Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Property and Trust Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Property and Trust - Case Study Example Beneficial ownership is of two types joint tenants and tenants in common. If they are joint tenants, then the property cannot be sold without the agreement of the joint tenants. If the property is owned as tenants in common, each of them will have a share in the property that they can dispose off as they wish and the discretionary powers vested with them are that they can decide how much each share will be. These people can will their share in case of their death. Transactions involving real estate whether buying or selling shall be recorded in writing. The important stages in this process are the agreement, the exchange of contracts and the completion. An agreement is defined as where the buyer inspects the property and agrees to pay the price to the seller. In the absence of an agreement the general rule is that everything attached to the property will automatically becomes the property of the buyer. The solicitors and conveyancers will carry out the legal procedure in regard to sa le of property. In this process the seller's solicitor obtains the seller's title deeds prepares a contract and sends it to the buyer's solicitor. Solicitors do not make any enquiries as to the state of repair of the property. The solicitors of both the buyer and seller will exchange the signed contract. The deposit is paid at this stage and the contract becomes binding, subsequently, the completion date is fixed. The Buyer's Solicitors send the Stamp Duty Land Transaction Return to the Revenue with payment of any stamp duty. The Deeds have then to be registered at the Land Registry. Certain fees such as the Value Added Tax on the fees, money payable to the Local Authority and Water Authority, money payable to Land Charges Registry for searches and copies of the Deeds, Land Registry Dealings fees and Stamp Duty Land Tax are to be complied with1. In our present case the property is purchased by the five friends jointly and thus they became "Tenants in Common". In this context, the members can transfer their share of property to whomsoever they wish to through a will. Friends or relatives, who are buying together often, choose to be tenants in common. Thus in other words each of the members owns a specific share of property but does not necessarily have to have equal shares. The share in the property of any member, who dies, does not automatically devolve on to the other legal owners. It goes to the person who was nominated in the will or if there is no will it passes on to the next of kin. Tenancy in common refers to a form of shared ownership where two or more persons own land without the right of survivorship. Tenancy in common is often implemented in cases where property owners are engaged in an attempt to reduce inheritance taxes. If the property was owned as a tenancy in common, then the question of who inherits the dece ased person's share is determined by the terms of their will or in the absence of a will by the laws of intestacy. In case the property was held under joined tenancy the surviving owner inherits automatically and this is not subject to the will or law of intestacy. When the property was owned solely by the deceased or jointly by owners who have died, the terms of their will determines who inherits however, if there is no wi

Monday, October 28, 2019

Luke, I Am Your Volkswagen Essay Example for Free

Luke, I Am Your Volkswagen Essay Who doesn’t want to be Darth Vader? In May of 1977, I was just like every other seven year old in America wanting to be just like Darth Vader and use the force to control all my toys. During the 2011 Super Bowl, Volkswagen made a commercial that made my dream of 35 years come true. In this commercial, a young boy pretending to be Darth Vader, storms down the hall, attempting to use â€Å"the force† to move a treadmill without avail. After many fruitless attempts at controlling everything inside the house, his last attempt is a success due in part to his dad’s new Volkswagen Passat, which has a remote start on his key. The young boy runs past his father, to the front of the car to use the force. He aims his hand toward the car and to the child’s astonishment the force, has finally worked. The rhetorical techniques of logos, ethos and pathos are present and are there to persuade the intended audience. First of all, the advertisement relies on an appeal to reason for its basis. This commercial was created to target an audience that can recognize Darth Vader and Volkswagens. Star Wars references are deeply embedded in our popular culture and it would be safe to say most Americans are aware of phrases that have become part of the popular lexicon, for example â€Å"May the Force be with You†. This commercial appeal to most people because of the fact that every parent enjoys seeing their child uses their imagination and creativity. It also shows his father in the end playing along, amazing his son. Through the commercial Volkswagen recalls a childlike innocence about the car making it suitable for a family. Secondly, Volkswagen brings in an appeal to credibility to convince the advertisement’s viewers. Darth Vader is known throughout the world as one of the most recognized villains including his infamous death-march music. This commercial would not be same if an adult was used instead of a child to play the part of Darth Vader. Volkswagen uses the popularity of the super bowl commercials to convey the fact that they made the same car with the quality of Volkswagen in an all new design for the 2011 model year. By using both parent in the commercial, Volkswagen established that the Passat is a family car and convinces the audiences to purchase the new car. Volkswagen’s final appeal is to emotions to make the consumer want to believe that purchasing a new Passat can give you the power of the force. In addition to the imagery of Darth Vader, the music of Star Wars is easily recognized around the world. The death-march music gives the audience something to remember the commercial by over any other commercial shown on that day. In addition, in the final scene when the father turns the car on and the child thinks he has used the force, this ties the entire scene together and leaves a lasting impression of the commercial with the audience. The main point of this commercial is to sell the new Volkswagen Passat. The use of a child pretending to be Darth Vader evokes an emotional appeal to innocence. As does the use of the all American family household, a stay at home mother and a father who after a long day still has time to play with his son. Also in the commercial, the minimal use of dialog and the use of music convey a simple yet memorable message to its audience. In conclusion, Volkswagen was able to successfully use rhetoric to make a funny and witty ad that appealed to a mass audience and sends a clear message to purchase a new car and you too can use the force.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Fuzzy Systems and Machine Intelligence Essay -- Artificial Intelligenc

Fuzzy Systems and Machine Intelligence Abstract: Our natural language is perhaps the most powerful form of communicating information for any given problem or situation. Combining natural language and numerical information into fuzzy systems provides the framework to represent knowledge, constraints and inference procedures. Fuzzy systems provide advantages in the development of systems solutions that perform tasks such as automatic modeling, prediction, pattern recognition, and optimal decision making, control and planning. With this, fuzzy systems are an essential tool for industrial and manufacturing systems engineering. Fuzzy logic is a different approach to representing uncertainty - it emphasizes the double meanings of words in describing events - rather than the uncertainty about whether an event will occur, and allows decision-making under that uncertainty. Fuzzy logic attempts to capture the imperfect way we describe concepts, and works with them to form conclusions. The wonderful thing about fuzzy logic is how you can apply everyday language to a problem. A descriptive sentence such as: "a little noisy, a lot of dirt, and deep carpet", can be decoded by a fuzzy logic system to perform various tasks based on the knowledge derived from the terms. An interesting thing about fuzzy logic is that it is always trying to work, and by tweaking the system, the programmer is simply "showing" the system how to do a better job. The operator is still in control, but the fuzzy logic is mimicking how an operator would react given the same situation. Introduction to the topic: Fuzzy logic is a system analysis and modeling approach that allows an easier transition between complex human thought processes and the ... ...sed to answer specific questions and provide definitions and examples of applications. Addresses are provided to those locations. The Fuzzy Logic Frequently Asked Questions Archive: ht tp://www.uni-passau.de/archive/faq/comp.answers/fuzzy-logic/ Brubaker, David I. "Fuzzy Rules and Membership Functions from Data," Huntington Technical Brief, July 1993, No. 40. Cox, Earl. The Fuzzy Systems Handbook: A Practitioner's Guide to Building, Using, and Maintaining Fuzzy Systems. Academic Press, New York, 1994. Kosko, Bart. Neural Networks and Fuzzy Systems. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, 1992. Mcneill, Daniel, and Freiberger, Paul, Fuzzy Logic, Simon and Schuster, 1992. Zadeh, Lotfi A. "Fuzzy Sets." Information & Control, Vol. 8, 1965, pp338-353. Zurada, Jacek M. Artificial Neural Systems. West Publishing Co., New York, 1992.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Briefly Outline a Selection of Victorian Values

This essay is going to briefly outline a section of Victoria values such as separate spheres, religion and family. Outside the family sphere, one had to strive for self-improvement and industry in ones working life, and developed nations. The main focus of this essay is going to be on fallen woman. In the Victorian era women were seen as pure and clean because of this view, their bodies were seen as temples which should not be adorned with jewellery. A woman should be reminded that marrying she gives up many advantages.A few artists such as William Holman Hunt and Augustus Leopold Egg and many more portrayed these Victorian values through narrative artwork and this essay is going to discuss a few of these artist’s paintings such as The Awakening Conscience and Past and Present. The role of women was to have children and tend to the house in contrast to men, according to the concept of Victorian masculinity. If they didn’t achieve this the their husbands would have mistr esses outside their marriage. Decorating the home and wearing fine dresses became a way for women to express themselves.Religion went through it's changes as Victorian's lost interest in God. [Patterson 2007 online] However, Great Revivals would sweep across the countries of the world changing the lives of many. The separate spheres framework holds that men possessed the capacity for reason, action, aggression, independence, and self-interest thus belonging to the public sphere. Women inhabited a separate, private sphere, one suitable for the so called inherent qualities of femininity: emotion, passivity, submission, dependence, and selflessness, all derived, it was claimed insistently, form women’s sexual and reproductive organization. Patterson 2007 online]In reality women held an important position as wives since they took care of the household, any servants, helped with their husband’s work, and managed the finances, however from the male’s point of view, wo men were nothing more than overly emotional and mindless creatures ruled by their sexuality Mary Wollstonecraft penned her anger at the unfair and unjust inequality that where imposed upon women by a vocal male majority in an attempt to redress this balance.A women's role in life in the nineteenth century was decidedly placed within a male context; both sexes were to be seen acting within different realms with the men occupying what was to be known as the public sphere whilst the women were to be found in the domestic sphere [Gordon Marsden 1955]. Perhaps this splitting of realms, within the working and lower middling classes at least, into their respective roles was by-product of increasing industrialisation and its resultant hazards such as long working hours and poor working conditions imposed upon the family unit.The majority of women did not have the option not to marry: it was simply a necessity for survival. Because society prevented women from making their own living, there was an inescapable dependence upon men’s income; Barred by law and custom from entering trades and professions by which they could support themselves, and restricted in the possession of property, woman had only one means of livelihood, that of marriage her [Gordon Marsden 1955].Therefore, no matter what the women desired, most were predestined to become wives due to their economic reliance on men. Secondly, to be even considered as a potential wife, women had to be not only virgins, but were expected to remain innocent and â€Å"free from any thought of love or sexuality† until after they had received a proposal The fallen woman was quite a theme for the Pre-Raphaelites. In this painting, The Awakening Conscience, we see a mistress rising from the seat of her lover, seemingly stricken with the realization of what her life has become.The Awakening Conscience, painted by William Holman Hunt, is filled with symbolism: a cat crouches under the table devouring a dead bird, the woman’s hands are adorned with rings on every finger except where a wedding ring would be, and on the floor we see unraveling wool. The model in this painting is Annie Miller, who Holman Hunt â€Å"rescued from obscurity†. He was engaged to her and launched a campaign to better her [Gordon Marsden 1955]. As a women, then ,the first thing of importance is to be content, to be inferior to men, inferior in mental power, in the same proportion that you are inferior in bodily strength.Ruskin's defence of the Awakening Conscience in his letter to the Times helps to subvert the idea of women being dependent upon men; he refers to the model repeatedly as the ‘poor' ‘lost' girl. He victimises her and renders her as virtually helpless as she ‘starts up with agony', her ‘eyes filled with tears of ancient days’. Ruskin attempts to address the composition's power and immediacy from which ‘there is not a single object in all the room– †¦ but it becomes tragically if rightly read’[Hollis,P 1979]. He concludes that Hunt’s work challenges its contemporaries and that ‘there will not be found one powerful as this to meet †¦ he moral evil of the age†¦ to waken the mercy the cruel thoughtlessness of youth, and to subdue the severalties of judgement into the sanctity of compassion[Rutherford online n. d]. Hunt’s the Awakening Conscience, in this context may be seen as a form of morality text. The work was a direct outgrowth of mid-Victorian society which believed that prostitution posed an inherent threat to the stability of the middle-classes as prostitution encompassed and symbolised the worries of a newly industrialised society which could lead to social instability and perhaps even to a complete social breakdown.It was believed that he slide into prostitution was the end of a more general moral breakdown in one's life which was believed to stem from the act of seduction, in 1 840. William Tait in Magdalism, defined a woman's seduction as an ‘act of corrupting tempting, or enticing females from a life of chastity, by money of false promises'. The 1850 Westminster Review wrote that ‘women's desires scarcely ever lead to their fall; for the desire scarcely exists in a definite form until they have fallen; it may therefore be seen that the ideal women becomes de-sexed in her search for moral virtue [Rutherford online n. ]. William Holman Hunt's The Awakening Conscience represents not only a contemporary life subject of a fallen Magdalene but can be loosely interpreted as an example of portraiture by Pointon's definition in which we can see that the woman became as symbolically objectified as her image. In contrast Augustus Leopold Egg’s painting, known as Past and Present Nos. 1–3, (1858), is a triptych in the genre of narrative painting. The subject is the ‘fallen woman’ and together the three paintings depict an entir e scenario from discovery and outcast to the moments before the woman’s final demise.One picture shows the children alone in the home; the other picture shows their mother living under the Adelphi Terrace arches in London. The paintings â€Å"illustrate the tensions in Victorian culture between morality and sexuality†. Egg's â€Å"moral narrative on social issues†[ Patterson 2007 online ] was successful in drawing public attention to the need to address gender roles and their consequences such as divorce. The sad woman in the third picture, most likely contemplating suicide, is a result of legislation that allows a man to divorce his wife without compensation for adultery [Patterson 2007 online].Prostitution, was legal during the Victorian era, seemed to embody the second of the two categories of women present in Victorian society: the first was the pure wife and mother, the angel in the house; the other was the depraved and sexually-crazed prostitute. â€Å"Pr ostitution was a product of middle-class society and only socialism, it was claimed ,could put an end to the evil†[Nead L 1988]. However because wives and mothers were not truly respected, my belief is that prostitution reflected what men really considered all women to be: whores for the gratification of their sexual desires.And indeed in Victorian England a large number of women were prostitutes: â€Å"In a society that forced women into a position of economic dependence upon men. In conclusion men’s and society’s consistent definition of women’s roles according to their separate spheres and the reproductive system can also be seen through what today we would consider the ‘weird’ sexual values of Victorians. The issue of adultery was also skewed to favour men. While a wife’s adultery was sufficient cause to end a marriage, a woman could divorce her husband only if his adultery had been compounded by another matrimonial offence, such a s cruelty or desertion.Referencing List: Branes Lucy. (2007). Narrative Painting? Egg's Triptych And The Art of Persuasion. Available: http://www. victorianweb. org/painting/egg/paintings/barnes2. html Last accessed 29 May 2012. Hollis P ( 1979). The women's movement. London: George Allen & Unwin. 6-15. John A (1986). Unequal Opportunities Women's Employment in England. Oxford: Basil Blackwell. 45-261. Lewis J (1986). Women's Experience of Home and Family. Oxford: Basil Blackwell. 123-249. Lynda Nead,1988,The Prostitution and Social Chaos,Blackwell Myths of sexuality Marsden,G (1995).Personalities and Perspectives in the Nineteenth Century Society. London: Longman. 3-11. Rutherford. A,A Dramatic Reading of Augustus Leopold Egg Untitled Triptych Available online http://www. tate. org. uk/research/tateresearch/tatepapers/07spring/rutherford. htm [accesses 22 March 2012] Sigsworth M,E (1988). In search of Victorian Values. Manchester: Manchester University Press. 89-100. Patterson,C. ( 2007). Men, Divorce And Custody. Available: http://menstuff. org/issues/byissue/divorcecustodygeneral. html Last accessed 29.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

How Does Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ Link to Different Poems?

In all the different texts that were studied, the themes of ‘Love & conflict’ are apparent. In Shakespeare’s Play ‘Romeo and Juliet’, we get the impression that perhaps the nurse has more affection for Juliet compared to her actual parents. It was the nurse that raised and breastfed her. Her parents seem to be quite remote and distanced and are more interested in controlling her. However, we see their genuine affection for her when they are grief-stricken after they discover Juliet’s death. In Catrin, like the Capulet’s, we can see the mother, Gillian Clarke attempting to control her daughter.But this is not a significant confrontation just a petty dispute in which the mother recognises that conflict will always be a part of mother/daughter relationships. This can be seen in What has Happened to Lulu, where the confrontation between mother and daughter has escalated to the point where the daughter felt she must leave. Similarly, in the p oem, A frosty Night, Alice is angry as her mother’s love is controlling and smothering. The texts suggest that relationships are not always healthy between parents and daughters.The structure of Romeo and Juliet takes the form of a traditional narrative with the developing problem of Juliet’s arranged marriage reaching a climax with her death then a resolution of the feuding families reconciling. In Catrin, the classical structure is abandoned: and replaced with a more complex narrative beginning with a flashback. It is the only at the end where we understand their conflict. In ‘A Frosty Night’ and ‘What has happened to Lulu? We see a more traditional structure with the story unfolding in a chronological way.However, what is interesting about the twentieth century texts is that none of them are resolved at the end unlike Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare’s play is quite alike ‘A Frosty Night’ as the conflict is revealed through dialog ue while in ‘Catrin’ and ‘What Has Happened to Lulu’ the narrative is conveyed through the first person. The social and historical contexts of the texts are marked differently. Romeo and Juliet was written in the late 16th century while the other poems were written in the modern day and, therefore, reflects the attitudes and values of their times.In Romeo and Juliet, unlike today, children weren’t expected to question the authority of their parents. Moreover, it was the tradition for parents to arrange their children’s marriage and sometimes leads to serious conflict. This is evident in Shakespeare’s play and ultimately leads to the death of both children. In all the poems, the conflict in a parent-child relationship isn’t as serious as in Romeo and Juliet. While Alice and Lulu felt restricted and constrained by their mothers they could at least have acted more assertive with their parents and even leave home as Lulu’s dis appearance was.In Catrin, the conflict is of a trivial nature which would make occurrence in most families. Despite their apparent differences, what is remarkable is that parent/child conflict has persisted through time and therefore it is possible to understand the confrontation between Juliet and her parent’s even though it was written over four hundred years ago. In all the texts, powerful emotive language is illustrated. In ‘Romeo and Juliet’, we see Old Capulet verbally attacks Juliet in an aggressive and threatening manner, â€Å"Hang thee, Young Baggage!Disobedient Wretch! † he screams. While in ‘Catrin’, Clarke uses the powerful metaphor â€Å"tight red rope of love which we both fought over†. In ‘A Frosty Night’, Robert Graves ends the poem and the mother/daughter conversation with Alice shouting, â€Å"Mother let me go†. Also, in ‘What Has Happened to Lulu† the younger sibling reveals â€Å"I h eard someone cry, in anger or in pain†. Perhaps it is not surprising that emotive language is employed after all the poems are borne out of love.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Free Essays on Civil War Long Arms

Civil War Long Arms In the Civil War up 95% of the total long arms were muzzle loading. In the early days of the war almost 100% of the rifles were muzzle loading. The muzzleloading rifle goes back to the midvil times. The popularity started in the early 1400's. Back then the firearms were bascicly hand held canons and you would like a fuse on a tube that was fastened to a wood handle. They wieghed in excese of 50 pounds in a lot of examples. They were unrielable, crude and often dangerous to the operators. In the early 1600's a new ignition system would change that forever. There was a trigger that when it was related would make the canon fuse spin against a flint and steel â€Å"frizzen† that would cause it to ignight the primary charge. These were called matchlock rifles. Then in the 1700's an even better system of ignightion would come about. This system eliminated the cannon fuse and had a piece of flint that when the trigger was released would strike it against a piece of steel. The sparks were directed into a small dish filled with finally granulated powder â€Å"pan† that this powder in it that led to the primar y charge . This system was called the flintlock and was far supiorerior to the matchlock. It was superior in that it wasn’t as easily affected by moisture and much more reliable, especially in wet conditions. Another system was developed in the early 1800's called the percussion system. The percussion system had a hammer strike a nipple which has a percussion cap on it which was a primer that was incased in brass. The hammer struck it which created a spark into the pan and set the chain reaction for the rifle to go off. This system was even more reliable and durable then the flintlock. During the early years of the war a sudden rush to get arms was demanded by both sides. Also both sides were trying to come up with an arm to out perform the other side that they could avoidably make. Tec... Free Essays on Civil War Long Arms Free Essays on Civil War Long Arms Civil War Long Arms In the Civil War up 95% of the total long arms were muzzle loading. In the early days of the war almost 100% of the rifles were muzzle loading. The muzzleloading rifle goes back to the midvil times. The popularity started in the early 1400's. Back then the firearms were bascicly hand held canons and you would like a fuse on a tube that was fastened to a wood handle. They wieghed in excese of 50 pounds in a lot of examples. They were unrielable, crude and often dangerous to the operators. In the early 1600's a new ignition system would change that forever. There was a trigger that when it was related would make the canon fuse spin against a flint and steel â€Å"frizzen† that would cause it to ignight the primary charge. These were called matchlock rifles. Then in the 1700's an even better system of ignightion would come about. This system eliminated the cannon fuse and had a piece of flint that when the trigger was released would strike it against a piece of steel. The sparks were directed into a small dish filled with finally granulated powder â€Å"pan† that this powder in it that led to the primar y charge . This system was called the flintlock and was far supiorerior to the matchlock. It was superior in that it wasn’t as easily affected by moisture and much more reliable, especially in wet conditions. Another system was developed in the early 1800's called the percussion system. The percussion system had a hammer strike a nipple which has a percussion cap on it which was a primer that was incased in brass. The hammer struck it which created a spark into the pan and set the chain reaction for the rifle to go off. This system was even more reliable and durable then the flintlock. During the early years of the war a sudden rush to get arms was demanded by both sides. Also both sides were trying to come up with an arm to out perform the other side that they could avoidably make. Tec...

Monday, October 21, 2019

Common Characteristics of the New England Colonies

Common Characteristics of the New England Colonies The North American colonies that were settled by the English are often divided into three different groups: the New England colonies, the Middle colonies, and the Southern colonies. The New England colonies consisted of Massachusetts Bay, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. These colonies shared many common characteristics that helped define the region. The following is a look at these key characteristics. Physical Characteristics of New England All of the New England colonies had been covered by ice during the last Ice Age, which created poor, rocky soil. The final melt-back of the glaciers left some of the rocky areas peppered with large boulders.Rivers are fairly short and their floodplains are narrow, unlike in other areas of America, and do not allow for the creation of huge agricultural plots along their banks.The major resources available and used by the colonists were lumber and fish. The People of New England The New England region was an area of mostly homogeneous culture, mostly settled by large groups of people from England who were fleeing religious persecution or seeking new opportunities.The New England colonists settled in towns, typically surrounded by 40 square miles of land that were farmed by the individuals who lived in the towns.Indigenous Native American groups such as the Pequot in Connecticut were involved in extensive trading with the Dutch, but the situation became tense when the English started arriving in the 1630s. Britain launched the Pequot War in 1636–1637, after which many Pequot were executed and many survivors were sold into slavery in the Caribbean. In 1666 and 1683, Connecticut colony built two reservations for the remaining Pequot. Major Occupations in New England Agriculture:  Farms surrounding the farms were not terribly fertile. As a group, the farmers brought a high degree of mechanical ingenuity and self-sufficiency.Fishing:  Boston began exporting fish in 1633. In 1639, Massachusetts Bay was exempted from paying taxes on fishing boats; and as a result, by 1700, the fishing industry was huge. The colonists obtained crustaceans and pelagic fish from saltwater bays and freshwater rivers, and Pilgrim fathers also hunted right whales off Cape Cod.Commerce:  Individuals from the New England area were heavily involved in commerce. Extensive trade with England allowed ship holders to flourish, and the New Englanders also maintained lucrative trade connections with the West Indies and French colonies to the north. New England Religion Calvinism and the Social Contract Theory: Many individuals who lived in the New England area were Calvinists or heavily influenced by John Calvins works and thought. While many look at John Locke as the primary founder of the idea of the social contract (which defined proper government as an agreement or contract between the individuals to join together into a society), the Calvinist doctrine was one of the first to espouse the idea in England. The fact that many New England settlers followed the religious doctrines of John Calvin meant that this theory was part of their religious heritage. Further, this belief in the importance of social contracts transferred to economic contracts as well.A Belief in Predestination:  One of the tenets of Calvinism is the idea of predestination. This was the belief that God had already predetermined everything, including who was going to heaven and who to hell. The idea that God had chosen the British colonies for a special destiny  to take the N orth American continent and develop and maintain an ideal of liberty and democracy later fed into 19th century manifest destiny. Congregationalism:  This style of religion means that the church itself was governed by its own members, and the congregation chose its own minister, rather than being assigned one by a hierarchy.Intolerance:  While the Puritans might have escaped England due to religious persecution, they did not come to America to establish religious freedom for all. They wanted to be free to worship the way they wished. In Massachusetts Bay colony, people who did not subscribe to the colony religion were not allowed to vote, and nonconformists such as Anne Hutchinson and Roger Williams were excommunicated from the church and banished from the colony. The Spread of the New England Population The small towns only lasted a few years, as the populations outgrew the 40-acre supporting fields. That resulted in the rapid increase of many new small towns: instead of having a few large metropolises, New England was dotted with many smaller towns that were established by breakaway groups. This low-intensity settlement pattern lasted until the 1790s when a transition to commercial agriculture and small-scale industry began. In essence, during its first few decades, New England was an area that had been founded by a fairly homogeneous population, most of whom shared common religious beliefs. Because the region lacked huge tracts of fertile land, the area turned to commerce and fishing as their main occupations, though individuals within towns still worked small plots of land in the surrounding area. Slavery did not become an economic necessity in New England, as it grew to be in the Southern colonies. This turn to commerce would have a major impact many years later after the founding of the United States when questions of states rights and slavery were being discussed. Sources and Further Reading Carroll, Charles F. The Timber Economy of Puritan New England. Providence: Brown University Press, 1973.Foster, David R. Land-Use History (1730-1990) and Vegetation Dynamics in Central New England, USA. Journal of Ecology 80.4 (1992): 753–71.Foster, David R., Glenn Motzkin, and Benjamin Slater. Land-Use History as Long-Term Broad-Scale Disturbance: Regional Forest Dynamics in Central New England. Ecosystems 1.1 (1998): 96–119.Scott, Donald M. The Religious Origins of Manifest Destiny. Divining America: Religion in American History. National Humanities Center.  Silliman, Stephen W. Change and Continuity, Practice and Memory: Native American Persistence in Colonial New England. American Antiquity 74.2 (2009): 211–30.Stout, Harry S. The New England Soul: Preaching and Religious Culture in Colonial New England. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012.  Yankee Whaling. New Bedford Whaling Museum, 2016.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Reyes Surname Meaning and Origin

Reyes Surname Meaning and Origin The surname Reyes was often bestowed as a nickname for a man who carried himself in a regal, or kingly, fashion, from the Old French  rey, meaning king. It could also have applied to one who plays the part of a king in a pageant (such pageants were popular in the 13th century) or someone who works in the kings house. Another possible origin is as a topographical surname for someone who  lived at a rea, a piece of hard ground within a marsh.   Reyes is the 19th most popular Hispanic surname and the 81st most popular surname in the United States. Reis is the Portuguese spelling of this surname. Also similar in origin to the German Reich, Dutch Rijk, and English ​King. Surname Origin:  Spanish Alternate Surname Spellings:  REYEZ, REIES, REIS   Famous People with the Surname Reyes Lucila J. Sarsines Reyes - Peruvian performerTurgut  Reis -  Ottoman admiral and privateerJohann Philipp Reis - German scientist and inventorRafael Reyes - former president of ColombiaDennys Reyes - Mexican professional baseball pitcher; former MLB pitcher Where Do People With the Reyes Surname Live? The surname distribution data at  Forebears  ranks Reyes as the 226th most common surname in the world, identifying it as most prevalent in Mexico and with the highest density in the Northern Mariana Islands. The Reyes surname is the 6th most common surname in the Dominican Republic, 7th in the Northern Mariana Islands, and 9th in Belize and Honduras. The Reis surname is most prevalent in Brazil, where it ranks 40th, and borne by the highest percentage of individuals based on population in Portugal, where it ranks 33rd. Within Spain, Reyes is found most commonly in the southwestern regions of Andalucia and Extremadura,  according to  WorldNames PublicProfiler.  Ã‚   Genealogy Resources for the Surname Reyes 100 Most Common U.S. Surnames Their MeaningsSmith, Johnson, Williams, Jones, Brown... Are you one of the millions of Americans sporting one of these top 100 common last names from the 2000 census? 100 Most Common Spanish SurnamesHave you ever wondered about your Spanish last name and how it came to be? This article describes common Spanish naming patterns and explores the meaning and origins of 100 common Spanish surnames. How to Research Hispanic HeritageLearn how to get started researching  your Hispanic ancestors, including the basics of family tree research and country-specific organizations, genealogical records, and resources for Spain, Latin America, Mexico, Brazil, the Caribbean and other Spanish speaking countries. Reyes Family Crest - Its Not What You ThinkContrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Reyes family crest or coat of arms for the Reyes surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male-line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted.   REYES Family Genealogy ForumSearch this popular genealogy forum for the Reyes surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Reyes query. FamilySearch - REYES GenealogyAccess over 10 million free historical records and lineage-linked family trees posted for the Reyes surname and its variations on this free genealogy website hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. REYES Surname Family Mailing ListsRootsWeb hosts several free mailing lists for researchers of the Reyes surname. DistantCousin.com - REYES Genealogy Family HistoryExplore free databases and genealogy links for the last name Reyes. The Reyes Genealogy and Family Tree PageBrowse family trees and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the last name Reyes from the website of Genealogy Today. Sources: Cottle, Basil.  Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967.Dorward, David.  Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998.Fucilla, Joseph.  Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003.Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges.  A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989.Hanks, Patrick.  Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003.Reaney, P.H.  A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997.Smith, Elsdon C.  American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Presentation Essentials DB Week 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Presentation Essentials DB Week 3 - Essay Example XXII). The best way to overcome fear of public speaking is deep breathing as it will help in regaining control over emotions (Brooks, 2012, p.126). During class presentations, I always had a fear that I would say something that will make people laugh at me and I will feel inferior, and the laughter will become a moment of embarrassment for me. Due to this I used to avoid those courses and those teachers who used to give preference to presentations in class over other course work. Due to my fear of public speaking, I used to stammer a lot and the entire class used to laugh and make fun of me. Once my teacher came to me and told me that I should stop fearing the public while speaking and this would solve my issue of fear of public speaking. She said that all I had to do was to take a deep breath and wait for a few seconds, and soon I would start feeling calm and would deliver my speech

Educational Trends Education Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Educational Trends Education - Research Paper Example In such an immersive computing environment, where notebooks and pens are replaced with smart phones, iPods and laptops this era of pervasive education technology, is marked with revolutionary educational trends. The development and rising popularity of social networking and micro-blogging sites has upped the ante, making access to information just a click away. Such trends within the domains of primary and secondary education, has significant implications on the manner in which such education is imparted across the globe (Leu, 2001; Gilster, 1997). This paper, on â€Å"Educational tends† aims to discuss both the current as well as future trends in education, and the use of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) within classrooms and its likely impact in shaping, nurturing and developing the knowledge and cognitive learning abilities of students over the years. Historical Background: ICT in Classrooms The twentieth century was swept away by technological makeover, and c omputers entered the classrooms as educators realized its power and impact as an effective teaching aid (Dwyer et al., 1991). However, during this era, computers were merely used as a data management tool for tracking grades, attendance and reviewing test results. Moreover the ratio of computers per student was low. During the mid 20th century, this highly rigid approach towards computer usage changed significantly from predominantly conventional behavioral attitudes to a more constructivist approach (Anderson, Speck, 2001). Current trends: Overview The 21st century classrooms have had a drastic makeover from that compared to the 20th century classroom, in the sense that it has now become more interactive as opposed to passive learning, and includes the addition of various gadgets which are incorporated on a large scale across various schools. The technological tools in used in the past were mostly passive in nature which involved little or no interaction from the students, and were limited to just listening, watching, or at the most, taking notes. However, the tools used today include greater participation from the students via the use of interactive media where they are encouraged to make presentations and communicate and share their experiences via blogs and vlogs (Smolin, Lawless, 2003). Figure 1: Instructional technologies timeline from the year 1900 - 2004 Source: Whelan (2005) Pp.14 The use of interactive whiteboards has drastically increased and remains one of the most popular tools of teaching across American classrooms. Furthermore gadgets such as PDAs and hand-helds are also being used primarily for middle school and high-school students. Also, there are various online resources which offer interactive learning to students by way of games, puzzles and quizzes which help them in understanding key concepts in a fun entertaining and engaging way. Future trends: The conventional definitions of schools as buildings made of bricks and walls are likely to change to 'nerve centers' virtual space occupied by e-teachers and e-learners, connected by technology. The role of teachers in such a space is likely to expand from merely the providers of education to that of information and knowledge generators. Until recently, students were accustomed to access education through schools, but the

Friday, October 18, 2019

Hatshepsut Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Hatshepsut - Research Paper Example III. Analysis of Hatshepsut A. The World Scene 1. Hatshepsut ruled Egypt for about twenty-two years from 1479 to 1458 B.C 2. Hatshepsut faced problems related to gender discrimination in leadership positions, and typical feminine representations. 3. Several factors around Hatshepsut facilitated her reign and success as an Egyptian pharaoh, such as the death of Thomose I, absence of appropriate successor, and Egypt’s wealth as well as peace. B. Actions of Hatshepsut 1. Hatshepsut is renowned as a prolific builder because of her spectacular Egyptian monuments and temples featured in ancient Egyptian history. 2. Hatshepsut attained significant achievements in trade and military expeditions. C. Impact of Hatshepsut 1. Hatshepsut provides an affirmative perspective on women leadership 2. Hatshepsut revealed the need for women to stand against discriminative policies and rules. 3. Hatshepsut’s made exceptional contributions to politics 4. Hatshepsut made contributions in arch itectural designs through her creative concepts embedded in monuments as well as temples. IV. Conclusion A. Hatshepsut was an influential leader whose actions and decisions affect the history of the world, especially Egypt. B. Historical figures make great history Hatshepsut’s Historical Contributions Introduction Historical figures are significant contributors of world History. The apparition of their intellect, exquisiteness of their art, their divine inspiration as well as leadership prowess results to enhancement of the world’s history. Some historians argue that societal, economic, and technological aspects are more imperative to history compared to individuals’ actions and decisions. However, historical figures or great men are credited for various essential developments in the past that significantly feature in contemporary recorded history. This paper will analyze Hatshepsut’s contributions during her reign as an Egyptian pharaoh with respect to t he Great Man theory by Thomas Carlyle, and it will also attempt to reveal the importance of historical figures’ actions and decisions in history. Analysis of Hatshepsut Background Hatshepsut was Thutmose I and Queen Ahmose’s eldest daughter, wife to Thutmose II, mother to Neferure. Hatshepsut was one of the renowned, triumphant pharaohs as well as famous female-ruler in history, whose time in power superseded those of other women in the native Egyptian dynasty. The name Hatshepsut refers to the â€Å"most noble of noble ladies† signifying her unprecedented power attainment among ancient Egyptian women, and eventual crowning as pharaoh during the eighteenth dynasty. Hatshepsut initially acted as a co-regent to her stepson; Thutmose III, but she became pharaoh after about seven years. This marked Hatshepsut’s desertion of Queen’s roles as well as titles with the commencement of her reign as a female and conventional pharaoh. Hatshepsut reputation as a remarkable pharaoh is associated with various outstanding activities that took place during her reign. These included her participation in trade as well as armies expeditions, construction of some of the greatest Egyptian monuments, and acquisition of male roles in her leadership as pharaoh. Furthermore, Hatshepsut remained in power as pharaoh for twenty-two years before the reign of her successor, Thutmose III (Hill 3). The World Scene Hatshepsut ruled Egypt for about

Krugman Book response paper (2 pages) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Krugman Book response paper (2 pages) - Essay Example However, this paper attempts to show that Krugman’s ideas are somewhat simplistic and cannot be applied in the modern economies. First, Krugman argues that in order to recover from the effects of inflation and ensure sustainable growth, it is important to aim for â€Å"moderately higher inflation† of around 4 percent (Krugman, 219). According to him, inflation helps to lower the value of debts such as mortgages which cause depression. This will in turn cause the economy to recover. One factor overlooked by Krugman is that inflation in itself will cause other problems that will significantly affect the growth of the economy. For example, higher inflation rates would mean that the price of domestic products will be high, and this will make the US unattractive to other countries in doing business. The total value of exports will be reduced. Considering the US and most of European countries rely on exports, inflation will simply lead to slow growth. The real problem is not in the lack of demand but the lack of adequate production. Unfortunately, this cannot be addressed by increasing the money in the econo my. This approach as proposed by Krugman will lead to trade deficits. Secondly, the author also focuses on the issue of debt, and argues that the effect of deficits for the American economy is â€Å"for the most part, hypothetical†. He argues that the burden caused by debt is less compared to that caused by unemployment. He does not believe in the idea of a debt crisis. However, it can be argued that an increase in debt does not help to increase the quantity of productive capital. Increased debt will in fact lead to some â€Å"fictitious capital†, and this can only address the problems in the short term. In the long term, the amount available for the private sector to save is greatly reduced, and this will lead to slower economic growth. As a result, few job opportunities will be created, and the same problems will resurface. It is no doubt that US

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Editi a paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Editi a paper - Essay Example Moreover, since we dealt with employees in different companies in Saudi Arabia, a survey was the only possible way viable alternative to reach those employees. The survey consists comprised of 18 questions. A total of 43 people responded to it. 93% (40) of the respondents were male, and 7% (3) were female. The sample size was ample adequate to determine ascertain the real genuine needs of the above mentioned employees target group. The second (change this to â€Å"first question† if the mistake is not deliberate) question was about the employees’ highest level of education. This question included 4 subcategories: vocational certificate, bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, and doctoral degree; 32.6% (14) of the respondents have reportedly had a vocational degree, 7.0% (3) have had a master’s degree, 2.3% (1) have a doctoral degree, and the rest (58.1% or 25) have a bachelor’s degree. (See Figure#1) Since we are dealing this survey dealt with employees who rarely enroll in English courses due to the busy nature of their job their busy work schedules, another question asked seeking information regarding their enrollment in programs imparting English education was included in the survey design whether they still study English. The result revealed that 59.5% (25) are were enrolled in still taking English courses, and while the remaining 17 are were not. This The outcomes suggests highlights the participants’ need willingness to improve their English language skills. Although it is relatively difficult to derive accurate inferences regarding an individual’s aptitude towards a particular language a person cannot judge his or her level of proficiency in language due to owing to variable proficiency measurements, the specific questions designed to seek information regarding their proficiency level were included in this survey asked the employees about their proficiency level. The results indicated that 42.9% (18) considered their proficiency

American fast food in China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

American fast food in China - Essay Example However, McDonald's is the easily recognizable Fast-food brand in China. KFC has got the largest chains of fast-food restaurants in China with approximately 4000 fast-food restaurants. These restaurants are both domestic and foreign brands. The founder of this fried chicken chain of restaurant, Colonel Sanders, is one of the most recognized American faces among the Chinese. There have been emerging scandals that have been aired in relation to the excessive levels of antibiotics that have been used by American fast-food restaurants in China. Brands like KFC and McDonalds have been held responsible for claims that they have led to an epidemic of obesity in China. This weight gain can also be linked to the Chinese breakneck development. Other developing nations are rapidly undergoing an economic transition but China seems to be dragging behind as a result of a large majority of people gaining weight thus cannot manage to work properly to build the nation.The number of obese people in Ch ina grew from 18 million to 100 million in 2005 and 2009, whereas its national GDP doubled at that same period. However, it is quite surprising that even though China is known to have a population that eats a lot, the situation tends to be worse because China is considered to have another problem of having a malnourished nation. Other nations that experience the same are Vietnam and India. Diseases that are caused by consumption of excess sugar and fat have become popular in China. These diseases include high blood pressure, heart diseases, and Type 2 diabetes. An estimate of 9.7 per cent of Chinese country have diabetes especially, Type 2. This data is close to the findings of America which are 11 per cent of the total population. These findings were from a study conducted by New England Journal of Medicine. There are various reasons which have made the contribution towards the realization of massive profits by American fast food restaurants in China. This paper concentrates on the reasons as to why these changes have occurred and why they happen as they do. A lot of research has been done in an effort to investigate this phenomenon and Smith (2006) notes that localization of meals is what has contributed to the attraction of native customers in the foreign country. Localization of mea

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Editi a paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Editi a paper - Essay Example Moreover, since we dealt with employees in different companies in Saudi Arabia, a survey was the only possible way viable alternative to reach those employees. The survey consists comprised of 18 questions. A total of 43 people responded to it. 93% (40) of the respondents were male, and 7% (3) were female. The sample size was ample adequate to determine ascertain the real genuine needs of the above mentioned employees target group. The second (change this to â€Å"first question† if the mistake is not deliberate) question was about the employees’ highest level of education. This question included 4 subcategories: vocational certificate, bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, and doctoral degree; 32.6% (14) of the respondents have reportedly had a vocational degree, 7.0% (3) have had a master’s degree, 2.3% (1) have a doctoral degree, and the rest (58.1% or 25) have a bachelor’s degree. (See Figure#1) Since we are dealing this survey dealt with employees who rarely enroll in English courses due to the busy nature of their job their busy work schedules, another question asked seeking information regarding their enrollment in programs imparting English education was included in the survey design whether they still study English. The result revealed that 59.5% (25) are were enrolled in still taking English courses, and while the remaining 17 are were not. This The outcomes suggests highlights the participants’ need willingness to improve their English language skills. Although it is relatively difficult to derive accurate inferences regarding an individual’s aptitude towards a particular language a person cannot judge his or her level of proficiency in language due to owing to variable proficiency measurements, the specific questions designed to seek information regarding their proficiency level were included in this survey asked the employees about their proficiency level. The results indicated that 42.9% (18) considered their proficiency

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Essentials Mangement (report) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Essentials Mangement (report) - Essay Example Early on, the proposition seems to be true as it is appealing but research and retrospection conducted for the study would indicate that the claim is actually oversimplified. The arguments that will prove this point are presented and detailed in the ensuing discussion. Team building is essentially defined as a continuous, multifaceted process where the members learn to work together for a common goal. It can pertain to any assembly of individuals in different areas of concern such as in sport and in business. The core principles that operate in building any successful team include making the members appreciate and develop a shared vision and unity of purpose, gradually forming a collaborative and synergistic teamwork and establishing an open and honest communication process. However, an effective team does not only cooperate for this can be forced or coerced. An effective team is essentially where people forms relationships that surpasses work. It also involves peer and social support and a build-up of trust that combines to create a positive team culture and a cohesive group atmosphere. This process only comes only after several stages of team building. Thus, the process of making people work together as a team involves an understanding of complex social and psychological processes which is further explored in the ensuing discussion. Human Psychology would tell us that every individual is unique in his own ways. Group and team development strategies try to make team members to appreciate common goals. A manager tries to develop in his group a need to achieve the organization’s objectives. He tries to motivate the members to work together as a team. However, the knowledge that all individuals are unique informs us that the development of synergistic relationships is easier said than done. Philosophical undertakings followed by scientific research would tell

Monday, October 14, 2019

Health and Health Care Essay Example for Free

Health and Health Care Essay The book â€Å"Health and Health Care 2010: The Forecast, The Challenge† by Roy Amara et al. provides detailed analysis of trends that will affect health care policies and practices by 2010. In particular, the authors have made an excellent effort to forecast stability and volatility of health care in the USA. The authors cover the following topics: health care forecast, demographic trends, health care demands, health insurance, children’s health, medical and information technologies, diversity and the workforce. Managers and staff members will find the chapters about information and medical technologies of particular interest. Nevertheless, the issue of ablation is paid too little attention. The authors argue that the primary purpose of the book is to make readers aware of critical factors that affect health care system in the beginning of the 21st century. When speaking about demographic trends and burden of disease, they claim that American population will be more ethnically diverse and older. Thus, such situation will be very likely to result in increased number of chronic diseases. One more important problem is that health care costs have increased meaning that less people can afford highly-qualified medical support. The authors predict growth of Medicare and Medicaid by 2010 due to changes in health care insurance systems. They say that â€Å"during the 1990’s, the managed care became the dominant health care insurance and delivery system, covering more than 60 percent of publicly and privately insured lives†. (p. XX) Managed care plays is argued to play important role in controlling national expenditures on health care, and people are provided with coordinated health care. Nevertheless, managed care is highly criticized by physicians, the media and consumers, but the government decided to make managed care an effective mechanism of controlling costs and delivering health care. The way the health care system is organized is swiftly changing, and surplus of hospital beds will contribute to consumer’s market. However, intermediaries will be entailed with a new role. The authors mention that the negative moment is that little changes were provided in the way the physicians practice medicine. Even the invention of the telephone, the computer and Internet didn’t significantly change medical practices. Of course, exceptions are present. It is physicians who are the central figures in health care, but surplus of doctors and new roles of health care providers are very likely to shift that paradigm over the next decades. New medical and information technologies are of particular interest for managers and staff members, and they are claimed to be the key driving force in organization of the health care system in the beginning of the 21st century. The problem is that health care industry is the last in implementing information technologies that would increase quality and effectiveness of health care delivery. The authors write that â€Å"beginning in the19th century, medicine has made great strides in verifying the germ theory, creating aseptic surgical techniques, discovering antibiotics, developing anesthesia, and imaging the inside of the body†. (p. 111) Of course, the impact of such innovations is undeniable and huge as physicians gained an excellent opportunity to improve public health, to extend the life span, and to improve the quality of life. Moreover, the quality of health care delivering was heightened as well. Nine medical technologies are argued to significantly affect the outcomes of patient care and health care delivering: rational drug design, advances in imaging, minimally invasive surgery, genetic mapping, genetic testing, gene therapy, artificial blood, effective vaccines, implementation of stem cells and xenotransplantation. Stem cells â€Å"can generate all other types of cells in the body and therefore hold great promise for replacing or repairing tissues and organs damaged by disease†. (p. 131) Researches of stem cells are nowadays one of the most interesting, the most promising and contradictive area of discussions and medical researches. Many researchers agree that development of the new method would open new doors before medicine. Some scientists say that creating of new human embryo must be prohibited, because it s morally unacceptable and religiously unethical. The authors continue that medical management is implemented sporadically nowadays. In particular, medical management is defined as an active management of the care of the population. Today, medical management fully depends on information systems that are used for monitoring and tracking medical processes and outcomes. Disease management programs positively impact medical practices and patient management. When speaking about public health, the authors admit that â€Å"over the past 30 years the public health system has operated under pressures of resource scarcity, limits in leadership, and organizational fragmentation†. (p. 9) Public health system is safety-net medical provider, and economic problems make its performance hardly bearable. Over the next decades global forces will the context in which public health systems will be very likely to operate. The authors conclude that global economies increase health risks and, therefore, public health system should be embedded in the context of global threats and opportunities. Cost-effective technologies should be developed for enhancing surveillance, screening and environmental health. Finally, public health strategies should aim at employing ecological strategies as ecology is human and structural determinant of health behavior. Managed care will remain dominant in health care insurance. References Amara, R. et al. (2003). Health and Health Care 2010: The Forecast, The Challenge (2nd ed. ). Princeton, NJ: Jossey-Bass.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Anselms Ontological Argument

Anselms Ontological Argument In this essay I shall describe Anselms ontological argument and look at how it may prove Gods existence. I will then go on to look at criticisms of the argument from both Gaunilo and Kant to see if they can show that the argument does not work and if not, why not. The core of Anselms ontological argument uses a reductio ad absurdum structure to attempt to prove the existence of God. He does this by showing that if the negation of the conclusion is followed then this leads to absurdity (a false or nonsensical conclusion). Anselms argument is as follows: If therefore that than which nothing greater can be conceived exists in the understanding alone [and not in reality], then this thing than which nothing greater can be conceived is something than that which a greater can be conceived. And this is clearly impossible. Therefore, there can be no doubt at all that something than which a greater cannot be conceived exists in both the understanding and in reality. This quote is somewhat confusing due to the language used so a simplified version may be of some use. The argument can be seen as such (1) God is something which nothing can be greater than; God is the being of maximum greatness. (2)It is completely possible that God can exist within reality ; God, no matter whether he actually exists within reality, can exist within some circumstances, therefore God may possibly have existed within our world. (3)Now if something exists entirely and only within the constraints of the mind and does not exist in reality but is still possible then it is plausible that that something which exists only within the mind may have been greater. (4) Now imagine that God exists only within the mind and does not exist in our reality (this can be seen to be God not actually existing at all), this allows for the idea that there is a possible entity which is greater than God. (5)So it can be a possibility that there is a being or entity which is greater than God! (6)Because God is the greatest and there is nothing which can be greater than God (as stated in point 1) then this argument has shown that there is something which can be greater than that which nothing can be greater than! Because statement 6 makes no sense due to it being self contradictory God must exist not just in the mind but also at the same time in reality. This argument has been given in many different forms over time and I will cite one here to show that the interpretation given above is not too far removed from other interpretations. The following interpretation is given by Plantinga: God exists in the understanding but not in reality. (Assumption for reductio) Existence in reality is greater than existence in the understanding alone. (Premise) 3. A being having all of Gods properties plus existence in reality can be conceived. (Premise) 4. A being having all of Gods properties plus existence in reality is greater than God. (From (1) and (2).) 5. A being greater than God can be conceived. (From (3) and (4).) 6. It is false that a being greater than God can be conceived. (From definition of God.) 7. Hence, it is false that God exists in the understanding but not in reality. (From (1), (5), (6).) 8. God exists in the understanding. (Premise, to which even the Fool agrees.) 9. Hence God exists in reality. (From (7), (8).) This interpretation basically follows the same structure as mine and uses the reductio ad absurdum principle to prove Gods existence. Now we have seen how the argument works we must look at some criticisms of Anselms approach. One of the most successful and effective criticisms is given by Gaunilo. He attacked Anselms argument by stating that his reductio ad absurdum could be applied to many things and not just god. For this reason he believed that Anselms argument was not a valid or acceptable way to justify Gods existence. Gaunilo used the example of the greatest possible island (originally conceivable but we shall use possible for cohesions sake). He went on to apply Anselms argument to the greatest possible island to prove the existence of this fictional island using the same style of reasoning which Anselm used to prove the existence of God. Now if somebody told me that there was an island greater than all other islands ever I would have absolutely no problem understanding the words which they used or the concept they were attempting to divulge. But if they then went on to state that because I can imagine the island in my mind then the island must be possible then I would have serious doubts about thi s concept (and their sanity for that matter). What follows will be Gaunilos criticism placed into the format of Anselms reductio ad absurdum argument : (1) Best island is an island that nothing can be greater than; Best island is the island of maximum greatness. (2)It is completely possible that Best island can exist within reality; Best island, no matter whether it actually exists within reality, can exist within some circumstances, therefore Best island may possibly have existed within our world. (3)Now if something exists entirely and only within the constraints of the mind and does not exist in reality but is still possible then it is plausible that that something which exists only within the mind may have been greater. (4) Now imagine that Best island exists only within the mind and does not exist in our reality (this can be seen to be Best island not actually existing at all), this allows for the idea that there is a possible island which is greater than Best island. (5)So it can be a possibility that there is a land or island which is greater than Best Island! (6)Because Best island is the greatest and there is nothing whic h can be greater than Best Island (as stated in point 1) then this argument shows that there is a possible island which is greater than the island that no island can be greater than. Because statement 6 is self contradictory then Best Island must exist not just in the mind but in reality at the same time. This argument seems to show that Anselms argument to prove God can be used to prove a lot of seemingly ridiculous ideas, for example greatest possible bouncy castle or greatest possible goat. On first impressions it would seem as though this argument goes a long way to disproving Anselms argument for God but there is a problem with this. Gaunilos argument doesnt actually tell us what is wrong with Anselms argument; although it shows that seemingly ridiculous conclusions can be proved to be true it does not specify what is exactly is wrong or invalid about Anselms argument. It does not state that any of the premises are wrong and neither does it show the conclusion to be invalid. In fact if Anselms argument is looked at in terms of logic then there is nothing wrong with it at all. Although this is the case, Gaunilos criticism is still a fairly weighty one due its ability to prove absurd conclusions. As with every objection there is always a response so now lets look at some responses to Gaunilos weighty criticism. One of these responses focuses on the idea of the greatest possible island (or best island). It states that the greatest possible island can actually not exist. My conception of the greatest possible island almost certainly differs from your conception of the greatest possible island. For example I may prefer there to be a lot of animals on the island, dangerous and non dangerous and a lot of trees. Whereas you may prefer to only have non dangerous animals and mostly open areas on the island. This shows us that although subjectively there is the possibility of the greatest possible island on a large objective scale there can be no such thing. In other words there is nothing within the definition of an island that allows for maximum greatness within a certain island. The oxford English dictionary defines an island as a piece of land surrounded by water. Clearly there is nothing there which could allow for one island to be greater than all others. It mentions nothing of the depth of water surrounding the island, whether or not there are inhabitants of the island, the size of the island etc. This is not the same for God though. Anselm describes God as maximum perfection of which nothing can be greater. The idea of God cannot be pulled away from the description of God. God is that which nothing can be greater than. This differs from the greatest possible island as the idea of perfection is a separate concept which has be added to the idea of an island. So it seems that although Gaunilos objection on first inspection is a good one it misses the point that maximum perfection cannot be separated from the concept of God whereas maximum perfection can be separated from the concept of an island. The final objection that I will look at comes from Kant, the very man who coined the phrase ontological for Anselms argument. Kants argument works by rejecting premise (3) (if something exists entirely and only within the constraints of the mind and does not exist in reality but is still possible then it is plausible that that something which exists only within the mind may have been greater). Kant states that the Anselms argument is based on the idea that a God which exists is greater than a God which does not. Kant believes this to be false and confusing. In this objection Kant states that existence is not a property which can be possessed, or not possessed by an object. He goes on to say that existence, if it not a property, is a concept which refers or corresponds to something within our world (universe). In other words if something exists then there will be an example of the thing that exists in our world. A way to illustrate this is by giving the example of a ball. This ball is blue, round, fairly heavy and has the diameter of 50cm. Now if I say that this ball exists it does not add any properties to this ball, equally if I say that it doesnt exist it adds no properties to the ball. When I say that it exists I am merely saying that there is an example of this ball within our world. When one applies this to the argument we can see why Kants objection is so well accepted amongst those who reject the ontological argument. If existence is not a property then a God which exists and a God which does not exist are absolutely identical. Both are omnipotent, omnipresent and so on. If they are both identical then Anselm cannot claim that a God which exists is greater than a God which does not exist. If this is the case then the ontological argument fails as premise three is false! One response to Kants objection is that existence adds something to our conception of a subject. If I read about superman believing that he existed I would be very impressed with his powers and what he has done etc. If then I discover that superman does not exist I may be disappointed and my conception of him may change. This then allows for existence to alter my conception of a subject thus allowing for a God that exists to be different, slightly, to a God which does not exist. This response seems somewhat weak though and I believe that Kants objection still stands. To conclude I have found that, through Kants property based objection, Anselms ontological argument fails to provide a decent way of proving Gods existence. Because Existence cannot be seen to be a property then the ontological argument fails. Gaunilo also provides some criticism of Anselm through showing that the ontological argument can be used to prove all kinds of ridiculous conclusions (if one accepts that the idea of maximum perfection can be separated from the concept of God). So because the ontological argument fails to defend itself adequately against criticism I believe that it fails as a way to prove Gods existence.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Impact of War and Violence on Children in A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Be

Children exposed to violence within their communities are left with emotions of hopelessness, insecurity, and doubt. Historical events such as the war on terrorism, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the tragic events of September 11th have had a detrimental effect on the entire nation, including the children. Although every child is not directly affected by the aspects of war, it somehow has an emotional effect on all. The involvement of a nation with war affects every individual differently, whether it is out of fear, anger, doubt, hope, or love. In the short novel A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah, he narrates the story by telling his own involvement in the Civil War in Sierra Leone as young boy and the many issues he faces while living in horror. Also, author Garbarino points out in his book Raising Children in a Socially Toxic Environment in the chapter involving the security of children that: More and more children in the United States are experiencing a growing sense of insecurity about the world inside and outside the boundaries of their families. It does not take much violence and terror to set a tone of threat. Even in the worst war zones—places like Sarajevo—shooting and killing is intermittent. Memory of the emotions of trauma does not decay; it remains fresh (Garbarino 64-65). As Garbarino recognizes, the effects of war and such violence is something that sticks with a child and remains constant in their everyday lives. The experiences that children face involving war in their communities and countries are traumatic and long lasting. It not only alters their childhood perspectives, but it also changes their reactions to violence over time. Sadly, children are beginning to play more of a major role in wars in both the... ...volving death and separation. Children within the United States whose parents serve in the military are left to deal with issues of separation and fear. The fear of not knowing when their parents are coming home, and if they’ll come back the same person they were when they left. Since we are incapable of hiding violence and the act of war from children, it is better to help them understand the meaning behind it and teach them that violence is not always the answer. Children react based on what they see and hear, and if the community and world around them portrays positive things, then the child will portray a positive attitude as well. Works Cited Beah, Ishmael. A Long Way Gone. New York: Sarah Crichton Books, 2007. Print. Garbarino, James. Raising Children in a Socially Toxic Environment. San Francisco, California: Jossey-Bass, 1995. Print.

Friday, October 11, 2019

English translation, Part 1/prologue of Lazarillo de Tormes Essay

I think it is good that such remarkable things as these, which may never have been heard of or seen before, should come to the attention of many people instead of being buried away in the tomb of oblivion. Because it might turn out that someone who reads about them will like what he reads, and even people who only glance lightly through this book may be entertained. Pliny says along these lines that there is no book–no matter how bad it is–that doesn’t have something good in it. And this is all the more true since all tastes are not the same: what one man won’t even touch, another will be dying to get. And so there are things that some people don’t care for, while others do. The point is that nothing should be destroyed or thrown away unless it is really detestable; instead, it should be shown to everybody, especially if it won’t do any harm and they might get some good out of it. If this weren’t so, there would be very few people who would write for only one reader, because writing is hardly a simple thing to do. But since writers go ahead with it, they want to be rewarded, not with money but with people seeing and reading their works, and if there is something worthwhile in them, they would like some praise. Along these lines too, Cicero says: â€Å"Honor promotes the arts.† Does anyone think that the first soldier to stand up and charge the enemy hates life? Of course not; a craving for glory is what makes him expose himself to danger. And the same is true in arts and letters. The young preacher gives a very good sermon and is really interested in the improvement of people’s souls, but ask his grace if he minds when they tell him, â€Å"Oh, what an excellent sermon you gave today, Reverend!† And So-and-so was terrible in jousting today, but when some rascal praised him for the way he had handled his weapons, he gave him his armor. What would he have done if it had really been true? And so everything goes: I confess that I’m no more saintly than my neighbors, but I would not mind it at all if those people who find some pleasure in  this little trifle of mine (written in my crude style) would get wrapped up in it and be entertained by it, and if they could see that a man who has had so much bad luck and so many misfortunes and troubles does exist. Please take this poor effort from a person who would have liked to make it richer if only his ability had been as great as his desire. And since you told me that you wanted me to write down all the details of the matter, I have decided not to start out in the middle but at the beginning. That way you will have a complete picture of me, and at the same time those people who received a large inheritance will see how little they had to do with it, since fortune favored them, and they will also see how much more those people accomplished whose luck was going against them, since they rowed hard and well and brought their ship safely into port. I. Lazaro Tells about His Life and His Parents You should know first of all that I’m called Lazaro of Tormes, and that I’m the son of Tome Gonzales and Antona Perez, who were born in Tejares, a village near Salamanca. I was actually born in the Tormes River, and that’s how I got my name. It happened this way: My father (God rest his soul) was in charge of a mill on the bank of that river, and he was the miller there for more than fifteen years. Well, one night while my mother was in the mill, carrying me around in her belly, she went into labor and gave birth to me right there. So I can really say I was born in the river. Then when I was eight years old, they accused my father of  gutting the sacks that people were bringing to the mill. They took him to jail, and without a word of protest he went ahead and confessed everything, and he suffered persecution for  righteousness’ sake. But I trust God that he’s in heaven because the Bible calls that kind of man blessed. At that time they were getting together an expedition to go fight the Moors, and my father went with them. They had exiled him because of the bad luck that I’ve already told about, so he went  along as a muleteer for one of the men, and like a loyal servant, he ended his life with his master. My widowed mother, finding herself without a husband or anyone to take care of her, decided to lie at the side–I mean, stay on the side–of good men and be like them. So she came to the city to live. She rented a little house and began to cook for some students. She washed clothes for some stableboys who served the Commander of La Magdalena, too, so a lot of the time she was around the stables. She and a dark man–one of those men who took care of the animals– got to know each other. Sometimes he would come to our house and wouldn’t leave till the next morning; and other times he would come to our door in the daytime pretending that he wanted to buy eggs, and then he would come inside. When he first began to come I didn’t like him, he scared me  because of the color of his skin and the way he looked. But when I saw that with him around there the food got better, I began to like him quite a lot. He always brought bread and pieces of meat, and in the winter he brought in firewood so we could keep warm. So with his visits and the relationship going right along, it happened that my mother gave me a pretty little black baby, and I used to bounce it on my knee and help keep it warm. I remember one time when my black stepfather was playing with the little fellow, the child noticed that my mother and I were white but that my stepfather wasn’t and he got scared. He ran to my mother and pointed his finger at him and said, â€Å"Mama, it’s the bogeyman!† And my stepfather laughed: â€Å"You little son-of-a-bitch!† Even though I was still a young boy, I thought about the word my little brother had used, and I said to myself: How many people there must be in the world who run away from others when they don’t see themselves. As luck would have it, talk about Zaide (that was my stepfather’s name)  reached the ears of the foreman, and when a search was made they found out that he’d been stealing about half of the barley that was supposed to be given to the animals. He’d pretended that the bran, wool, currycombs, aprons, and the horse covers and blankets had been lost; and when there was nothing else left to steal, he took the shoes right off the horses’ hooves. And he was using all this to buy things for my mother so that she could bring up my little brother. Why should we be surprised at priests when they steal from the poor or at friars when they take things from their monasteries to give to their lady followers, or for other things, when we see how love can make a poor slave do what he did? And they found him guilty of everything I’ve said and more  because they asked me questions and threatened me too, and I answered them like a child. I was so frightened that I told them everything I knew–even about some horseshoes my mother had made me sell to a blacksmith. They beat and tarred my poor stepfather, and they gave my mother a stiff sentence besides the usual hundred lashes: they said that she couldn’t go into the house of the Commander (the one I mentioned) and that she couldn’t take poor Zaide into her own house. So that matters wouldn’t get any worse, the poor woman went ahead and carried out the sentence. And to avoid any danger and get away from wagging tongues, she went to work as a servant for the people who were living at the Solano Inn then. And there, while putting up with all kinds of indignities, she managed to raise my little brother until he knew how to walk. And she even raised me to be a good little boy who would take wine and candles to the guests and do whatever else they told me. About this time a blind man came by and stayed at the inn. He thought I would be a good guide for him, so he asked my mother if I could serve him, and she said I could. She told him what a good man my father had been and  how he’d died in the battle of Gelves for the holy faith. She said she trusted God that I wouldn’t turn out any worse a man than my father, and she begged him to be good to me and look after me, since I would be an  orphan now. He told her he would and said that I wouldn’t be a servant to him, but a son. And so I began to serve and guide my new old master. After he had been in Salamanca a few days, my master wasn’t happy with the amount of money he was taking in, and he decided to go somewhere else. So when we were ready to leave, I went to see my mother. And with both of us crying she gave me her blessing and said, â€Å"Son, I know that I’ll never see you again. Try to be good, and may God be your guide. I’ve raised you and given you to a good master; take good care of yourself.† And then I went back out to my master who was waiting for me. We left Salamanca and we came to a bridge; and at the edge of this bridge there’s a stone statue of an animal that looks  something like a bull. The blind man told me to go up next to the animal, and when I was there he said, â€Å"Lazaro, put your ear up next to this bull and you’ll hear a great sound inside of it.† I put my ear next to it very simply, thinking he was telling the truth. And when he felt my head near the statue, he doubled up his fist and knocked my head into that devil of a bull so hard that I felt the pain from its horns for three days. And he said to me, â€Å"You fool, now learn that a blind man’s servant has to be one step ahead of the devil.† And he laughed out loud at his joke. It seemed to me that at that very instant I woke up from my  childlike simplicity and I said to myself, â€Å"He’s right. I’ve got to open my eyes and be on my guard. I’m alone now, and I’ve got to think about taking care of myself.† We started on our way again, and in just a few days he taught me the slang thieves use. When he saw what a quick mind I had he was really happy, and  he said, â€Å"I can’t give you any gold or silver, but I can give you plenty of hints on how to stay alive.† And that’s exactly what he did; after God, it was this fellow who gave me life and who, although he was blind,  enlightened me and showed me how to live. I like to tell you these silly things to show what virtue there is in men being able to raise themselves up from the depths, and what a vice it is for them to let themselves slip down from  high stations. Well, getting back to my dear blind man and telling about his ways, you should know that from the time God created the world there’s no one He made smarter or sharper than that man. At his job he was sly as a fox. He knew over a hundred prayers by  heart. He would use a low tone, calm and very sonorous, that would make the church where he was praying echo. And whenever he prayed, he would put on a humble and pious expression–something he did very well. And he wouldn’t make faces or grimaces with his mouth or eyes the way others do. Besides this he had thousands of other ways of getting money. He told everyone that he knew prayers for lots of different things: for women who couldn’t have children or who were in labor; for those women who weren’t happy in their marriage–so that their husbands would love them more. He would give predictions to expectant mothers about whether they would have a boy or a girl. And as far as medicine was concerned, he said that Galen never knew the half of what he did about toothaches, fainting spells, and female illnesses. In fact, there was no one who would tell him they were sick that he couldn’t immediately say to them: â€Å"Do this, and then is; take this herb, or take that root.† And so everyone came to him–especially women–and they believed everything he told them. He got a lot out of them with these ways I’ve been telling  about; in fact, he earned more in a month than a hundred ordinary blind men earn in a year. But I want you to know, too, that even with all he got and all that he had, I’ve never seen a more greedy, miserly man. He was starving me to death. He didn’t even give me enough to keep me alive! I’m telling the truth: If I hadn’t known how to help myself with my wily ways and some pretty clever tricks, I would have died of hunger lots of times. But with all his know-how and carefulness I outwitted him, so that I always–or usually–really got the better of him. The way I did this was I played some devilish tricks on him, and I’ll tell about some of them, even though I didn’t come out on top every time. He carried the bread and all the other things in a cloth bag, and he kept the neck of it closed with an iron ring that had a  padlock and key. And when he put things in or took them out, he did it so carefully and counted everything so well that no one in the world could have gotten a crumb from him. So I’d take what little he gave me, and in less than two mouthfuls it would be gone. After he had closed the lock and forgotten about it, thinking that I was busy with other things, I would begin to bleed the miserly bag dry. There was a little seam on the side of the bag that I’d rip open and sew up again. And I would take out bread– not little crumbs, either, but big hunks–and I’d get bacon and sausage too. And so I was always looking for the right time to score, not on a ball field, but on the food in that blasted bag that the tyrant of a blind man kept away from me. And then, every time I had a chance I’d steal half copper coins. And when someone gave him a copper to say a prayer for them–and since he couldn’t see–they’d no sooner have offered it than I would pop it into my mouth and have a half-copper ready. And as soon as he stuck out his hand, there was my coin reduced to half price. Then the old blind man would start growling at me. As soon as he felt it and realized that it wasn’t a whole copper he’d say, â€Å"How the devil is it that now that you’re with me they never give  me anything but half coppers, when they almost always used to give me a copper or a two-copper piece? I’d swear that this is all your fault.† He used to cut his prayers short, too; he wouldn’t even get  halfway through them. He told me to pull on the end of his cloak whenever the person who asked for the prayer had gone. So that’s what I did. Then he’d begin to call out again with his cry, â€Å"Who would like to have me say a prayer for him?† in his usual way. And he always put a little jug of wine next to him when we ate. I would grab it quickly and give it a couple of quiet kisses before I put it back in its place. But that didn’t go on for very long: he could tell by the number of nips he took that some was missing. So to keep his wine safe he never let the jug out of reach; he’d always hold on to the handle. But not even a magnet could attract the way I could with a long rye straw that I had made for that very purpose. And I’d stick it in the mouth of the jug and suck until–good-bye, wine! But the old traitor was so wary that I think he must have sensed me, because from then on he stopped that and put the jug between his legs. And even then he kept his hand over the top to make sure. But I got so used to drinking wine that I was dying for it. And when I saw that my straw trick wouldn’t work, I decided to make a spout by carving a little hole in the bottom of the jug and then sealing it off neatly with a little thin strip of wax. When it was mealtime, I’d pretend I was cold and get in between the legs of the miserable blind man to warm up by the little fire we had. And the heat of it would melt the wax, since it was such a tiny piece. Then the wine would begin to trickle from the spout into my mouth, and I got into a position so that I wouldn’t miss a blasted drop. When the poor fellow went to drink he wouldn’t find a thing. He’d draw back, astonished, then he’d curse and damn the jar and the wine, not knowing what could have happened. â€Å"You can’t say that I drank it, Sir,† I said, â€Å"since you never let it out of your hand.† But he kept turning the jug around and feeling it, until he  finally discovered the hole and saw through my trick. But he pretended that he hadn’t found out. Then one day I was tippling on my jug as usual, without realizing what was in store for me or even that the blind man had found me out. I was sitting the same as always, taking in those sweet sips, my face turned toward the sky and my eyes slightly closed so I could really savor the delicious liquor. The dirty blind man saw that now was the time to take out his revenge on me, and he raised that sweet and bitter jug with both his hands and smashed it down on my mouth with all his might. As I say, he used all his strength, and poor Lazaro hadn’t been expecting anything like this; in fact, I was drowsy and happy as always. So it seemed like the sky and everything in it had really fallen down on top of me. The little tap sent me reeling and knocked me unconscious, and that enormous jug was so huge that pieces of it stuck in my face, cutting me in several places and knocking out my teeth, so that I don’t have them to this very day. From that minute I began to hate that old blind man. Because, even though he took care of me and treated me all right and fixed me up, I saw that he had really enjoyed his dirty  trick. He used wine to wash the places where the pieces of the jug had cut me, and he smiled and said, â€Å"How about that, Lazaro? The very thing that hurt you is helping to cure you.† And he made other witty remarks that I didn’t particularly care for. When I had about recovered from the beating and the black and blue marks were nearly gone, I realized that with a few more blows like that the blind man would have gotten rid of me. So I decided to be rid of him. But I didn’t run away right then; I waited until I could do it in a safer and better way. And although I wanted to be kind and forgive the blind man for  hitting me with the jug, I couldn’t because of the harsh treatment he gave me from then on. Without any reason he would hit me on the head and yank on my hair. And if anyone asked him why he beat me so much, he would tell them about the incident with the jug: â€Å"Do you think this boy of mine is just some  innocent little fellow? Well, listen and see if you think the devil himself would try anything like this.† After they’d heard about it, they would cross themselves and say, â€Å"Well–who would ever think that such a little boy would do  anything like that!† Then they’d laugh at the prank and tell him, â€Å"Go on, beat him. God will give you your reward.† And this advice he followed to the letter. So, for revenge, I’d lead him down all the worst roads on purpose to see if he wouldn’t get hurt somehow. If there were rocks, I’d take him right over them; if there was mud, I’d lead him through the deepest part. Because even though I didn’t keep dry myself, I would have given an eye if I could have hurt two eyes of that man who didn’t even have one. Because of this, he was always beating me with the end of his cane so that my head was full of bumps, and with him always pulling on my hair a lot of it was gone. I told him I wasn’t doing it on purpose and that I just couldn’t find any better roads, but that didn’t do any good. The old traitor saw through everything and was so wary that he wouldn’t believe me any more. So that you can see how smart this shrewd blind man was, I’ll tell you about one of the many times when I was with him that he really seemed to show a lot of perception. When we left Salamanca, his plan was to go to Toledo because the people were supposed to be richer there, although not very free with their money. But he pinned his hopes on this saying: â€Å"You’ll get more  water from a narrow flowing stream than you will from a deep dry well.† And we’d pass through the best places as we went along. Where we were welcomed and were able to get something, we stayed; where this didn’t happen, we’d move on after a few days. And it happened that as we were coming to a place called Almorox when they were gathering the grapes, a grape picker gave him a bunch as alms. And since the baskets are usually handled pretty roughly and the grapes were very ripe at the time, the bunch started to fall apart in his hand. If we had thrown it in the sack, it and everything it touched would have spoiled. He decided that we’d have a picnic so that it wouldn’t go to waste– and he did it to please me, too, since he’d kicked and beat me quite a bit that day. So we sat down on a low wall, and he said: â€Å"Now I want to be generous with you: we’ll share this bunch of grapes, and you can eat as many as I do. We’ll divide it like this: you take one, then I’ll take one. But you have to promise me that you won’t take more than one at a time. I’ll do the same until we finish, and that way there won’t be any cheating.† The agreement was made, and we began. But on his second turn, the traitor changed his mind and began to take two at a time, evidently thinking that I was doing the same. But when I saw that he had broken our agreement, I wasn’t satisfied with going at his rate of speed. Instead, I went even further: I took two at a time, or three at a time–in fact, I ate them as fast as I could. And when there weren’t any grapes left, he just sat there for a while with the stem in his hand, and then he shook his head and said, â€Å"Lazaro, you tricked me. I’ll swear to God that you ate these grapes three at a time.† â€Å"No, I didn’t,† I said. â€Å"But why do you think so?† That wise old blind man answered, â€Å"Do you know how I see that you ate them three at a time? Because I was eating them two at a time, and you didn’t say a word.† I laughed to myself, and even though I was only a boy, I was very much aware of the sharpness of that blind man. But, so that I won’t talk too much, I won’t tell about a lot of humorous and interesting things that happened to me with my first master. I just want to tell about how we separated, and be done with him. We were in Escalona, a town owned by the duke of that name, at an inn, and the blind man gave me a piece of sausage to roast for him. When the sausage had been basted and he had sopped up and eaten the drippings with a piece of bread, he took a coin out of his purse and told me to go get him some wine from the tavern. Then the devil put an idea in my head, just like they say he does to thieves. It so happened that near the fire there was a little turnip, kind of long and beat up; it had probably been thrown there because it wasn’t good enough for stew. At that moment he and I were there all alone, and when I whiffed the delicious odor of the sausage, I suddenly got a huge appetite– and I knew that all I would get of it would be the smell. But the thought of eating that sausage made me lose all my fear: I didn’t think for a minute what would happen to me. So while the blind man was getting the money out of his purse, I took the sausage off the spit and quickly put the turnip on. Then the blind man gave me the money for the wine and took hold of the spit, turning it over the fire, trying to cook the very thing that hadn’t been cooked before because it was so bad. I went for the wine, and on the way I downed the sausage. When I came back I found that sinner of a blind man holding the turnip between two slices of bread. He didn’t know what it was yet, because he hadn’t felt of it. But when he took the bread and bit into it, thinking he would get part of the sausage too, he was suddenly stopped cold by the taste of the cold turnip. He got mad then, and said, â€Å"What is this, Lazarillo?† â€Å"You mean, ‘Lacerated,'† I said. â€Å"Are you trying to pin  something on me? Didn’t I just come back from getting the wine? Someone must have been here and played a joke on you.† â€Å"Oh, no,† he said. â€Å"I haven’t let the spit out of my hand. No one could have done that.† I kept swearing that I hadn’t done any switching around. But it didn’t do me any good–I couldn’t hide anything from the  sharpness of that miserable blind man. He got up and grabbed me by the head and got close so he could smell me. And he must have smelled my breath like a good hound. Really being anxious to find out if he was right, he held on tight and opened my mouth wider than he should have. Then, not very wisely, he stuck in his nose. And it was long and sharp. And his anger had made it swell a bit, so that the point of it hit me in the throat. So with all this and my being really frightened, along with the fact that the black sausage hadn’t had time to settle in my stomach, and especially with the sudden poking in of his very large nose, half choking me–all these things went together and made the crime and the snack show themselves, and the owner got back what belonged to him. What happened was that before the blind man could take his beak out of my mouth, my stomach got so upset that it hit his nose with what I had stolen. So his nose and the black, half-chewed sausage both left my mouth at the same time. Oh, Almighty God! I was wishing I’d been buried at that very moment, because I was already dead. The perverse blind man was so mad that if people hadn’t come at the noise, I think he would have killed me. They pulled me out of his hands, and he was left with what few hairs had still been in my head. My face was all scratched up, and my neck and throat were clawed. But my throat really deserved its rough treatment because it was only on account of what it had done that I’d been beaten. Then that rotten blind man told everyone there about the things I’d done, and he told them over and over about the jug and the grapes and this last incident. They laughed so hard that all the people who were going by in the street came  in to see the fun. But the blind man told them about my tricks with such wit and cleverness that, even though I was hurt and crying, I felt that it would have been wrong for me not to laugh too. And while this was going on I suddenly remembered that I’d been negligent and cowardly, and I began to swear at myself: I should have bitten off his nose. I’d had the opportunity to do it; in fact, half of the work had already been done for me. If only I’d clamped down with my teeth, I’d have had it trapped. Even though it belonged to that skunk, my stomach would probably have held it better than it held the sausage; and since there wouldn’t have been any evidence, I could have denied the crime. I wish to God I’d have done it. It wouldn’t have been a bad idea at all! The lady running the inn and the others there made us stop our fighting, and they washed my face and throat with the wine I’d brought for him to drink. Then the dirty blind man made up jokes about it, saying things like: â€Å"The truth of the matter is I use more wine washing this boy in one year than I drink in two.† And: â€Å"At least, Lazaro, you owe more to wine than you do to your father–he only gave you life once, but wine has brought you to life a thousand times.† Then he told about all the times he’d beaten me and scratched my face and then doctored me up with wine. â€Å"I tell you,† he said, â€Å"if there’s one man in the world who will be blessed by wine, it’s you.† And the people who were washing me laughed out loud, while I was swearing. But the blind man’s prophecy wasn’t wrong, and since then I’ve often thought about that man who must have had a gift for telling the future. And I feel sorry about the bad things I did to him, although I really paid him back, since what he told me that day happened just like he said it would, as you’ll see later on. Because of this and the dirty tricks the blind man played on me, I decided to leave him for good. And since I had thought about it and really had my mind set on it, this last trick of his only made me more determined. So the next day we went into town to beg. It had rained quite a bit the night before, and since it was still raining that day, he went around praying under the arcades in the town so we wouldn’t get wet. But with night coming on and there still being no let up, the blind man said to me, â€Å"Lazaro, this rain isn’t going to stop, and the later it gets the harder it’s coming down. Let’s go inside the inn before there’s a real downpour.† To get there we had to cross over a ditch that was full of water from the rain. And I said to him; â€Å"Sir, the water’s too wide to cross here, but if you’d like, I see an easier place to get  across, and we won’t get wet either. It’s very narrow there, and if we jump we’ll keep our feet dry.† That seemed like a good idea to him, and he said, â€Å"You’re pretty clever. That’s why I like you so much. Take me to the place where the ditch is narrow. It’s winter now, and I don’t care for water any time, and especially not when I get my feet wet.† Seeing that the time was ripe, I led him under the arcades, to a spot right in front of a sort of pillar or stone post that was in the plaza–one of those that hold up the overhanging arches of the houses. And I said to him, â€Å"Sir, this is the narrowest place along the whole ditch.† It was really raining hard and the poor man was getting wet. This, along with the fact that we were in a hurry to get out of the water that was pouring down on us–and especially because God clouded his mind so I could get revenge–made him believe me, and he said, â€Å"Point me in the right direction, and you jump over the water.† I put him right in front of the pillar. Then I jumped and got behind the post like someone waiting for a bull to charge, and I said to him, â€Å"Come on, jump as far as you can so you’ll miss the water.† As soon as I’d said that, the poor blind man charged like an old goat. First he took one step back to get a running start, and then he hurled himself forward with all his might. His head hit the post with a hollow sound like a pumpkin. Then he fell over backward, half dead, with his head split open. â€Å"What? You mean to say you smelled the sausage but not the post? Smell it, smell it!† I said, and I left him in the hands of all the people who had run to help him. I reached the village gate on the run, and before night fell I made it to Torrijos. I didn’t know what God had done with him, and I never made any attempt to find out.