Zoe’s Tale PART I Chapter Nine

â€Å"Oh, look,† Gretchen said. â€Å"Teenage boys, about to do something stupid.† â€Å"Shut up,† I said. â€Å"That couldn't possibly happen.† But I looked anyway. Sure enough, across the Magellan's common area, two clots of teenage males were staring each other down with that look of we're so gonna fight about something lame. They were all getting ready for a snarl, except for one of them, who gave every appearance of trying to talk some sense into one guy who looked particularly itchin' to fight. â€Å"There's one who appears to have a brain,† I said. â€Å"One out of eight,† Gretchen said. â€Å"Not a really excellent percentage. And if he really had a brain he'd probably be getting out of the way.† â€Å"This is true,† I said. â€Å"Never send a teenage boy to do a teenage girl's job.† Gretchen grinned over to me. â€Å"We have that mind-meld thing going, don't we?† â€Å"I think you know the answer to that,† I said. â€Å"You want to plan it out or just improvise?† Gretchen asked. â€Å"By the time we plan it out, someone's going to be missing teeth,† I said. â€Å"Good point,† Gretchen said, and then got up and started moving toward the boys. Twenty seconds later the boys were startled to find Gretchen in the middle of them. â€Å"You're making me lose a bet,† she said, to the one who looked the most aggressive. The dude stared for a moment, trying to wrap whatever was passing for his brain around this sudden and unexpected appearance. â€Å"What?† he said. â€Å"I said, you're making me lose a bet,† Gretchen repeated, and then jerked a thumb over toward me. â€Å"I had a bet with Zoe here that no one would start a fight on the Magellan before we actually left dock, because no one would be stupid enough to do something that would get their entire family kicked off the ship.† â€Å"Kicked off the ship two hours before departure, even,† I said. â€Å"Right,† Gretchen said. â€Å"Because what sort of moron would you have to be to do that?† â€Å"A teenage boy moron,† I suggested. â€Å"Apparently,† Gretchen said. â€Å"See – what's your name?† â€Å"What?† the guy said again. â€Å"Your name,† Gretchen said. â€Å"What your mother and father will call you, angrily, once you've gotten them kicked off the ship.† The guy looked around at his friends. â€Å"Magdy,† he said, and then opened his mouth as if to say something. â€Å"Well, see, Magdy, I have faith in humanity, even the teenage male part of it,† Gretchen said, plowing through whatever it was that our Magdy might have had to say. â€Å"I believed that not even teenage boys would be dumb enough to give Captain Zane an excuse to kick a bunch of them off the ship while he still could. Once we're under way, the worst he could do is put you in the brig. But right now he could have the crew drop you and your family at the loading bay. Then you could watch the rest of us wave good-bye. Surely, I said, no one could be that incredibly dense. But my friend Zoe disagreed. What did you say, Zoe?† â€Å"I said that teenage boys can't think beyond or without their newly dropped testicles,† I said, staring at the boy who had been trying to talk sense into his pal. â€Å"Also, they smell funny.† The boy grinned. He knew what we were up to. I didn't grin back; I didn't want to mess with Gretchen's play. â€Å"And I was so convinced that I was right and she was wrong that I actually made a bet,† Gretchen said. â€Å"I bet every single dessert I'd get here on the Magellan that no one would be that stupid. That's a serious bet.† â€Å"She loves her dessert,† I said. â€Å"It's true, I do,† Gretchen said. â€Å"She's a dessert fiend,† I said. â€Å"And now you are going to make me lose all my desserts,† Gretchen said, poking Magdy in the chest. â€Å"This is not acceptable.† There was a snerk from the boy Magdy had been facing off with. Gretchen wheeled on him; the boy actually flinched backward. â€Å"I don't know why you think this is funny,† Gretchen said. â€Å"Your family would have been thrown off the ship just like his.† â€Å"He started it,† the boy said. Gretchen blinked, dramatically. â€Å"‘He started it'? Zoe, tell me I heard that wrong.† â€Å"You didn't,† I said. â€Å"He really said it.† â€Å"It doesn't seem possible that anyone over the age of five would be using that as a rationale for anything,† Gretchen said, examining the boy critically. â€Å"Where's your faith in humanity now?† I asked. â€Å"I'm losing it,† Gretchen said. â€Å"Along with all your desserts,† I said. â€Å"Let me guess,† Gretchen said, and waved generally at the clot of boys in front of her. â€Å"You're all from the same planet.† She turned and looked at the other boy clot. â€Å"And you're all from another planet.† The boys shifted uncomfortably; she had gotten their number. â€Å"And so the first thing you do is you start picking fights because of where you used to live.† â€Å"Because that's the smart thing to do with people you're going to spend the rest of your life living with,† I said. â€Å"I don't remember that being in the new colonist orientation material,† Gretchen said. â€Å"Funny about that,† I said. â€Å"Indeed,† Gretchen said, and stopped talking. There was silence for several seconds. â€Å"Well?† Gretchen said. â€Å"What?† Magdy said. It was his favorite word. â€Å"Are you going to fight now or what?† Gretchen said. â€Å"If I'm going to lose my bet, now's as good a time as any.† â€Å"She's right,† I said. â€Å"It's almost lunchtime. Dessert is calling.† â€Å"So either get on with it or break it up,† Gretchen said. She stepped back. The boys, suddenly aware that whatever it was they were fighting about had been effectively reduced to whether or not some girl would get a cupcake, dispersed, each clot headed pointedly in a separate direction from the other. The sane boy glanced back at me as he walked off with his friends. â€Å"That was fun,† Gretchen said. â€Å"Yeah, until they all decide to do it again,† I said. â€Å"We can't use the dessert humiliation trick every time. And there are colonists from ten separate worlds. That's a hundred different possible idiotic teenage boy fight situations.† â€Å"Well, the colonists from Kyoto are Colonial Mennonites,† Gretchen said. â€Å"They're pacifists. So it's only eighty-one possible idiotic teenage boy fight combinations.† â€Å"And yet still only two of us,† I said. â€Å"I don't like the odds. And how did you know about the Kyoto folks, anyway?† â€Å"When my father was still thinking he'd be running the colony, he made me read the reports on all the colonists and their original planets,† Gretchen said. â€Å"He said I was going to be his aide-de-camp. Because, you know, that's really what I would have wanted to do with my time.† â€Å"Comes in handy, though,† I said. Gretchen pulled out her PDA, which was buzzing, and looked at the screen. â€Å"Speaking of which,† she said, and showed me the screen. â€Å"Looks like Dad's calling.† â€Å"Go be aide de camp-y,† I said. Gretchen rolled her eyes. â€Å"Thanks. Want to get together for the departure? And then we can go have lunch. You'll have lost the bet by then. I'll get your dessert.† â€Å"Touch my dessert and you will die in horrible ways,† I said. Gretchen laughed and left. I pulled out my own PDA to see if there were messages from John or Jane; there was one from Jane telling me that Hickory and Dickory were looking for me about something. Well, they knew I was onboard, and they also knew how to reach me by PDA; it's not like I went anywhere without it. I thought about giving them a call but I figured they would find me sooner or later. I put the PDA away and looked up to find the sane boy standing in front of me. â€Å"Hi,† he said. â€Å"Uh,† I said, a testament to my smoothness. â€Å"Sorry, I didn't mean to sneak up on you like that,† he said. â€Å"It's okay,† I said, only a little flustered. He stuck out his hand. â€Å"Enzo,† he said. â€Å"And you're Zoe, I guess.† â€Å"I am,† I said, taking his hand and shaking it. â€Å"Hi,† he said. â€Å"Hi,† I said. â€Å"Hi,† he said, and then seemed to realize he was back where he started. I smiled. And then there was about, oh, 47 million seconds of awkward silence. It was only actually a second or two, but as Einstein could tell you, some events have a way of stretching out. â€Å"Thanks for that,† Enzo said, finally. â€Å"For stopping the fight, I mean.† â€Å"You're welcome,† I said. â€Å"I'm glad you didn't mind we stepped in on what you were doing.† â€Å"Well, I wasn't doing a great job of it anyway,† Enzo said. â€Å"Once Magdy gets himself worked up, it's hard to get him to back down.† â€Å"What was that all about anyway?† I asked. â€Å"It's kind of stupid,† Enzo said. â€Å"That I know,† I said, and then wondered if Enzo would take it the wrong way. He smiled. Score one for Enzo. â€Å"I mean what caused it.† â€Å"Magdy's pretty sarcastic, and he's also pretty loud,† Enzo said. â€Å"He made some snide remark about what those other guys were wearing as they passed by. One of them got upset and they got into it.† â€Å"So you guys nearly had a brawl over fashion,† I said. â€Å"I told you it was stupid,† Enzo said. â€Å"But you know how it is. You get worked up, it's kind of hard to think rationally.† â€Å"But you were thinking rationally,† I said. â€Å"That's my job,† Enzo said. â€Å"Magdy gets us into trouble, I get us out of it.† â€Å"So you've known each other for a while,† I said. â€Å"He's been my best friend since we were little,† Enzo said. â€Å"He's really not a jerk, honest. He just sometimes doesn't think about what he's doing.† â€Å"You look out for him,† I said. â€Å"It goes both ways,† Enzo said. â€Å"I'm not much of a fighter. A lot of kids we knew would have taken advantage of that fact if they didn't know Magdy would have punched them in the head.† â€Å"Why aren't you much of a fighter?† I asked. â€Å"I think you have to like to fight a little,† Enzo said. Then he seemed to realize this was challenging his own masculinity a bit, and this would get him kicked out of the teenage male club. â€Å"Don't get me wrong. I can defend myself just fine without Magdy around. We're just a good team.† â€Å"You're the brains of the outfit,† I suggested. â€Å"That's possible,† he allowed, and then seemed to figure out that I'd gotten him to make a whole bunch of statements about himself without getting to find out anything about me. â€Å"What about you and your friend? Who is the brains of that outfit?† â€Å"I think Gretchen and I both hold our own pretty well in the brains department,† I said. â€Å"That's a little scary,† Enzo said. â€Å"It's not a bad thing to be a little intimidating,† I said. â€Å"Well, you have that down,† Enzo said, with just the right amount of offhandedness. I tried very hard not to blush. â€Å"So, listen, Zoe – † Enzo began, and then looked over my shoulder. I saw his eyes get very wide. â€Å"Let me guess,† I said, to Enzo. â€Å"There are two very scary-looking aliens standing directly behind me.† â€Å"How did you know?† Enzo said, after a minute. â€Å"Because what you're doing now is the usual response,† I said. I glanced back at Hickory and Dickory. â€Å"Give me a minute,† I said to them. They took a step back. â€Å"You know them?† Enzo said. â€Å"They're sort of my bodyguards,† I said. â€Å"You need bodyguards?† Enzo asked. â€Å"It's a little complicated,† I said. â€Å"Now I know why you and your friend can both work on being the brains of the outfit,† Enzo said. â€Å"Don't worry,† I said, and turned to Hickory and Dickory. â€Å"Guys, this is my new friend Enzo. Say hello.† â€Å"Hello,† they said, in their deadly monotone. â€Å"Uh,† Enzo said. â€Å"They're perfectly harmless unless they think you're a threat to me,† I said. â€Å"What happens then?† Enzo asked. â€Å"I'm not really sure,† I said. â€Å"But I think it would involve you being turned into a large number of very small cubes.† Enzo looked at me for a minute. â€Å"Don't take this the wrong way,† he said. â€Å"But I'm a little afraid of you right now.† I smiled at this. â€Å"Don't be,† I said, and I took his hand, which seemed to surprise him. â€Å"I want us to be friends.† There was an interesting play across Enzo's face: pleasure at the fact I'd taken his hand, and apprehension that if he showed too much pleasure at the fact, he'd be summarily cubed. It was very cute. He was very cute. As if on cue, Hickory audibly shifted its weight. I sighed. â€Å"I need to talk to Hickory and Dickory,† I said, to Enzo. â€Å"Will you excuse me?† â€Å"Sure,† Enzo said, and took his hand out of mine. â€Å"Will I see you later?† I asked. â€Å"I hope so,† Enzo said, and then got that look that said his brain was telling him he was being too enthusiastic. Shut up, stupid brain. Enthusiasm is a good thing. He backed off and went away. I watched him go a little. Then I turned to Hickory and Dickory. â€Å"This had better be good,† I said. â€Å"Who was that?† Hickory asked. â€Å"That was Enzo,† I said. â€Å"Which I already told you. He's a boy. A cute one, too.† â€Å"Does he have impure intentions?† Hickory asked. â€Å"What?† I said, slightly incredulous. â€Å"‘Impure intentions'? Are you serious? No. I've only known him for about twenty minutes. Even for a teenage boy, that would be a pretty quick ramp-up.† â€Å"This is not what we have heard,† Hickory said. â€Å"From whom?† I asked. â€Å"From Major Perry,† Hickory said. â€Å"He said that he was once a teenage boy himself.† â€Å"Oh, God,† I said. â€Å"Thank you so very much for the mental image of Dad as a teenage sack of hormones. That's the sort of image that takes therapy to get rid of.† â€Å"You have asked us to intercede for you with teenage boys before,† Hickory said. â€Å"That was a special case,† I said. And it had been. Just before we left Huckleberry my parents had gone off on a planetary survey of Roanoke and I was given tacit permission to have a good-bye party for my friends, and Anil Rameesh had taken it upon himself to sneak into my bedroom and get naked, and upon discovery, to inform me that he was giving me his virginity as a good-bye gift. Well, he didn't put it that way; he was trying to avoid mentioning the whole â€Å"virginity† aspect of it at all. Regardless, this was a gift I really didn't want, even though it was already unwrapped. I told Hickory and Dickory to escort him out; Anil responded by screaming, jumping out my window and down off the roof, and then running all the way home naked. Which was a sight. I had his clothes delivered home the next day. Poor Anil. He wasn't a bad person. Just deluded and hopeful. â€Å"I will let you know if Enzo presents any problems,† I said. â€Å"Until then, you leave him alone.† â€Å"As you wish,† Hickory said. I could tell it was not entirely pleased about this. â€Å"What was it you wanted to talk to me about?† I asked. â€Å"We have news for you from the Obin government,† Hickory said. â€Å"An invitation.† â€Å"An invitation for what?† I asked. â€Å"An invitation to visit our homeworld, and to tour our planets and colonies,† Hickory said. â€Å"You are now old enough to travel unaccompanied, and while all Obin have known of you since you were young, thanks to our recordings, there is a great desire among all Obin to meet you in person. Our government asks you if you will not accede to this request.† â€Å"When?† I asked. â€Å"Immediately,† Hickory said. I looked at them both. â€Å"You're asking me this now?† I said. â€Å"We're less than two hours from departing to Roanoke.† â€Å"We have only just now received the invitation,† Hickory said. â€Å"As soon as it was sent to us, we came to find you.† â€Å"It couldn't wait?† I asked. â€Å"Our government wished to ask you before your journey to Roanoke began,† Hickory said. â€Å"Once you had established yourself on Roanoke, you might be hesitant to leave for such a significant amount of time.† â€Å"How much time?† I asked. â€Å"We have sent a proposed itinerary to your PDA,† Hickory said. â€Å"I'm asking you,† I said. â€Å"The entire tour would take thirteen of your standard months,† Hickory said. â€Å"Although if you were amenable, it could be extended.† â€Å"So, to recap,† I said. â€Å"You want me to decide in the next two hours whether or not to leave my family and friends for at least a year, maybe longer, to tour the Obin worlds by myself.† â€Å"Yes,† Hickory said. â€Å"Although of course Dickory and I would accompany you.† â€Å"No other humans, though,† I said. â€Å"We could find some if you wanted,† Hickory said. â€Å"Would you?† I said. â€Å"That would be swell.† â€Å"Very well,† Hickory said. â€Å"I'm being sarcastic, Hickory,† I said, irritated. â€Å"The answer is no. I mean, really, Hickory. You're asking me to make a life-changing decision on two hours' notice. That's completely ridiculous.† â€Å"We understand that the timing of this request is not optimal,† Hickory said. â€Å"I don't think you do,† I said. â€Å"I think you know it's short notice, but I don't think you understand that it's offensive.† Hickory shrank back slightly. â€Å"We did not mean to offend,† it said. I was about to snap something off but I stopped and started counting in my head, because somewhere in there the rational part of my brain was letting me know I was heading into over-reaction territory. Hickory and Dickory's invitation was last-minute, but biting their heads off for it didn't make much sense. Something about the request was just rubbing me the wrong way. It took me a minute to figure out why. Hickory and Dickory were asking me to leave behind everyone I knew, and everyone I had just met, for a year of being alone. I had already done that, long ago, when the Obin had taken me from Covell, in the time I had to wait before my father could find a way to reclaim me. It was a different time and with different circumstances, but I remember the loneliness and need for human contact. I loved Hickory and Dickory; they were family. But they couldn't offer me what I needed and could get from human contact. And besides, I just said good-bye to a whole village of people I knew, and before that had said good-bye to family and friends, usually forever, a whole lot more than most people my age. Right now I had just found Gretchen, and Enzo was certainly looking interesting. I didn't want to say good-bye to them even before I properly got to know them. I looked at Hickory and Dickory, who despite everything they knew about me couldn't have understood why what they were asking me would affect me like this. It's not their fault, said the rational part of my brain. And it was right. Which was why it was the rational part of my brain. I didn't always like that part, but it was usually on point for stuff like this. â€Å"I'm sorry, Hickory,† I said, finally. â€Å"I didn't mean to yell at you. Please accept my apology.† â€Å"Of course,† Hickory said. It unshrunk itself. â€Å"But even if I wanted to go, two hours is not nearly enough time to think this through,† I said. â€Å"Have you spoken to John or Jane about this?† â€Å"We felt it best to come to you,† Hickory said. â€Å"Your desire to go would have influenced their decision to let you go.† I smiled. â€Å"Not as much as I think you think it would,† I said. â€Å"You may think I'm old enough to spend a year off touring the Obin worlds, but I guarantee you Dad will have a different opinion about that. It took both Jane and Savitri a couple of days to convince him to let me have that good-bye party while they were away. You think he'd say ‘yes' to having me go away for a year when there's a two-hour time limit attached? That's optimistic.† â€Å"It is very important to our government,† Dickory said. Which was surprising. Dickory almost never spoke about anything, other than to make one of its monochromatic greetings. The fact Dickory felt compelled to pipe up spoke volumes in itself. â€Å"I understand that,† I said. â€Å"But it's still too sudden. I can't make a decision like this now. I just can't. Please tell your government I'm honored by the invitation, and that I want to make a tour of the Obin worlds one day. I really do. But I can't do it like this. And I want to go to Roanoke.† Hickory and Dickory were silent for a moment. â€Å"Perhaps if Major Perry and Lieutenant Sagan were to hear our invitation and agree, you might be persuaded,† Hickory said. Rankle, rankle. â€Å"What is that supposed to mean?† I asked. â€Å"First you say you wanted me to say yes because then they might agree, and now you want to work it the other way? You asked me, Hickory. My answer is no. If you think asking my parents is going to get me to change my mind, then you don't understand human teenagers, and you certainly don't understand me. Even if they said yes, which, believe me, they won't, since the first thing they will do is ask me what I think of the idea. And I'll tell them what I told you. And that I told you.† Another moment of silence. I watched the two of them very closely, looking for the trembles or twitches that sometimes followed when they were emotionally wrung out. The two of them were rock steady. â€Å"Very well,† Hickory said. â€Å"We will inform our government of your decision.† â€Å"Tell them that I will consider it some other time. Maybe in a year,† I said. Maybe by that time I could convince Gretchen to go with me. And Enzo. As long as we were daydreaming here. â€Å"We will tell them,† Hickory said, and then it and Dickory did a little head bow and departed. I looked around. Some of the people in the common area were watching Hickory and Dickory leave; the others were looking at me with strange expressions. I guess they'd never seen a girl with her own pet aliens before. I sighed. I pulled out my PDA to contact Gretchen but then stopped before I accessed her address. Because as much as I didn't want to be alone in the larger sense, at that moment, I needed a time out. Something was going on, and I needed to figure what it was. Because whatever it was, it was making me nervous. I put the PDA back in my pocket, thought about what Hickory and Dickory just said to me, and worried.

Carbon Dioxide and Deforestation

Kayla Luther Module 4 Assignment 2 Course Project July 27, 2011 Outline : Deforestation Introduction: Deforestation is not something we can just look over. There are many things in our lives that we take pride in and protecting our forest is one of them. Our trees help our animals live, our crops grow, and our families survive. Thesis Statement: How do humans benefit from the trees? Arguments: I. Is deforestation the cause of climate change? A. The forest can provide many different products. 1. Consumers use these products everyday ? Cost of products increasing 2. Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere ? Most trees hold in the carbon dioxide . Changes in the ecosystem ? loss of trees mean higher risk of disasters. II. Rain forest are slowly vanishing B. â€Å"Slash and Burn† process. 1. Many farmers are following this process. ? new farmers and crops 2. loss of animals and species ? lose their homes and food 3. the rate of deforestation ? within 100 years all forest will be vanished III. Ecosystem vs. Deforestation C. The forest ecosystem benefits all humans. 1. Most places don’t have fresh water sources so the forest provides many resources. ? clean water 2. We takes trees for granted but what really is their purpose. ? Trees collect CO2 and release oxygen IV. Is pollution worse than deforestation? D. Flying in an airplane is better than cutting down trees. 1. The amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere ? One day of deforestation equals 8 million people flying 2. The amount of CO2 a tree holds. ? released into the atmosphere V. Is livestock and crops really that important? E. How can the livestock and crops live without tress? 1. Farmers should find clear land instead of clearing land. ? Trees provide food, shade, water, and oxygen for the livestock and crops. 2. New businesses and communities ? loss of trees VI. Where would the world be without trees? F. Is the world going to end because the lack of oxygen? 1. Natural Disasters are causing trees to be torn down. ? Tornadoes, hurricanes, and drought 2. Recycling will help reduce the amount of trees that have to be cut down ? use less packaging, paper, and plastic Conclusion: If we start thinking about our futures then we shouldn't have any problems in reducing the way we live now. Our planet needs our help by saving it and protecting what we have left. We all need to start by recycling, planting trees, and save what wildlife we have left. Even if we only help by ding one thing it is still considered helping. References: FAO. (2006). Scientific facts on forest retrieved on July 13, 2011 from http://www. greenfacts. org/en/forests/index. htm#2 Facing the Future (2011). Deforestation retrieved on July 27, 2011 from www. facingthefuture. org/servicelearning/fastfactsquickactions/deforestation/tabid/182/default National Geographic. (2011). Deforestation retrieved on July 13, 2011 from http://environment. nationalgeographic. com/environment/global-warming/deforestation-overview. html University of Michigan (n/d). Deforestation retrieved on July 13, 2011 from http://www. globalchange. umich. du/globalchange2/current/lectures/deforest/deforest. html Howden, D (2007). Deforestation: the Hidden Cause of Global Warming retrieved on July 13, 2011 from http://www. independent. co. uk/environment/climate-change/deforestation-the-hidden-cause-of-global-warming-448734. html Emulgator. org (2005-2008). Pros and Cons of Deforestation retrieved on July 13, 2011 from http://www. emulgator. org/Politics-and- Government/5715-The-Pros-And-Cons-of-Deforestation Deforestation ( 2008). Pros and Cons of Deforestation retrieved on July 13, 2011 from http://edu. udym. com/pros-and-cons-of-deforestation/

Interview people about the economy Essay

The people of the Orange County are an optimistic bunch. Yet, one can see this optimism slowly fading away into the darkness. For a country which is so close to perhaps world’s biggest entertainment hub, this is not a pretty picture. It would be wrong to blame the people. Little has gone right for the county since the economic recession of 2008, the effects of which are still quite visible. For a county which was already suffering from one of the more serious unemployment problems than compared to the average figures of the United States of America, the recession of 2008 has spelt doom, and its repercussions can still be felt. Take the case of the 34-year old Mr. Matthews who had a small shop selling electronic goods. However, with most people who gave him patronage, out of jobs or saving up for the bleak future, there are no takers for his once steadily selling shop of television sets and radios. His only hope is a government bailout, so that his customers have more money in their hands, or in other words greater purchasing power so as to indirectly get him out of this mess. Mr. Matthews situation is in complete contrast with Mrs. Mosby who is a secretary with the local government authority. She has been affected very little by the 2008 economic recession but maintains that she is concerned about a lot of her friends, whose businesses have shut or who have been shown the door in their jobs. The only consequence of this recession on her is that while her pay has not increased, prices of many commodities of even general use have gone by which makes it difficult for her to make the ends of her household meet. She is for the moment thankful that she has a government job, but strongly advocates that it is the state’s responsibility to find her fellow citizens a job which at the very least promises them adequate means of survival. Recession and the deteriorating economic situation is a concern not only to those who are currently affected by it, but also those who may be affected by it in the future. Take the case of 24-year old Mike, who is a final year student at the local university. He agrees that the heat in the air can be felt by all, and even though his university manages to put together a small career fair every year, it seems a difficult proposition this year. Although in the top half of his class, Mike admits that getting a job which helps him repay his educational loans he took for college, at least currently, seems to be a daunting task. He is hopeful that by the time he graduates, the situation would improve. He doesn’t make a case for out and out state intervention, but hopes that the state would help big economic powerhouses by giving them incentives and subsidies. Things have turned sour for those who are self-employed as well. Take the instance of a lawyer who has his own practice, Miss Timberlake. Litigation has become suddenly too expensive, and people seem to prefer to hold up matters for now. Even matters of home foreclosure have got delayed for now. People are looking at otherwise normal litigation procedures as a luxury service, which they are unable to afford at the moment, and are not as big a priority as say medical and health expenditure. Health insurance companies are facing the heat as no other according to Jeff, who works at one of the biggest insurance companies. The health and medical costs have spiraled over the last few years. The fact that people have very little disposal income, and are defaulting on their regular premium payments is making the matters worse for the insurance companies. Their being no solution in sight, people are turning to each other and urging them to perform acts of gratitude. For instance, appeals are being made to doctors and other hospital staff to give up a day’s pay. People are becoming much more cautious and conservative in spending their money. For instance, the younger siblings are getting their older siblings clothes. The insurance companies don’t have enough cash flowing in so as to be able to cope up with the increasing medical costs. This spells a disaster not just for one or two companies, but for two industries which are vital to the US economy – health and insurance. Whether there is a way out of this mess is the million dollar question facing everyone right now. The companies in both sectors, however, are optimistic and hope to see things improving with the Obama administration. Obama’s success in being able to pass the health insurance bill is being seen as a huge positive and people seem to be oddly comforted by his words of promise. Job creation is what people are currently looking forward to. Perhaps, the only sections of the society who have nothing to lose right now are the school going children. However, it is amazing how the economic crisis has made way into their everyday conversations as well. David who is only 14 is angry at the whole situation. He maintains that the whole crisis is the fault of the government, which allowed risky investments to be made. He is also unhappy about the liberal policies which have allowed a bulk of the work to be outsourced to other destinations where labour is much cheaper. Stricter laws are needed, he argues emphatically. Those who are retired have been hit badly as well. Their pension schemes and other insurance amounts are simply not enough for them to be able to make their ends meet. Home foreclosures are likely and in the offing, and this has most of them worried. Take the case of Mr. Andrews, who is 66 years old and survives on a small pension scheme. Recently the prices of even basic consumables have risen so sharply risen that he is finding it difficult to make the ends meet. His old age means that it is much more difficult for him to find a job as compared to other freshers just out of college. He is worried that if the State fails to take some concrete steps soon, many Americans could be tinkering on the verge of starving poverty. Take the case of Mr. Murdoch who is a stock market analyst and broker. In the economic recession of 2008, he lost close to $100,000. He says that he is devastated and doesn’t know if there is any hope remaining for his business, and whether he will be able to revive it in the near future. He is currently torn between the idea of continuing his business, or taking up a small job somewhere. However, he himself laughs at the irony of it all, given that it would be near impossible to find a job anywhere. He also feels responsible to many of his clients, who he was acting for, and have lost a considerable amount of money in the stock market. At the same time, however, he is quick to point out that investment in the market is subject to market risks, and therefore, one is understood to have assumed the same.

Wisdom, Morality, and Meditation

The Fourth Noble Truth is the Noble Eightfold Path, which is also referred to as â€Å"Magga. † The Noble Eightfold Path essentially has three main parts: Wisdom, Morality, and Meditation. These three sections represent the eight sections of the Noble Eightfold Path. Wisdom is broken down into â€Å"Right View† and â€Å"Right Intention. † Next, morality consists of â€Å"Right Speech,† â€Å"Right Action,† and â€Å"Right Livelihood. † Finally, meditation consists of â€Å"Right Effort,† â€Å"Right Mindfulness,† and â€Å"Right Concentration. † One may think that these eight parts must be followed in a specific order, however, all eight parts work mutually dependent of each other. Right View is a part of Wisdom and, according to our class lectures, is the â€Å"Middle Way between eternalism and nihilism; the emptiness of all things. † Right View distinguishes wholesome (beneficial) things from unwholesome (harmful) things. A few examples of unwholesome things from our class notes are: onslaught of living beings, taking what is not given, sensual misconduct, lying speech, divisive speech (idol speech), harsh speech, covetousness, and wrong view. The roots of unwholesomeness can be narrowed down to three things: greed and desire, hatred and anger, and ignorance and confusion. Thich Nhat Hanh describes the importance of Right View and what it is within chapter 9. Right View is known as samyag drishti. TNH talks about how seeds are planted within our bodies, and everyone has them. I thought it was the coolest analogy when TNH taught of these seeds within our bodies. It seems like everyone has each kind of seed of all different traits, but it depends on whether or not those seeds are watered within our bodies. He says: If you live in an environment where your seed of loyalty is watered, you will be a loyal person. But if your seed of betrayal is watered, you may betray even those you love. You’ll feel guilty about it, but if the seed of betrayal in you becomes strong, you may do it. (TNH, 51) This is such an amazing statement because I am a fairly strong believer that you are the product of your environment. Most people do whatever the â€Å"status quo† is in their neighborhood and rarely does anyone make a big jump to do something drastically different. I feel like all people are created the same, at least mentally, and it is up to the upbringing to form how someone acts in life. The reading of TNH’s chapter 9 discussed how it is up to the individual to decide which seed grows more than others within one’s body. In class we discussed how one can try to keep the seed of anger, for example, from growing. It is up to the individual to essentially stunt the seed of anger’s growth when one feels any possibility of anger coming in. While pushing the feeling of anger away, one should try to grow the seed of loving-kindness instead. Within my own life, I try to live by the idea of â€Å"killing people with kindness. † This is my third year as RA here on St.  Bonaventure and when I confront a situation, I try to always be as nice as possible. There’s nothing better than when we are documenting a room for a violation, usually alcohol related, and being overly nice to them. They have no idea how to handle the niceness in the situation. It just makes the situation so much better in the long run. Most people act very mad and rude to us when they are being documented and they don’t expect us, the RA’s, to be nice to them, but when we are nice to them and don’t let their obscene â€Å"hate words† affect us, they don’t know what to do. I feel like this could be a small example of growing my seed of kindness because I could get very angry about the students calling me hateful names for simply doing my job. Instead, I try to do what TNH said in Chapter 10, â€Å"†¦replace an unwholesome thought with a wholesome one by ‘changing the peg,’ just as a carpenter replaces a rotten peg by hammering in a new one. † (TNH, 62) In this example of my RA duties, I replace the unwholesome thought of harsh speech with loving-kindness, compassion, and clarity (education) to why the students are being documented. Discussing â€Å"Morality†, I read a part in which Kornfield was talking about his teacher, Maha Ghosananda (the Gandhi of Cambodia). Kornfield was telling how his teacher would teach the survivors of the 1975-88 genocide in Cambodia practices of compassion and loving-kindness for their own loss and that of others. He said, â€Å"You have lost so much. Now you know how precious everything is in this world. You must love again and let new things grow. † (Kornfield, 81) This quote can be related to â€Å"Right View,† but more importantly the concept of compassion which is within â€Å"Right Conduct† or â€Å"Morality. I absolutely love this quote because I feel like way too many people take their great lives for granted. I am sad to say that I am sometimes right in that category of people. I am always humbled so much when I meet someone who has endured a great amount of pain, or those who have already had cancer and are the same age as me. Right now, while at college I have two close friends who have already battled cancer and are now back at college. It makes me feel like I should be so incredibly thankful for the life that I have been blessed with. Many times one can become attached to something that is not all that important. Meditation can resolve this. In chapter 12 of TNH, it talks about how we have become so efficient and able to talk to places on the other side of the planet, however, he also explains that people have a harder time with one-on-one interactions and speech nowadays. This is an example of becoming attached to technology instead of listening and speaking with people in person. When reading through Kornfield’s 24th chapter, I noticed the stories about Dipama Barua, one of the greatest meditators of the Theravada lineage. They told of how she lost two out of three of her young children to illness and lost her husband due to a heart attack soon after. Most people would feel like there is no longer a reason to live after something like that, and she was one of those people. However, after a year of lying in bed full of grief, she started doing meditation and then eventually became a master of meditation. (Kornfield 382-384) Kornfield had gone to see Dipama and had such an encounter! When he was leaving from seeing her, she touched him and said a 10 minute prayer in which he started to have a realization and see everything in a positive light. After this, he could not stop smiling at everything. (Kornfield 382-384) This encounter between Kornfield and Dipama reminds me of times that I feel like nothing can go right, but all it takes is seeing and talking to someone who you really like and respect. Then, after talking to this one person, you have a totally new positive outlook on life. This short story tells me that how you go through life is all about perspective. This â€Å"halt† in life represents a meditation. Sometimes one has to take a break from their busy lives and just reflect on their life and spirituality. When I have done this in the past, it feels so incredibly rewarding to just take a break from things and reflect on how great life is. When one is thinking about the Noble Eight-Fold Path, one has to remember that all of the â€Å"Rights† link into each other. We need to be compassionate for others, practice loving-kindness, and embrace wisdom, morality, and meditation within our lives to better understand everything.

Plans of Reconstruction

Daniel Ramirez Mrs. Toth Period 2 11/29/12 Plans of Reconstruction During the Civil War was the beginning of the Reconstruction era that took place up until the late 1870’s, which for some was a success but a failure to others. Not only was it a civil rights movement but it also re-created the southern way of life, temporarily divided a political party, broke down another, and affected the nation in ways that would have long-term consequences.Two of the three major Reconstruction plans were that of President Lincoln and Vice President Johnson that both sought to readmit the south as quickly as possible. Lincoln maintained that the political leadership of the South had seceded. His plan did not exclude people like Johnson’s did. President Lincolns plan of reconstruction was light on punishment of the South so that he could reincorporate the Southern section back into the Union.He argued that because of the fact that the government was indivisible secession was politicall y impossible, and that the war was a result of only a small rebellion that violated the authority and laws of the government. With this in mind his design of reconstruction; readmission of each state was based on 10 percent of the voters pledging loyalty to the US knowing that no more than that would be probable which rendered the radical republicans 50 percent demand illogical.Though Lincoln and Johnson’s plan did have similar ideas there were few differences some of which were even seen as illogical, amongst them was the right to grant pardons to the same people that he claimed he wanted to exclude power from. This did not help the reconstruction plan it in fact it irritated Northerners who saw senators of former offices in the Confederacy reclaiming their places in U. S. senates. Under Andrew Johnson's restoration African America’s rights were not safe, as he vetoed the Civil Rights bill.This did not pass since Congress overturned his veto and made the Civil Rights bill an act. Lincoln’s â€Å"10 percent† plan, while perhaps not the greatest for bringing the nation together, was the best for the promoting the principles of freedom and equal rights for all in the newly reformed union. His plan unlike Johnson’s protected the new rights of the African Americans, and provided a balance between the rights of whites and them.Lincoln’s plan also made it easier for states to rejoin the Union, because this was such a very forgiving plan, it was better than Johnsons’. Under Lincoln's Plan, it would be easiest for Confederate states to rejoin the Union, except for the three that were excluded, because the Radical controlled Congress would not permit these states’ representatives to join the federal government. If the nation had agreed to Lincoln's Plan, racism may have been more easily overcome, and the Union would be reunited in a strong bond because of the reprieve granted.

Case Study Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Case Study - Assignment Example Hackers might focus on a company’s financial data to obtain its earnings before being publicly released. Such knowledge might enable their profit by acquiring or dumping stock. Another threat to data security of a corporate firm is known as the advanced persistent threat. It predominantly involves stealing intellectual property and associates itself with state-sponsored espionage. The gains are not strictly financial because what is at risk is not only the intellectual property of the corporate entity but possibly the national security. APT targets organisations and nations for economic and political motives. The Stuxnet worm case in 2010 is an example of such a case (Plant 1). The Stuxnet worm infiltrated industrial control systems like those that manage water or power plants. Industries at risk include defence industries, financial industries and technology industries. Another potentially dangerous threat is hacktivism. The goal of the hackers in this type is creating or altering the public perception of the brand. For instance, the hackers might hack and get sensitive information about the company and disclose it the whole world especially if the company belongs to the private sector. An example of such a type of threat is WikiLeaks or the digital equivalent of Occupy Wall

Training Policy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Training Policy - Assignment Example It needs to be mentioned in this regard that the training programs or policies not only concentrate on individual development but also on the facet of organizational development which is imperative to be gauged together with individual development (Rae, L., â€Å"Effective Planning in Training and Development†). Training relates to the coaching or knowledge enhancement conducts that are carried out for the principal rationale of aiding the members of a particular organization to obtain and to implement the learning proficiencies, aptitudes and approach required by that organization in order to obtain and practice the same. To put it differently, it can be stated that training is considered to be the conduct of augmenting the understanding and competency with regard to the employees in the field of their respective tasks. The environment of business has been observed to undergo through a constant alteration which is not only intensifying the degree of competition but is also ch allenging the sustained existence. This is making it necessary for the organizations to adapt to the altering scenario in order to ensure its development as well as existence. Developing fresh training policies for the organizations are considered to be an effective way for them in dealing with the alterations and modifications made with regard to the business operations. Employees are considered to be vital components, who are regarded as a fundamental part for leading the organizations towards failure or accomplishments (Rae, L., â€Å"Effective Planning in Training and Development†). Every individual organization is believed to entail the engagement of competently trained as well as experienced individuals for the reason of carrying out their respective responsibilities that form a part of the regular business operations with regard to the organization. The altering business environment is making it necessary for the employees of different organizations operating in divers e sectors to cope up with the changing requirements. Therefore, training is measured to be the aspect that is known to facilitate the growth of such capable employees by enhancing and honing their respective proficiencies. In this present society that is supposed to be changing speedily, the aspect of formulating training policies is not just observed to be a conduct that is wanted but the organizations also need to assign resources in an attempt to ensure the existence of a practical and experienced workforce (Rae, L., â€Å"Effective Planning in Training and Development†). Training policies are believed to provide significant advantages that are reaped in the long run by a definite organization. The notion related to the formulation of training policies is also measured to ascertain along with enhancing the returns gained in terms of the investment made by that organization. Therefore, the factor of providing training or structuring training policies helps the organizations to a great extent in keeping hold of the most excellent resources with the purpose of garnering the best from them (Rae, L., â€Å"Effective Planning in Training and Development†). Overview of the Company The Gulf Centre for Aviation Studies (GCAS) is a company which is located in Abu Dhabi and it is identified as a centre that aims at offering excellent training