The Whistler essays

The Whistler essays Korea, a peninsula about the same size as Minnesota, is divided in two separate countries. South Korea, a country slightly larger than Indiana, is surrounded by islands mainly to the south and west. It is bordered by the Yellow Sea to the south, the Sea of Japan (known in Korea as the East Sea) to the east, and the Korea Bay to the west (Korea, South). Mostly green swathed mountains with only 290 square kilometers of water cover South Korea (Geography of South Korea). Its neighbor North Korea, a country about the same size as New York or Louisiana, is located between China and South Korea, the Korea Bay to the west, and the East Sea to the east (Korea, North). North Korea is covered mostly by hills and mountains separated by deep, narrow valleys (Geography of North Korea). An area called the DMZ (DeMilitarized Zone) divides North and South Korea. The DMZ is a heavily guarded four kilometer wide strip of land that stretches across the peninsula at approximately the thirty eighth parallel for a distance of two hundred forty one kilometers with the east side south of the thirty eighth parallel and the west side north of the thirty eighth parallel (Korean Demilitarized Zone). The DMZ is an area of Korea that no one is allowed to explore. The area has been isolated since 1970 when barbed wire construction was completed (Green Korea). The Dhole (also known as the Red-dog), an endangered, very rare species of canid, used to be found throughout Korea. It is possible that a few wild populations may still remain in North Korea and the DMZ. Without being able to explore the DMZ no one can be sure if the Red-dog is thriving there or not. The Red-dog is a large (about the size of a border collie), beautiful, doglike canid with thick colorful fur ranging from a deep cinnamon to a greyish brown and even a yellowish creamy color, with white patches on the throat, legs and face. Their tail is usually tipped in black, with a darkened area on their...

50 Words with Alternative Spellings

50 Words with Alternative Spellings 50 Words with Alternative Spellings 50 Words with Alternative Spellings By Mark Nichol What is one to do when one finds a choice of spellings in the dictionary? Most dictionaries specify the preferred variant when two or more spellings of a word are listed, but others aren’t so clear. According to Merriam-Webster’s website, the former spelling is more common than the latter for the following words and is the preferred alternative: 1. acknowledgment / acknowledgement 2. adapter / adaptor 3. adviser / advisor (but advisory) 4. aeon / eon 5. ambience / ambiance 6. amok / amuck 7. appall / appal 8. around / round 9. ax / axe 10. caliber / calibre 11. counselor / counsellor 12. doughnut / donut 13. enclose / inclose 14. enroll / enrol 15. furor / furore 16. glamour / glamor 17. gray / grey 18. impostor / imposter 19. ingrain / engrain 20. inquire / enquire 21. judgment / judgement 22. lambaste / lambast 23. likable / likeable 24. linchpin / lynchpin 25. meager / meagre 26. mollusk / mollusc 27. movable / moveable 28. ocher / ochre 29. omelet / omelette 30. opossum / possum (but playing possum) 31. pincer / pinchers 32. pixilated / pixillated (distinct from pixelated) 33. pompon / pom-pom 34. racket / racquet (but racquetball) 35. sherbet / sherbert 36. somber / somber 37. specter / spectre 38. sulfur / sulphur 39. T-shirt / tee shirt 40. theater / theatre 41. till / ’til or til 42. timbre / timber 43. vial / phial 44. woolen / woollen 45. woolly / wooly 46. yogurt / yoghurt Discussion of distinctions in alternative spellings of some other words follows: 47. Bologna is the name of the meat product; baloney is a quaint slang synonym for nonsense. 48. Lasagne is an alternate spelling for the pasta usually referred to as lasagna; the latter spelling predominates for the name of the baked dish. 49. Mic and mike are both acceptable as short versions of microphone. 50. Savannah is spelled as such only as the name of the city in Georgia or the name of a hybrid of the serval, an African cat, and the domestic cat; otherwise, it’s spelled savanna. This list omits spelling variations that are primarily distinct in usage in American English versus British English (though some, such as gray/grey and specter/spectre, are also variations divided by an ocean). See this discussion on that topic with a list of categories of spelling differences. (But it’s a stick and tricky matter, so check out the comments for input from site visitors as well.) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the General category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:45 Synonyms for â€Å"Food†Writing the CenturyPhrasal Verbs and Phrasal Nouns

European Parliament as an independent actor in EU affairs Essay

European Parliament as an independent actor in EU affairs - Essay Example The Parliament has been given greater powers by various treaties, which came in through extensions in ordinary legislative procedures.  In December 2009, the Lisbon Treaty  came into force, which linked the Commission’s presidential election to that of the EP elections. At the same time, the Lisbon treaty also authorised the European Parliament with complete control over the  EU budget, thus turning the  legislative powers  of the parliament in equal standing to that of the Council of the European Union (Europa, A Constitution for Europe, nd). Since the Lisbon Treaty, almost all decisions within the EU must be made with the permission of European Parliament (EP). Since the EP is the only body within the  EU that is directly elected, it represents all  citizens of the EU member states. However, despite its enhanced powers over the legislation and budgetary processes of the EU, a closer analysis reveals that the European Parliament lacks political freedom and it do es not have an adequate access to the citizens, which must necessarily change to make it an independent actor within EU affairs. Discussion The enhanced role of the European parliament The European Parliament is the most democratic body within the EU, as the citizens of the EU directly elect its members. Various treaties, over the years, have granted greater powers to this institution in order to bring democracy within the EU. Owing to these changes, the EU has evolved from being a mere body for consultations to an important decision making body, as regards framing the EU laws and budget (under articles 14.1 and 16.1). Initially, the EP’s activities were limited to providing nonbinding viewpoints through consultation. It started... The European Parliament is the most democratic body within the EU, as the citizens of the EU directly elect its members. Various treaties, over the years, have granted greater powers to this institution in order to bring democracy within the EU. Owing to these changes, the EU has evolved from being a mere body for consultations to an important decision making body.Initially, the EP’s activities were limited to providing nonbinding viewpoints through consultation. It started gaining more power, in regard of influencing the EU legislation, through the cooperation procedure provided in the 1986 Single European Act. The Maastricht Treaty of 1992 brought in the co-decision procedure that significantly increased EP’s power to affect EU’s legislative procedures in some arenas, especially the ones linked to the common domestic market of the EU (Europa, 2010). The Council of Ministers and the EP share powers of legislation and according to the co-decision procedure, both the EP and the Council must approve all Commission proposals for it to become a law; while using co-decision, the EP has the authority to change, remove or accept any proposed legislation. More power was accorded to the EP by the Amsterdam Treaty (1997) that increased the scope of use of co-decision to various other policies such as social policies, environmental policies amongst many more. As the decisions making processes of the Council of Ministers are subject to an intricate system of majority voting instead of consensus.

Article Analysis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Analysis - Article Example The fish in the middle has the notion that there is some justice in the world because it can feed on the smallest fish, or it can be fed on by the biggest fish (Peterson 73). When it is threatened by the biggest fish, it can release its anger on the smallest fish. This is a way of seeking justice through revenge. The smallest fish represents the poor and the less fortunate members of the society. Its life is threatened by both the other two fishes. It can be killed by the two bigger fishes, and no justice is done (Peterson 73). The three cartoons can be used in a classroom to help students realize that opinions on injustice and justice are related to an individual’s social class (Peterson 73). In a typical society, a given social class usually benefit from injustice done to others. For instance, the middle fish represent the oppressed middle class who are fighting injustice. Teachers can give their students a picture of the cartoon, and ask them to write down what they see. Se condly, teachers can organize their students into groups and ask them to debate on which fish is the most powerful and why? In Hunger Myths, the other presents four key myths that are blamed for global food insecurity and hunger. The author argues that hunger is not a myth, but the myths are the key barriers to ending hunger. 700 million of the world’s total population lack adequate food supply, while 12 million children die of hunger every year (Food First 241). The problem of food insecurity can only be solved, if people choose to do away with the current myths that they hold. The notion that there is no enough food to go around is a wrong belief, which should not be internalized by anybody. The truth is that there is enough food to provide everybody with 3,500 calories every day. This does not even include foods like root-crops, beans and vegetables. The problem is that a bigger potion of the world’s population is too poor to buy food (Food First 241). In addition, most hungry nations are net exporters of food and other agricultural products. Famine and other natural disasters cannot be blamed for food scarcity. The problem is that most arable lands are held by powerful few, thus depriving the majority of land. Human policies and institutions determine who eats and who starves during food crisis periods (Food First 241). The rapid population growth, which is a major concern in many countries, cannot explain food insecurity. Rapid population growth is caused by inequalities of denying people, especially women, of economic security and opportunity (Food First 241). This phenomenon is common in societies where health care, education, old age, and land ownership are beyond the reach of most people. The Green Revolution and technological advancements such as GM foods have led to increased production of food. This, however, cannot end hunger unless unequal distributions of powers that determine people to feed and not to feed during food crisis are c hanged (Food First 241). In a classroom setting, teachers can help to address food scarcity and insecurity issue by urging the students to unclear the myths described above from their mind. They need to know that food insecurity is caused by unequal distribution of economic powers, which determine the people to buy food during food crisis periods. In Ten Chair of Inequality Polly, Kellogg represents a simulation activity, which can be used

Marriage and Obedient Christian Head Essay Example for Free

Marriage and Obedient Christian Head Essay For almost 4 years I was married to a beautiful and adulterous woman. In terms of our friends and acquaintances and the public, we were a perfect couple. We held hands when at comedy shows and in malls. We kissed anywhere and everywhere, no matter who was watching or whose paths we crossed. But when night fell on any given evening, my beautiful wife would leave only to return in the wee hours of the morning, just before daylight. What a lovely person she was when we on the town together. I admit that I hung in there for almost two years and was the â€Å"good† husband and obedient Christian â€Å"head†. I ran my companies from home and rarely met clients in person, opting to use Skype for my meetings. When I approached my wife about going to church and seeing a marriage counselor, she balked and I felt abandoned. Too much of that began to make me feel worthless, helpless, and heartbroken. And then came the need to find attention and a woman who would show me appreciation and value; things my wife did not or could not. I began to meet clients out in lounges and at happy hours. Or travel everywhere out of state, or the country to find â€Å"other† women who would welcome this gentleman. I stayed out until daylight many nights. Bedded many women. Travelled on many excursions with strange women. In final, after a sadistically short marriage and nasty divorce, I came to terms with the way I react to pain. Ashamed am I to have turned to my ex-wife’s ways. Ashamed am I to have left my obedience to the Lord. Ashamed am I to have to write about the truth. Though, I know, now, that I would be better if I was ever cheated on again.

The Art of Murder :: The Art of Murder

The Art of Murder In "The Most Dangerous Game" and "Bargain" murder happens.   Certainly, murder is one of the most vile, inhuman crimes a person can commit. Many people commit it willfully and wantonly, but few get away with it without being suspected. General Zaroff got away with murder quite frequently, and Mr. Baumer also did. They were both good at it. Zaroff and Mr. Baumer were the most evil people in "The Most Dangerous Game" and "Bargain" because they were both very sneaky and smart about murdering, they both stacked the deck against their victims, and they were both murderers. General Zaroff and Mr. Baumer were very sneaky and smart at committing the murders. General Zaroff "hunted" humans on an island where many people were afraid of going. He made the shipwrecks look like an accident so that no one would come looking for him or to find possible suspects. He put a large house where he lived in a jungle, where it would be hard for even the most experienced to find by chance. He also "played" with his "game" to think that they would do something that would give them self away so that the killings could be done more sneakily. Mr. Baumer was also very sneaky in committing his act of murder. He wanted Slade dead because he maimed Baumer's hand. He wanted to make it look like an accident. So, he poisoned the liquor which he all but knew that Slade would steal and drink it. He didn't just happen to put the poison in the right place. When Baumer found out Slade was dead, he acted as if it was a surprise to him so that no one would th ink he had something to do with it. General Zaroff and Mr. Baumer were both very smart and sneaky, and they always got away with murder. Both General Zaroff and Mr. Slade stacked the deck against their victims. Zaroff was much more equipped to make his way through the jungle then the sailors. If his hunt took too long, he would send out dogs that could hunt down people with ease. He had much more experience and intelligence than the sailors he used. No sailor was used to walking through such a jungle, with it being so dense and having so many things that could trap them or make it harder to walk through it.

Responsibility in “The Great Gatsby” Essay

The character qualities of individuals has become a popular theme in literature. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book, The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald recognizes the conflict between wealth and responsibility. In the book the narrator, Nick, describes how two of the main characters, Tom and Daisy, use their wealth to hide from what the poor must face everyday. Tom and Daisy lived on the banks of the East Egg, where they enjoyed the finer things in life. And no matter what happened they always seemed to care only of themselves. In the telling of Tom and Daisy’s actions, Nick also seems to implicate that, in general, people and society use their wealth to hide behind. Tom, Daisy, and people in society dodge responsibility and reality with the aid of their great wealth. In a quote said by Nick he states, ‘They were a careless people, Tom and Daisy–they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made†¦.’ This quote can be related to a cartoon given to us as a thought provoking reference. The cartoon is of a man and woman sitting in an all glass house and the inscription reads, ‘Of course, living in an all-glass house has its disadvantages†¦ but you should see the birds smack it.’ In a twisted way these two quotes say almost the same thing. Nick talks of Tom and Daisy who retreat to their house and money when all hell breaks loose around them and in the cartoon you can see the two people sitting comfortably watching the world around them ‘crash and burn.’ Also, in the book Tom admits that he didn’t realize his actions could be so harmful, and like the birds being hurt, the builder probably never intended to increase the number of shoe-box coffins. The cartoon refers to having ‘disadvantages’ and like the book, wealth came with a certain amount of public notice. It is a little hard to lead a wealthy life and show it without the involvement of the public; and like the glass house, with clear walls it is a little hard to find privacy. Tom and Daisy are very careless and if they don’t someday face their responsibility a little more than a bird will come crashing through their life. Tom and Daisy are the perfect examples of the ‘poor little rich kid’ syndromes. Both of them have grown up with wealth and that is all they know. Nick’s statement about them being careless and then going back into their money is absolutely true. Tom and Daisy have grown to see their wealth as a security blanket and now they can’t give it up. The biggest example of this in the book occurs right after Daisy kills Myrtle. Daisy has no idea what to do about what she did so she tries to ignore it. All she knows is wealth, so she retreats to safety and hopes everything will go away. Daisy has completely neglected her responsibility. She and Tom both act like little irresponsible little children that have no focus in life; only to continue to pamper themselves. Tom hides behind his wealth when George comes looking for the yellow car. He only cares about himself and he knows what George is going to do, yet he sent him to Gatsby anyway. Tom treats George very badly from the beginning and when he doesn’t stop to be helpful now he loses all hopes of ever joining reality and taking on a little responsibility. Nick primarily takes and jab at society when he makes his statement of the wealthy ‘hiding.’ In the writing of this book Fitzgerald probably took what he saw around him and turned it into a book. Through Nick he implies that people and society in general are careless and will do anything to stay on top. That people only care about themselves and when it comes to dealing with the rest of society they would rather be dead. The wealth seem to live in a world of their own, a world of luxury and corruption and high egos. In the book this world seemed to exsist in Jay Gatsby’s backyard. All of the wealthy would gather in his yard to have their parties, a place of security surrounded by their own kind, a place where they could forget reality and enjoy a good time. Jay Gatsby seemed to have seen this corruption among the wealthy because he stood apart from this crowd and only watched, probably more out of curiosity and fascination than from a lack of need to ‘party.’ Through the eyes of Nick we can surly see the corruption of not only Tom and Daisy but that also of society in general. In today’s time we are all taught to take responsibility for ourselves. How ever in the ‘lost generation’ most people have fallen through the cracks and  were left to teach themselves their own morals. In The Great Gatsby such a society exists, Tom and Daisy especially have been set out on their own and nobody ever removed their ‘security blanket’ and thus they have become attached to it. Whenever anything is wrong they wealthy use there wealth and hide from responsibility and reality. As did O.J. Simpson in the killing of his wife. If we could all just learn to stand up for ourselves and face the facts then perhaps this ‘could be a better place.’

China Green Economy

For years now, China has been at the receiving end of stinging criticism from the West over its environmental policies, with critics describing it variously as one of the most polluted countries, an insatiable, consumer-driven energy guzzler, and the world’s worst emitter of greenhouse gases. These labels have been prompted by China’s rapid industrialization and urbanization over the past 30 years, which has allowed it to achieve blistering economic growth, but at enormous cost to its environment. Given the widespread criticism, it’s understandable why many in the West might find it hard to imagine this ‘dirty’ giant ever getting clean. Yet these difficulties shouldn’t overshadow an encouraging reality—China’s top decision makers are planning to take a more holistic approach to the quest for greener growth that could transform the country’s image. China’s central government is currently thrashing out details of how best to steer towards greener growth as part of closed-door discussions aimed at finalizing the country’s 12th Five Year Plan (2011-2015), which will be announced in March. The plan is expected to become China’s first national plan to shift the development agenda decisively toward a pattern of green growth, accelerating the country’s efforts at green modernization. Expect ‘establishing a low carbon society’ to be a key political slogan over the next five years. With a limit to the amount of fossil fuel it can access, and with these fuels anyway creating significant environmental damage and associated socioeconomic problems, China’s top leadership seems to be realizing that the old ‘growth at all costs’ model that has previously been followed threatens not only the country’s energy security, but its very survival. A green development pathway based on low energy consumption and low carbon emissions is essential if China is to find a sustainable path to growth. The environmental aspects of the plan are likely to be boiled down to five key points that will be presented to the public and used to measure China’s success in achieving its ambitious targets. First, the government is believed to be considering using green indices as a yardstick for evaluating the performance of local officials. Water consumption per unit of GDP, proportion of clean coal consumption utilized, and the proportion of GDP invested in environmental protection will all be integrated into the indices. The idea is that this will force local governments to strengthen resource efficiency and improve ecofriendliness in key sectors such as heavy industry, construction, and transportation. Gone will be the days when the rate of GDP growth is the sole determinant of success. Second, China aims to gradually establish a carbon trading system to help it meet its 2020 carbon intensity target of reducing CO2 emissions as a proportion of each unit of GDP by 40 to 45 percent of 2005 levels. Policymakers are expected to view carbon trading as a market-oriented, cost-effective way of supplementing current administrative measures to reduce emissions and genuinely shift the country’s ‘brown’ economy to a ‘green’ one. A cap-and-trade market is also expected to be up and running by 2014, while over the next couple of years, carbon trading programmes will most likely focus on pilot schemes in economic zones and/or industrial sectors such as the coal-fire power generation sector. Third, China will continue to support the research, development, and deployment of clean energy technologies. China was reported in December to be seriously considering, for example, investments of up to $1. 5 trillion in seven strategic industries including renewable energy, clean energy vehicles,and low carbon technologies. In this regard, keep an eye out for two Chinese companies—Yingli Solar and Wanxiang Group—that will play a more proactive role in producing state-of-the-art clean energy technologies to help create more ‘green collar’ jobs domestically and overseas. With robust government support and private sector innovation, China’s pledge to have 15 percent of its energy come from non-fossil fuels by 2020 could be achieved more smoothly and quickly with smart investment. If it can follow through on these ambitious plans—admittedly a big if—there’s little doubt China will be able to join world leaders in the development of wind, solar, and electric vehicle technologies. Fourth, with the country’s total power capacity expected to climb to more than 1,430 GW by 2015, compared with 874 GW at the beginning of last year, China has been trying to figure out how to bring trillions of kilowatts of power to more than a billion consumers, sometimes over extremely long distances. With this in mind, the government is said to be planning to invest about $300 billion in a smart grid over the next five years that allows potential problems to be detected early. So far, local governments including the Jiangsu Provincial Government and the Shanghai Municipal Government have taken the lead in publishing plans for smart grid development. Last but not least, China is expected to begin efforts to restore marine ecologies for the first time, focusing not only on supervising chemical oxygen demand, which measures the amount of organic pollutants found in surface water, but also limiting emissions of nitrogen and phosphorus, which causes eutrophication. In addition, constructions such as dams and sea walls will be strictly examined to ensure that they aren’t adversely impacting the environment. If China’s policymakers can follow up on this promising list, then it could produce some genuinely spectacular policies that will help the country dramatically increase its chances of sustaining its strong growth, expand its clean technology market, and achieve green job creation. None of this will be easy, not least because rapidly rising energy demand will mean coal and oil inevitably remain a foundation of China’s economy for years to come. In addition, China’s efforts at developing a green economy so far look like a top-down initiative, meaning much of the public doesn’t really understand what a green economy entails, its importance, or how they can contribute to creating one. As a result, there’s a clear need for proper public outreach to encourage people to become engaged. Still, the talk around the upcoming five-year plan offers some cause for optimism that with the central government genuinely behind it, and if market-driven mechanisms can be properly utilized, China can launch itself on the path to a greener future.

Safely Viewing Solar Eclipses

Safely Viewing Solar Eclipses Solar eclipses are among the most dramatic celestial events anyone can witness. They give people a chance to witness parts of the Suns atmosphere they otherwise never get to see. However, looking directly at the Sun can be hazardous and viewing solar eclipses should only be done with safety measures firmly in place. Its worth taking the time to learn how to view these spectacular events without harming ones eyes. For many people, theyre a rare event and worth taking the time to understand how to view safely.   Why Take Precautions? The most important thing to remember about solar eclipses is that looking directly at the Sun at any time is unsafe, including during most eclipses. It is only safe to do so during the few brief seconds or minutes of a total  solar eclipse  when the Moon blocks the light from the Sun. At any other time, viewers need to take extreme precautions to save their eyesight. Partial eclipses, annular eclipses and the partial phase of a total eclipse are never safe to view directly without taking precautions. Even when most of the Sun is obscured during the partial phase of a total solar eclipse, the portion that is still in sight is very bright and can not be viewed without eye protection. Failure to use appropriate filtration may result in permanent eye damage or blindness.   Safe Ways to Gaze One safe method of viewing a solar eclipse is to use a Pinhole Projector. These devices use  a small hole to project an upside-down image of the Sun onto a screen located a half-meter or more beyond the opening. A similar view can be created by interlacing the fingers of both hands and allowing the light to shine through to the ground below. Its also very safe to direct the Sun through the large end of an amateur-type telescope and allow it to project out  of the eyepiece onto a white wall or piece of paper. NEVER LOOK THROUGH THE TELESCOPE unless it has a filter, however!   Filters Never use a telescope to look at the sun without a proper filter. This is especially important if someone is using a telescope to photograph the event. Both eyes AND cameras can be harmed without proper filters attached. Filters can also be used to look directly at the sun, but use caution. People can use welders goggles with a rating of 14 or higher, but no one should use them to look through binoculars or a telescope. Some telescope and camera manufacturers sell metal-coated filters that are safe for viewing the Sun. There are also specialty glasses which can be purchased for eclipse viewing. These can often be found advertised in astronomy and science magazines. People have often remarked that  looking at the Sun through a CD is safe. Its not. NO  one should even think about doing so. Its important to stick to products that are marked safe for eclipse viewing. Its important to always be careful when using filters, glasses, or pinhole projection during the partial phases of a total eclipse. People should  only look for a moment before looking away. Tiny holes in the filters can still subject a persons eyes to possible damage if viewed for extended periods.   How to View During Totality   The moments during a total eclipse when the Moon is completely obstructing the Sun are the only safe times that people can look directly at an eclipse without eye protection. Totality can be very short, only a few seconds up to a few minutes. At the beginning and end of totality, the last stray rays of the Sun can cause some harm, so its best to keep the eye protection in place until the so-called diamond ring has flashed. Thats the last bit of sunlight passing between the peaks of the lunar mountains. Once the Moon moves completely in front of the Sun, then its safe to remove eye protection.   Close to the end of totality, another diamond ring appears. Thats a great signal that its time to put the eye protection back on. It means the Sun will soon be slipping back into view, in all its fiery fury.   Misconceptions about Eclipses Every time theres a solar eclipse, wild tales start to circulate about them. Some of those stories are based on superstitions. Others are based on a lack of understanding of eclipses. For example, some schools locked their children inside during eclipses because school administrators were afraid that harmful rays from the Sun would hurt the students. There is nothing about sunbeams that make them different during an eclipse. Theyre the same sunbeams that shine all the time from our star. Of course, teachers and administrators should allow kids to view an eclipse, but that means they need to be trained in safety procedures. During the total eclipse of August 2017, some teachers were too afraid to learn the procedures, and stories did circulate of kids being forbidden to witness one of these amazing sights. A little scientific understanding would have gone a long way toward providing a wonderful experience for the kids who were in the path of totality.  The most important things to r emember are to learn about eclipses, learn to view safely, and above all - enjoy the view!    Edited and updated by  Carolyn Collins Petersen.

FundsforWriters to the Rescue

FundsforWriters to the Rescue I have been writing in my spare time for more than 40 years. My file cabinets are crammed full of research notes, ideas for future articles, and manuscripts in various stages of completion. Fortunately, I have sold many magazine and newspaper articles, as well as two dozen children’s books, but I still have quite a collection of rejected picture book and early reader manuscripts. I also have the letters stating why they were rejected in the first place. When I wrote about Cathy Williams, the only female buffalo soldier in U.S. history, multiple editors told me she was â€Å"too obscure† to be the subject of a nonfiction picture book. I protested, pointing out that teachers and librarians are always looking for new stories for Black History Month, Women’s History Month and even Veterans Day. But no, they still weren’t interested. Cathy, they insisted, was just not marketable. Editors also rejected my fictional children’s story, â€Å"Oh-So-Clever,† a tale inspired When I wrote a nonfiction reader for youngsters in first through third grades about Admiral Peary returning from Greenland with the largest meteorite â€Å"in captivity,† editors deemed the subject too obscure as well - even though that particular 34-ton space rock remains on display in the Hall of Meteorites at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Thousands of school children take field trips there each year. From a marketing aspect, it would seem like a perfect book to sell in the museum gift shop there and at other museums with meteorites on display. Undaunted, I retrieved these rejected manuscripts from the file cabinet and looked at them again. I decided to think outside the picture book box and transform my manuscripts into articles instead. Reasoning that if children’s book editors considered my proposed topics too obscure, then children’s magazine editors might be equally shortsighted. Instead, I decided to use my extensive research notes to transform the original manuscripts into articles suitable for adult publications, which pay more generously than children’s magazines anyway. The market listings posted on the FundsforWriters website proved to be quite inspirational.   To my delight, the editor at Rural Missouri, (http://ruralmissouri.coop/submissions.php) the state where Cathy Williams was born and raised, promptly bought my article, â€Å"The Buffalo Soldier’s Secret.† It appears in the November 2014 issue. The Elks Magazine (https://www.elks.org/elksmag/WritersGuidelines.pdf) bought first North American serial rights to the Robert Peary meteorite article, as well as the one about the amazing globetrotting photographers, Osa and Martin Johnson - another topic I had hoped to pursue for a children’s book. This article appears in the May 2015 issue. â€Å"Oh-So-Clever† sold to the Center for Education Testing and Evaluation at the University of Kansas - a market mentioned in one of the weekly Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators electronic newsletters (https://cete.submittable.com/submit) that I receive each week. The center administers a variety of standardized tests and continues to accept submissions for poetry, informational and narrative texts suitable for students in grades 3-12. I have been successful in recycling this first batch of manuscripts and will retrieve another handful from the file drawer with the intention of giving them a makeover as well. I simply need to shift mental gears and think imaginatively outside the box - and review the market listing at FundsforWriters again.

JB-Hi Fi Limited Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

JB-Hi Fi Limited - Essay Example A brief analysis of the notes to the financial statement pertaining to the trade payable figure presents the fact that the trade payable figure also comprises of other figures such as GST payables, deferred income and other creditors and accruals. All of these items have shown significant increase over the financial year 2012, but the most significant increase is represented by the increase in the figure of trade payables which has shown an increase of about $100,371 thousand or about 38% of the prior year balance. The trade payable balance amounts to around 91% of the total ‘Trade and other payable’ line item in the balance sheet of the company. Other balances of current liabilities line items include other financial liabilities, provisions and other current liabilities which all have shown inclining movement in the current financial year. This increase is offset to a certain extent by the increase in the figure of current tax liabilities which have decreased by ,69 0 thousand during the current financial year of 2012. The company might have decided to pay more in respect of its current tax liabilities in order to maintain a lower balance of payable for the current year. The liabilities which are likely to be settled within 12 months form the end of the financial year date are classified under the heading of current liabilities.... Question 2 The total liability balance of the company JB-Hi Fi Limited amounts to $ 626,648 thousand as at financial year ended 2012. Out of this figure, $439,481 pertains to current liabilities and the other $187,161 pertains to the non-current liabilities portion of the balance sheet. At the end of the financial the first and foremost major liability that the company has is in terms of trade payables which represent around 64% of the total liability balance of the company. Trade payables represents the balance that the company has to pay to its creditors in the normal course of the business and is usually on account of the purchase of the raw material, unassembled goods and other services. Other balance which represents a significant portion of the total liabilities of the company is borrowings which represent about 24% of the total liabilities of the company. These borrowings consists of secured bank loans which is secured by ‘a fixed and floating charge over the Groupâ€⠄¢s assets, the current market value of which exceeds the value of the loan’. Other liabilities of the company include balance such as current and non-current provisions on account of defined benefit plan and leases provisions. Question 3 The balance of the provision as represented in the ‘current liabilities’ portion of the balance sheet of the company comprises of employ benefits and lease provision. The employee benefit plans usually comprises of a defined benefit plan or a defined contribution plan. These plans are usually made for the benefit of the employees of any company and the provision balance represents a liability balance that the company has to contribute towards the particular

Employment and Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Employment and Society - Essay Example d). Alienation, lack of job security and emotions are the major factors which increases stress at workplace. Competition is really tough currently in the business world and both the managers and the workers are under tremendous pressure to meet the targets and the deadlines. Thus managers are forced to adopt aggression at workplace in order to derive maximum out of the employees which will increase the stress levels of both the employees and the managers. It is difficult for a manager to adopt democratic style of functioning always and the instructions from the top forced them to share some of the stress they are getting from the top to the workers as well and this may often happen in the form of aggression. Lack of job security is another cause for the increased stress at workplace. The current global recession has broken the backbones of many organizations and the employers forced to cut down the employees and their salaries. Insecurity in employment is always a worrying factor for the employees which may increase their stress level. The living standards are changing rapidly and it is difficult for the people to find their livelihood even with the help of a good job. Under such circumstances, insecurity of jobs always creates panic among the employees. Emotions are the third factor which may increase the job stress. For example, most of the people are struggling to find enough time for fulfilling their family and social commitments because of the increased responsibilities at the workplace. Many working people are often complaining that they are not getting enough time to spend with their family. Moreover, leisure time for enjoyment and relaxation are also less because of the increased responsibilities at the workplace. Thus the employees forced to work like machines at the workplace hiding or suppressing all their emotions which increases their stress level immensely. â€Å"Flexibility is about an employee and an employer making changes to when,