The Haunted Palace

â€Å"The Haunted Palace† Everyone has seen a once beautiful estate fallen into disrepair: expensive satin curtains, ripped and stained; high support columns, broken and crumbling; moss covering the once brightly painted exterior. People look at it, sigh with disappointment at what was and no longer is, and then move on. The cause of ruin is rarely known, but the effects are clear. This is the scene portrayed in Edgar Allen Poe’s â€Å"The Haunted Palace. † Poe paints a picture of an elegant manor with spectacular features that comes under the influence of evil and thus falls to pieces.Upon closer inspection, though, the reader begins to see that the meaning of the poem delves much deeper than the destruction of a house: it is the destruction of the human mind that truly concerns Poe. The double meaning is central to the poem and once the pattern of symbolism is established, the other details fall nicely into place. Poe uses diction to establish the brilliance th at pervades the house and symbolism within the poem equating the house to a human mind to demonstrate its susceptibility to corruption.Poe’s diction emphasizes the initial majesty of the house. At first, the house is â€Å"radiant† (4), â€Å"glorious† (9), â€Å"happy† (17), â€Å"fair† (26), â€Å"sparkling† (28), and â€Å"beaut[iful]† (31). Poe goes as far as saying that â€Å"good angels tenanted† the house (2) and the home is softer and kinder than angels’ clothing (7). Then, in the fifth stanza, the scene changes drastically: the palace is no longer majestic and stately, it is inhabited by evil and is in disarray. It is now permeated by â€Å"sorrow† (33) and is â€Å"desolate† (35).The sudden shift from uplifting words to mournful ones alerts the reader to the dire change that has taken place in the house. After a second reading, the audience begins to notice a pattern of symbolism. Poe equates the â€Å"Thought’s dominion† (5), â€Å"banners,† (9), â€Å"windows† (18), â€Å"door† (26), and â€Å"Echoes† (29) to a human’s head, hair, eyes, mouth, and voice. The hair is flowing and beautiful, the eyes are understanding and see everything transparently, the mouth has ruby gums and pearly teeth, and the voice carries in it the wit and wisdom of the mind it speaks for.It is clear that this mind has brilliant ideas (â€Å"spirits†) (19) constantly formulating and expanding within it. The reader is, presumably, familiar with the sight of a mansion that is clearly luxurious. The reader may not, however, be able to picture a clearly brilliant mind. Poe’s use of symbolism enables the reader to visualize the brilliance and wealth of the â€Å"monarch’s† mind prior to its destruction. Symbolism is still essential to the poem in the final stanzas, even though the scene has changed.The once magnificent mansion ha s been invaded by evil. The windows are now â€Å"red-litten† (42), meaning the eyes are red and evil. The spirits still move through the house (the ideas still move in the mind), but now in a distorted way. Instead of Echoes (a voice) full of wisdom, a â€Å"hideous throng† (47) rushes out of the door (the mouth), that will â€Å"laugh – but smile no more† (48). The eerie mad laughter escaping the mouth of the â€Å"king† is the most horrifying aspect of change.Where the â€Å"king’s† mind was once strong and productive, constantly growing, it is now perverted and ruined. The reader can see the house: paint chipped, windows broken, a manifestation of evil. This comparison allows the reader to picture the broken mind of the once great â€Å"king. † The mansion looked impenetrable, invulnerable. But it was nevertheless the victim of evil. The mind was corrupted in the same manner and Poe’s symbolism allows for a more tang ible representation of the process.Poe’s use of symbolism and diction provide a concrete description of the mind’s destruction when compared to the destruction of a great estate. The drastic change in diction from words of elegance and reverence to words of sorrow and despair demonstrate the magnitude of the change occurring in the house and mind. The symbolism allows the reader to more accurately envision the process and effects of the mind’s devastation as it can envision a house falling to pieces. Poe’s techniques allow the reader to solidify an abstraction in order to comprehend it.

Progressive Era Through the Great Depression

Progressive Era through the Great Depression Lacinda Adams Contemporary U. S. History, Strayer University Prof. Jahangir Salehi November 10, 2012 Progressive Era through the Great Depression There were many key historical turning points in the period of Progressive Era through the Great Depression. With the turn of the twentieth century Progressivism began with a specific agenda which was to clean up the nation’s cities. Social and political movement grew from this era, including reforms on state and national levels with efforts to diminish poverty, introduce labor reform, and improve the unsatisfactory conditions of urban housing.Many reform groups were established for the rights of Americans; including religion, state political reform, and woman’s progressiveness. During this time Roosevelt enacted the New Deal which was designed to regulate the economy and provide for national recovery. This initiative addressed political, economic, and social demands all at once. Wo men’s Reform During the Progressive era woman organized many major reforms, but despite all of this they were still denied the right to vote.Two women’s groups were created to promote women’s suffrage (1) the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA), founded in 1890, and (2) the National Women’s Party (NWP), founded in 1913. (Shultz, 2012) The combined efforts of these two groups led to victory and the women won the right to vote in 1920, just after the end of World War I when the Nineteenth Amendment was passed. Although they won the right to vote in 1920, women of the west had earned the right to vote before those in southern states.After reading several articles and websites I believe women earned the right to vote in the frontier states of the West before eastern and southern states for reasons as stated in the article â€Å"Why Did Colorado Suffragists Fail to Win the Right to Vote in 1877, but Succeed in 1893? † In this article it is speculated the â€Å"West was a place where freedom, independence, and democracy reigned. † To encourage women settlers to move to the western states and territories they were enticed with such things from the political leaders as being granted women’s suffrage, which could include the right to vote.During the Progressive Era women were considered the â€Å"moral guardians† and protectors of the home. (Reforming Their World, 2007) Women stood up for the rights of their family; protecting them at home and in the public, by fighting for their rights. Many things we take for granted today, they fought for in the Progressive Era as luxuries, including hot lunches at schools, community playgrounds, fire codes for office buildings, and public libraries. Working women fought for improved working conditions and wage increases. Black American woman also fought against the â€Å"war† on racism.Together both the white and black women worked for equal, improved a nd fair rights for women and children. Roosevelt – The New Deal Roosevelt was elected to his first term in 1932, with a jobless rate of 24% in America. (Shlaes, 2009) Immediately upon entering office he made several positive moves to improve the economy including creating the New Deal and reassuring seniors by creating Social Security. With his aggressiveness the unemployment rate had dropped 10% by 1936 when he was running for re-election. The New Deal was designed to regulate the economy, provide for national recovery.This initiative addressed political, economic, and social demands all at once. Through this initiative he created several programs. The Emergency Banking Relief Act, which was established to have federal control over banks and, if necessary, rescued them from disaster with government loans. The Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) creates economic programs that would employ the unemployed. National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA) instituted programs t o regulate industry, establish labor rights, and improve working conditions.All which were effective in restoring economic recovery. With the help of Roosevelt, through The New Deal, farmers were given help with a new reform proposal called the Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA). The AAA attempted to address the great problem of agriculture and offered farmers cash subsidies to not grow crops. (Shultz, 2012) Although, Americans wanted to believe in Roosevelt’s New Deal plan, his budget spending was getting more out of control and becoming more erratic. During his first term the federal budget rose from 6% to 9% of the nation's GDP.He had many critics on both democratic and republican sides. On the democratic side, some feared his programs increased the power of the government while others saw it as an overextension of federal power. Republicans believed the best option for the depression was to â€Å"let market forces take their course, knowing that, in time, there would be a new era of growth and recovery. † (Shultz, 2012) Several pieces of legislation were passed during the Roosevelt-Taft-Wilson progressive era that is still influential to the way businesses are conducting.The sixteenth amendment was passed during Taft’s time in office, authorizing income taxes. He was also very active in supporting courts against unfair trade practices by corporations. (Devine, 2010) During Wilson’s term in office he was successful in passing the Federal Reserve Act, which centralized banking and created the Federal Reserve Board. This act is still very influential in helping to regulate interest rates and the money supply. At this time the Federal Trade Commission was also enacted.Spanish American War The Spanish-American War of 1898 transformed the United States into a major overseas power. The war concerned American politicians, especially when American business interests might be compromised, because of the geographical location of countries l ike Cuba and the Philippines who the Spanish were fighting against. The victory over Cuba and the Philippines prompted a treaty which resulted in the U. S. annexing Hawaii and Spain relinquishing most of its overseas possessions to the U. S. ncluding Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and Guam, in exchange for $20 million. (Shultz, 2012) Roaring Twenties During the roaring twenties the economy was healthy. Production was up in the steel and automotive industry. Consumerism was up. People could suddenly afford to purchase clothes and property and cars. Many people had electricity in their homes, and were purchasing televisions, refrigerators, radios, washing machines, and vacuums. Banks were extending credit to people and they were investing in the stock market.Congress passed prohibition laws were passed and the Volstead Act (1919), which handed down strict punishments for individuals violating this amendment. Women won the right to vote with the passing of the Nineteenth Amendment. All of these affected the federal government’s involvement in the national economy. (Shultz, 2012) References Devine, Robert A (2010) America Past and Present, AP Edition, Pearson, New York City, NY Retrieved November 11, 2012 from http://wps. ablongman. com/long_divine_appap_7/23/5931/1518407. cw/index. tml Reforming Their World: Women in the Progressive Era (2007). Retrieved November 10, 2012 from National Women's History Museum: http://www. nwhm. org/online-exhibits/progressiveera/home. html Shultz, Kevin M. (2012) HIST, Volume 2, 2nd Edition, Boston, Massachusetts: Wadsworth Why Did Colorado Suffragists Fail to Win the Right to Vote in 1877, but Succeed in 1893? Retrieved November 11, 2012 from http://womhist. alexanderstreet. com/colosuff/intro. htm Shlaes, A. (2009). Deal or No Deal? (Cover story). Time, 173(26), 38-42. Progressive Era Through the Great Depression Progressive Era Through the Great Depression Tynisha Miller Assignment 2: History 105 Professor Tonya Simmons November 11, 2012 Identify at least two (2) major historical turning points in the period under discussion. The women’s suffrage is one of the major historical turning points in the Progressive Era. During this time there were two groups that pushed and furthered the cause of women’s suffrage. The National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA), founded in 1890, and the National Women’s Party (NWP), founded in 1913 and led by Alice Paul (Schultz,2012,pg. 41-42). The second major historical turning point in this era I will discuss is the Stock Market Crash of October 1929. The Stock Market Crash of 1929 devastated the economy and was a key factor in beginning the Great Depression. Analyze the impact of the two (2) or more major historical turning points selected on America’s current society, economy, politics, and culture. The Women’s Su ffrage movement had a major impact on society, economy, politics, and culture.In 1920 the Nineteenth Amendment was passed and women won the right to vote (Schultz, 2012, pg. 342). The enfranchisement of women was the largest expansion of the voting population in American history, significantly increasing the American electorate. This movement opened many doors for women; they now knew that they had a voice and the right to speak on political issues within the government and allowed them property rights. The stock market crash of 1929 caused fear and panic throughout the country and resulted in the beginning of the Great Depression.All aspects of the economy were affected by this downward spiral in the stock market; it caused many banks and businesses to fail and have to fail for bankruptcy. Unemployment increased, which created a decrease in purchasing power for consumers and that led to businesses having to lower prices on merchandise. Many laborers were forced to choose between wa ge cuts and pink slips, others who retained their jobs saw their income shrink by a third (U. S. History). It was years before this downward cycle broke.Speculate as to why women earned the right to vote in the frontier states of the west before eastern and southern states. Leading suffragists like Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton were Easterners, thought their home states would be the first to accept women's suffrage (Old West, 1889). Stanton and Anthony, accused abolitionist and Republican supporters of emphasizing black civil rights at the expense of women's rights, formed the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) in May of 1869 (National Archives).The National American Women Suffrage Association campaigned for a federal amendment to enfranchise women. The American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA), founded 6 months later by Lucy Stone, Julia Ward Howe, and Thomas Wentworth Higginson, protested the confrontational tactics of the NWSA and tied itself closely to the Republican Party while concentrating solely on securing the vote for women state by state (National Archives). In 1890 the two suffrage organizations merged into the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) (National Archives).Stanton became its president, Anthony became its vice president, and Stone became chairman of the executive committee (National Archives). In the west the male ratio dominated women in numbers, meaning that men definitely held power in the western states. Some historians suggest western men may have been rewarding pioneer women for their critical role in settling the West (Old West, 1889). Describe at least two (2) pieces of legislation in the Roosevelt-Taft-Wilson progressive era years that have influenced the conduct of business to this day and what that influence has been.Theodore . Roosevelt believed that industrial society was threatened by the immortality of big businessmen, who were more interested in personal gain than in the good of socie ty (Schultz, 2012, pg. 343). Even though Roosevelt punished multiple companies for violating the Sherman Antitrust Act, his main focus was on the nation’s railroads who were accused of abusing the industry. The Elkins Act of 1903 was a part of the legislation put into place in order to end the practice of railroad companies granting shipping rebates to favorable companies (American President).Realizing that the Elkins Act was not effective he introduced the Hepburn Act of 1906, which limited prices that railroads could charge and allowed the federal government to monitor the financial books of the large railroad (Schultz, 2012, pg. 343). Roosevelt’s successor was William H. Taft; he helped put companies under control by getting the Mann-Elkin Act passed (William Taft, 27th President). This act focused on the telephone, telegraph, radio, and cable companies as well as railroad companies, allowing the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) to monitor.President Wilson; assi sted in passing the Clayton Antitrust Act in 1914, this law outlawed unfair practices among businesses, he also supported the creation of the Federal Trade Commission, a government agency that had the right to investigate business practices and issue rulings to prevent businesses from continuing such practices (Schultz,2012,pg. 344). Explain the role that the Spanish American War played in America’s development of an Empire. The war between Spain and the United States transformed the U. S. into a major overseas power (Schultz, 2012, pg. 53). For years the U. S. has been interested in gaining possession of overseas territories in order to pursue naval bases, trade agreements, and democratic ideas. Imperialist believed that if the U. S. wanted to be viewed as holding world power, then they had to show that they were a powerful nation. A leading nation had to have military might and foreign possessions (US History). Initially the decision to enter into war was not for imperialis m but for humanitarian, geopolitical and commercial reasons (Schultz, 2012, pg. 53). The economy was being ruined because of the fighting between the Cubans and the Spanish. American’s understood and sympathized with Cubans’ fighting for their independence from Spain. Explain at least two (2) ways in which the boom and bust of the Roaring Twenties followed by the Great Depression affected the federal government’s involvement in the national economy. In response to the Great Depression President Roosevelt’s â€Å"New Deal†, increased federal spending tremendously.The â€Å"New Deal† was put into place to regulate the economy, provide for national recovery, and create a social safety net for all Americans (Schultz, 2012, pg. 395). Roosevelt knew he needed to first address the banking crisis, because of this he formed the Emergency Banking Relief Act. This Act passed on March 9, 1933, established federal control over banks and, if necessary, re scued them from disaster with government loans (Schultz, 2012, pg. 396). The Federal Emergency Relief Administration was formed to create economic programs to employ the unemployed (Schultz, 2012, pg. 96). Before this the Federal Government had never released funds for public works projects. The Civilian Conservation Corps was one of FERA’s most successful of all the public works projects. The CCC enlisted unemployed young men to building and repairing highways, forest service sites, flood control projects and national park buildings (Schultz, 2012, pg. 396). References Schultz, K. M. (2012). HIST2 (Vol. 2). Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. U. S. History Online Textbook: Sinking Deeper and Deeper:1929-33: Retrieved from-http://www. shistory. org/us/48b. asp Old West (September 30, 1989) Wyoming Legislators write the first state constitution to grant women the right to vote. Retrieved from- http://www. history. com American President: Theodore Roosevelt: Domestic Affairs: R etrieved from- http://www. millercenter. org William Howard Taft: Biography: Retrieved from- http://www. biography. com/people/william-taft-9501184 United States American History. Spanish-American War: Retrieved from- http://www. u-s-history. com

Grading System

SUPPORT INFORMATION – Flash – BIOS LIFEBOOK AH531 SUPPORT INFORMATION File Description Flash – BIOS LIFEBOOK AH531 Issue: Pages: 20. 08. 2012 3 Windows BIOS Update Utility – LIFEBOOK A531/AH531 Description: File: Version: Date: Size: Status: Manufacturer: Important information: !!! Connect AC adapter before flashing !!! !!! Please suspend BitLocker encryption before updating the BIOS on a computer that has BitLocker enabled !!! !!! Please reboot your system after flashing !!! FTS_Windows BIOS Update Utility – LIFEBOOK A531/AH531_1. 30_1073231. EXE 1. 30 28. 5. 2012 2,91 MB Fujitsu Comment: _______________________________________________________________________________ BIOS Update – Windows for LIFEBOOK A531/AH531 Copyright (c) Fujitsu Technology Solutions 2011 _______________________________________________________________________________ – Inventory 1. Introduction 2. Preparation 3. BIOS Update Procedure 4. BIOS Version History ______ _________________________________________________________________________ 1. Introduction This package contains BIOS update files supporting BIOS Update Windows environment. BIOS Update – Windows _______________________________________________________________________________ 2. Preparation ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page 1 of 3 http://support. ts. fujitsu. com/ SUPPORT INFORMATION – LIFEBOOK_AH531 FileDesc_1073231 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ BIOS Update – Windows After downloading the *. exe file containing the BIOS Update Windows package you need to store the files to any directory. ______________________________________________________________________________ 3. BIOS Update Procedure Important notes: – Make sure that an AC adapter and a charged battery pack is connected to your system. – You ne ed to have administrator privileges to run the BIOS update utility. – First you need to suspend BitLocker encryption before updating the BIOS on a computer that has BitLocker enabled. Attention: – Do not turn off or suspend the computer until the BIOS update has been completed. – BIOS update will be completed by a shutdown / reboot of the system.BIOS Update – Windows: Run BIOS Update Utility (file: *. exe) to update your System BIOS in Windows environment. _______________________________________________________________________________ 4. BIOS Version History Current BIOS V1. 30 Solved problems: – Fixed Blue Screen 0x7B issue. BIOS V1. 29 Solved problems: -None BIOS V 1. 28 Solved problems: – Fixed black screen after resume from standby randomly. BIOS V. 1. 27 Solved problems: – Fixed system can't power on when it goes to S4 and press power button immediately. Fixed system can't boot when CPU Celeron B720 is installed. BIOS V1. 25 to V 1. 26 were skipped. BIOS V. 1. 24: Solved problems: -Fixed input supervisor password over 20 times continuously ,it will be clear automatically. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page 2 of 3 http://support. ts. fujitsu. com/ SUPPORT INFORMATION – LIFEBOOK_AH531 FileDesc_1073231 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ -ADD F4 key to support Event LOG display.BIOS V. 1. 23 Solved problems: – Update CPU microcode to support Intel CPU i7-2640M BIOS V. 1. 22: Solved problems: – Can't select text in MS words using the Ctrl + Shift + Arrow keyboard shortcuts. – Fixed sometimes ODD can not be recognized in winPE. Known errors, problems and restrictions: – None Additional information: – Patch kernel to fix SCSI command (USB_MASS_STORE_SCSI) length problem in Android OS. (TOSHIBA REGZA SmartPhone) – Improve EFI variable auto recovery algorithm to cover RMA NG ROM failure. Fixed PIT timer issue when resume from S3. – Change the string while My Recovery is loading. â€Å"Please wait while My Recovery is loading†¦ â€Å"–>†Preparing now. Please wait for a while. † – When â€Å"WALKMAN A855† is connecting the system, system will hang up at FUJITSU logo. – The default setting of WOL is disabled in the BIOS setting. Change the power of LAN to low from high for battery life. – Update Realtek LAN controller PXE ROM from v2. 37 to v2. 41. – Fixed system can't boot after removeing AC/DC RTC battery for a while. Fixed memory frequence on 1333Mhz from â€Å"Auto†. – Update BIOS version to support new SPI ROM source. – Update Intel SandyBridge CPU MicroCode. – Correct â€Å"Copyright 1985-2011 Phoenix Technologies Ltd. † string display in BIOS diagnostic screen. ______________________________________ _________________________________________ Copyright (c) Fujitsu Technology Solutions 2011 CONTACT FUJITSU LIMITED Mies-van-der-Rohe-Stra? 8 80807 Muenchen Germany Website: http://www. fujitsu. com/fts/ Grading System SUPPORT INFORMATION – Flash – BIOS LIFEBOOK AH531 SUPPORT INFORMATION File Description Flash – BIOS LIFEBOOK AH531 Issue: Pages: 20. 08. 2012 3 Windows BIOS Update Utility – LIFEBOOK A531/AH531 Description: File: Version: Date: Size: Status: Manufacturer: Important information: !!! Connect AC adapter before flashing !!! !!! Please suspend BitLocker encryption before updating the BIOS on a computer that has BitLocker enabled !!! !!! Please reboot your system after flashing !!! FTS_Windows BIOS Update Utility – LIFEBOOK A531/AH531_1. 30_1073231. EXE 1. 30 28. 5. 2012 2,91 MB Fujitsu Comment: _______________________________________________________________________________ BIOS Update – Windows for LIFEBOOK A531/AH531 Copyright (c) Fujitsu Technology Solutions 2011 _______________________________________________________________________________ – Inventory 1. Introduction 2. Preparation 3. BIOS Update Procedure 4. BIOS Version History ______ _________________________________________________________________________ 1. Introduction This package contains BIOS update files supporting BIOS Update Windows environment. BIOS Update – Windows _______________________________________________________________________________ 2. Preparation ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page 1 of 3 http://support. ts. fujitsu. com/ SUPPORT INFORMATION – LIFEBOOK_AH531 FileDesc_1073231 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ BIOS Update – Windows After downloading the *. exe file containing the BIOS Update Windows package you need to store the files to any directory. ______________________________________________________________________________ 3. BIOS Update Procedure Important notes: – Make sure that an AC adapter and a charged battery pack is connected to your system. – You ne ed to have administrator privileges to run the BIOS update utility. – First you need to suspend BitLocker encryption before updating the BIOS on a computer that has BitLocker enabled. Attention: – Do not turn off or suspend the computer until the BIOS update has been completed. – BIOS update will be completed by a shutdown / reboot of the system.BIOS Update – Windows: Run BIOS Update Utility (file: *. exe) to update your System BIOS in Windows environment. _______________________________________________________________________________ 4. BIOS Version History Current BIOS V1. 30 Solved problems: – Fixed Blue Screen 0x7B issue. BIOS V1. 29 Solved problems: -None BIOS V 1. 28 Solved problems: – Fixed black screen after resume from standby randomly. BIOS V. 1. 27 Solved problems: – Fixed system can't power on when it goes to S4 and press power button immediately. Fixed system can't boot when CPU Celeron B720 is installed. BIOS V1. 25 to V 1. 26 were skipped. BIOS V. 1. 24: Solved problems: -Fixed input supervisor password over 20 times continuously ,it will be clear automatically. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page 2 of 3 http://support. ts. fujitsu. com/ SUPPORT INFORMATION – LIFEBOOK_AH531 FileDesc_1073231 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ -ADD F4 key to support Event LOG display.BIOS V. 1. 23 Solved problems: – Update CPU microcode to support Intel CPU i7-2640M BIOS V. 1. 22: Solved problems: – Can't select text in MS words using the Ctrl + Shift + Arrow keyboard shortcuts. – Fixed sometimes ODD can not be recognized in winPE. Known errors, problems and restrictions: – None Additional information: – Patch kernel to fix SCSI command (USB_MASS_STORE_SCSI) length problem in Android OS. (TOSHIBA REGZA SmartPhone) – Improve EFI variable auto recovery algorithm to cover RMA NG ROM failure. Fixed PIT timer issue when resume from S3. – Change the string while My Recovery is loading. â€Å"Please wait while My Recovery is loading†¦ â€Å"–>†Preparing now. Please wait for a while. † – When â€Å"WALKMAN A855† is connecting the system, system will hang up at FUJITSU logo. – The default setting of WOL is disabled in the BIOS setting. Change the power of LAN to low from high for battery life. – Update Realtek LAN controller PXE ROM from v2. 37 to v2. 41. – Fixed system can't boot after removeing AC/DC RTC battery for a while. Fixed memory frequence on 1333Mhz from â€Å"Auto†. – Update BIOS version to support new SPI ROM source. – Update Intel SandyBridge CPU MicroCode. – Correct â€Å"Copyright 1985-2011 Phoenix Technologies Ltd. † string display in BIOS diagnostic screen. ______________________________________ _________________________________________ Copyright (c) Fujitsu Technology Solutions 2011 CONTACT FUJITSU LIMITED Mies-van-der-Rohe-Stra? 8 80807 Muenchen Germany Website: http://www. fujitsu. com/fts/

A Story about My Life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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Can you judge a book by its e- cover - Essay Example at the first stage of their evolution, mobile handsets like iPhone are generations ahead and can promote the creative potential of e-books with no difficulty. If we look at the book market, we will see that it has proved to be more flexible than any other consumer sector; there was an overall 1% decline in the entire year 2009. However, sales showed an increase in book-stores and e-book stores like Amazon.com. Digital technology is at its boom in the market; it has started to achieve a real visibility with more affordable e-readers for the very first time, making their headway in sales. I-pod and i-phone occurrence has increased the growth of audio books and more rapidly e-books. At the same time, as digitalization, united with the power of the social web, is also leading to new expansions in self-publishing, all together with downloads and print-on-demand. According to the survey, seven from ten consumers are readers and buyers, among which women are at top, being the key readers, and especially those who are childless and are third agers. On the other hand, man is keen on non-fiction and more likely to buy hardbacks, for knowledge or fo r work (Mintel, 2007). E-books are read on pocket-sized devices known as e-readers which can store up to 350 digitally downloaded books. Retailers as Waterstones and Amazon are now competing to become the primary suppliers of eBooks. Amazon has itself launched kindle e-reader; it has a wireless internet link, similar to a mobile phone that allows the downloading of books and daily newspapers on the go (Sandoval,  McCarthy, 2007). E-readers and e-books continue to grow in popularity. The new world of cyber has made e-books a popular product, and they maintain to gain more attractiveness. E-books are bought and sold online just as products are bought and sold in the offline world. Billions of e-books are sold on the Internet since many years, and many people make a very good living buying and selling these e-books; some are

Media Centrism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Media Centrism - Essay Example Media centrism refers to the discriminatory reporting of new or past issues by the conventional journalists. It broadly entails a media position about particular social agendas that in turn reflects their support or public acceptance. Therefore, media centrism usually entails the opinionated coverage of political systems, environmental occurrences or other social issues such as diseases (Fuchs, 2011, pp. 297). Media centrism is not a new concept; journalists have perfected the art for purposes either enhancing or tarnishing the public image. Journalists or media houses give preference particular issues. The liking demonstrates the length of airtime and breadth of coverage and analysis. In most instances, media centrism manifests in the reporting of election campaigns. A journalist might decide to cover entirely an event and provide and positive description of the process. On the other hand, the media provides little coverage for an event they do not like. Media centrism also demonstr ates in reporting of gender or cultural issues. In this instance, a journalist may provide an analysis that supports or opposes the gender policies (Daniele Albertazzi, 2013, pp. 130). Media reporting should be neutral on pertinent issues. The reporting should also give the listeners or viewers the opportunity to make informed decisions. Hence, media centrism violates media laws and ethical reporting. It denies the listeners or viewers the opportunity to get real-time information. Besides, media centrism also neglects the different ideologies that people possess. Hence, the reporting in some way disregards people’s diversity and cultural viewpoints. Particular examples of media centrism include the following (Fuchs, 2011, pp. 298). British Broadcast Corporation is discriminatory reporting during the Lebanon War in 2006. Israeli authorities claimed the corporation favored Hezbollah. Hence, they refused media interviews and barred BBC news during the entire period.

Seminar paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Seminar paper - Essay Example In Mona’s school, there is a girl known as Danielle Meyers. This girl is somewhat of a competition for Mona and she even gives us a detailed description of her that Danielle Meyers wears blue mascara and that she is said to have kissed two boys (Gina, 1999). Danielle Meyers is said to have French-kisssed one boy and given the other boy a regular kiss since he had braces. This story of kissing two boys makes Mona envious and she herself begins looking for a boy that she will kiss in order for her story to be passed round (Gina, 1999). Mona lies to her friends that she knows karate since her ancestors, the Chinese, are believed to have been skilled in karate. This is just a lie but Mona does not mind as she would do anything for fame (Gina, 1999). Mona is that type of person who tells one lie after another without even blinking. She tells her friends that a woman can get pregnant from drinking tea. She also tells them that the brains of monkeys are a delicacy for the Chinese (Gina, 1999). Most of the cultural food of Chinese is tomatoes, nothing resembling monkey brains. Mona brags about how her mother’s cooking is off the charts that her cooking is not even in the cookbooks. The jealousy of Mona towards the fact that Danielle Meyers kissed two boys drives her to peer pressure when she starts looking for a befriend to kiss too so that her story will be aired by everyone. Mons’s teacher introduces Sherman to Mona as the new boy in class that she may guide him in the first few days at school. Mona thinks that Sherman is cute and begins falling in love with home (Gina, 1999). Mona is crazily in love and does a lot to show this such as decorating his books, having lunch always with him and taking him places such as the candy store and the bagel store which turns out to be great since Sherman is crazy about bagels (Gina, 1999). It comes a time where Mona knows that Sherman will be leaving in a month. Mona is only worried

Earthquake Risk and Early Warning Research Paper

Earthquake Risk and Early Warning - Research Paper Example The information systems can give necessary warnings so that power grids, energy systems and nuclear reactors can be switched off to avoid further destruction. Critical equipments, vehicles and systems can be shut down to prevent explosion and destruction. Fast moving vehicles and trains can be brought to a low speed to avoid accidents. Earthquake risk in a particular location or a typical region is presented by various ground motion parameters. The values of different parameters are measured and analyzed. Ground motion parameters like particle velocity, particle acceleration, motion intensity and values of acceleration are assessed for calculating earth quake risk. The values of these parameters are taken using probabilistic analysis. Local geological conditions, location of earthquake sources and various other parameters are taken into account. Considering the ground motion amplitude with respect to the distance from the earthquake source or the centre of earthquake, different proba bility analysis is performed. Distribution of earthquake source or location of the origin is crucial while calculating earthquake risk. Using these valuable parameters earthquake risk for a particular region is assessed. Operational earthquake forecasting also helps assess risks and forecast possible quakes using different methods. With the help of different seismicity-based methods, several methods are developed to update seismic hazard maps. Different models and seismic based methods are found to be helping in predicting future earthquakes. Probable locations and the expected time are predicted using different parameters. Hazard level warnings are provided for different locations. Region, position and time are analyzed to predict a probable earth quake. Earthquake, the most feared natural calamity was once considered unpredictable as the origin and cause of earthquakes were unknown. Modern earthquake warning systems successfully predict earthquake to a certain extent through thoro ugh study of ground motion parameters and other information related to different locations. It has also been discovered why certain areas are more vulnerable to earth quakes. Earth quake is no longer ignored and considered as a calamity that arrives without any warning. The densely populated urban areas and the expected population explosion in the coming decades make it clear that the world can no longer afford a heavy earth quake. If an earth quake happens in any major city of the world, more than 10 million people would perish within moments. Nations are therefore increasingly concerned about any probable earth quake that would cause a risk to the population. Earth quake warning systems are developed so that people would be intimated of an impending hazard. An Earthquake Early Warning System has been prepared by the United States Geological Survey in order to calculate earth quake risk for the west coast of United States. This warning system provides timely warnings, alerts for a possible earth quake. These warnings are meant to ensure public safety and perform necessary precautionary measures to avoid heavy losses. Effective forecasts and warnings would warn the population about possible attacks and educate them about the do’s and don’ts while encountering an earth quake. Earth warning systems send automatic earth quake

ASSIGNMENT 2 Statistics Project Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

ASSIGNMENT 2 - Statistics Project Example ii) To the simple regression model in part (i), add the variables , rooms, baths, and age, where intst is distance from the home to the interstate, area is square footage of the house, land is the lot size in square feet, rooms is total number of rooms, baths is number of bathrooms, and age is age of the house in years. Now, what do you conclude about the effects of the incinerator? Explain why (i) and (ii) give conflicting results. The coefficient for the incinerator is 0.05539 showing a decrease from the previous value of 0.36488; addition of more relevant variables to the model results to a decrease in the coefficient value of the initial variable. Yes the square of  is significant when you add it to the model from part (iii); this is because we observe an increase in the value of adjusted R-squared from 0.7475 in part (ii) to 0.7642 in part (iii) a) Most households use air conditioning powered by electricity to cool down the house but use other forms of energy (gas, oil, etc.) to warm up the house. Given this piece of information, what would you predict for the sign and significance of the coefficients if electricity usage were regressed on a households heating requirements and cooling requirements? Run a regression of electricity usage (kwh) on heating degree-days (hd16) and cooling degree-days (cd16). Are your results consistent with your predictions? Test whether the coefficients are statistically different than each other at 1%. We would expect the electricity usage to go up during cooling as such the sign for the cooling would be positive. On the contrary, we would expect the electricity usage to come down during the heating and as such the sign for the heating is expected to be negative. The p-value for the test is 0.000 (a value less than 1% significance level), we therefore reject the null hypothesis and conclude that

Life of John Milton Essay Example for Free

Life of John Milton Essay Milton continued to write poetry during this period of study: his Arcades and Comus were both commissioned for masques composed for noble patrons, connections of the Egerton family, and performed in 1632 and 1634 respectively. Comus argues for the virtuousness of temperance and chastity. He contributed his pastoral elegy Lycidas to a memorial collection for one of his Cambridge classmates. Drafts of these poems are preserved in Milton’s poetry notebook, known as the Trinity Manuscript because it is now kept at Trinity College, Cambridge. Family Milton and his first wife, Mary Powell (1625–1652) had four children: * Anne (born 7 July 1646) * Mary (born 25 October 1648) * John (16 March 1651 – June 1652) * Deborah (2 May 1652 – ?) Mary Powell died on 5 May 1652 from complications following Deborahs birth. Miltons daughters survived to adulthood, but he had always a strained relationship with them. On 12 November 1656, Milton was married again, to Katherine Woodcock. She died on 3 February 1658, less than four months after giving birth to a daughter, Katherine, who also died. Milton married for a third time on 24 February 1662, to Elizabeth Mynshull (1638–1728), the niece of Thomas Mynshull, a wealthy apothecary and philanthropist in Manchester. Despite a 31-year age gap, the marriage seemed happy, according to John Aubrey, and was to last more than 11 years until Miltons death. (A plaque on the wall of Mynshulls House in Manchester describes Elizabeth as Miltons 3rd and Best wife.) Two nephews, John Phillips and Edward Phillips, were well known as writers. They were sons of Miltons sister Anne. John acted as a secretary, and Edward was Miltons first biographer. Blindness But in the course of his work for the government, his eyesight had begun to fail, and by 1651 (43) he was completely blind. Death He ended his days in a small house near Bunhill Fields, alone with his wife and a maid. He died in ++1674 (66) without pain or emotion, according to testimony at the time no one in the room noticing his passing. - Published poetry Milton is the author of dramas such as Samson Agonistes (1671) as well as lyrical sonnets, of which the finest were in fact inspired the the death of his second wife. Altogether John Milton would write twenty- three sonnets. In a very real sense therefore these can be considered as exceptions. He uses such moments to express his thoughts and feelings on specific events, historical or personal. In his lifetime, moreover, he was mainly known for his political pamphlets. As a poet during the age of Shakespeare, he was born less than a decade after the death of this one. Milton might have been less appealing than such a master of the English language but he was nonetheless destined to become one of the best writers England would ever know. Having sided with the parliamentarians against the monarchists, Milton would begin a political career with responsibilities comparable to that today of an undersecretary of state for foreign affairs. However the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 will mean that he is both fined and imprisoned in the famous still standing today Tower of London. Eventually pardoned, Milton would from then on lead a rather retired life devoted entirely to writing until his death in 1674. Miltons poetry was slow to see the light of day, at least under his name. His first published poem was On Shakespear (1630), anonymously included in the Second Folio edition of Shakespeare. In the midst of the excitement attending the possibility of establishing a new English government, Milton collected his work in 1645 Poems. The anonymous edition of Comus was published in 1637, and the publication of Lycidas in 1638 in Justa Edouardo King Naufrago was signed J. M. Otherwise the 1645 collection was the only poetry of his to see print, until Paradise Lost appeared in 1667. Paradise Lost Main article: Paradise Lost Milton’s magnum opus, the blank-verse epic poem Paradise Lost, was composed by the blind and impoverished Milton from 1658 to 1664 (first edition) with small but significant revisions published in 1674 (second edition). As a blind poet, Milton dictated his verse to a series of aides in his employ. It reflects his personal despair at the failure of the Revolution, yet affirms an ultimate optimism in human potential. Milton encoded many references to his unyielding support for the Good Old Cause.[31] Milton followed up Paradise Lost with its sequel, Paradise Regained, published alongside the tragedy Samson Agonistes, in 1671. Both these works also resonate with Milton’s post-Restoration political situation. Just before his death in 1674, Milton supervised a second edition of Paradise Lost, accompanied by an explanation of why the poem rhymes not and prefatory verses by Marvell. Milton republished his 1645 Poems in 1673, as well a collection of his letters and the Latin pr olusions from his Cambridge days. A 1668 edition of Paradise Lost, reported to have been Miltons personal copy, is now housed in the archives of theUniversity of Western Ontario. Paradise Lost is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton. It was originally published in 1667 in ten books, with a total of over ten thousand individual lines of verse. A second edition followed in 1674, changed into twelve books (in the manner of the division of Virgils Aeneid) with minor revisions throughout and a note on the versification.[1] The poem concerns the Biblical story of the Fall of Man: the temptation of Adam and Eveby the fallen angel Satan and their expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Miltons purpose, stated in Book I, is to justify the ways of God to men.[2] Paradise Lost is widely considered one of the greatest literary works in the English language.[3] The poem begins strong as follows: Of Mans first disobedience, and the fruit of that forbidden tree, whose mortal taste brought death into the world, and all our woe (with loss of Eden, till one greater Man restore us, and regain the blissful seat) Some of the famous verses from Paradise Lost include: The mind is its own place, and in itself Can make a heav’n of hell, a hell of heav’n. The context of this passage is that of Satan not yet really considering revenge. At that point he is instead deciding to make the most of the situation. This is confirmed only a few lines later when he makes the very famous utterance: Better to reign in hell, than serve in heav’n. The following quote is from a point in the work when God is talking with his son and angels about the fact that since angels and man were given free will, it would have been meant changing their nature to have intervened and prevented their sin: The first sort by their own suggestions fell, Self-tempted, self-depraved: man falls deceived By the other first: man therefore shall find grace, The other none Finally, let us consider the following quote where Milton tells us about Eve having been deceived: Greedily she engorged without restraint, And knew not eating death; It interesting to note that even though Paradise Lost was to become considered as a major influential work, it did not meet immediate success when it was first published in 1667. It was not until 1688, a little over ten years after Milton’s death that the poem would start to be widely recognized. Perhaps such late recognition has partly to do with the fact that by the time of his death Milton was not only broke, but he had been alienated out of intellectual life in his own country. In 1670 he would publish his controversial The History of Britain, and in 1671 Paradise Regained, dealing with the temptation of Christ. Milton would die in London on November 8 1674. The same year would appear the second edition of Paradise Lost. - Characters Satan Satan is the first major character introduced in the poem. Formerly the most beautiful of all angels in Heaven, hes a tragic figure who describes himself with the now-famous quote Better to reign in Hell than to serve in Heaven. He is introduced to Hell after he leads a failed rebellion to wrestle control of Heaven from God. Satans desire to rebel against his creator stems from his unwillingness to be subjugated by God and his Son, claiming that angels are self-begot, self-raised,[4] thereby denying Gods authority over them as their creator. Adam Adam is the first human created by God. Though initially alone, Adam demands a mate from God. Considered Gods prized creation, Adam, along with his wife, rules over all the creatures of the world and reside in the Garden of Eden. He is more intelligent and curious about external ideas than Eve. He is completely infatuated with Eve, which while pure in and of itself, eventually contributes to his reasons for joining Eve in disobedience to God. Eve Eve is the second human created by God, taken from one of Adams ribs and shaped into a female form of Adam. In her innocence, she is the model of a good wife, graceful and submissive to Adam. Though happy, she longs for knowledge and, more specifically, self-knowledge. Her first act in existence is to turn away from Adam and look at and ponder her own reflection. Eve is extremely beautiful and thoroughly in love with Adam, though may feel suffocated by his constant presence. One day, she convinces Adam that it would be good for them to split up and work different parts of the Garden. In her solitude, she is tempted by Satan to sin against God. Adam shortly follows along with her. The Son of God The Son of God is the spirit that will become Jesus Christ, though he is never named explicitly, since he has not yet entered human form. The Son of God shares total union with God, and indeed is understood to be a person of the Godhead, along with the Father and the Spirit. He is the ultimate hero of the epic and infinitely powerful, singlehandedly defeating Satan and his followers when they violently rebel against God and driving them into Hell. The Son of God tells Adam and Eve about Gods judgment after their sin. However, he sacrificially volunteers to eventually journey to the World, become a man himself, and redeem the Fall of Man through his own death and resurrection. In the final scene, a vision of Salvation through the Son of God is revealed to Adam by Michael. Still, the name, Jesus of Nazareth, and the details of Jesus story are not depicted in the poem.[7] God the Father God the Father is the creator of Heaven, Hell, the World, and of everyone and everything there is. He desires glory and praise from all his creations. He is an all-powerful, all-knowing, infinitely good being who cannot be overthrown by even the great army of angels Satan incites against him. The poem begins with the purpose of justifying the ways of God to men, so God often converses with the Son of God concerning his plans and reveals his motives regarding his actions. The poem portrays God’s process of creation in the way that Milton believed it was done, that God created Heaven, Earth, Hell, and all the creatures that inhabit these separate planes from part of Himself, not out of nothing.[8] Thus, according to Milton, the ultimate authority of God derives from his being the author of creation. Satan tries to justify his rebellion by denying this aspect of God and claiming self-creation, but he admits to himself this is not the case, and that God deserved no such return/ Fr om me, whom He created what I was.[9][10] Raphael Raphael is an angel who is sent by God to warn Adam about Satans infiltration of Eden and to warn him that Satan is going to try to curse Adam and Eve. He also has a lengthy discussion with the curious Adam regarding creation and events which transpired in Heaven. Michael Michael is a mighty archangel who fought for God in the Angelic War. In the first battle, he wounds Satan terribly with a powerful sword that God designed to even cut through the substance of angels. After Adam and Eve disobey God by eating from the Tree of Knowledge, God sends the angel Michael to visit Adam and Eve. His duty is to escort Adam and Eve out of Paradise. But before this happens, Michael shows Adam visions of the future which cover an outline of the Bible, from the story of Cain and Abel in Genesis, up through the story of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. Interpretation and criticism The Creation of Man, engraving from the 1688 edition, by John Baptist Medina The writer and critic Samuel Johnson wrote that Paradise Lost shows off [Miltons] peculiar power to astonish and that [Milton] seems to have been well acquainted with his own genius, and to know what it was that Nature had bestowed upon him more bountifully than upon others: the power of displaying the vast, illuminating the splendid, enforcing the awful, darkening the gloomy, and aggravating the dreadful.

Admission Paper in Finance Essay Example for Free

Admission Paper in Finance Essay Every person has his/her story and so do I. I’m writing this statement of purpose to solicit an admission into the prestigious Finance Phd Program. Many people endeavor into PhD to do high-level research and teach but my primary reason for entering is to be my own boss. Not to sound conceited, I have earlier worked in 7/11 from 6 am to 12 pm for many years and under unmanageable coworkers to support my living and schooling expenses as I come from a very humble background. I understand that being one’s own boss or in more euphemistic terms an independent researcher does not come easy, one has to first go through many years of rigors and challenges of academic world. My Masters in Quantitative finance have built the foundation or framework to withstand any challenge that academia will put forth in the near future. Courses that I have taken in my masters include Mathematical finance, real option analysis, Microeconomic theory, Financial Derivatives, Statistics, Econometrics 1, Econometrics 2, Financial modeling, Financial application, and so forth. See more: Homeless satire essay I took few research and quantitative classes because I know they will inadvertently prepare me for PhD . The reason I chose Quantitative Marketing is because the statistics, economics and mathematics that’s involved in it mesmerizes me. In this country the advertisers have known from the beginning that â€Å" The heart rules over the head.† So by allowing the mass majority of people with easy personal and mortgage loans, they have jeopardized the economy. What I would like to research is if this was a zero-sum game or not, and if yes, then who benefitted from it? Because of securitization, the bank did not seem to make any money, and neither the homeowners that lost their home. If banks knew people were going to default, then why did they still offer loans? This whole thing is like a mathematical paradox that is yet to be solved. Marketing is what separates the product from its competitors. In my research I’d like to learn how adverstisers use athletes to add val ue to the product. Nike’s whole business model was based on Marketing. Top sportsman like Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, Kobe Bryant and so on are paid several millions by Nike. Many people perceive that by wearing the same brand as their idol does, he/she could improve their game. But what about â€Å"the Rolex† watch that Roger Federer advertises? How can a watch improve anyones tennis game? Maybe , the ad implies that only â€Å"Winners† or so called â€Å" achievers† can wear it? People looking to lose weight may take up a sport and watch their favorite athlete drink â€Å"Gatorade† to rehydrate or replenish their energy, but fail to realize that the 46 grams of sugar in Gatorade itself is the primary reason that’s defeating their weight loss goal. Ab rockets, Ab lounges are advertised by professional trainers who have spent their life doing sports. It is impossible for a 9 to 5 working person to achieve the same results, yet countless people fall prey to thes e infomercials. It is definitely fascinating to learn more about the profound effect that Marketing has on us. Neverthless, schemes like â€Å" buy one get one 50% off, zero percent down payment for 12 months, buy now pay later† are a sure sell. What begs the question is whether the scheme is benefitting the consumer or the economy. After research the second most important thing for a phd is to teach. Even though I do not have formal teaching experience I have been teaching GRE to students from all walks of life. I definitely do not have a stellar GPA nor a GRE but I do my job well when needed. The fact that I love people makes my job of teaching extremely simple. I can wake up middle of the night and walk an extra mile to give a talk on a topic that inspires me. Having taken immeasurable courses at community colleges and universities, I’ve become very fond of academia. I now dote reading, learning, relearning, and writing. Of course, my past high school and university grades donâ€⠄¢t walk the talk but the fact is I have overcome all of that with my independent learning. A majority of my high-school teachers and family members doubted if I’d ever finish high-school. Not only did I finish high school , I now also have two advanced United States degrees. Much of these didn’t come easy for me. Every parents teacher meeting and every result day from grade 3 to grade 12 was like a doomsday for me. I used to literally pray that we never had a result day or a parents teacher meeting. My dad physically whopped me and my brother together till he injured us for passing our classes with a B or a C grade. It still gives me nightmare just thinking about it. He beat us because he compared us to his wealthier colleagues or brothers kids who were excelling in school while we weren’t. He never realized that each kid is unique and has different talent. Perhaps, his lack of education or short-temperedness made him violent or even so because he could not flaunt to others that his kids have the highest grade . Believe me this is what parents in South Asia are discussing at parties or family gatherings, â€Å"whose kids are getting the best grades.†. Nevertheless, at first it was a big challenge to just learn English, but as time passed, my innate ability taught me reading, writing, and speaking. In fact, English has now become my primary language. Also during undergrad I have written myriad papers and thus writing has become a fact of my life. The writing skills I have acquired during a long period of my stay in the academic world will unarguably be useful during my PhD. If not, at least I like to think so. I choose Lubbock because it’s a small college town and the professor who mentored me during my masters has his PhD in finance from Texas Tech . He in fact referred me to this school. Nevertheless, a small quite town would also enhance a person’s learning since he/she will be free from all distractions. While writing this essay I hold an undergraduate sociology 101 t ext book. According to the book, being a university professor is considered one of the most prestigious occupation in the United States, ranking way ahead than an athlete, Dentist, programmer, Actor, and so forth. The author took the abstract from, â€Å"General Social Survery, 1972-2002. Cumumlative codebook (Chicago national opinion research center.† ) Such findings did stir my up my mind to pursue PHD. I really saw this in my text six years ago as a young teenager . This explains I truly have the passion to be a professor from a long time. The excellent faculty at Texas Tech with their wide variety of research interests , and student placements will definitely make my ambition of becoming a university professor come true. What I like about research is it removes the bias from the illimitable information we have today. Integrating information from google, scholarly journals, publications, magazines, foreign newspapers, and so forth and coming up with my own analysis is something I loo k forward to do. Another thing that I like about research is it’s about finding patterns and relationships that are not obvious to others. My poor undergraduate GPA could be attributed to the fact that I was part of Texas Wesleyan Table Tennis Team. We have won 4 national collegiate championship, having me represented TWU as a varsity player in all four of them. Apart from playing NCTTA tournaments we were obligated to play open tournaments all over America. I did get a chance to play and win several open tournaments in different cities across the US. For winning the national collegiate championship, the United States House of Representative personally awarded me a certificate of excellence. I’ve enclosed a copy of that certificate along with this essay. Nevertheless, team practice and tournaments took up a lot of time and energy; once tired, college and books were the last thing in my mind. Somehow, I still managed to complete my undergrad degree keeping in mind the famous American say ing , â€Å" It doesn’t matter how many times you fail, but it does matter how you finish.† Nevertheless, I realized I have criticized my dad earlier in the essay but this piece of work that I have penned down today could not have been possible without his support. Moreover, I could never make him happy with my low grades, but I always saw him rejoicing each time I won a tournament. Table tennis taught me invaluable lessons in life. When I lost a tournament or an important match I used to feel devastated, but it then made me realize that it’s not the end of the world. By accepting defeat, I learned that I have to train harder and come off strong for the next tournament. Similarly, in business and research only after failing several times did great thinkers emerge. Lastly, I thank the dean, chairman, and admission committee members for taking out their valuable time to read this essay and also for considering my application.

Fern Hill: Literary Analysis

Fern Hill: Literary Analysis Time is a weary thing, but it is also a beautiful thing. It also slow, yet fast and moments and experiences sometimes are severely lacking in appreciation because of an inattentive and inpatient eye. All of the aforementioned are the hallmarks of youth, children and adolescents alike lean more to living in the present, not appreciating life as a whole. When this fact comes to light, it is often too late and all there is left to do is to reminisce and regret, miss and yearn for the days of yore. Unfortunately, this is what middle and old age frequently is. These topics are explored greatly in Fern Hill, it is filled with metaphors and biblical allusions, and the poem itself bears a striking resemblance to life itself. In the first stanza, the setting of Fern Hill is established and since it is the beginning of the poem; it mirrors the beginning of life: youth. Now as I was young and easy under the apple boughs / About the lilting house and happy as the grass was green / The night above the dingle starry, Here, the tone is a rather happy and carefree tone, not unlike the majority of the poem. Alliteration is used rather well here, it gives the poem a rhythm and a sense of movement, and this echoes the progression of life. The house is personified as if it is singing, giving the speakers youth a merry feeling, he/she is happy and like the grass, he/she is still young and full of life. It is only the beginning. The word order is a bit odd for the third line, normally, it would be The starry night above the dingle, but here, the words are switched. This is used to give more rhythm to the line, it further contributes to the building motion of the poem. The next few lines continue to be joyful and happy, it personifies time as a being, God perhaps. Time let me hail and climb / Golden in the heydays of his eyes, / And honoured among wagons I was prince of the apple town In the first line, its as though Time is letting the young one be young and enjoy its youth, not out of obligation or what not, but out of kindness and compassion. Time understands that time is limited and that youthfulness doesnt last forever. This is further supported by the third line in which it is personified and is referred to as a he. Another possible reference to God, as God is kind and merciful; Time is here as well. Not only that, but Time seems to be also watching the young one, letting him be free and young. The youth is so great, that the speaker even refers to himself as a prince. It doesnt come off as callousness or as pride, just a genuine belief that he was mighty and powerful in the heydays of his youth. The youth is so great, that the speaker even refers to himself as a prince. It doesnt come off as callousness or as pride, just a genuine belief that he was mighty and powerful in the heydays of his youth. And once below a time I lordly had the trees and leaves / Trail with daises and barley / Down the rivers of the windfall light The word and gets repeated twice in the span of two lines, repetition is a key theme of Fern Hill and it is not only in its content. Time is like a sequence, and and achieves this similar effect as it piles one line with the other. Assonance is present with the words trees, leaves, daises, and barley. It has a rather nice sound, and when said aloud; has a distinctive flow. Not unlike the flow of time itself perhaps. The second stanza is overall, structurally similar to the first. As with the first stanza, there nine lines in the second stanza, this is not exclusive to the first two stanza. The whole poem is composed of six stanzas each containing nine lines. These numbers are not just arbitrarily in the poem for the sake of being in the poem, it is yet another biblical allusion. This specifically being; the Book of Genesis from the Bible. The world was created by God in six days, the seventh used for rest. This is not the only allusion to Genesis as there is another one further in the poem, the Farm could be like the Garden of Eden to the Speaker. Not only is it similar in structure, but in its content as well. And I was green and carefree, famous among the barns / About the happy yard and singing as the farm was home, / In the sun that is young once only, Just as the grass was green before, the speaker is also green, he is young. Assonance is present once again, being carefree, as aforementione d is one the many hallmarks of youth. The speaker could not give a care in the world, for he is young. However, he knows that youth only comes once, and that it doesnt last forever, this foreshadows the later parts of the poem. But, for now, just as the poem remains happy, he too is happy on the farm. Once more, time is personified and is being portrayed as kind and merciful. This reinforces the allusion to God, God is watching the young one and letting him be. Time let me play and be / Golden in the mercy of his means, / And green and golden I was huntsman and herdsman, the calves The words green and golden keep getting repeated again and again, and alliteration keeps getting used again and again, the speaker is young and prosperous, this is being reinforced so much because once youth is gone, it is gone for good. The speakersis remaining in the past for this long because thats how good his youth is. He is only this prosperous because of Time or God, he knows he is at the mercy of him, Time is benevolent, but regardless; he is still at Times very whim, just as every human is. The allusion to the Bible is no longer as subtle as before, not that it was that subtle to begin with, but now it is ever more blatant. Sang to my horn, the foxes on the hills barked clear and cold, / And the Sabbath rang slowly / In the pebbles of the holy streams. The speaker was in power because of his youth perhaps, seeing as though the foxes barked at the sound of his horn singing. An alliteration is used again to portray the foxes clear bark without much emotion. This is signaling the end of youth, it is slow, but the end is near. The Sabbath is day of rest, just as God was resting on the seventh day of creation, so too will the speaker, but instead of creation; he will be resting in old age. The streams near the farm seem to be sacred, again, with the Biblical allusion. The third stanza marks a shift in tone, in content and in structure. It is significantly different than the first two stanzas; like the parallel between youthfulness and old age. All the sun long it was running, it was lovely, the hay / Fields high as the house, the tunes from the chimneys, it was air / And playing, lovely and watery The day keeps on going, however, the descriptions are beginning to be not as specific as the ones from the first stanza, they are also beginning to be dreamlike, lucid almost. Fields as high as the house, music coming from the chimney, all strange descriptions. When they are referred to as air, this comes across as a metaphor for life, fluidity and tranquility; such is youth. The speaker remembers the youth well, quite fondly in fact. Now comes the transition from day into night, youth into old age. The descriptions become even stranger. And fire green as grass. / And nightly under the simple stars / As I rode to sleep the owls were bearing the night away, Green fire is unheard of, unnatural, but strangely enough, it is natural; because is starting to drift into sleep, into old age. Instead of the natural process of time passing through sleep, the owls seem to carry the night away instead. All very surreal. Now comes the climax of the surreal, of the dream. Very unnatural thing, the night is coming to a close, just as the wake is coming. All the moon long I heard blessed among stables, the nightjars / Flying with the ricks, and the horses / Flashing into the dark. Instead of all day long in the beginning of the stanza, it is now the opposite, all night long. The stables are blessed, are personified and seem to be alive. The ricks, which are stacks of hay, are flying with nightjars; insects. The night is ending soon, as well as this dream. And the horses just vanish into thin air, becoming part of the night, with this, night draws to a close, and day begins anew; a cycle of some sorts. Now the Biblical allusions come into full swing and are no longer just allusion but are direct references, the religious overtones are present throughout the poem. And then to awake, and the farm, like a wanderer white / With the dew, come back, the cock on his shoulder: it was all / Singing, it was Adam and maiden, Day has come once more, the farm is once again personified, however, this time; the farm may be Jesus. Jesus was known to wear white, white represents holiness, goodness, purity and all things sacred. But Jesus is mostly known to be a wanderer, spreading the word of God. The speaker loves the farm so much, that it is sacred and holy. Here is the good part, Adam and Eve come into the picture, the feeling that the farm is the Garden of Eden is ever so more blatant. Just as Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden following the act of committing the original sin, so too will the speaker be cast out of his farm, his Garden of Eden; youth. Albeit, not for any wrongdoin g, but because of the natural process. But wait, there is more! The sky gathered again / And the sun grew round that very day. /So it must have been after the birth of the simple light / The Genesis references do not end there, in the first line, it says that the sky gathered again. It just so happens that in the Book of Genesis, there is also a similar phrase: And God said, Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear. (Book of Genesis 1) The creation of the Universe is being mirrored by the return of day, old age. The sun grew round once more, just as when God said let there be light. Creation, Adam and Eve, and the Book of Genesis are all symbols for the cycle of life in this poem and life itself. That is not all, now the animals that God created unto Eden are being referenced. In the first, spinning place, the spellbound horses walking warm / Out of the whinnying green stable / On to the fields of praise. The first spinning place is a reference to Earth, a planet that so happens to spin, it also happens to be the first one. The horses are attracted to, or rather mystified by the farm, and are coming out of the whinnying green stable. The horses are not just horses, but all the animals of Gods creation; out of his own hand. The fields of praise, are obviously a substitute for Eden. However, the fields of praise is also the farm itself, in the beginning of the poem, the farm is the subject of praise, now, and the farm is now praise itself. Such is Gods holy creation. The end is nigh, literally and figuratively. The first line of this stanza is a callback to one of the lines from the very first stanza. And honoured among foxes and pheasants by the gay house / Under the new made clouds and happy as the heart was long, / In the sun born over and over, Instead of being honoured by wagons and material things part of the physical realm, the speaker is now honoured among animals of the House of God. The house is personified, giving the house joy, such is the House of God. Creation is recent as the clouds are newly made, old age is here, but happiness remains in the heart. With the sun being born over and over again, eternal is too God and his kingdom. However, not all is well. With old age, comes regret and reminiscing. I ran my heedless ways, / My wishes raced through the house high hay / nothing I cared, at my sky blue trades, that time allows Because of the joys of youth, and the freedom that comes with it, heedlessness is also unfortunately part of youth as well. The speaker is starting to regret living life at such a fast pace and is noting that he is careless. Time only allows so much, and the time has come for the end. Time/ God is seemingly leading children into his grace through song, again, green and golden are repeated here. In all his tuneful turning so few and such good morning songs / Before the children green and golden / Follow him out of grace. The children symbolize the speakers youth, or perhaps humanitys youth as a whole. It is now time for golden years to draw to a close. Regret is still present, and is even more powerful than before. Youth is gone and old age is here to stay. Nothing I cared, in the lamb white days, that time would take me / Up to the swallow thronged loft by the shadow of my hand, / In the moon that is always rising, The sentiment of regret from before is repeated, the swallows, the loft and the hand shadow represents the speakers life, how time is carrying the speaker, but the speakers shadow is present and is ever present, looming even. Just as the sun represented youth and how it is short and temporary, the eternal rising of the moon represents old age and how old age will last much longer than youth. Even though if the speaker is sleeping, which he is not, he will hear his farm being taken way, his very youth being taken away. Nor that riding to sleep / I should hear him fly with the high fields / And wake to the farm forever fled from the childless land. The farm is still here, but it is not the same as before. It is childless, that is, without youth, it is here no longer, forever. The alliteration gives the line a swift and quick motion of this, almost as though a picture is being created. Similar to the old saying regarding youth and old age. Happy, that is what the poems tone is in the beginning. However, there is now dramatic shift in tone, it is now melancholic and regretful. The speaker is no longer swift and free-spirted, he is now chained to sadness and old age. Oh as I was young and easy in the mercy of his means, / Time held me green and dying / Though I sang in my chains like the sea. The second line reflects life, like a newborn baby, even though it is alive, it also dying at the same time. The clock of death starts ticking the very moment the heart starts beating. Ironic and cruel, but that is life.

Graduation Speech: I Have No Regrets :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

I thought that I'd start by taking a picture, being as this is the last time that I'm going to see the majority of you. So could everybody smile? OK, now that that is done with, I would like to start out with a quote. "As people used to be wrong about the motion of the sun, so they are still wrong about the motion of the future. The future stands still, it is we who move in infinite space." (Rainer Maria Rilke, German poet). Webster's dictionary describes commencement as a beginning. Perhaps many of you believed that commencement was an ending. So instead of today being an ending, it is a day to celebrate a new beginning. But the big question is the beginning of what? It has been 13 long years since that first day of kindergarten. It may seem ages ago, but that was only one beginning. This first chapter of our lives is now ending, and we are here today to celebrate the beginning of the next, new stage in our life. It's sad, but true, that after this day, we are all going to go our separate ways. Some of us are headed to college, while others are going to work, or already own their own business. Whatever it is, it is going to be something different than any of us are used to. Even though this is a celebration of a new beginning, we couldn't possibly move on without remembering the past. I don't know about everybody else, but even now, this still feels unreal. I have been waiting for this day since sixth grade, and it is strange that it is finally here. I have had so much fun these past 13 years with all of the friends that I have made. I want to thank everybody for all of the memories throughout the years. It was you guys that made school fun and interesting. From back in elementary school getting intense on the four square court or playing some tetherball, to the Friday night football games and volleyball matches, and the whole time enjoying every minute of it just because I was hanging out with my friends. I hope that you made your time here was worth it because you have to live your life to the fullest. We don't know how long we have on this planet so cherish every moment like it is your last.

Television and Media - Variety in TV Shows :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

Variety in Television Shows There are many different television shows today, practically one for every person in the family. Comedies, dramas, action-adventure all these different forums of television, but they all seem to be about the same people. Threw all the different verity of shows on TV all the characters have common similarities with each other. They are mostly composed of white people and the upper class. Even if the show claims to be about the working class the characters are usually never seen working or even warring about money, they also never have a problem paying rent or buying new clothes. This gives a false image of the working class. The lack of a divers cast also misleads the audience the black population is expected to outnumber the white population in this country by the year 2009. Yet all major television stations don't have many if ant minority in their shows. This leaves most of America's people unrepresentative on television. If these stations where trying to portray the middle class they did not do so in an affective manor. Looking at the show "friends" the whole cast is composed of white actors and never has a minority ever been represented in the show. All the characters have jobs but are never seen at them, occasionally we see Monica in the kitchen where she works, or Rachel in the Coffey shop doing anything but work. Even with the unusual appearance at work the characters still seem to have great apartments and seem fashionably beautiful. "Friend" is one of the most popular shows on television today. How is that possible, the answer is that executives who write and produce the shows have no idea what its really like for young adults in society today. They assume things about the American public and pass it on as the real thing. This in turn is digested by the American public and watched because theirs nothing else that is entertaining enough to keep their attention the reason why television shows seem the same is because they are made and produced by the same people with a formula that i s followed by others. Look at the show "Will and Grace" it seems to have broken the mold of the usual sitcom.

Wedding Speech †Best Woman or Maid of Honor :: Wedding Toasts Roasts Speeches

Wedding Speech – Best Woman or Maid of Honor Ladies and Gentlemen – I’ll start by thanking Brian on behalf of the bridesmaids for his kind words. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Hannah and am trying to do as good a job as I can today to be Brian’s best man – rather as good a job as I am able to do given that there was no way I was going to put my name down to have gender reassignment surgery so that I could properly fulfil the role. I was a bit surprised, although naturally honoured, when Brian asked me to do this, but in actual fact, having a girl as a best man makes perfect sense as it shows that Brian has carefully thought ahead to his life as a married man and is happy with the woman having the last word! However if there’s anybody here who feels nervous and apprehensive at the thought of what is soon to come†¦ it is probably because you have just married Brian. Now I was a bit unsure about the duties of a best man, although I told Brian very early on that there was no way I was going to get off with a bridesmaid – I say that with no offence intended to Claire and Nicola who I’m sure you’ll all agree look lovely, and have done a great job today. So to find out what was expected of me, I turned to the internet and managed to find some really interesting stuff†¦ but then remembered what I had gone onto it for in the first place, and set about plagiarising other people’s speeches from all the wedding sites I could find. So I accept no responsibility if this end result is rubbish. I know many of you will have been to a few weddings in your time, so can I suggest that you entertain yourselves quietly by playing wedding bingo – every time you hear a witty comment in my speech that you have already heard at another wedding, give yourself a point and the first one to five wins a piece of wedding cake. So going back to what I discovered I am expected to do as the best man: Organise the stag night. Or in Brian’s case, hen night as Brian insisted on inviting more girls than guys. It was actually a very civilised affair, walk in the countryside, few drinks in a nice pub, then a lovely meal with fine wine and champagne in the evening.

For Colored Girls

For Colored Girls who have considered Suicide when the Rainbow is Enuf. Topic: For Colored Girls who have considered Suicide when the Rainbow is Enuf, is a book about women’s perspective on life and how they way view men, which have hurt them, mistreated them, and how they react and live on it I. All women feel at some point in their life its hard dealing with men, life and descrimation, but black women feel they have it hard than most. II. Body A.Black women’s outlook on men and how they feel mistreated 1. Family a. Father b. Boyfriends c. Husbands 2. Black women always have always had problems with men, not just black men but all men, as they feel in the book. d. Not just black men but any man, hurt them as one has a father of a different ethnic. e. They also have to deal with the lies and abandonment. III. 3. The women in my book deal with growing up black in the 1960’s and 70’s. 4. The women in my book also deal with men treating them badly. 5.They als o how they are to deal with the hard things in their life, wither its dancing or praying to God. 6. They also deal with rape. Conclusion. For Colored Girls who have considered Suicide when the Rainbow is Enuf, is a book about women’s perspective on life and how they way view men, which have hurt them, mistreated them, and how they react and live on it. And when they find God back into their lives they understand they didn’t have to go through all of that alone, but that they had God and they had each other.

Juvenile Justice: Incarceration vs. Intervention Essay

Abstract The national trend towards getting tough on juvenile crime by altering the juvenile justice system to more closely mirror the adult system was examined in order to determine whether secure confinement of juvenile offenders is as effective as community-based rehabilitative and treatment programs for these youth. Politicians and public perceptions have allowed the juvenile justice system to evolve from one of reform based thinking to one of punishment based thinking, placing more young offenders in secure facilities than ever before. The social repercussions of secure confinement of juveniles, without the use of proper rehabilitative tools, including education and life-building skills, are evident as youth are being ‘set aside’ rather than being encouraged to become productive members of their communities.  Not a day goes by where our national media doesn’t report on stories involving heinous and criminal acts committed by juveniles in the United States. Juvenile delinquency is a fact of life – ranging from minor status offenses to unimaginable acts of violence. When dealing with young offenders, there are always difficult decisions to make concerning appropriate punishments that take both public safety and the needs of the juvenile into account. In response to a recognizable increase in youth crime, getting tough on juvenile delinquency and holding young offenders more accountable has been the national trend in the past two decades  (Brinks, 2004). Many argue that removing juveniles from the environment in which their crimes were committed is the most successful deterrent of future negative behavior. But what does secure confinement provide these troubled juveniles aside from isolation from the negative influences they may be subjected to on the outside? Should young offenders be incarcerated for their crimes as they would be as adults, or is it possible to ‘rehabilitate’ a juvenile delinquent without the use of detent ion or incarceration? Of course, juvenile offenders must be held accountable for their offenses – it is an essential element in the natural process of learning and maturation. However, the immaturity that is seen in children and adolescents is an indicator that these behaviors will not be well deterred by harsh punitive action, but rather be better served by rehabilitative attempts. The fact that young offenders tend to outgrow their nonconformity is even more of a reason to believe that a castigatory approach to these juveniles will not be successful in reaching deterrent or rehabilitative goals (Young & Gainsborough, 2000). Because of these matters, community programs and intense intervention are more effective than secure confinement when it comes to juvenile delinquency rehabilitation. In order to explore the effectiveness of treatment and intervention versus incarceration of juveniles, it is helpful to look at the original intentions of the juvenile justice system and how the system has since evolved. The question of rehabilitation versus incarceration of juvenile delinquents came to a head in the late 1800s, resulting in the creation of the first juv enile court system in the United States. Prior to this time, institutionalized children were held along with adults, and no efforts were being made to teach them the necessary skills they required to make positive contributions to society. After centuries of treating very young children as property, and those over the age of five or six as simply little adults when it came to criminal misconduct, it was finally recognized, and widely accepted, that the developmental differences between juveniles and adults provided an increased opportunity for the successful rehabilitation of juveniles outside of secure confinement. The early years of the juvenile justice system focused on recovering the lives of the juvenile offenders before they were completely immersed in a life of criminal activity. The states took on the role of ‘parents’ or â€Å"parens patriae† (state as guardian) and undertook the  parenting responsibility until the juveniles showed improved behaviors, or became adults. Juveniles were no longer tried as adult offenders, and reform houses, rather than prisons, were used to emphasize behavior reform rather than punishment (Brinks, 2004). The juvenile justice system’s focus on reform continued throughout much of the 20th century. Changes began emerging in the juvenile court system in the mid 1900s. During this time, the main objective of juvenile justice remained focused on reformation rather than criminal punishment, however, principles which were not previously in place, were being established by the Supreme Court, requiring juvenile courts to guarantee specific constitutional protections to young offenders. These protections included the right to be represented by an attorney, the right against self-incrimination and the right to hear the testimony against them (Ramsey & Abrams, 2004, p. 42). Although these rights are in line with constitutional rights afforded adults, many within the juvenile justice system were concerned that the court’s reformative techniques would be lessened if the same constitutional rights were applied to children as to adults. Justice Potter Stewart expressed concern that the court’s decision would â€Å"convert a juvenile proceeding into a criminal prosecution† (â€Å"History of America’s,† 2008). While constitutional rights must now be afforded to everyone, this was the first of many changes which began to alter the historical intent of the juvenile justice system. Until 1980, other changes in the juvenile justice system seemed to consistently refer back to the main objective of its creation. The Juvenile Delinquency Prevention and Control Act of 1968 encouraged states to establish programs geared towards the prevention and rehabilitation of juvenile delinquency at the community level. These programs, once approved, were eligible to receive federal funding. The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 built upon the 1968 act and increased nationwide rehabilitative efforts for juvenile offenders. If states wished to receive funding under this act, they were required to remove all juveniles within their jurisdictions from secure confinement facilities and separate them from convicted adults, building on the be lief of writer Morrison Swift who commented on jailing young offenders with adults, â€Å"young and impressionable offenders were being carried off to Rutland with more hardened men, there to receive an education in lawlessness from their experienced associates†Ã‚  (Swift, 1911). Despite these steps towards delinquency prevention, or perhaps because of them, public perception towards an increase in juvenile crime in the 1980s caused radically different changes to begin to take place within the juvenile justice system. In the past two decades, the U.S. has gravitated towards a â€Å"get tough† approach with juvenile delinquents. In the mid 1980s and early 1990s, the U.S. saw a steep rise in violent juvenile crime, a predictable increase in the juvenile population, and many high profile occurrences of youth crime such as public school shootings in Paducah, KY and Columbine High School in Littleton, CO. In 1996, Janet Reno, U.S. Attorney General stated, â€Å"no corner of America is safe from increasing levels of criminal violence, including violence committed by and against juveniles† (Zavlek, 2005). American’s feared that they were under assault by a generation of adolescent time-bombs and that â€Å"only the abandonment of soft education al and rehabilitative approaches, in favor of strict and unrelenting discipline – a zero tolerance approach† could effectively address the issues (Browne, 2003, p. 10). In reaction to these public fears, legislatures resolved to crack-down on juvenile crime, even though by the mid 1990s, juvenile arrest rates for violent offenses were as low as they had been 20 years earlier. State and local laws imposing harsher punishments on juvenile offenders were enacted, and in turn, more youth were brought into the court system for longer amounts of time (McCord, Widom & Crowell, 2001). This led to an extremely large population of young offenders being held, to this day, in secure confinement facilities. Secure juvenile detention facilities have become the most accepted form of punishment for youthful offenders. Although there was a 66% increase in the juvenile arrest rate during the late 1980s and early 1990s, from 139 arrests per 100,000 youth in 1986 to 231 arrests per 100,000 in 1993, there was an even larger, 74% increase in the number of youth confined in secure facilities during that same period. Furthermore, in 2001, when juvenile crime rates were comparable to the rates in 1980, the number of youth confined in secure juvenile or adult detention centers was more than double the number in 1980 – 51,000 on any given day in 1980, compared to 104,000 on an average day in 2001. Additionally, despite the dramatic decline in juvenile arrest rates since 1994, more than 44%, there has not been a parallel decline in youth confinement, which has stayed relatively constant  since 1995 (Sickmund, 2002). This increased reliance on secure detention accommodations brings with it several concerns regarding the present juvenile justice model of confinement. After looking at the apparent trends in the United States in regards to juvenile crime rates and a propensity towards harsher punishments despite a seeming decrease in juvenile delinquency, there are concerns which arise out of the adult adjudication and incarceration of our youth. Melissa Sickmund claims that one of the largest c oncerns about secure detention and confinement of juveniles is overcrowding of facilities. She estimates that 39% of juvenile detention facilities are housing more residents than they are meant to accommodate, creating dangerous situations for management, and hindering opportunities for treatment and rehabilitation (Sickmund, 2002). Overcrowding of facilities presents many challenges for administrators, potential rehabilitators, and the confined youth. Opportunities for educational development, such as obtaining a GED, for youth detained for extended periods of time, are extremely limited. Furthermore, mental health needs cannot be appropriately addressed. It is estimated that between 50 – 70% of juveniles who are incarcerated have diagnosable mental health issues and up to a quarter of those may be suicidal, but access to proper treatment is difficult in crowded facilities (Wasserman, Ko & McReynolds, 2004). In addition to the physical, educational and mental health needs of confined youth not being successfully met, unproven effectiveness of detention and confinement is another major concern. Recidivism rates are extremely high for youth confined in correctional units, such as training schools, where up to 70% of released youth are rearrested within one or two years after their release (Wiebush et al., 2005). Not only are there substantial concerns for the well-being of juveniles in secure facilities, the cost of operating and continuing to construct these facilities is extraordinary. In the year 2000 alone, at least $10-$15 billion was expended in the United States for juvenile justice, most of which went towards paying confinement expenses (Mendel, 2000). Rather than focus on treatment and teaching skills which will help these juveniles become productive members of society, these facilities create a considerable separation from family and community, succeeding only in isolating these youth and making community re-entry difficult (Wiebush et al., 2005). Because of these, and other, issues,  positive alternatives to incarceration for young offenders must be made availab le and used to the fullest extent possible. As is illustrated by the many concerns surrounding the secure confinement of juvenile offenders, its ineffectiveness is apparent, and there are much more advantageous and beneficial alternatives available to these youth. According to Rolf Loeber and David Farrington, secure confinement should be reserved only for those juveniles who are a likely threat to themselves or public safety, and even then, small, community based facilities are preferable. They contend that â€Å"The most effective strategy for treating and rehabilitating juvenile offenders and preventing recidivism is a comprehensive, community-based model that integrates prevention programming; a continuum of pretrial and sentencing placement options, services and sanctions; and aftercare programs† (Loeber & Farrington, 1998, p 333). Community-based curricula are affordable alternatives available to a large number of juvenile offenders, which are intended to decrease crowding, cut costs of maintaining juvenile detention centers, protect offenders from the negative attention of institutionalization, and help sustain positive relationships between the youth and their families and communities while discouraging association with youth who have similar, or more serious criminal histories. One community-based program which has proven to be very effective as an alternative to secure confinement for juveniles is home detention. Home detention requires the offender to remain at home either at all times, at all times when not in school or working, or at night. During home detention, supervisors, normally paraprofessional outreach workers, have much more frequent contact with the youth than traditional probation officers, but the juveniles are allowed to remain with family in their communities (Ball, Huff & Lilly, 1998, p. 158). High levels of success are reported with home detention programs. Studies conducted in California, Ohio and Alabama have reported an 89-97% success rate with their home detention programs, success being measured by recidivism rates, which were generally under 8%, compared to up to 70% for those youth being held in secure detention (Austin, Johnson & Weitzer, 2005). In addition to keeping children within their communities, community-based treatment and therapy has been pegged as one of the most effective treatments for juvenile delinquency. A goal of community-based treatment is to increase parental  authority and supervision as well as focus on any school, family or interpersonal needs or potential problems (Cullen & Gendreau, 2000). There are many successful intensive supervision programs (ISPs) of this type across the country. One such program is the San Francisco based Detention Diversion Advocacy Program (DDAP). Juveniles are referred to DDAP by parents, courts, probation officers or other community agencies. Upon referral to the program, DDAP identifies potential problems, and presents a rehabilitative plan to the court. Offenders live at home, and they and their families are provided with needed services by DDAP case workers. A 2007 study of DDAP found that the recidivism rate of juveniles in this program was less than half that of juve niles who were held in detention facilities for at least 3 days (24 percent versus 60 percent) (Sheldon, 2009). Many reasons were cited for DDAP’s success, including: smaller caseloads, freedom of the caseworkers from administrative limitations of the juvenile justice system, and the program’s emphasis on treatment and educational services along with precise goals to follow the youth’s progress (Sheldon, 2009). Similar programs are also in place for those youth who are unable to return to their homes or families for any reason. Treatment foster care programs are suitable alternative locations in the community for those children who may not be able to live at home. Treatment foster care programs are unlike traditional group homes or foster homes in that the foster care families are actively recruited and specially trained to care for only one youth at a time in their home. The training provided to the foster parents stresses behavior management methods in order to provide the youth in their care with structure and a corrective living environment. Even after training, daily support is provided by case managers through telephone calls and visits. Biological families are also provided family therapy services. Random evaluations of these programs have shown that recidivism rates are lower among these participants than in those in traditional group homes and secure facilities (Greenwood, 2008). Treatment foster care programs are another example of successful alternatives to juvenile detention. As has been shown in the above examples, the research that exists in regards to juvenile justice suggests that community-based alternatives to detention and s ecure confinement of juveniles are at least, and most times more, effective in reducing recidivism rates among young  offenders, while being significantly lower in cost to operate. Despite noticeable decreases in juvenile crime, many jurisdictions are still faced with the problems of overcrowding in their juvenile detention facilities. In addition to the many negative consequences surrounding overcrowding, such as the facility’s inability to maintain safety and security, most youth will simply not benefit from confinement without the use of evidence based programs (Greenwood, 2008). Effectively dealing with juvenile delinquency involves a myriad of issues ranging from the immaturity of young offenders to the changing trends of juvenile crime. When looking at the many possible outcomes of both incarceration and alternate forms of punishment, we should be able to draw a better conclusion about what types of punishments or treatments are most effective for this group of offend ers. As a community, we must focus on opportunities to mentor and grow the youth of today into productive contributors of tomorrow’s society. To achieve this, youthful offenders must be embraced, not forgotten. References Austin, J., Johnson, K. D., & Weitzer, R. U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. 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