern made me wary-I didn't want to speak too loudly. â€Å"Where is everybody?† Jamie shrugged, his eyes still tight as they surveyed my face. â€Å"Busy, I guess.† He didn't lower his voice. This reminded me of last night, of the secret he wouldn't tell me. My eyebrows pulled together. What do you think he's not telling us? You know what I know, Wanda. You're human. Aren't you supposed to have intuition or something? Intuition? My intuition tells me that we don't know this place as well as we thought we did, Melanie said. We pondered the ominous sound of that. It was almost a relief to hear the normal noises of mealtime coming from the kitchen corridor. I didn't particularly want to see anyone-besides the sick yearning to see Jared, of course-but the unpopulated tunnels, combined with the knowledge that something was being kept from me, made me edgy. The kitchen was not even half full-an oddity for this time of the morning. But I barely noticed that, because the smell coming from the banked stone oven overruled every other thought. â€Å"Oooh,† Jamie moaned. â€Å"Eggs!† Jamie pulled me faster now, and I had no reluctance to keep pace with him. We hurried, stomachs growling, to the counter by the oven where Lucina, the mother, stood with a plastic ladle in her hand. Breakfast was usually serve-yourself, but then breakfast was also usually tough bread rolls. She looked only at the boy as she spoke. â€Å"They tasted better an hour ago.† â€Å"They'll taste just fine now,† Jamie countered enthusiastically. â€Å"Has everyone eaten?† â€Å"Pretty much. I think they took a tray down to Doc and the rest†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Lucina trailed off, and her eyes flickered to me for the first time; Jamie's eyes did the same. I didn't understand the expression that crossed Lucina's features-it disappeared too quickly, replaced by something else as she appraised the new marks on my face. â€Å"How much is left?† Jamie asked. His eagerness sounded a trifle forced now. Lucina turned and bent, tugging a metal pan off the hot stones in the bottom of the oven with the bowl of the ladle. â€Å"How much do you want, Jamie? There's plenty,† she told him without turning. â€Å"Pretend I'm Kyle,† he said with a laugh. â€Å"A Kyle-sized portion it is,† Lucina said, but when she smiled, her eyes were unhappy. She filled one of the soup bowls to overflowing with slightly rubbery scrambled eggs, stood up, and handed it to Jamie. She eyed me again, and I understood what this look was for. â€Å"Let's sit over there, Jamie,† I said, nudging him away from the counter. He stared in amazement. â€Å"Don't you want any?† â€Å"No, I'm -† I was about to say â€Å"fine† again, when my stomach gurgled disobediently. â€Å"Wanda?† He looked at me, then back at Lucina, who had her arms folded across her chest. â€Å"I'll just have bread,† I muttered, trying to shove him away. â€Å"No. Lucina, what's the problem?† He looked at her expectantly. She didn't move. â€Å"If you're done here, I'll take over,† he suggested, his eyes narrowing and his mouth setting in a stubborn line. Lucina shrugged and set the ladle on the stone counter. She walked away slowly, not looking at me again. â€Å"Jamie,† I muttered urgently under my breath. â€Å"This food isn't meant for me. Jared and the others weren't risking their lives so that I could have eggs for breakfast. Bread is fine.† â€Å"Don't be stupid, Wanda,† Jamie said. â€Å"You live here now, just like the rest of us. Nobody minds it when you wash their clothes or bake their bread. Besides, these eggs aren't going to last much longer. If you don't eat them, they'll get thrown out.† I felt all the eyes in the room boring into my back. â€Å"That might be preferable to some,† I said even more quietly. No one but Jamie could possibly hear. â€Å"Forget that,† Jamie growled. He hopped over the counter and filled another bowl with eggs, which he then shoved at me. â€Å"You're going to eat every bite,† he told me resolutely. I looked at the bowl. My mouth watered. I pushed the eggs a few inches away from me and then folded my arms. Jamie frowned. â€Å"Fine,† he said, and shoved his own bowl across the counter. â€Å"You don't eat, I don't eat.† His stomach grumbled audibly. He folded his arms across his chest. We stared at each other for two long minutes, both our stomachs rumbling as we inhaled the smell of the eggs. Every now and then, he would peek down at the food out of the corner of his eye. That's what beat me-the longing look in his eyes. â€Å"Fine,† I huffed. I slid his bowl back to him and then retrieved my own. He waited until I took the first bite to touch his. I stifled a moan as the taste registered on my tongue. I knew the cooled, rubbery eggs weren't the best thing I'd ever tasted, but that's how it felt. This body lived for the present. Jamie had a similar reaction. And then he started shoveling the food into his mouth so fast it seemed he didn't have time to breathe. I watched him to make sure he didn't choke. I ate more slowly, hoping that I'd be able to convince him to eat some of mine when he was done. That was when, with our minor standoff over and my stomach satisfied, I finally noticed the atmosphere in the kitchen. I would have expected, with the excitement of eggs for breakfast after months of monotony, more of a feeling of celebration. But the air was somber, the conversations all whispered. Was this a reaction to the scene last night? I scanned the room, trying to understand. People were looking at me, a few here and there, but they weren't the only ones talking in serious whispers, and the others paid me no mind at all. Besides, none of them seemed angry or guilty or tense or any of the other emotions I was expecting. No, they were sad. Despair was etched on every face in the room. Sharon was the last person I noticed, eating in a distant corner, keeping to herself as usual. She was so composed as she mechanically ate her breakfast that at first I didn't notice the tears dripping in streaks down her face. They fell into her food, but she ate as if she were beyond noticing. â€Å"Is something wrong with Doc?† I whispered to Jamie, suddenly afraid. I wondered if I was being paranoid-maybe this had nothing to do with me. The sadness in the room seemed to be part of some other human drama from which I'd been excluded. Was this what was keeping everyone busy? Had there been an accident? Jamie looked at Sharon and sighed before he answered me. â€Å"No, Doc's fine.† â€Å"Aunt Maggie? Is she hurt?† He shook his head. â€Å"Where's Walter?† I demanded, still whispering. I felt a gnawing anxiety as I thought of harm befalling one of my companions here, even those who hated me. â€Å"I don't know. He's fine, I'm sure.† I realized now that Jamie was just as sad as everyone else here. â€Å"What's wrong, Jamie? Why are you upset?† Jamie looked down at his eggs, eating them slowly and deliberately now, and did not answer me. He finished in silence. I tried to pass him what was left in my bowl, but he glowered so fiercely that I took it back and ate the rest without any more resistance. We added our bowls to the big plastic bin of dirty dishes. It was full, so I took it from the counter. I wasn't sure what was going on in the caves today, but dishes ought to be a safe occupation. Jamie came along beside me, his eyes alert. I didn't like that. I wouldn't allow him to act as my bodyguard, if the necessity arose. But then, as we made our way around the edge of the big field, my regular bodyguard found me, so it became a moot point. Ian was filthy; light brown dust covered him from head to toe, darker where it was wet with his sweat. The brown streaks smeared across his face did not disguise the exhaustion there. I was not surprised to see that he was just as down as everyone else. But the dust did make me curious. It was not the purple black dust inside the caves. Ian had been outside this morning. â€Å"There you are,† he murmured when he saw us. He was walking swiftly, his long legs cutting the distance with anxious strides. When he reached us, he did not slow, but rather caught me under the elbow and hurried me forward. â€Å"Let's duck in here for a minute.† He pulled me into the narrow tunnel mouth that led toward the eastern field, where the corn was almost ripe. He did not lead me far, just into the darkness where we were invisible from the big room. I felt Jamie's hand rest lightly on my other arm. After half a minute, deep voices echoed through the big cavern. They were not boisterous-they were somber, as depressed as any of the faces I'd read this morning. The voices passed us, close by the crack where we hid, and Ian's hand tensed on my elbow, his fingers pressing into the soft spots above the bone. I recognized Jared's voice, and Kyle's. Melanie strained against my control, and my control was tenuous anyway. We both wanted to see Jared's face. It was a good thing Ian held us back. â€Å"†¦ don't know why we let him keep trying. When it's over, it's over,† Jared was saying. â€Å"He really thought he had it this time. He was so sure†¦ Oh, well. It will be worth all this if he figures it out someday,† Kyle disagreed. â€Å"If.† Jared snorted. â€Å"I guess it's a good thing we found that brandy. Doc's going to blow through the whole crate by nightfall at the rate he's going.† â€Å"He'll pass out soon enough,† Kyle said, his voice beginning to fade in the distance. â€Å"I wish Sharon would†¦Ã¢â‚¬  And then I couldn't make out any more. Ian waited until the voices faded completely, and then a few minutes more, before he finally released my arm. â€Å"Jared promised,† Jamie muttered to him. â€Å"Yeah, but Kyle didn't,† Ian answered. They walked back out into the light. I followed slowly behind them, not sure what I was feeling. Ian noticed for the first time what I carried. â€Å"No dishes now,† he told me. â€Å"Let's give them a chance to clean up and move on.† I thought about asking him why he was dirty, but probably, like Jamie, he would refuse to answer. I turned to stare at the tunnel that led toward the rivers, speculating. Ian made an angry sound. I looked back at him, frightened, and then realized what had upset him-he'd only just seen my face. He raised his hand as if to lift my chin, but I flinched and he dropped it. â€Å"That makes me so sick,† he said, and his voice truly did sound as if he were nauseated. â€Å"And worse, knowing that if I hadn't stayed behind, I might have been the one to do it†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I shook my head at him. â€Å"It's nothing, Ian.† â€Å"I don't agree with that,† he muttered, and then he spoke to Jamie. â€Å"You probably ought to get to school. It's better that we get everything back to normal as soon as possible.† Jamie groaned. â€Å"Sharon will be a nightmare today.† Ian grinned. â€Å"Time to take one for the team, kid. I don't envy you.† Jamie sighed and kicked the dirt. â€Å"Keep an eye on Wanda.† â€Å"Will do.† Jamie shuffled away, casting glances back at us every few minutes until he disappeared into another tunnel. â€Å"Here, give me those,† Ian said, pulling the bin of dishes from me before I could respond. â€Å"They weren't too heavy for me,† I told him. He grinned again. â€Å"I feel silly standing here with my arms empty while you lug these around. Chalk it up to gallantry. C'mon-let's go relax somewhere out of the way until the coast is clear.† His words troubled me, and I followed him in silence. Why should gallantry apply to me? He walked all the way to the cornfield, and then into the cornfield, stepping in the low part of the furrow, between the stalks. I trailed behind him until he stopped, somewhere in the middle of the field, set the dishes aside, and sprawled out on the dirt. â€Å"Well, this is out of the way,† I said as I settled to the ground beside him, crossing my legs. â€Å"But shouldn't we be working?† â€Å"You work too hard, Wanda. You're the only one who never takes a day off.† â€Å"It gives me something to do,† I mumbled. â€Å"Everyone is taking a break today, so you might as well.† I looked at him curiously. The light from the mirrors threw double shadows through the cornstalks that crisscrossed over him like zebra stripes. Under the lines and the dirt, his pale face was weary. â€Å"You look like you've been working.† His eyes tightened. â€Å"But I'm resting now.† â€Å"Jamie won't tell me what's going on,† I murmured. â€Å"No. And neither will I.† He sighed. â€Å"It's nothing you want to know anyway.† I stared at the ground, at the dark purple and brown dirt, as my stomach twisted and rolled. I could think of nothing worse than not knowing, but maybe I was just lacking in imagination. â€Å"It's not really fair,† Ian said after a silent moment, â€Å"seeing as I won't answer your question, but do you mind if I ask you one?† I welcomed the distraction. â€Å"Go ahead.† He didn't speak at once, so I looked up to find the reason for his hesitation. He was staring down now, looking at the dirt streaked across the backs of his hands. â€Å"I know you're not a liar. I know that now,† he said quietly. â€Å"I'll believe you, whatever your answer is.† I waited again while he continued to stare at the dirt on his skin. â€Å"I didn't buy Jeb's story before, but he and Doc are pretty convinced†¦ Wanda?† he asked, looking up at me. â€Å"Is she still in there with you? The girl whose body you wear?† This was not just my secret anymore-both Jamie and Jeb knew the truth. Neither was it the secret that really mattered. At any rate, I trusted Ian not to go blabbing to anyone who would kill me over it. â€Å"Yes,† I told him. â€Å"Melanie is still here.† He nodded slowly. â€Å"What is it like? For you? For her?† â€Å"It's†¦ frustrating, for us both. At first I would have given anything to have her disappear the way she should have. But now I†¦ I've gotten used to her.† I smiled wryly. â€Å"Sometimes it's nice to have the company. It's harder for her. She's like a prisoner in many ways. Locked away in my head. She prefers that captivity to disappearing, though.† â€Å"I didn't know there was a choice.† â€Å"There wasn't in the beginning. It wasn't until your kind discovered what was happening that any resistance started. That seems to be the key-knowing what's going to happen. The humans who were taken by surprise didn't fight back.† â€Å"So if I were caught?† I appraised his fierce expression-the fire in his brilliant eyes. â€Å"I doubt you would disappear. Things have changed, though. When they catch full-grown humans now, they don't offer them as hosts. Too many problems.† I half smiled again. â€Å"Problems like me. Going soft, getting sympathetic to my host, losing my way†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He thought about that for a long time, sometimes looking at my face, sometimes at the cornstalks, sometimes at nothing at all. â€Å"What would they do with me, then, if they caught me now?† he finally asked. â€Å"They'd still do an insertion, I think. Trying to get information. Probably they'd put a Seeker in you.† He shuddered. â€Å"But they wouldn't keep you as a host. Whether they found the information or not, you would be†¦ discarded.† The word was hard to say. The idea sickened me. Odd-it was usually the human things that made me sick. But I'd never looked at the situation from the body's perspective before; no other planet had forced me to. A body that didn't function right was quickly and painlessly disposed of because it was as useless as a car that could not run. What was the point of keeping it around? There were conditions of the mind, too, that made a body unusable: dangerous mental addictions, malevolent yearnings, things that could not be healed and made the body unsafe to others. Or, of course, a mind with a will too strong to be erased. An anomaly localized on this planet. I had never seen the ugliness of treating an unconquerable spirit as a defect as clearly as I did now, looking into Ian's eyes. â€Å"And if they caught you?† he asked. â€Å"If they realized who I was†¦ if anyone is still looking for me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I thought of my Seeker and shuddered as he had. â€Å"They would take me out and put me in another host. Someone young, tractable. They would hope that I would be able to be myself again. Maybe they would ship me off-planet-get me away from the bad influences.† â€Å"Would you be yourself again?† I met his gaze. â€Å"I am myself. I haven't lost myself to Melanie. I would feel the same as I do now, even as a Bear or a Flower.† â€Å"They wouldn't discard you?† â€Å"Not a soul. We have no capital punishment for our kind. Or any punishment, really. Whatever they did, it would be to save me. I used to think there was no need for any other way, but now I have myself as proof against that theory. It would probably be right to discard me. I'm a traitor, aren't I?† Ian pursed his lips. â€Å"More of an expatriate, I'd say. You haven't turned on them; you've just left their society.† We were quiet again. I wanted to believe what he said was true. I considered the word expatriate, trying to convince myself that I was nothing worse. Ian exhaled loudly enough to make me jump. â€Å"When Doc sobers up, we'll get him to take a look at your face.† He reached over and put his hand under my chin; this time I didn't flinch. He turned my head to the side so he could examine the wound. â€Å"It's not important. I'm sure it looks worse than it is.† â€Å"I hope so-it looks awful.† He sighed and then stretched. â€Å"I suppose we've hidden long enough that Kyle's clean and unconscious. Want some help with the dishes?† Ian wouldn't let me wash the dishes in the stream the way I usually did. He insisted that we go into the black bathing room, where I would be invisible. I scrubbed dishes in the shallow end of the dark pool, while he cleaned off the filth left behind by his mystery labors. Then he helped me with the last of the dirty bowls. When we were done, he escorted me back to the kitchen, which was starting to fill up with the lunch crowd. More perishables were on the menu: soft white bread slices, slabs of sharp cheddar cheese, circles of lush pink bologna. People were scarfing down the delicacies with abandon, though the despair was still perceptible in the slump of their shoulders, in the absence of smiles or laughter. Jamie was waiting for me at our usual counter. Two double stacks of sandwiches sat in front of him, but he wasn't eating. His arms were folded as he waited for me. Ian eyed his expression curiously but left to get his own food without asking. I rolled my eyes at Jamie's stubbornness and took a bite. Jamie dug in as soon as I was chewing. Ian was back quickly, and we all ate in silence. The food tasted so good it was hard to imagine a reason for conversation-or anything else that would empty our mouths. I stopped at two, but Jamie and Ian ate until they were groaning in pain. Ian looked as though he was about to collapse. His eyes struggled to stay open. â€Å"Get back to school, kid,† he said to Jamie. Jamie appraised him. â€Å"Maybe I should take over†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Go to school,† I told him quickly. I wanted Jamie a safe distance from me today. â€Å"I'll see you later, okay? Don't worry about†¦ about anything.† â€Å"Sure.† A one-word lie wasn't quite so obvious. Or maybe I was just being sarcastic again. Once Jamie was gone, I turned on the somnolent Ian. â€Å"Go get some rest. I'll be fine-I'll stay someplace inconspicuous. Middle of a cornfield or something.† â€Å"Where did you sleep last night?† he asked, his eyes surprisingly sharp under his half-closed lids. â€Å"Why?† â€Å"I can sleep there now, and you can be inconspicuous beside me.† We were just murmuring, barely over a whisper now. No one paid us any attention. â€Å"You can't watch me every second.† â€Å"Wanna bet?† I shrugged, giving up. â€Å"I was back at the†¦ the hole. Where I was kept in the beginning.† Ian frowned; he didn't like that. But he got up and led the way back to the storage corridor. The main plaza was busy again now, full of people moving around the garden, all of them grave, their eyes on their feet. When we were alone in the black tunnel, I tried to reason with him again. â€Å"Ian, what's the point of this? Won't it hurt Jamie more, the longer I'm alive? In the end, wouldn't it be better for him if -â€Å" â€Å"Don't think like that, Wanda. We're not animals. Your death is not an inevitability.† â€Å"I don't think you're an animal,† I said quietly. â€Å"Thanks. I didn't say that as an accusation, though. I wouldn't blame you if you did.† That was the end of our conversation; that was the moment we both saw the pale blue light reflecting dimly from around the next turn in the tunnel. â€Å"Shh,† Ian breathed. â€Å"Wait here.† He pressed my shoulder down gently, trying to stick me where I stood. Then he strode forward, making no attempt to hide the sound of his footsteps. He disappeared around the corner. â€Å"Jared?† I heard him say, feigning surprise. My heart felt heavy in my chest; the sensation was more pain than fear. â€Å"I know it's with you,† Jared answered. He raised his voice, so that anyone between here and the main plaza would hear. â€Å"Come out, come out, wherever you are,† he called, his voice hard and mocking.

Free Essays on Personality Development

Personality Development Theory of Human Development What makes a person what they are? Why does a person do what they do? Where does personality come from and how does it grow? These are some frequently asked questions when discussing the topic of personality. The latter of the questions is actually an answer in itself. Personality does originate from a specific point, and from then on it continues to grow and become exponentially more complex. This core point from which personality begins and the growth of it will be discussed in the sections to follow, but first we must look at certain assumptions that are commonly made when developing a personality theory. Assumptions The first of these assumptions concerns whether one believes that the behaviors, any type of action, a person exhibits are produced by conscious choices and decisions, also known as free will, or â€Å"determined† by forces beyond one’s control. I believe in the free will explanation, but not the type of free will commonly ima gined. Humans do ultimately have the power to choose their actions, however the extreme influence of other factors, such as heredity, environment, and learned behaviors, may make it seem like a persons actions were predetermined. For example, if a starving people were put into positions where they could either eat a Subway turkey round placed in front of them or just sit there and stare and stare at it, common sense shows that these people would eat. However, it is possible that one person, like an anorexic, would just sit and stare at the sandwich. For that reason, it can be assumed that human beings do have free will, however the choices made are greatly impacted and seemingly determined by inherited basic needs, environment, and learned behaviors. This leads us into a second assumption, rationalism or irrationalism. Do human beings operate primarily on the basis of intellect, or on the basis of impulses and passions? The answer is the latte... Free Essays on Personality Development Free Essays on Personality Development Personality Development Theory of Human Development What makes a person what they are? Why does a person do what they do? Where does personality come from and how does it grow? These are some frequently asked questions when discussing the topic of personality. The latter of the questions is actually an answer in itself. Personality does originate from a specific point, and from then on it continues to grow and become exponentially more complex. This core point from which personality begins and the growth of it will be discussed in the sections to follow, but first we must look at certain assumptions that are commonly made when developing a personality theory. Assumptions The first of these assumptions concerns whether one believes that the behaviors, any type of action, a person exhibits are produced by conscious choices and decisions, also known as free will, or â€Å"determined† by forces beyond one’s control. I believe in the free will explanation, but not the type of free will commonly ima gined. Humans do ultimately have the power to choose their actions, however the extreme influence of other factors, such as heredity, environment, and learned behaviors, may make it seem like a persons actions were predetermined. For example, if a starving people were put into positions where they could either eat a Subway turkey round placed in front of them or just sit there and stare and stare at it, common sense shows that these people would eat. However, it is possible that one person, like an anorexic, would just sit and stare at the sandwich. For that reason, it can be assumed that human beings do have free will, however the choices made are greatly impacted and seemingly determined by inherited basic needs, environment, and learned behaviors. This leads us into a second assumption, rationalism or irrationalism. Do human beings operate primarily on the basis of intellect, or on the basis of impulses and passions? The answer is the latte...

Sassy, Funny, Girly Quotes for Women With Attitude

Sassy, Funny, Girly Quotes for Women With Attitude As Cyndi Lauper sang, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. When a bunch of girls get together for a girls night out, you can imagine how raucous they can get. These girly quotes focus on appreciating the good things in life - with a big dash of fun. Enjoy being a sassy girl and entertaining your friends with these quotes from activists, entertainers, writers, and poets. Katharine Hepburn If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun. Beyonce I embrace mistakes, they make you who you are. Dolly Parton   Im not offended by all the  dumb blonde  jokes because I know Im not dumb...and I also know that Im not blonde. Kesha Just because Im sassy and have a mouth on me doesnt mean Im coming from a negative place. Coco Chanel A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous. The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud. Alyssa  Edwards Dont get bitter, just get better. Kayci Diane I love the person Ive become because I fought to become her. Drew Barrymore Lets get down and dirty. Lets be a real girl. Tallulah Bankhead Its the good girls who keep diaries; the bad girls never have the time. Gloria Steinem The truth will set you free. But first, it will piss you off. A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle. Proverb The whisper of a pretty girl can be heard further than the roar of a lion. Katy Perry Too many girls rush into relationships because of the fear of being single, then start making compromises, and losing their identity. Dont do that. Marilyn Monroe A woman knows by intuition, or instinct, what is best for herself. Jeanine Pirro Youre a beautiful girl, and you can do anything you want in life. Erma Bombeck If you cant make it better, you can laugh at it. Albert Einstein Any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves. Elizabeth Taylor Big girls need big diamonds. Pour yourself a drink, put on some lipstick, and pull yourself together. Colette What a wonderful life Ive had. I only wish Id realized it sooner. Taylor Swift If you have something about yourself thats different, youre lucky. Its not a curse. Maya Angelou I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Lifes a bitch. Youve got to go out and kick ass. Mae West Too many girls follow the line of least resistance, but a good line is hard to resist. Im single because I was born that way. Maryon Pearson Behind every great man, there is a surprised woman. RuPaul If you cant love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else? Eleanor Roosevelt No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.

Three short essay questions Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Three short questions - Essay Example In such a state, government has no rights to deny its citizens the rights to do anything. Citizens are free to do anything and at any time. They are allowed to access any material and use any property so long as it does not affect anyone. The government in such a state has no rights to tax its citizens and to restrict its citizens from doing any form of business or activity. Nozick advocates for such a state and says it has respects for a person's moral rights (Wolterstorff & Cuneo 89). The next state is the welfare state where citizens are the source of the political will, and they are given the chance to participate in its formation, they are also, the subjects against which the institution will be judged, and they depend upon states free services, programs and general items for their satisfaction materially. I prefer the welfare state, as it has laws that guarantee persons' safety at all times. It is one in which the heads of the government so selected to rule over the subjects ha ve some responsibility to satisfy their citizens. The form of government in Europe differs with that in the United States in that, in Europe, there is use of democratic monarchy while, in the United States, they use welfare liberal democracy. Use of the monarchy system does not allow multiple parties to contest in an election. Only one royal family inherits the throne throughout the country’s history (Wolterstorff & Cuneo 78). Question # 2 Nikita is one of my favorite movie shows. It concerns a young girl who was abducted by a secret government body and trained to be an assassin, but she fled from them and started to work against them. In the movie, there are several artistic styles used. These qualify it as art. According to David Humes theory, every artistic thing, is good provided it is appealing to an individual (Ascott & Shanken 34). Individual tastes are acceptable and allowed to be referred to as art. Owing to this, the movie Nikita is a good art. Using the object cent ered theory, an art, is classified on the objects qualities and not what it represents or expresses. This also is in line with the movie as the objects used to pass the message are well organized and have good qualities. The progress of the movie is also well structured and this classifies the movie as being good. The next theory that art is judged against is in consideration of the limits of formalism. In this theory, any piece of art is rated against the qualities of the objects as well as the context and content. Considering Nikita as a piece of art, it actually passes this test as all characters are usually well groomed in accordance to the occasion and have quality content, which they deliver. I also rated art against expression. A good piece of art is supposed to be expressive. It should explain its meaning and the message in it by itself. It does not need explanations to be clear. According to Leo Tolstoy, art should also be emotional. The objects used should show emotions wi th every word and body movement used. Every body language used should show emotions. John Dewey, an American pragmatist, views art with reference to the writer’s thoughts and feelings. He gathered this from experience. He says that before a poet does any art, then it is

LAND LAW Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

LAND LAW - Coursework Example Property law declares what society regards as property, it creates or constitutes property rights, defines the legal incidence of those rights i.e. their content, regulates the dynamics of property rights and prescribes the conditions for the availability of the rights.1 Property in land The legal conception of land under English Common Law is expressed in the maxim. Cujus est solum, ejus est usque ad coelum et ad inferos. Land embraces not just the physical straturm but fixtures, water and all things found in the aerospace above the geospace. Kelsen v Imperial Tobacco Co. – 1957 2 Q.B 334.2 In the case before us there are two main issues to be determined in this scenario. First matter is erected fence which was done by Terri Staines thatleads to the front of the garage which partially divides off the property from that of Lee Vowles’. And the other one is the fence which is going to be erected by Lee Vowle. The case scenario indicates that the issues are parts of a dis pute which has begun due to an undetermined boundary. In the precedent of ACCO Properties Ltd v Severn & Anor [2011] EWHC 1362(Ch) Simon Barker QJ set out the principles on determining boundary lines in Paragraph 11. Starting from the registered title plan, it only indicates the general boundary3, and there is no physical boundary4. Given that it does not bring any lucidity then the extrinsic substantiation should be taken into account which was existed on the land when the partitioning conveyance was executed. There was a small cobbled5 area about equidistant between the two properties; unfortunately the cobbled area was removed before the sale to the predecessor of Terri. This indication is not sufficient to determine the boundary. And again it is mentioned that the land was sold to the predecessors in the title of Lee and Terri, and registered with the local land registry, Land Registration Act2002 (LRA). In bold property in land means the exclusive control of the soil everything up to the sky and down to centre of the earth. In that case every interest in land is registered and operated under a particular statute. To exemplify, registration is mainly done to minimize the friction in the society through granting ownership to particular person(s), creating various interest over land (lease hold & freehold) as well as conveyancy.6 Therefore, this applies to Terri Staines, and Lee Vowles who derivatively acquired their ownership of title from the original predecessors in voluntary sale.7 In contrast, Thorpe Ltd acquired his/her ownership by asserting original claim on derelict land which had not been own by anyone.8 However, the degree of control or of enjoyment an individual or community may have over land varies with the nature of the rights vested. Terri Staines’ verses Lee Vowles’ land and Thorpe Ltd. This Case translates to (Trespass to land) Lee complains that Terri erected his fence encroaching into his /her land in 1996. Besides, whenever Terri Staines’s friends and relatives pay him a visit they often park their cars partly across his/her driveway which means there is difficulty reversing the car out on Lee Vowles’s part. This proves that Lee’s right of possession and enjoyment of his/her property has been disturbed or interfered with â€Å"Res ipsa loquitor†.9 The most obvious example is unauthorized walking upon the plaintiff’s land or going into the buildings upon it, but it is equally trespass to throw things on