The Ancient World essays

The Ancient World essays The art of expression can be traced back to early time periods in which simple cave men spat paint upon the walls. Some would argue that modern art is sometimes no better; however, this archaic art form allows us to get a glimpse into our ancestors. The first period that left us hints into their world was the Paleolithic Period which lasted about from about 40,000-8,000 BC. Cave drawings are characteristic of the Paleolithic Period, also known as the Old Stone Age. Drawings found in Lascaux, France show exaggerated bulls superimposed upon one another to show supposed depth perception. Simple sculptures are also found from the Paleolithic period. The objects found are usually pregnant women with enlarged breasts and thighs, which were perhaps used for their magical qualities to ease childbirth. The next period, called the Neolithic, or New Stone Age, lasted from about 8000-2300 BC. Starting in the New Stone Age, man started to change earth to accompany him, which is seen at t he famous Stonehenge. This megalithic sculptures are the earliest of architecture and show the mysticism and knowledge the ancients possessed, for the stones are arranged in astronomical positions. The earliest view of civilization is seen in ancient Mesopotamia. Before even the Egyptians, the Sumerians ruled the world. The Sumerians, whom lived between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, benefited richly from the irrigated fields they created. The Sumerians were the first to use writings and make large buildings. Their writing, called cuneiform, was used to records contracts and track money, since Mesopotamia was such a booming metropolis at the time. The Sumerians also penned down their religion which gives us insight into ancient beliefs. Their temples, large stepped pyramids called ziggurats were often made of brick and were used as alters many times. [Editors note: I just rebooted my computer from locking up after losing about 150 words,...

Jake Drake Bully Buster Chapter Book About Bullying

Jake Drake Bully Buster Chapter Book About Bullying Jake Drake Bully Buster: Summary In Jake Drake Bully Buster, author Andrew Clements focuses on a problem too many kids have to cope with: bullies and bullying. What do you do if youre a bully-magnet? Thats Jakes problem in the chapter book Jake Drake Bully Buster. Fourth grader Jake Drake tells the story of how he went from being a bully-magnet starting in preschool to becoming a bully buster in second grade. Jakes experiences not only make an entertaining story for 7-10 year olds, they also provide a lot of food for thought. Why Jake Was a Bully-Magnet Jake begins his story with tales of all of the bullies who bullied him before second grade, starting when he was a 3-year-old and continuing through preschool, kindergarten and first grade. Jake figures he has these bully-magnet characteristics: Hes small but not so small that he doesnt represent a challenge, he doesn’t have an older brother or sister to defend him, he’s not the type to complain, and he looks â€Å"brainy.† Interestingly, these dont change as Jake goes from being a bully-magnet to a bully buster. Instead, Jakes experiences in second grade change him. Jake and the Grade A, SuperBully Jakes says he didn’t become a bully buster until second grade and then, only after â€Å"being picked on by a Certified, Grade A Super Bully.† Second grade starts out wonderfully. Jake likes his teacher, Mrs. Brattle. There are no bullies in his class, although he still has to watch out for bullies on the playground and in the lunchroom. However, when a new student, Link Baxter, whom Jakes quickly learns is â€Å"a Certified, Grade A Super Bully,† joins the class. Link continually picks on Jake at school and on the school bus. The first time it happens, Jake is so upset that when he gets home he bullies his little sister until his mother stops him, saying, â€Å"What’s gotten into you!?† Jake realizes that â€Å"It was Link. Link had gotten into me! I was being like Link. I had caught BULLYITIS!† When he apologizes to his little sister, she tell him that Link’s sister is in her class, and she is a bully like her brother. Jakes Attempts to End the Bullying Jake decides to try acting like Link’s bullying doesn’t bother him. When Link makes fun of him on the bus, Jake acts like it’s a joke. All day, Jake tries to act cook when Link bothers him, but this only makes Link bully him more. Finally, Link splashes water on Jake so it looks like Jake wet him pants and proceeds to mock him, â€Å"Wook, wook! Wittle Jakey had an accident!† Jake get very mad and can tell Link is pleased about that. Jake is so mad that he hits Link, who acts like he has a terrible injury. Link gets sent to the nurse’s office for ice and sympathy and Jake was sent to the principal’s office. Afterwards, when he and Link meet in the hallway, Jake asks Link why he bullies him and Link doesn’t have an answer. Jake decides, â€Å"†¦if I could figure out that reason – or if I could give him a reason NOT to be a bully – then Link Baxter, SuperBully, would become Link Baxter, Ex-SuperBully.† From Bad to Worse Leads to New Insights Things go from bad to worse when Jake’s teacher decides that everyone in the class has to work in pairs on a Thanksgiving project, and she assigns Jake and Link to work together. Their assignment is to do a project about how Native Americans lived. Jake is appalled, but Link thinks it’s funny and tells Jake that he’s going to have to do all the work. Jake prepares the report but keeps hoping Link will help so they have something to show the class. When the day before the project is due Link tells Jake to do that also, Jake is so mad that he refuses. Link tells him to come over to his house after school so they can make something. At Link’s house, Jake learns two surprising things about Link: Link is skilled at creating models and dioramas and his older sister bullies him. He also learns that when Link is involved in model making, it’s like he’s one of the kids instead of a SuperBully. In fact, according to Jake, â€Å"When he forgot I was there, he had a different face from his bully face, Not mean. Almost nice.† The visit to Link’s house gives Jake a lot to think about, but he’s still not sure how to make Link stop bullying him. Everything Changes With Jakes Good Choices Everything changes again when it is time for Jake and Link to give their project report. Jake finds out that Link has stage fright about doing the presentation. Rather than pay Link back for all Link has done to Jake by humiliating Link in front of his classmates, Jake covers for him. He tells Link he will give the report and Link can point out things in the diorama he made. Their project is a big success, but the best outcome is that Link no longer bullies Jake and Jake realizes that by getting to know the real person â€Å"behind those mean eyes and that bully-face,† he can be a bully buster rather than a bully-magnet. Throughout the book, Jake reacts to the bullying in different ways, not all of them appropriate. He quickly learns that bullying others, being mean, and hitting the bully are all not the responses he wants to, or should, make. As time passes and he learns more and more about the bully, Jake begins to make better decisions: standing up to Link and refusing to finish the project by himself, covering for Link when it’s time for their presentation and acknowledging Link’s model-building skills in front of the class. Its the fact that Jake is essentially a good kid who is willing to take the time and thought to look beyond the bully-face to the person within that enables him to become a bully buster. Jake Drake Bully Buster: Guide Recommendation I recommend Jake Drake Bully Buster for independent readers in grades 2-4. It is also an excellent classroom or family read aloud. At under 90 pages, it is a quick and enjoyable read, but it also has some substance and can easily and effectively be used as a bullying discussion prompt. The Jake Drake series includes a total of four books about the fourth graders experiences st school, and I recommend them all. (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, Simon Schuster, 2007 reprint edition. ISBN: 9781416939337) Additional Resources About Bullies and Bullying From About.com Dr. Vincent Iannelli, the About.com Pediatrics Expert, provides statistics about bullying and some of the signs of bullying parents should look for in his article Bullying and Bullies. For information about cyberbullying, see A Parents Guide to Cyberbullying. For picture books about bullies and bullying, see my reviews of Each Kindness, Oliver Button Is a Sissy and The Bully Blockers Club. For a list of books about bullying for older kids, see Bullies and Bullying in Books for Kids to Teens.

Introduction of the role of CSR in oil industry , focusing on British Term Paper

Introduction of the role of CSR in oil industry , focusing on British petroleum - Term Paper Example Oil firms generate a lot of controversy through environmental damage, and therefore, CSR is one of the key approaches to managing negative perceptions of oil firms and the oil industry. British petroleum firms have accepted that the public views them with suspicion and scepticism, so the best way to change this is to use CSR. British petroleum firms like Royal Dutch Shell and British Petroleum PLC have managed to significantly enhance their brand image by sponsoring community programs and actively participating in community benefit activities. According to Frynas (2009:34), the two companies spend a significant share of their profits on improving lives in communities across the world. They have especially been active in academics, providing annual scholarships to bright and needy students who are often hired by the companies later. These are just some of the CSR activities a select few of British petroleum firms engage in. So far, results show that efforts are effective, helping to cultivate trust and good perception of the

Persuasive Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Persuasive - Research Paper Example s that the policy and rules regarding treating a young offender as an adult should be revived and, besides some public defender offices have launched and started a few novel programs too, likewise the advantages that are woven with this agenda are not only economical or equitable, but ethical/ moral and environmental. Initiating with the solution, the Bureau of Justice Assistance has posted suggestions for the designing and implementation of these new programs. All these various programs are driven to conceal the children who have, intentionally or unintentionally, committed felony from facing the prosecution in an adult court. This however, does not at all means that the young offender will be rescued from their act, but to deal with it in a way a juvenile should be dealt with, rather than imposing them on an intimidating and a daunting environment of an adult court. In addition to tis, the chief thing among all this execution of programs is that children be assist by the multidisciplinary personnel of which the attorney is one associate, and that the corresponding personnel will speak on behalf of the child from the beginning to the end (Allard & Young et al. 2002). Nonetheless, establishing programs to produce representative of the child is not enough; instead the history of the child and his life and circumstances surrounding him at the time of crime should be extensively analyzed. If and when the examination of the violation and the juvenile will be done, information that can help solves the case easily without taking it to the adult court (Allard & Young et al 2002). For instance, a fifteen year old had been sexually as well as physically abused in the house by his step-father and later during the time of act by the step-father and in order to save himself, the child kills him. Here, taking the child to be prosecuted in an adult court without examining his history and the circumstance during the time of killing can have a very adverse effect on the child,

Acids, Bases, and Neutrals Essay Example for Free

Acids, Bases, and Neutrals Essay Experiment Acids, Bases, and Neutrals Problem Are common house-hold products pH balanced and neutral? Information Gathered pH measures how acidic or alkaline a solution is. The pH scale ranges from 0-14. Solutions that range from 0-6 are considered to be acidic. Solutions that are on the acidic end of the scale are low in pH, high in hydrogen ion, and low in hydroxyl ions. An acid has a sour taste, hence, will react to metal and will be corrosive; therefore, they are considered as an electrolyte because it conducts an electrical charge. Such examples of acids that are hydrochloric acid, citric acid and vinegar. Solutions that are bases on the pH scale range from 8-14. Bases are high in pH, low in hydrogen ion and high in hydroxyl ion. Bases have a bitter taste and a slippery feel. Bases dissolve in water and are also an electrolyte. Examples of bases are sodium hydroxide and cleaning products. Solutions that are neutral have an equal amount of hydrogen ion and hydroxyl ion. An example of this is blood. Solutions that are neutral on the pH scale range are 7. Hypothesis It has been estimated that out of the first ten products, that five of them would be bases, three would be acids, and two would be neutral. It was also estimated that out of the last ten products, that nine of them would be acids and one would be a base. There was an estimation of twenty products.

The Foolish Mr. Keating of Dead Poets Society :: Dead Poets Society Essays

The Foolish Mr. Keating of Dead Poet's Society The Dead Poet's Society raises an interesting question: When educating teen-agers, is it better to use the school's policy of Tradition, Honor, Discipline, and Excellence or Mr. Keating's philosophy of carpe diam (seize the day)? Mr. Keating believed that people should "suck the marrow out of life" and live like a free thinking person even at the young age of seventeen. Centuries of teaching experience prove Mr. Keating is wrong and that tradition and discipline are the correct methods of educating. Our fledgling nation of only 200 years is a mental midget in this world. Why is it that we are 17th in the world in education. Is it that we are stupid? No, it is that we have diverged from the old world teaching methods of Europe and Asia. Japan is third is the world in education. The reason is simple. Although they manufacture most of the world's calculators, not one is used in the classroom. One really begins to understand math when taught by route memorization and physical punishment for incorrect answers. Anyone who has been "rapped on the knuckles" by a nun with a ruler can attest to this fact. The one thing that a student needs in life is structure. Without this, he or she cannot function in a school environment. When a bell rings, you must go to class. When a teacher assigns homework, you do it. No questions asked. No individual thought. The only marrow that should be sucked out of a students life is that of education. That, after all, is why they are in school. To learn and no other reason. In the end, it should be noted that although Mr. Keating's teaching philosophy was debunked, he made one good point.

Mexican Drug Cartels

The drug cartels are lucrative, they are violent, and they are operated with stunning planning and precision. † -Attorney General Eric Holder The Mexican cartels have been able to slide under the radar for quite some time now and are finally beginning to get the attention they deserve. But is this too late? Have they already done too much damage to their country and their people where emerging out of this horrific phase is even possible? This could be the case if no immediate action is taken. In order for this two happen two things must occur.The first is an immediate solution to the reoccurring violence and corruption within and outside of the Mexican borders. The second is a long-term solution must be made therefore preventing any sort of international dominance like this to happen again. Some solutions that need to be made in the immediate future are an increase in border security and heightened sense of awareness for smugglers not only from Mexico but into it as well, a str icter regulation on the selling of United States firearms, and. In terms of for the long run, there must be a greater relationship between theUnited States and Mexico not only toward the security issues but also toward the political ones. The Mexican government must implement reform in places like education, training of officers, and policies to help build a better democracy, and finally there must be a constant and sustained effort to cut off all supply lines of money and weapons to the cartels. The origins of the cartels can be traced back to the Columbian Cali and Medellin mega-cartels who were responsible for the majority or drugs coming into the United States. Fortunately in the 1990's the Columbia drug cartels were able to be uppressed and eventually extinguished (Kindt).However the positive efforts in Columbia created negative ones in Mexico. With no one fully controlling the drug supply to the United States anymore the battle for dominance began. After dissolving most of the drug routes through Miami and the Caribbean the only other option left was Mexico (Kindt). While this shift of power was taking place within the cartels, the Mexican government was also facing a shift in democratic power with the emergence of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PR'). It began its rule in 1929 and had total dominance over the political world in Mexico.The PRI was able to subdue all other voices and elect officers that had the party members best interest in mind. This normally would work however the members of PRI were usually corrupt and therefore it wasn't long before the newly formed Mexican drug cartels and the PRI linked up. The PRI was notorious already for suppressing voices of people who did not agree, granting monopolies, and paying off labor leaders (O'Neil). It wasn't until the 1980's and into the 90's where the violence started to occur. The I began to loose its power and there was an every-growing struggle tor power.In 000 the ties to the PRI was offi cially broken with the election of Vicente Fox as president. This however created even more corruption with the number of local authorities being paid off which in turn forced disorganization between leaders at the local, state, and national levels. Now that the cartels were beginning to be met with resistance they started to become more violent and militarized. Among the most feared were The Zetas, member of the Gulf cartel, who were alleged to be former members of the elite Mexican army unit (Weinberg).With this new floodgate opened for Mexican drug trade multiple cartels began to ome onto the scene, which caused inter-cartel violence as well. The United States finally had to intervene during a struggle between the Tijuana and Sinaloa cartels ending in the assassination of a catholic archbishop and the favored presidential candidate. The United States began to strengthen border controls and began to revive security collaborations with Mexico (O'Neil). However this was short lived and the cartels were able to once again establish control of border crossings and continue smuggling.In 2005 the reality of the situation in Mexico was finally brought to the attention of he American people. The kingpin of the Gulf cartel, Osiel Cardenas, was arrested. The gulf cartel controlled the largest border crossing between Mexico and the United States, El Paso. This in turn caused the other two rival cartels to step in and try and take control. However the Zetas were not going to give up their main smuggling route and at the end of Just one day there were one hundred and eighty killed including the newly elected chief of police (Weinberg).The United States once again took action and implemented operation Stonegarden, which gave local authorities on the U. S. ide four hundred million dollars to help improve boarder regulation and reduce smuggling. Soon after this was implemented, the drug cartels reached an agreement about territories and were able to again continue with busi ness. It is apparent that no matter what the United States or Mexico has done in the past to suppress the cartels has not been successful. With over ninety percent of the U. S. ocaine being able to be traced back to Mexico and about ninety percent of Mexican firearms being able to be traced back to the United States Just feeding more money into different agencies isn't working (Bronsther). Most of the guns that cartels are using are purchased in the United States and then smuggled back down into Mexico. They are able to do this because the cartel hires people called â€Å"straw buyers†. These are individuals with clean records who are paid to go into the United States and purchase large quantities of guns from local vendors and then bring them back down into Mexico.In order to prevent this from happening the United States must enforce the current laws where selling guns to foreign countries is illegal. It should also forbid the export of unlicensed firearms. All this is looke d after and overseen by the Federal Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives so therefore additional funding should be going to that agency instead of only focusing on the agencies that deal with security (O'Neil). We know that if we go to war with the drug cartels that it will be a very bloody prolonged and simply unneeded conflict.The way to hurt them the most and do the most damage is to stop providing them with such a lucrative market. We should create stricter punishments tor people who do end up selling to straw buyers or even ducate vendors on proper gun selling and encourage the responsible sale of firearms (Miller). When it comes to drugs we can implement the same ideology. The United States is the biggest consumer nation in the world right now and drugs fit right into that. In order to suppress this problem in the most efficient way possible we must look at ourselves first.There has to be a shirt from supporting law enforcement to supporting the suppression of the U. S. demand. Studies have shown that money spent on rehabilitation for addicts is five times more effect then money spent on conventional law enforcement (O'Neil). Expanding and promoting drug treatment will in turn lower the allure or demand for the drugs the cartels are providing. Most of all however the cutting off of the Mexican drug cartels money supply would be detrimental to them and ultimately lead to their destruction.Removing the money source will no longer give them the ability to pay off official, at the state and local levels, which will in turn force democracy to become a more fair system. Judges and local police officers will be forced off of the cartels payroll and therefore improve upon Mexico's push to create a clean government. This would also be beneficial for previous problems as well. The purchasing and smuggling of guns will not longer be as big ofa problem due to lack of funds the cartels will have. Drugs will also see a decrease due to expensive manufactur ing costs and distribution expenses.This is where the majority of United States efforts should be focused because between fifteen and twenty five billion dollars goes from the U. S. into either Mexico or an account. The money is usually simply carried, wired, or transported to the boarder and merely driven across. Although guns and drugs are a huge problem in oming across the boarder if that amount of money is about to be simply driven across the boarder should we be focusing a lot more attention towards our efforts in recovering and seizing that money? Especially when confiscating that money will therefore lower amount of guns and drugs in circulation.The United States is not the sole source of the problem. The Achilles heal of Mexico is the corruption. About one fifth of Mexico's Federal Investigative Agency is under investigation for involvement with the drug cartels (Bronsther). In order to prevent this problem from continuing and hopefully reverse this common theme, Mexico must create institutional reform and growth by promoting better ways of training and education for law enforcement. They must be sure to implement ways to ensure that their officers, agents and even diplomats are not susceptible to corruption or manipulation.The United States is as much to blame for the situation in Mexico and Mexico is. If it weren't for our massive consumption habits and distribution of firearms the cartels would be useless to have. We have dug ourselves into a very deep hole and now must begin the slow climb out. This begins with efforts to subdue our addictive abits through rehabilitation and education, stricter laws regarding firearms sales especially around the border, a cooperative effort with Mexico against the cartels, and most importantly an increased effort in finding and destroying money that is funding these cartels.Mexico in turn is tacing this problem head on and suttering greatly tor i t. To avoid any further damage from being done, as a country, Mexico must start from the inside and work out with major reforms in their branches of government most importantly judicial and more specifically law enforcement. They must design as system in which orruption is the main characteristic to be aware of and avoid and need to educate, train, and generate true leaders who will hopefully strive to make a new positive name for Mexico.Both the United States and Mexico are realizing Just how much corruption, violence, and instability these drug cartels are creating. Procedures are beginning to be put in place in order to suppress the cartels. The United States recently passed the Miranda Initiative with grants Mexico one point four billion dollars to help them rebuild their nation. Mexico too has increased salaries and enefits for officers as an effort to allure people to fill positions once held by corrupt officials (O'Neil).